Magic can be a dangerous and mysterious force for those who believe. Those faithful who reside in the Amazon are always wary for the perceived effects of magic. Whether it be assault sorcery, dark shamanism, or witchcraft those that hold to these beliefs are ever watchful. Shamans however can also bring light and understanding to the people of their land. They heal, guide, and protect those they love and cherish.
The book In Dark and Secrecy allows us to read the observation of Dominique Buchillet who observed the Desana shamans and people of the Upper Rio Negro Region of Brazil. In this area of the world spells are cast primarily by blowing. Exhaling and projecting the spell away from oneself and to the target of one’s ire. This is not a unique phenomenon among the shamans of the world and is a common practice for magic casters in most of the Latin world.
One unique point that can be made for the Desana in the book In Darkness and Secrecy is their belief in that “those who cure can also kill” (Buchillet 109). What this means is that according to Desana beliefs those who heal with magic will also know how to destroy with magic. It can be a very fine point trying to find the division between the two and the Desana work every day towards not to become a village of killers.
For the Desana healers, or kumu (Buchillet 110) the power of healing and destruction originate from the same points. They believe that all the therapeutic and dark spells can be traced back to the origin stories of the tribe. The Desana work their healing magic by telling of the origin of the problem and using that to alleviate the suffering the patient is undergoing and righting the body’s natural functions. However it seems that also using this story on a he...
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...cretive and private art for immediate family of the patient only. This seems not to be the same with the Kulina. They instead “sing out the healing spells along with the women of the village” (Pollock 204) that the patient comes from. Secondly is that when the Desana are trying to heal someone they tell the story of the origin of the affliction in exact detail and they believe that this will alleviate any problems that the patient is suffering. For the Kulina however, they instead “call upon the spirits of animals to help them in drawing out the illness from a person and curing them” (Pollock 204).
Magic can be a very dangerous tool for those who believe. This is especially prevalent in the Amazon. The Desana are but one tribe with traditions stretching back generations. They can only continue what their ancestors have been doing and continuing on with their lives.
Winkelman, Michael. "Shamanism in Cross-Cultural Perspective." International Journal of Transpersonal Studies 31.2 (2013): 47-62. Google Scholar. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
...uals, even if they don't agree with them. It really falls to nurses to address the situation properly, and effectively ensure that the cultural communication between the doctor and the patient does not break down. Nurses most of all have to communicate with patients in a healing way, even if they do not agree with mystical remedies because the nurse has to recognize that there is nonetheless a function that mystical ritual remedies do serve, even to western medicine: to comfort the patients and their families. Ancient rituals or customs, retained to some extent or respected by western caregivers, can serve to maintain a healing and positive attitude, and as a psycholgocial support which the nurse can provide through respect and symbolic use of non-western cultural myths as a psychological stimulant to assist the healing process and inspire the patient thereof.
The Cross-Cultural Articulations of War Magic and Warrior Religion by D. S. Farrer, main purpose of this article is to provide a re-evaluated perspective of religion and magic, through the perspective of the practitioners and victims. Farrer uses examples that range from the following: “Chinese exorcists, Javanese spirit siblings, Sumatran black magic, Tamil Tiger suicide bombers, Chamorro spiritual re-enchantment, tantric Buddhist war magic, and Yanomami dark shamans” (1). Throughout the article, he uses these examples to address a few central themes. The central themes for war magic, range from “violence and healing, accomplished through ritual and performance, to unleash and/or control the power of gods, demons, ghosts and the dead” (Farrer 1).
In Western culture magic has been traditionally viewed negatively. The word often conjures up images of witches, spells, cults, and dark rituals. As Malidoma displays, in Dagara culture, along with most traditional African culture, magic is viewed positively and is at the core of religion.
Their dependence on magic is similar to very religion-like. It is akin to how a pious group of people consider their faith as sort of a protection. But the Trobriander magic extends to more realms than most religions. Malinowski mentions the varied aspects of their lives that magic plays a part in. It is used to explain death. Physical ailments and illness can be attributed to magic. There is a team of human sorcerers, the bwaga’u, who induce the “deepest dread and most constant concern of the natives” because of how magic can extinguish human life (393). Health is closely tied to magic as it can ruin or improve one’s health. Magic also plays a part in social events such as “ambition in gardening, ambition in successful Kula, vanity and display of personal charms in dancing” (394). Individuals can perform magic to improve the chances of success for their gardens while also casting black magic on the gardens of their rivals. Magic governs the weather. One of the more interesting aspects of
Experiencing new worlds and encountering new dilemmas, magic, wisdom, truth: all of these elements characterizes the context of the book Of Water and Spirit by Malidona Patrice Some. Here, magic and everyday life come to an affinity, and respect and rituals are necessary tools to survive. The author portrays the Dagara culture in a very specific way. This culture makes no differentiation between what is natural, or "normal", and what is supernatural, or magical. Ancestors compound the core of communities and individuals. These higher beings are present in ordinary life activities and actions. They constitute the connection between this world and another.
Throughout ancient history, many indigenous tribes and cultures have shown a common trait of being hunter/gatherer societies, relying solely on what nature had to offer. The geographical location influenced all aspects of tribal life including, spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices. Despite vast differences in the geographical location, reports show various similarities relating to the spirituality, healing philosophy and healing practices of indigenous tribal cultures.
Shaman are known in many cultures, but are identified by different names: healers, spiritual healers, medicine men, angakok, ganga, mulogo, witch doctors and warlords, just to name a few. However, this does not mean that all Shamans will hold the same beliefs, they may be good or evil, but they do receive their paranormal powers in many forms, some receive them thru visions or trances. Shamanism is humanity's oldest form of relationship to the Spirit. But it is not a religion. Given the various traditions of Native American people, shamanism takes in a diverse range of methods for collecting knowledge.
Liberty, M. P. (1970). Priest and Shaman on the Plains: A False Dichotomy? The Plains Anthropologist, 73-79.
On the topic of healing rituals, the Iroquois had an unconventional form of medicine. Though they were known to treat common sicknesses and injuries such as wounds and broken bones, they had an alternative method of treating more serious cases. This method involved ritual healers singing and beating of drums in order to cast away bad spirits. The Iroquois even had societies that were dedicated to treating a specific ailment through a specific ritual.
Over the centuries, the concept of Witchcraft, as it presented within religion and society, evoked a variety of responses and attitudes that permeated throughout the cultures of the world. Christianity incited wars, hysteria, and chaos in the name of extinguishing the practice of Witchcraft. Today, there are prominent religions within many cultures that uphold the practice of witchcraft as a feasible manifestation of spirituality. The term conjures up a variety of images for a diverse range of people. To the Azande, witchcraft, oracles and magic existed in everyday life as permeation of the Zande culture.
Throughout time, mankind has constantly been seeking ways to maintain their health and to cure those that had not been so fortunate in that task. Just about everything has been experimented with as a cure for some type of illness; whether physical or mental. There is also a third type of illness that can and is addressed, which is healing on the spiritual plan. According to research, most of the spiritual healers are concentrated in primitive societies and undeveloped areas of the world. However, there are still undertones of reliance on spiritual healing in modern medicine today and there are some in civilized, well developed parts of the world that have rejected modern medicine all together and adopted alternative healing methods. Even a person who does not believe in a higher being actually takes part in this type cure simply by allowing the chemical medicines in his/her body to mend what is wrong. No matter what class of society a person is in, no matter how advanced that particular country is, there will always be traces of spiritual healing if not all-out practicing of it; and it is and will continue to be a significant part of any healing process, large or small.
"Witchcraft." Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 14. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 9768. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 4 May 2014.
The Western Culture focuses on two methods of healing: chemically engineered compounds and surgical procedures. For instance, in the United States, individuals have the option of antidepressants with or without the aid of cognitive therapy(Selhub 2007) Most individuals choose the quick approach due to its alluring quick fix scheme. These contrasts different from the Eastern Culture’s main focus: the power of the mind and the energy from within: mind, body, and soul. The effects of Eastern Culture’s approach have been proven to be enduring and beneficial to the individuals involved. The Western Culture would greatly
While is a common conception that pre-modern societies are primitive compared to their modern counterpart, this is not often the case, theses societies have complex systems within their society especially within their spirituality and religion. It is this complexity that has allowed aspects of pre-modern societies to evolve and adapt into modern societies. Myths, rituals and sorcery have been terms to describe the activities of pre-modern societies, but these activities have also been found to exist within modern society as well. This essay will further discuss the connections between pre-modern and modern societies that has allowed for myths, rituals and sorcery to exist in the modern societies.