If you talk on shamanism to most Westerners, they will surely think about the techniques of traditional care, travel or shamanic medicine men of Indian peoples of North America (which were not, interestingly, necessarily shamans). But shamanism and shamans are not words used by American Indians although shamanism is practiced for at least two thousand years, and probably as far back as the Paleolithic era (perhaps there 50,000 years). The word shaman is not used in most shamanic cultures which remain today in the world: other names for shaman among the Zulu sangoma include, babalawo among the Yoruba, and kahuna in Hawaii. Shamans of People Mapuche in Chile almost always women and are known as the Machi.  Continue Reading »