The picture on the left shows a female shaman practicing a healing ritual in her home possibly in America. Notice that she is blind folded, this is part of the ceremony to help with the trans.
http://blogs.kqed.org/bayareabites/files/2012/04/hmong-shaman-bells.jpg The picture to the right is showing the same concept except the woman appears to be in a traditional setting possibly in Laos or a surrounding area. This can be assumed based on the dirt floor and wooden hut she is in. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3275/2533180689_9fc894531c.jpg
What is shamanism? where did it come from?
Shamanism is a form of spiritual healing and can be extremely diverse. It combines the use of natural remedies with supernatural spirit involvement, sometimes even multiple spirits. It is know best for its holistic forms of healing, medicine and religion. It is truly a culture in itself (Kozak, n.d). The whole practice dates back about 40 or 50 thousand years, first emerging in Siberia and Central Asia. It is hard to say how one becomes a shaman. Some choose the life for themselves but majority have either inherited it, been identified by the spirits, or have had a "near death" experience, something that maybe for example knocked the person unconscious. In Hmong (pronounced Mong) culture this is a sign that the individual is in a "trans" between this world and the next (Kozak, n.d).The Hmong people are one of the more well know groups who practice shamanism. They originate from a European, Chinese decent but eventually settle in Laos, a country in Vietnam. Once the Vietnam war started many migrated to surrounding areas or immigrated to America. In another section of this website I will discuss Ann Fadiman's book "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" about a Hmong family and their journey through the American health care system. The Shamans have many responsibilities as a chosen healer. They must know and understand natural remedies, they also need to sometimes fight or argue with the spirits for a patients soul or well being (Kozak, n.d). Most traditional Hmong individuals or families may chose to use shamans in conjunction with American bio-medicine. It is important to not place a stigma on this culture even though it may not be what most Americans are used to. For further visualization of what its like a day in the life of a true shaman you can click on the video displayed.
This video will help to understand the healing ceremony of a shaman in America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWtqpXm-g2U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWtqpXm-g2U