what is a shamman?

Question

never heard of this before is it a religion or place?

Answer 1

A shaman is a person that works with the spirits or the unseen world.

Shamanism has been practised on 6 of the 7 continents for around 35,000 years.

the name shaman comes from the Tungus people of Siberia. In Native American communities; the shaman would be the medicine or holy person.

Even Taoism as reported in the book "The Shambhalla Guide To Taoism" by Eva Wong comments that Taoism traces it's roots back to a shaman living on the banks of the Yellow River.

I began having Shamanic experiences at the age of 5.

Shamanism is a religion (the reported oldest religion" where the shaman acts as intercessor between the natural and unseen worlds

Answer 2

Shamanism refers to a range of traditional beliefs and practices similar to Animism that claim the ability to diagnose and cure human suffering and, in some societies, the ability to cause suffering. This is believed to be accomplished by traversing the axis mundi and forming a special relationship with, or gaining control over, spirits. Shamans have been credited with the ability to control the weather, divination, the interpretation of dreams, astral projection, and traveling to upper and lower worlds. Shamanistic traditions have existed throughout the world since prehistoric times.


Jesus is the truth, the way and the life!

Answer 3

Shaman originally referred to the traditional healers of Turkic-Mongol areas such as Northern Asia (Siberia) and Mongolia, a "shaman" being the Turkic-Tungus word for such a practitioner and literally meaning "he (or she) who knows." In Turkic shamans were called mostly Kam and sometimes Baksı.

The Tungusic word šamán is from Chinese sha men "Buddhist monk," borrowed from Pali śamana, ultimately from Sanskrit śramana "ascetic," from śramati "he fatigues" (see shramana). The word passed through Russian and German before it was adopted into English.

Another explanation analyzes this Tungusic word as containing root “sa-”, this means “to know”. “Shaman” is “he/she who knows”: a person who is an expert in keeping together the multiple codes through which this complex belief system appears, and has a comprehensive view on it in his/her mind with certainty of knowledge. The shaman uses (and the audience understands) multiple codes: he/she expresses meanings in many ways (in musical, verbal, choreographic forms, and meanings are manifested also in objects, e.g. amulets). The shaman knows the culture of the community (he/she lives in) well, and acts accordingly. Thus his/her audience knows the used symbols and meanings — that's why shamanism can be efficient: people (in the community) trust it. Such belief system can appear to its members with certainty of knowledge — this explains the above described etymology for the word “shaman”. Hoppál mentions such semiotic approaches to shamanism also in, and at the bottom of the same writing, he refers to Juha Pentikäinen's “grammar of mind” approach (also in mentions it shortly: “Juha Pentikäinen, in his introduction to Shamanism and Northern Ecology, explains how the Sámi drum embodies Sámi worldviews. He considers shamanism to be a ‘grammar of mind’, because shamans need to be experts in the folklore of their cultures”). Another interesting concept mentioned in the conclusion part of is “ethnohermeneutics”.
Accordingly, the only proper plural form of the word is shamans and not shamen, as it is unrelated to the English word "man".

In its common usage, it has replaced the older English language term witch doctor, a term which unites the two stereotypical functions of the shaman: knowledge of magical and other lore, and the ability to cure a person and mend a situation. However, this term is generally considered to be pejorative and anthropologically inaccurate. Objections to the use of shaman as a generic term have been raised as well, by both academics and traditional healers themselves, given that the word comes from a specific place, people, and set of practices.

Answer 4

It is a medicine man. Native American or the like.

Answer 5

witch doctor, medicine men, etc. etc. all tribal druggies.

Answer 6

shame-man