Ok. I've chosen to do a project in Social Studies on North American Shamanism. The truth is, I've googled it, and come up with some good, solid information. I've also included information that I had already known from previous research. But I do have a few questions remaining, that I'd like to include in my presentation.

-Do the Sioux, Blackfoot, Mi'kmaq, Iroquois, and Algonquin (Most Abenaki) all practice Shamanistic rituals?

-Do Shaman's, as they are valued in the Native community, nescessarily have to be Native or Oriental?

-What herbs are used in Practices throughout Northern America (canada), (like Peyote in the South)?

Much help appreciated, thanks...

yes.



salvia d.

You'd probably get better answers on shamanism in better living through chemistry. But the native americans in mexico atleast used magic mushrooms, morning glory, salvia, peyote and other stuff for their rituals. I don't think the Canadian natives have many shamanic rituals (not many natural hallucinogens are native here), because cactuses and stuff don't grow here, even though peyote has to be legal in Canada for the natives.

quote:Originally posted by Splam:

You'd probably get better answers on shamanism in better living through chemistry. But the native americans in mexico atleast used magic mushrooms, morning glory, salvia, peyote and other stuff for their rituals. I don't think the Canadian natives have many shamanic rituals (not many natural hallucinogens are native here), because cactuses and stuff don't grow here, even though peyote has to be legal in Canada for the natives.

Yeah man. I'm Native, so I like to fuck with cops and stuff, burning sage in public and telling them to fuck off when they see me. My project isn't really gonna focus on the drugs, but more on how Shamans are respected in their communities...I don't feel like going up to the reservation to learn all that stuff, so I decided to ask on here....I know ArmsMerchant knows alot about it.

quote:Originally posted by kenwih:

yes.



salvia d.

That was used by the Mazatecs of Mexico. Keep in mind that they didn't smoke it, they used the quid method. The salvia page on erowid should have something about that.

Tobacco?

ArmsMerchant is a shaman. I'd really suggest you go post this in Paranoid Delusions, you'll get more responses.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by diehard993:



-Do the Sioux, Blackfoot, Mi'kmaq, Iroquois, and Algonquin (Most Abenaki) all practice Shamanistic rituals?

[/b[

- Yes.

[b]-Do Shaman's, as they are valued in the Native community, nescessarily have to be Native or Oriental?

- No.

-What herbs are used in Practices throughout Northern America (canada), (like Peyote in the South)?

- I'm not incredibly well versed in North American religious beliefs... But, you're forgetting yage, and I'm sure lot's of other stuff.

Cheers,

Lost

quote:Originally posted by diehard993:



-Do the Sioux, Blackfoot, Mi'kmaq, Iroquois, and Algonquin (Most Abenaki) all practice Shamanistic rituals?

Yes.

quote:-Do Shaman's, as they are valued in the Native community, nescessarily have to be Native or Oriental?

Define your terms. What's "native"? Some form of shamanism has been practiced by every tribal society on earth: Siberia, Australian Aborigine, ancient European... Read Mircea Eliade's book, Shamanism.

quote:-What herbs are used in Practices throughout Northern America (canada), (like Peyote in the South)?

Much help appreciated, thanks...

They don't all use drugs. Read Shultes Hallucinogenic Plants.



[This message has been edited by Run Screaming (edited 03-31-2006).]

^ Some good stuff up there.

Don't forget to be precise in your terms--all shamans are spiritual healers, not all spiritual healers are shamans.

Most tribal societies have shamans, some do double duty as priests. The amount of respect we get varies with the tribe--Korean shamans are often women, usually rank socially somewhere between bar tenders and hookers.

All shamans work in an altered state of consciousness, but we use various ways to obtain it--drugs, sonic driving, ecstatic dancing, sleep deprivation being the most common.

As far as I know, only Hawaiian shamans typically use sheer meditation, which is tough--took me about ten years to get the hang of it.

Other good books--Michael Harner, The Way of the Shaman; Sandra Ingerman, Soul Loss and Retrieval.

Hope this helps.

diehard,

If I were you, I would be a bit careful to use the terms Shamanism and Shaman(s) in this context. Not least as you say:

quote:Originally posted by diehard993:

My project isn't really gonna focus on the drugs, but more on how Shamans are respected in their communities.

The quotes below (and the articles they link to) explain what I mean.

Contrary to popular opinion, a "shaman" is not an Indian medicine man, and "shamanism" is not a Native American religion. In fact, many Native Americans find the terms "shaman" and "shamanism" offensive. (http://www.metista.com/articles/aint.html) -- Tori McElroy

...it's like calling any carbonated cola drink a "Coke." It may get the point across in casual conversation, but it's not accurate. Same with "Xerox" for photocopy, "Kleenex" for tissue, etc. (http://www.bluecorncomics.com/shaman.htm) -- Robert Schmidt

At least until recently, the word "shaman" was one of those terms which would lead most indigenous people to figuratively "reach for their shields" and assume a defensive posture. "Shaman" has been pretty much of a dividing line word: those who use it are non-Native and/or anthropological, or are ignorant of Native Americans' feelings. Indigenous people refer to their own holy people and curers by other terms such as doctor, medicine person, spiritual leader, elder, herbalist or diagnostician, recognizing a wide variety of callings and skills. Of course, before "shaman" became popular in the anthropological literature, indigenous healers and religious persons were often referred to as "witch doctors," "sorcerers" or other derogatory terms, words still used reportedly in right-wing Christian missionary propaganda. But "shaman" is not an innocent term either, because it rises out of a clear misunderstanding of, and denigration of, non-European cultures. (http://nas.ucdavis.edu/Forbes/shamanism.html) -- Jack D. Forbes, Powhatan-Delaware, Professor, Native American Studies, UC Davis

One of the most common misunderstandings is the belief that the term 'shaman' is indigenous to Native American culture, usually assumed to be North American. This leads to confusing 'shamanism' with the various religious practices of the North American Indian tribes. Some indigenous Americans did incorporate shamanism as defined above, but many did not soul journey. Subsequently their healing methodologies were very different than those utilized by a shaman. Even within North American tribal societies some shamans were also medicine men and women but, again, being a medicine person doesn't mean that you are also a shaman. (http://www.barbelith.com/cgi-bin/articles/00000053.shtml) -- Lothar Tuppan

Then again, some Nations are comfortable (enough) with the terms Shamanism and Shaman(s). A few even use the terms. But also they dislike to be "lumped together" with all other Nations, as if there was only one "Native American Spirituality", underlying all practices of Medical and Spiritual Healing, and Guidance.

Looking at the date of the initial post [posted 03-26-2006], I realize that I may have arrived a little late to be of help. But with the slightest of luck...

FoxLeonard

[This message has been edited by FoxLeonard (edited 04-06-2006).]

^ Right--a "medicin man" is pretty much ANy sort of healer, and I use the term "healer" broadly.

Someone wants to call me a witch doctor, that's fine with me. Beats "asshole," anyway.

As long as you remember that there is a large set of healers; spiritual healers is one subset of "healers"; and "shamans" make up one subsey of spirtual healers.

Past that, you can get as complicated as you want to (you got your Harner method shamans, or you can divvy us up by how we achieve the shamanic state), but we all do pretty much the same thing--try to restore wholeness, health, and harmony to individuals and/or tribes.

Just to clarify. My intention was not to criticize you, ArmsMerchant, or anyone else in this thread. Nor did I try to "complicate" the definitions and terminology, compared to the "more simple" realities (plural).

I just wanted to draw diehard's (and others') attention to how a lot of (not all) Native American people relate -- with dislike -- to the terms Shamanism and Shaman(s), and how they, therefore make the distinctions, and prefer others to do the same.

They may be right, or wrong, in this, from "theoretical" points of view. But I can fully understand their dislike for being "labeled" by outsiders. And why start a Social Studies project about them, by stepping on their toes, when the focus is supposed to be on respect?

FoxLeonard

[This message has been edited by FoxLeonard (edited 04-08-2006).]

No prob here.

Thing is, the whole native healer thing CAN get really complicated, what with hand tremblers and singers and herbal dudes and sand painters. I think it helps clarify things if you think in terms of sets and subsets.

I think too many darn people--crips, gimps, gays, 'tards, old farts, redskins and so on and so forth--are just too thin-skinned. I say, focus on stuff that matters--homelessness, for instance--or the fact that millions of people in Africa die of malaria because they can't scrape up four bucks for a fucking mosquito net.

In the face of things like that, what's a little name-calling? Mere farts in the wind.