Shamans : A Misunderstood People Revealed

Most people will think they know what a Shaman is, but there is a very good chance they're wrong, because this video will also show how many academics also don't understand Shamanism. An interesting look at how to understand Shamanism by looking at rock art.

🌍 Links

🧡 Please respect other's cultures and beliefs. Racism, discrimination or threatening speech will not be tolerated.

📚 References
Eliade, Mircea. The Myth of the Eternal Return
Eliade, Mircea. The Sacred and Profance
Elilade, Mircea. Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstacy
Devlat, Ekaterina, 2001. “Rock Art and the Material Culture
of Siberian and Central Asian Shamanism.” In Archaeology of
Shamanism, pp. 43–55. London: Routledge.
Stutley, Margaret. 2004. Shamanism. An introduction. London:
Routledge.
Francfort, Henri-Paul, 2001. “Art, Archaeology and the
Prehistories of Shamanism in Central Eurasia.” In The Concept
of Shamanism: Uses and Abuses, pp. 243–276. Edited by Henri-Paul
Francfort and Roberte N. Hamayon. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó.
Chang, Kwang-chih, 1992. “The Circumpacific Substratum of
Ancient Chinese Civilization.” In Pacific Northeast Asia in Prehistory:
Hunter-Fisher-Gatherers, Farmers, and Sociopolitical Elites. Edited
by C. Melvin Aikens and Song Nai Rhee. Pullman: Washington State
University Press.

[Crecganford]

What other religous characters would you like a deeper dive into? Priests? Druids? More on Shamans?

[SteveWray]

When I was studying Shamanism, I came across something expressed by a Siberian Shaman. "Religion is like there's a door, and there's someone on the other side of the door, and you're worshipping them. Shamanism is like, there's a door, and someone is standing in the doorway, and you're trying to push past them to get through it."

[fredwood]

What would be the difference between a Witch and a Shaman? Don't both names mean "Healer"? No doubt there are many form of witchcraft, from Herbalist to "Headoligist", Nurses- Midwives and Dullas to Faith Healers. What does the local population need? Jean Auel's Mog Or did many things, but he was a fantasy, but then, isn't that what all religions, understandings of the Universe, Human culture is? The major religions of any age were and are political-economic entities, tied to giving people answers they want at a price they can afford and power over those people to the leaders, at a price they can afford. What about the universal nature of the Shamanic, why are there so many similarities? Despite cultural differences, Human interpretations of real events are limited by the Human mind and that by the human brain. However, one other thing as happened, The Witch's Sabbath or the Shaman's Moot, a gathering of such people, held every few years, to share experiences and methods of action and ritual, to give real answers to the child's "whying" questions, asked by tribal leaders and common members alike. Much like a modern "Convention", information is created and shared over a larger distance and then moved on by use of the Witch-Shamans. Look to the stories, those called "Fairy Tales" and Podcasts for how and why such information was and is shared.

[thousandreasonswhynot]

Oof I'm so early, I should be a paleolithic painter 🙃

[yau]

In modern Korea, traditional shamanism is still practiced. Traditional Korean shamans are called mudang (무당) in modern Seoulite Korean language. There are male mudangs, but there are more female mudangs. Before Korea modernized, mudangs were treated as the lowest class of society for at least 500 years. The pre-modern Korean kingdom (Joseon), which adopted Confucianism as its social legal principle, collapsed in 1910, but society's perception of mudangs is still negative.

It is said that a spirit asks a person to become a mudang to serve him, and if (s)he accepts, (s)he goes to an older mudang to receive an initiation ceremony. During this process, most subjects refuse to become mudangs, so they try to drive out the spirits with the power of Buddhism or Christianity.

However, if the exorcism fails or if (s)he decides to accept the spirits on his/her own, (s)he becomes a mudang. I once heard a story about a grandmother who decided to become a mudang instead of her grandson/granddaughter who was a mudang subject. If a mudang had to be produced from a family, it would be better for an old person who would die soon to become a mudang instead of a young person who subject had many years left to live.

[SuperRobinjames]

A Shaman can only come from Siberia, surely, Druids only from Celtic speaking peoples, it's a language thing. The word Shaman has become a catch all word for anyone, anywhere, any when, using music and/or dance and/or mind altering substances or practices to do any number of different things.

[GringoCurt]

Although most may not like the way he carries himself, Dr. Ammon Hillman certainly maintains a scientific approach to ancient Greek translations. I wouldnot recommend his channel to most, because he seems a bit off the wall. However, his scientific approach reveals data that should be analysed by a person with your background. I think that the DATA he brings to the table might help you to paint an even more detailed picture for you and your audience. Thanks for being you Jon. I always look forward to Saturday because of your uploads.

[feloniousbutterfly]

I'm not sure why it's so hard to grasp that core concepts-- core instincts in humans can be rooted in the same fundamentals while also having wide-ranging differences in practices and traditions. Human dialects can differ from town to town; why is it so outlandish to believe that other human practices arent rooted in the same beliefs but take on new forms with different groups of people based on their own cultural needs, tastes and natural surroundings? I guess it all depends on what we define as 'shamanism', which I'm not sure we'll ever come to a consensus on.

[kholsinger]

Good afternoon, Crecganford.
11:35 Did I hear you correctly in that you said shamanism doesn't exist in Africa? Does that mean I should just skip the Africa-section of my 2-volume encyclopedia of global shamanism?
Admittedly, its descriptions of "shamanic" practices were so all-over-the-place that I finished the encyclopedia having LESS of an idea of what shamanism was than when I began. So I'm open to the idea of no African shamans. I just need some clarification.
Best to you and your loved ones.

[WickedFelina]

1st thing I thought when I saw the guy lying down - was that he was dead. I think the bird hit him in the head. Didn't mean to. He was just flying drunk.

[lupindeweir]

Like #13. Good thing that I'm not a Templar.

[thousandreasonswhynot]

Okay I finished the video and wanted to comment again! At the beginning when you first brought up Mircea eliade (sp?) I was a little nervous because of certain spiritual corners of the internet I have intentionally moved away from, that use those books as the justification for all sorts of interesting conspiracy theories about our "true history" 😂 I'm glad that you didn't disappoint, yet again, in giving a comprehensive and educational view of the subject that actually makes sense. Thanks for the rationality ❤

[DorchesterMom]

I think what people fail to consider is that humans also sometime just like silly hats, to dress up, express themselves in fun or expressive ways. My teenager went through a frog hat phase for instance.

I’m mostly kidding, but, sometimes the explanation is the simplest one.

[JaneB]

A drum is carried by Shiva, who is also associated with animals. Ditto re a possible precusor from the older Indus Valley civilization. Drums are 'shamanic, ' used to achieve a trance state and to enter altered reality. Shiva, the Adiguru, is the root guru for Indian yogic teachings, and can be dated before the Pleistocene, using the now widely-accepted dates of 'The Historic Rama, ' by Niiesh Nilkanth Oak. After reading that book, it seems reasonable not to dismiss Indian written records, including math and astronomy, that Shiva dates even farther back to the Sattva yuga.

The Yoga sutras of Patanjali are quite specific. There are eight steps to samadhi (expanded consciousness) and one of the manifestations along the way is vibhutis (magical powers and manifestation of phenomena). There are also rituals and techniques and sound mantras, and great respect for forest academies and daily observance of the Dhuni fire.

That all seems so shamanic that maybe there are links to follow back deeper into the past. Sri M, a yogi so highly regarded in India that he was awarded the padma bhushan, the highest civilian award given by the government, is in a line of gurus which goes back to Adiguru Shiva. If all of this holds together, in YT videos by Sri M, one might be looking at a modern representative of aspects of an ancient, possibly worldwide shamanic tradition.

[WaterholeExchange]

I have understood shamans to be the early day mystics. Enlightened people revered within their groups because of their wisdom and experience with the other world. A book, Wizard of the upper Amazon, is a persons experience of being kidnapped and assimilated into the tribe with the use of Ayahuasca. The ability to transcend language to understand each other, and furthermore to experience through the eyes of animals which they encounter, which was a way to learn about the animals which where the apex predator and could not be viewed in action with their own eyes because of the immediate danger of doing so. The Shamans were well respected teachers and healers of what we would deem today 'the occult'.

[Valdagast]

The evidence for a Maya-China continuum reminds of those who think there's some special meaning behind every civilization's use of pyramids. How else would you pile up a lot of rocks?

[henchyrd]

I believe the Dogon tribe of Mali, West Africa would make a good video.

[Dude]

I’m usually strongly against ai thumbnails but this one was very cool

[igorscot]

An interesting video, puzzling, but a good video since it made me think. Are "therians" linked to Shamanism or is it merely a "modern" invention?

[elinope]

Other things not mentioned. They get a spirit animal at level 2 or 3 and their spells are a blend of spells found on the druid and witch classes.