Shamanism is the belief in a spiritual world in which all living things are connected. It is the oldest form of systematic belief in human history as there is evidence of shamanism existing in Neolithic times thousands of years ago. People in most ancient cultures practiced Shamanism in some form during their histories. While some features are common to the practice of shamanism, most cultures added their own unique aspects. Over time, however, organized religions began to spring up in ancient civilizations, so shamanism was either suppressed or disappeared entirely. In modern times, even though some people practice it, mainstream society mostly views it skeptically.
The rise of shamanism in ancient times can be attributed to mankind’s desire to understand how the world around him worked. Lacking modern scientific methods as well as the knowledge to understand the world, people in ancient times came to believe there was a spiritual connection between man, animals, plants, the moon, the sun and the cosmos in its entirety. Some cultures attributed this spiritual power to a deity or pantheon of deities while others credited it to nature as a whole. Over time, some cultures created elaborate sets of beliefs and rituals—now called shamanism—concerning this spirit world. Central to these beliefs in most cultures was the notion that an individual with a deep connection to the spirit world—a shaman—could act as a guide and advisor to others.
In most cultures, shamans were men who held positions of prominence, but women could be shamans in some instances. A shaman’s role varied from culture to culture, but some aspects of it were nearly universal. Among them were the perceived abilities to communicate with the spiritual world, to travel to that world, to see the future, to heal the sick, and to guide the dead to their final resting place. Shamans were typically called upon to act as advisors for a group’s leaders, to use their skills to ask for help during times of need, and to be the keepers of their communities’ oral history and traditions, which they would pass on to the next generation. Typically, shamans wore elaborate costumes that reflected their role in society. Animal motifs in their outfits were common to shamans in Indian tribes in the Americas, yet their garb differed in other regions.
Shamans used a variety of methods to call upon the spiritual world for guidance or assistance with the sick. They employed music, singing, and chanting, and they sometimes took plants that induced psychedelic trances. Most shamans were skilled at recognizing which plants were useful as medicines, so this aided them in their roles as healers. Most shamanistic practices and skills were kept secret from outsiders—even from other tribes in the same culture—and shamans left no written records, so it is difficult for modern anthropologists to understand many aspects of shamanism in ancient cultures. Even in modern times, many primitive tribes that practice shamanism, such as those in the Amazon Rainforest, are reluctant to divulge their secrets to outsiders.
While shamanism prevailed during prehistoric times, it went into a long decline that has lasted for thousands of years. The rise of civilization and the establishing of strong central governments in Mesopotamian and Egypt were the first in a series of steps that led to the founding of organized religion and the repressing of shamanism. The development of Christianity and the spread of European beliefs and culture around the world further helped continue the trend of shamanism becoming irrelevant. For instance, the Europeans often forcibly converted natives in North and South American to Christianity and made them abandon their shamanistic practices.
Shamanism never died out entirely despite some people’s best efforts to make this happen. In fact, many tribes resisted efforts to stamp it out and continued observing their beliefs in private. Today, shamanism has become more accepted, and it is practiced openly in numerous places around the world, including in modern societies in North America, South America and Asia. For example, the Hmong people of southeast Asia brought shamanism to the United States when they migrated there in large numbers in late 1900s. Still, despite this slight renewal in shamanistic beliefs, many people regard it as superstition from a more primitive age.
16. In stating that organized religions began to spring up, the author means that the organized religions ________.
17. The author’s description of shamanism in paragraph 1 mentions all of the following EXCEPT ________.
18. The word perceived in the passage is closest in meaning to ________.
19. According to paragraph 4, anthropologists have problems understanding shamanism because ________.
20. Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the final paragraph of the passage?
