Religious Specialists: Shamans, Priests, & Prophets Articles by Lehman & Meyer- Ch.3 Religious Specialists The Shaman: a Siberian Spiritualist Dark Side of the Shaman

Religious Specialists  Priest & Prophet –Priest- “..functioning of a regularly organized & permanent enterprise concerned with influencing the gods.”  Specialized, continuous operation of cult  Permanently associated with norm, places, & time –Prophet- receiver of “a persona call” revelation & personal charisma.  Achieve ecstatic state, healing, divination & telepathy.  Charisma bearer

Priest & Shaman  Shaman –Personal communication with supernatural being –Get powers by “divine stroke” –Present in food- gathering cultures  Priests –Trained specialist –Power from codified rituals –Agricultural/industri al societies

Religious Specialists  Shaman & Medium –Shaman as a medium between the spirits who CONTROLS the spirits.  Divination & Religious Specialists –Concerned with immediate problems & interests –Divination  Revel hidden message  Forecast events  Analysis of past events

The Shaman: a Siberian Spiritualist  Psychological benefits  Publicly recognized men and women  Duties  Most important person of the village, center of religion  3 realms of nature  Asian & American Shamans –Emekhet –Yekyua  Shamans as sexless beings

Dark Side of the Shaman  Shamanism-world’s oldest profession  Yankush- Aguaruna of Northeastern Peru –Sorcerers cause life threatening illness –Use spirit darts  Darts- piece of bone, tiny thorn, spider, or blade of grass  Can only be seen by the shaman –Initiation process

Sorcerers vs. Shamans  Sorcerer –Works in secret –Men & women –Use spirit darts to inflict suffering –Evil & persecuted  Shaman –Works publicly –Only men –Use own darts to fight sorcerers darts –Drugs for trance & divination

Social Control  Power & Control –Community’s accusations of sorcery –Use herbal medicine –Prescribe traditional healing &/or pharmaceuticals –New Age shamanism