From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shamanism is a range of traditional beliefs and practices concerned with communication with the spirit world. A practitioner of shamanism is known as a shaman, pronounced /ˈʃɑːmən/, /ˈʃeɪmən/, (ˈshämən; ˈshā-) noun (pl. -man(s)).
There are many variations of shamanism throughout the world and several common beliefs are shared by all forms of shamanism.
Shamans are intermediaries between the human and spirit worlds. They can treat illness and are capable of entering supernatural realms to provide answers for humans.
Russian postcard based on a photo taken in 1908 by S. I. Borisov, showing a woman shaman likely either of Kizhi or Khakas ethnicitiy.
Etymology
The term "shaman" is a loan from Tungus šamán, the term for such a practitioner, which also gained currency in wider Turco-Mongol culture. The word's etymology is uncertain. It is sometimes connected to a Tungus root ša- "to know". Other scholars assert that the word comes directly from the Manchu language, and indeed is "the only commonly used English word that is a loan from this language.
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