Ch. 6 MRM
What types of religious specialist have anthropologists classified?
2 major categories used: Shaman and Priest.
Priest
A full time religious specialist who is associated with formalized religious institutions. Found in more complex food-producing societies.
Diviner
A religious specialist that specialized in divination.
How are each chosen or trained?
A shaman will be chosen by spirits who will seek a person who is often in a difficult time of their life. And priests are trained by memorizing vast amounts of knowledge, for the very survival of the community might depend on the priests competence in the performance of rituals.
Possession
An altered state of consciousness that is interpreted as a deity taking control of a person's body.
Neoshamanism
Focused on an individual, often as self-help means improving one's life. Neoshamans chose to participate and focus on what they consider the positive aspects of Shamanism.
Journeys
Intentional travels of the soul, which may visit physical or spiritual places or communicate with guardian spirits.
Examples of important religious prophets
Moses and Mohammed. The book talks about Handsome Lake, a prophet for the Seneca Tribe.
Pentecostal Healing
Most commonly known for its "laying on hands" healing in which shaman/priest places his/her hands on the person, this invoking possession by the holy spirit which may result in ecstatic trance, "speaking in tongues". and physical convulsions. Christians converts from shamanic traditions often found in Pentecostal appealing.
Prophet
Mouthpiece of the gods. Intermediary between the gods and the people.
Healer
Often used to describe a shaman or priest, especially when the individual is focused on the curing of an illness or injury. However, more specialized healers exist. They may set bones, treat strains, or administer drugs made from native plants and other materials.
Shaman
Part-time religious specialist/healer. Receives their power directly from the spirit world. Acquires status and powers through personal communication with the supernatural. Often works with spirit helper. Shamanism is focused on helping the community. Shamans are chosen but may resist the call because of the dark side of shamanism that neoshamanism ignores.
What types of rituals do they perform?
Priest perform Rites of Passage and Shamans perform healing rituals.
How does the type of religious specialist commonly found in a society relate to its economic/subsistence practices?
Priests tend to be in more complex food-producing societies whereas, shamans are found more commonly in technologically simpler ones. Societies will seldom have both shamans and priests.
What are prophets?
Prophets are the mouthpiece of the gods.
Extraction
Removing misplaced energy that may cause illness.
Soul Retrieval
Shaman returns should that have left the body because of abuse, grief, or other physical or emotional state.
Nganga
Shaman, practitioner of traditional African medicine.
How do Pentecostal healing and neoshamanism compare to traditional shamanism?
Similar to shamans pentecostal preachers claim to have been called by the supernatural (God). They also function like shaman by using altered states of consciousness. Neoshamanism is often focused on an individual, often as a self help means of improving one's life. Neoshamans tend to participate and focus on what they consider positive.
Familiar Spirit
Spirit that takes the form of an animal that accompanies a shaman.
What characteristic distinguish religious specialists classified as shamans from priests?
The distinctions are not always clear and some religions they fall somewhere in between. In general, in contrast to a priest a shaman receives his powers directly from the spirit world. He or she acquired these powers and abilities through personal communication with the supernatural during shamanic trances or altered states of consciousness.
What roles do prophets play in religion?
To communicate the words and will of the gods to his or her community and act as an intermediary between the gods and the people.
