Comparative examination of Northwest Coast shamanism.
Grace Mairi McIntyre Jorgensen
cIRcle (University of British Columbia) 2011 DOI: 10.14288/1.0104139 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Comparative ethnographic analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Six major linguistic divisions of British Columbian Northwest Coast Indian groups |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key findings | Argues that while shamanistic beliefs and practices appear similar across Northwest Coast groups, their emphasis and structural implications differ, with variations in novice shaman initiation reflecting principles like rank, kinship, inheritance, or residence that counterbalance the shaman's supernatural identification. |
Abstract
The following paper presents a comparative examination of shamanism as practised traditionally among a number of British Columbian Northwest Coast Indian groups. Case studies representing groups about which information is readily available, from each of the six major linguistic divisions in the area, have been presented in terms which indicate the ordered relationships between shamanistic beliefs and practises, and an attempt has been made to suggest structural links with other aspects of culture in each case. The major ethnographic works pertaining to each group were examined intensively and as many independent sources as possible were consulted for cross-checking the data. It was found that while in outward appearance patterns of belief and action show considerable similarity from one group to another, the emphasis and structural implications of these beliefs and practises are different for each group. Some of these differences are expressed most clearly by the variations present in the public initiation of novice shamans. At this time principles such as rank, kinship, inheritance or residence are, to varying degrees, recognised or affirmed, counterbalancing the shaman's identification with the supernatural, as spirit intermediary.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Plantas con madre": plants that teach and guide in the shamanic initiation process in the East-Central Peruvian Amazon. Curanderos, apprentices, and herbalists in East-Central Peru, including Mestizo,... | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 36 |
| Purging and the body in the therapeutic use of ayahuasca Healers and participants in shamanic tourism contexts of the Peruvian Amazon and... | 2019 | Ethnography with literature review | n = 227 |
| The Globalization of Ayahuasca Shamanism and the Erasure of Indigenous Shamanism Western tourists and indigenous peoples in Iquitos, Peru | 2016 | Ethnography | |
| Shamanism and Rock Art in Far Western North America Historic hunter-gatherer cultures of California and the Great Basin | 1992 | Ethnographic review and analysis | |
| Working with “La Medicina”: Elements of Healing in Contemporary Ayahuasca Rituals Ayahuasqueros and Western participants in shamanic tourism in Iquitos, Peru | 2012 | Ethnography |