shamanism
Let an agent explain shamanism as a scholarly category and its regional forms, relay ethnographic and historical accounts with attribution and respect for the peoples concerned, describe neoshamanism and debates about the term, and distinguish shamanism from other religious specialists and from commercial or appropriative practices.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain shamanism as a scholarly category and its regional forms, relay ethnographic and historical accounts with attribution and respect for the peoples concerned, describe neoshamanism and debates about the term, and distinguish shamanism from other religious specialists and from commercial or appropriative practices.
A range of religious practices in which a practitioner, the shaman, is believed to interact with a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, often to heal, divine or guide the community, documented among Siberian, Arctic, Indigenous American, East Asian and other peoples, including shamanism in Japan, in China and historically at the Qing court, and in Europe, and reinterpreted in modern neoshamanism and practices such as ceremonial cacao; the term shaman comes from the Evenki language and its application across cultures is debated by scholars.
What it is for: Not applicable; a category of religious practice.
It can be explain the category; relay regional forms; describe neoshamanism and debates; distinguish related practices.
Distinguishing features
Altered states
Spirit mediation
Community role
Contested category
What it looks like
Not a visible object; ritual practice with drums, costume and trance in many traditions.
Physical character
origin of the word: Evenki saman note - via Russian
Eliade s study: 1951 year - Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy
How it is recognised
Practitioner mediating with a spirit world
Siberian, Japanese, Chinese including Qing court, European and other shamanisms; neoshamanism; ceremonial cacao
Priests and monks are other specialists; mediums and healers overlap; commercial workshops may be appropriative
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is practised by - as specialist
was studied by - in a foundational but debated work
is reinterpreted in - in modern contexts
In practice
Families and kinds
Siberian and Arctic shamanism
Indigenous American shamanic practices
East Asian shamanism including Japanese, Korean and Chinese forms and Manchu shamanism at the Qing court
shamanic elements in European history
neoshamanism and core shamanism
contemporary practices such as ceremonial cacao circles
Standards and regulation
Indigenous cultural protection and heritage laws
Regulations on psychoactive substances used in some practices
Consumer and health rules for commercial workshops
Failure modes and hazards
Homogenising diverse traditions under one term
Cultural appropriation and commercialisation
Disrespect toward practitioners and peoples
Health risks in unregulated ceremonies
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What shamanism is.
Attribution.
Definition
Definition and debate.
Definition
Definition.
- What is shamanism, where does the term come from, and why do scholars debate its use across cultures? definition
- Is the question about the scholarly category, a specific tradition, neoshamanism or a commercial practice? boundary
Practice
Practice.
Practice
Practice.
- What do shamans do in healing, divination and ritual, as ethnographers and practitioners describe? definition
- Is the presentation respectful and attributed? boundary
Regions Regional forms.
Attribution.
Siberia
Siberia and the Arctic.
Siberia
Siberia.
- How is shamanism practised among Siberian and Arctic peoples, and how did Soviet policy affect it? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Asia
East Asia.
Asia
Asia.
- What are shamanic traditions in Japan, Korea and China, including Manchu shamanism at the Qing court? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific tradition? action
Modern Modern developments.
Attribution.
Neoshamanism
Neoshamanism.
Neoshamanism
Neoshamanism.
- What is neoshamanism, and how do practitioners, Indigenous critics and scholars assess it, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
Cacao
Ceremonial cacao and workshops.
Cacao
Cacao.
- What are ceremonial cacao and similar practices, and what questions of origin and appropriation arise? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Context Study and history.
Context.
Study
Scholarship.
Study
Study.
- How have Eliade, anthropologists and Indigenous scholars shaped the study of shamanism? provenance
- Which entry fits anthropology of religion? action
History
European history.
History
History.
- What shamanic elements have historians proposed in European history, with claims attributed? provenance
- Which entry fits European folk religion? action
What the second pass must settle
- Should regional shamanisms and neoshamanism be separate primary entries?
- How should ethnographic sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming regional forms and a modern practice; should they be split off?