Grizzly bear spiritual power and Shamanism in native cultures of the Pacific Slope of North America.
Bernard G. Comeau
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Cultural reports of Native cultures of the Pacific Slope of North America |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Argues that grizzly bear spiritual power and "grizzly bear persons" were not unidimensional across Pacific Slope Native cultures. Analyses yield four types of grizzly bear persons, and their reported existence is consistent with each society's cultural position. The author questions current academic categorizations of shamanism and advocates a model highlighting its inter-cultural and intra-cultural diversity. |
Abstract
The dissertation is a monograph of grizzly bear spiritual power as it was historically conceptualized and manifest among Native cultures of the Pacific Slope of North America. Focusing specifically upon cultural reports of persons (e.g., shamans) acknowledged to hold grizzly bear spiritual power, descriptive summaries outline the varied behaviours, abilities, and functions associated with these individuals, as well as the more general mythological themes, rituals, and ceremonies which reflected societal attitudes toward grizzly bears and grizzly bear spiritual power. Based on data from these summaries, correlational and factor analyses are employed to discern specific trends in the reported existences of "grizzly bear persons" as they were acknowledged among Pacific Slope cultures. Analyses yield four distinct types of grizzly bear persons. These types, according to their reported behaviours and functions, are named "grizzly bear sorcerer", "grizzly bear shaman-sorcerer", "grizzly bear shaman-healer", and "grizzly bear dancer". Subsequent correlational analyses show that trends in the existences of these types of grizzly bear persons are consistent with the cultural positions of the societies in which they were reported. The developed world-view of each culture was significant in determining both the particular conceptualizations and manifestations of grizzly bear spiritual power and the acknowledged existences, behaviours, and functions of grizzly bear persons. From these results, it is argued that grizzly bear spiritual power and grizzly bear persons were not unidimensional across Pacific Slope Native cultures. In noting the cultural specificity of the reported existences of grizzly bear shamans, current academic categorizations of shamanism are called into question. A model which highlights the inter-cultural and intra-cultural diversity of shamanism is advocated. Finally, conclusions are drawn with respect to the implications of this study for a more comprehensive understanding of spiritual power as it was expressed and manifest among North American Native cultures.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond | 2014 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Shamanism as the Original Neurotheology | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Cognitive Neuroscience, Shamanism and the Rock Art of Native California | 1998 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From Culture to Experience: Shamanism in the Pages of the Soviet Anti-Religious Press | 2020 | Historical analysis | |
| Anthropology, Shamanism, and Alternate Ways of Knowing–Being in the World: One Anthropologist's Journey of Discovery and Transformation | 2010 | Reflective essay or personal narrative |