Rediscovering the Link between Traditional and Modern Shamanism - Research Paper Example

? Rediscovering the Link between Traditional and Modern Shamanism A Research Paper and Number and Number ofthe Instructor Date of Submission Introduction In several cultures efforts have been exerted by anthropologists to restore shamanism, to renew traditional beliefs and practices while there are still living witnesses who can narrate the story. Since the rituals of the shaman are very specific and distinctive it is difficult to identify which one deserves restoration. Shamanism is flexible and open, which allowed an interaction between, for instance, Buddhism and shamanism in Mongolia (Witzel 2011: 44). Hence it would nowadays be hard to identify whether the practices of a shaman in Mongolia are inspired by centuries-old Buddhist rituals or whether Buddhist practices are rooted in shamanic beliefs. This paper analyzes the changes that traditional shamanism went through in order to adapt to contemporary needs, and the impossibility of restoring the pure, original form of shamanism. Contemporary Shamanism The 20th-century shamans in Japan or Siberia embrace the belief that they are merely a rough version of past events. The shaman has evolved and thus has his/her advocates and their needs. Shamanism in post-Reformation Europe appears to thrive in its neo-shamanic form because people can create an interpretation of supernatural occurrences which are difficult to understand or explain in the perspective of the Protestant church (Jakobsen 1999: 209). Likewise, as stated in the accounts of Laura Kendall, shamanism attracts mostly Korean housewives. Contemporary shamanism thus has gone through transformations which have matched it to the users’ needs and focuses on prophecy and the family. Shamans may also have monetary goals in mind when they perform (Jakobsen 1999: 209): The avarice of many mudangs [Korean shaman] has further aggravated the misfortune of shamanism. Rather than providing competent service which would reinforce communal solidarity, reaffirm the joy of life, and promote the healing of psychogenic and psychosomatic illness, some mudangs intimidate people with their supposed superhuman powers for the purpose of exacting money. By luring people with promises of good fortune, many mudangs encouraged dissipation and idleness. Coercion of individuals by several shamans is common in all shamanic cultures. A number of scholars, such as Hahm Pyong-choon, emphasize this point since shamanism is threatened by the exact causes of neo-shamanism’s success in the Western world. Apparently, the current threats to shamanism are major perils to its survival. Worldwide occurrences, especially industrialization, urbanization, modernization, technological and scientific progress, the powerful spread of Christianity, and westernization have all created serious threats (Meadows 2011: 105). As the heightening of individualism and disintegration of the family persist shamanism will undoubtedly be threatened further. The dissimilarity between neo-shamanism and contemporary Korean shamanism is that in the latter the bond to the deceased family members and their impact on the lives of the living is the emphasis. The core element is the family. In neo-shamanism the person focuses on those who need attention and it is thus better adapted to contemporary Western urban culture (Gallagher 2006: 82). In South America, certain healers still perform some of the healing methods of the earlier shamans but it is a quite special challenge that shamans have to face in an urban environment. Nowadays, healers act in response to immorality in urban areas, to issues of drug addiction, domestic violence, child abuse, family disintegration, and prostitution. The morality of the healer, his spiritual defenses and his capacity to change the spirit domain for the benefit of his audiences is similar to early Amazonian practices (Adlam & Holyoak 2005: 531). His healing practices definitely are different from those of the mainstream medical procedures offered, for a fee, in urban areas. The urban shaman addresses the misery emanating from hardships or poverty in the disadvantaged sectors of urban settings. The shaman’s power is what neo-shamanism is trying to eradicate. While attempting to sustain the value of communicating with a spirit domain, wherein the spirits primarily are friends, the wisdom of the shaman is not a mysterious, unfathomable attribute anymore but rather open to everyone. There is no feeling of a fatal catastrophe caused by Nature, which is rather seen as the casualty of the insatiable desires of human beings (Boekhoven 2011: 59). The miseries of humanity come from a weak, divided society whose fundamental ideologies have disintegrated into sheer greed and whose spiritual life is severely weakened. The experience of powerlessness is hence attributed to the societal system (Witzel 2011: 48). The social system and medical institutions have all been disconnected from the sacred and, thus, death, illness, and adversity cannot be interpreted from a spiritual perspective. The combination of Christianity and the age-old shamanic rituals appear to be widespread among South American urban healers. John Perkins discovered how the Quechua Birdwoman and the Virgin of Quito have come together (Jakobsen 1999: 211): “She is not just the Virgin… she is also a Quechua Birdwoman, a powerful shaman who can fly into the past to consult our ancestors about the future. She embodies Pachamama as well as Jesus Christ”. As explained by John Perkins, this idea has been promoted by the church. If this is true it has attributes similar to the interactions occurring in the rest of the world as evident between shamanism and Christianity in Korea or Buddhism in Mongolia (Jakobsen 1999: 211). The interest of Westerners in traditional practices will have a considerable influence on the future form of the shamans. Serge Kahili King (2009: 33) explains the fate of Hawaiian shamanism in this manner (King 2009: 33): Today, however, the great healing, metaphysical, and shamanic traditions of Hawaii are being kept alive primarily by the same race that almost destroyed them completely. Without the audiences of white mainlanders, even the few Hawaiian teaching kabunas [Hawaiian shaman] would have virtually no one to teach. The culture of North American Indians has for decades been pestered by Western explorers, to a point that there currently is a certain level of antagonism between the two. The merging of shamanism, Indian beliefs, and Christianity is usual of the contemporary tolerant view of the potential fusion of belief systems. Nevertheless, several North American Indians see the application of their beliefs by Westerners as unsophisticated (King 2009: 33-38). Sungila Peta Wicokahiyasamya challenges the entire commercial aspect of the treatment of sacred items. Native American Indians help fascinated Westerners but there are issues in the interaction of belief systems. For the contemporary Native American Indian, the customary practices and objects contribute to the formation of an identity as a community (Jakobsen 1999: 212). However, if this is weakened by the financial interests or spiritual pursuits of other groups the entire foundation of their culture is weakened. The shaman, regardless of the period or environment, has to collaborate with the spirit realm so as to bring back the wellbeing of individuals or the entire society. Ruth-Inge Heinze (1991: 117) sees the importance of shamanism to the present day in this way (Heinze 1991: 117): Shamans are actively and successfully working in the modern world. Shamanic practices are, therefore, not confined to ‘backward’ or underdeveloped areas but flourish in all cultures, even those that pride themselves on their sophistication… We can no longer maintain that shamanism. It is only practiced by the uneducated powerless. Shamanism is also neither a prerogative of the educated nor those with high intelligence but originates in a different part of the being, i.e., the shaman’s heart, soul, and spirit. Likewise in other domains of healing, healers may not possess a high educational degree but they understand the possibility of helping out others. Although their social standing may not be lofty, in the modern period the individual with rare abilities goes through a complete role transformation. Conclusions A large number of shamanic beliefs and practices are from the distant past and have acquired complexity over hundreds of years of existence. The concept of shamanism is used in a variety of rituals in the contemporary period. Some believe that there is very little connection between traditional and modern shamanic practices, while others believe that core-shamanism reflects a strong connection between age-old and contemporary shamanic culture. However, the attempt to revive traditional shamanism would be a great difficulty because of the exchanges between shamanism and other forms of faith, such as Christianity and Buddhism. It would be impossible to restore a pure, unadulterated shamanic culture. Shamanism today is a reaction to major societal developments that bring about human suffering. The emergence of neo-shamanism bears witness to the deep-seated transformation that traditional shamanism went through in order to adapt to the needs of the people of today. Works Cited Adlam, Robert & Lorne Holyoak 2005 Shamanism in the postmodern world: A review essay. Studies in Religion 34(3): 517-568. Boekhoven, Jeroen 2011 Genealogies of Shamanism: Struggles for Power, Charisma and Authority. New York: Barkhuis. Gallagher, Eugene & Michael Ashcraft 2006 Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America: African Diaspora Traditions and other American Innovations. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group. Heinze, Ruth-Inge 1991 Shamans of the 20th Century. New York: Ardent Media. Jakobsen, Merete Demant 1999 Shamanism: Traditional and Contemporary Approaches to the Mastery of Spirits and Healing. Greenland: Berghahn Books, 1999. King, Serge Kahili 2009 Urban Shaman. New York: Simon and Schuster. Meadows, Kenneth 2011 Shamanic Experience. New York: Ebury Publishing. Witzel, Michael 2011 Shamanism in Northern and Southern Eurasia: Their distinctive methods of change of consciousness. Social Science Information 50(1): 39-61. Read More