Critical Differences Between Shaman And Priest

The religion, traditions and beliefs of the American Indians were also dominated by the culture of shamanism in which a religious leader, called a Shaman or Medicine Man, acted as a medium between the visible world and the spirit world. The Shamans or Medicine Men had special powers, medicine and magic to heal the sick, control the hunt, and predict the future

The children of the Chumash also engaged in certain rites of passage into adulthood, and the mothers had rituals before giving birth. When a Chumashan mother began to experience labor she would dig a shallow hole in the ground, and then light a fire in the hole to make it warm. Finally, she would extinguish the fire right before birth and line the hole with grass to deliver the baby. After the baby was born, its nose was broken because that would make the child more attractive. For the transition into manhood the young boys would drink a hallucinogenic drink known as a tolache, while being supervised by the shaman where they would experience a vision and be given a guardian spirit (Sutton, 2012). Young girls would undergo a similar process with the addition of following food taboos on meat and salt when they first began to menstruate. Sutton (2012) states that at about 15 years of age girls would marry and at about age 18 boys would marry.

Believed the supernatural powers can be manipulated by “medicine men or women” who would cure and advise other tribe members and act as a medium between our world and the spirit world. Shamans were believed to predict the future and use medicine and magic to heal the sick.

Priests or otherwise specially elected individuals would be dressed up to represent a specific deity. The Inca’s rituals are festivals and important sacrifices.'The Capac Raymi' was one of the most crucial ceremonies that would take place in Inca Society. It occured around the time of the summer solstice.The 'Inti Raymi' took place during the winter solstice and was also a ceremony that honoured the sun god. this was because during winter the sun was furthest away from the earth and due to the fear of a famine the Inca would fast for days and plead for the sun to return Capacocha was the most prominent sacrificial ceremony that took place in Inca society.It would involve the specific selection of mainly children who would be selected from all parts of the Inca empire in order to be trained and prepared for the ritual.As the Incas relied heavily on agriculture in order for their society to function effectively it was very important to them to hold rituals that would honor the gods who make their crops grow. During the feast each day a ritual chanting begins at dawn when the sun rises. This was the coming of age ceremony for girls. Priestesses would perform in this ceremony. During this ceremony a girl would come of age and choose her new

The Ibo religion falls in much the same way. This religion is centered about the worship of male gods and ancestors. The female god among these may be the Earth goddess, but Okonkwo offends this goddess twice in the story to save his masculine image: once when he beats his wife during the week of peace; the other when he strikes down his adopted son. The gods' functions are mainly to help in war, and to aid the yearly yam crop, which is considered a man's crop. The highest members in the religious organization are the most respected men in the society; during ceremonies, they don costumes and play the role of the deceased ancestors. The primary influence women have in this religion is in the role of the oracle, who is a woman, although she embodies a male god. It is the women, also, who practice witchcraft, which is greatly feared in the tribes, but it should be noted that even this is a passive force with only intangible connections to any physical effects.

They had ceremonies for several things. They have Midwinter ceremonies, Nature ceremonies, Maple sap ceremonies, Planting ceremonies, Bean ceremonies, Strawberry ceremonies, Green corn ceremonies, and Harvest ceremonies. Dances and songs are preformed counter clockwise. Some dances are preformed by men. Others are preformed by women. However both kept a beat played on drums and rattles. They like to have funny and fun ceremonies. The Onondaga tribe usually wears headdresses but women and men wear a type of skirt with sandals or slippers. The clothing they wear is specifically called The Gustoweh. The Gustoweh describes one nationality. The women and men would wear a type of pair of shoes that are like slippers with a flower on the front. They didn't wear long headdresses like the

Religious belief and practices are deeply rooted in traditions and teachings from sacred scriptures and texts. Indigenous religions are specific to a tribe, region, and cultures that have had various influences in their core religion. Religion is a very personal issue for most people and therefore closely guarded. Studying religion is necessary to have an understanding of the connections and foundations that have been built throughout its history.

This ritual is most important for boys, even though they go through no educational or moral training everyone now treats them as adult men. They have more duties and who’s main goal is proving his worth of his wife-to-be. In the Hmong the girls dress up in their clothing that their mother has made. The Hmong also believe in Shamans, one who heals souls. Although the most powerful for the Nuer is the Deng, who is associated with illness.

The Navajo live a much different lifestyle, rather than living in one community, the Navajo practice a more cowboy lifestyle meaning each family has a sizable piece of land in which they live. Unlike the Hopi, the Navajo are a matriarchal society. This means that women are the head of the house and are seen as more important socially and physically. An example of this is their most sacred religious practice, the Kinaalda. This practice isn't so much towards a particular spirit, but rather at the girl who has become a woman. The Kinaalda is a celebratory tradition in which the family and friends or anyone with a relationship with the girl celebrate her fertility. When a girl has her first period, it is seen as a gift that women share, the gift of being able to bare a child. In the Navajo people, there are no traditions for the men, but they are apart of this as the girl must make a corn cake as a token of gratitude and respect for the relationships she has with the people around her. Another important tradition of the Navajo are sand paintings. These are paintings made with sand in which a person sits in the middle after completion in hopes to drive out bad relationships, bad health, or some medical need, and are always performed inside the Hogan. Crafted by a singer's apprentice, the singer himself will conduct a ritual that connects the person in the center to the spirits that can help alleviate their pain. Early Navajo religion

In most Native American tribes or towns, a certain god, such as the sun god in Mississippian Mesoamerican culture, was worshipped and this accordingly outlined the social order. A tribal chief was at the top and was responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the villagers and this deity, so as to keep harvests and natural conditions favorable. Another important member of the Native American civilization was the shaman, who was a priest-like fortune teller, who could also mediate on behalf of the village people to the spiritual world. Following these spiritual intercessors in society were the laborers of the villages, such as hunters and gatherers, farmers, etc. Europeans considered religious societal figures such as priests to be important, but perhaps not as much as native peoples. At the top of the more socially complex European society were kings and princes, followed by the Christian clergy, merchants, laborers, and

They celebrate many of their festivals with sun and ghost dances. ''These dances are meant to be prayers through intricate body movements. One of their more elaborate and spiritual festivals include the potlach''(Rebecca Stefoff #1). This defines that the potlach is an immense event filled with a variation of festivities. Both the Chilkat Tlingit's and Sioux Indian's celebrate Potlach's. The Potlach is a celebration of giving more than taking. This celebration is either a mourning or a colorful evening filled with prayers, dancing, entertainment, feasting, and giving gifts. ''Potlaches, or ceremonial distributions of gifts, mark a cycle of rituals mourning the death of a lineage chief'' (Encyclopedia Britannica #1). This articulates that many festivals are celebrated for different purposes, but have the same rituals or events. Both the Sioux Indians and Chilkat Tlingit's celebrated or mourned this festival based on the same idea, but had fun and practiced their religion in many different

The second ritual medio asiento the person goes through consultation with a santero to discuss the persons past, present and future life. The third ritual is called receiving the warrior. In this ritual the person receives objects from their babaalawo that represent the warriors. The last ritual is asiento (ascending the throne). This is the most important and secretive ritual in santeria. This is when a person wears all white clothes. In this religion drums are only used by men and must be treated with respect. For example, dancers must never turn their backs towards the drums while dancing, it is considered disrespectful (Robinson, 2009).

Like any religion, the Mayas had religious leaders to lead the community spiritually. Priests and shamans guided the religious practices of the Maya and were of great importance to the survival of the civilization because they would help the people please the gods. Shamans were mainly commoners and looked after those in their local community. Much like medicine men of the Native American tribes, shamans used their knowledge of plants to act as doctors amongst the people and cure illness. It was the job of the shamans to perform rituals, decipher events, and tell the future so the people were able to know the will of the gods. Unlike shamans, priests were of the elite class and took part in much larger matters. Many elite class sons became priests because they could not all hold a political office. “Priests who were full-time specialists in religious matters emerged as Maya society became larger and more

With the major religions constantly crashing together, the principles and customs of each religion seem to always build similarities each time you study them. This is what occurred to me when i began reading “Living religions” studying practices and rites. Beginning with the traditional indigenous groups - descendants of the original inhabitants of lands now controlled by larger political systems in which they may have little influence (33) -, I observed the common rites performed by the different indigenous groups. Many groups lean on the word “spiritual”, rather than “religious”. There’s really no clarification as to why this is the case, but the author, Fisher addressed that religion has

Polygyny sets social role in the culture of the igbo people, which ranks are first inherited from father to son along with a farm. The festival in which the tribe celebrates the new coming of their primary food source and to praise the earth goddess which proves their peaceful bond with nature. Although others may include that the igbo tribe may be disruptive towards nature because of the sacrifices that are made as offerings to the earth goddess, Ani. And the fame for their unique and interesting culture around