Shamanic and\or cognitive evolution
Documenta Praehistorica January 18, 2023 DOI: 10.4312/dp.33.20 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Keywords | Shamanic initiation Hunting Singing Visual symbolism Rock art Community rituals |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key points | Argues that new ethnological and cognitive-evolutionary data allow reconstruction of mechanisms underlying early social and intellectual developments in prehistoric people, with focus on shamanic healing, rhythmic patterns, and symbolic representations. |
Abstract
Many misconceptions have been associated with shamanism. Recent studies, however, show a way to reinterpret basic concepts concerning shamanism. New field data from ethnology/anthropology, and studies on cognitive evolution have provided new results to enable a reconstruction of some mechanisms which contributed to early developments in the social life and intellectual history of prehistoric people. Shamanic healing methods, simple rhythmic and motor patterns and visual/symbolic representations are the focus of this analytical paper.