What Is Shamanism Some Facts

Shamanism is the name given to the primitive religion of the Ural-Altaic peoples of northern Europe and northwestern Asia, including the Mongolians, Finns, Kirghiz, and Tungus. Shamanism is based essentially on the belief that numerous gods and ancestral spirits, both benign and malignant, affect man's fortunes, and can be swayed only through the intercession of men, or priestly magicians, called "shamans". The power of the shaman to communicate with the gods and spirits is considered supernatural and is supposed to be acquired through heredity, the favor of a par-ticular spirit, or instruction by another shaman. The shaman is believed to med'iate with supernal and infernal beings by means of incantations, dreams, and visions, and to be responsible for the cure of disease, augury, and the orthodox performance of ceremonies. The term "shamanism" is often applied to the religious practices of peoples not belonging to the Ural-Altaic family, such as the Eskimos and North American Indian tribes having medicine men whose role in the community is similar to that of the shamans.

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