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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Surprisingly little appears to have changed in shamanic practices throughout the world in the last 500 years. Most rely on plant hallucinogens to communicate with otherworldly spirits for guidance and for enhanced perceptions of diseases and the identities of enemies. And most can choose whether to direct their energies for good or for evil purposes, an ability that provoked much hostility among their early observers. Scholarly treatments of shamanism, however, have changed dramatically over the centuries. In this excellent volume, anthropologists Narby (The Cosmic Serpent) and Huxley (Affable Savages) have collected observations about and interviews with shamans from more than 60 missionaries, botanists, anthropologists, ethnographers and psychologists spanning from 1535 to 2000. The contributors convey everything from fear, suspicion and condescension to respect, fascination and adulation. Many contemporary anthropologists lament shamanism's recent popularization and its likely degeneration in global culture. Anthropologist Michael F. Brown writes, "Tribal lore is a supermarket from which [New Age Americans] choose some tidbits while spurning others." As an example of shamanism-as-commodity, British anthropologist Piers Vitebsky cites a dumbed-down version of traditional healing that is part of a compulsory course for schoolchildren in northeast Siberia, where 50 years ago shamans were put to death. On the positive side, ethobotanist Glenn H. Shepard believes that shamans will become the ethnobotanists of the future. This first sweeping study of shamanism is sure to become a classic.
From Library Journal
Narby (The Cosmic Serpent: DNA & the Origins of Knowledge, Putnam, 1998) and Huxley (Affable Savages: An Anthropologist Among the Urub# Indians of Brazil, Sheffield, 1995) have compiled this anthology of excerpts from 64 previously published works to illustrate how shamanism has been perceived through the centuries. The essays are divided into seven parts, each including an introductory essay that identifies the prejudices of the researchers and shows how preconceived notions influenced both their methodology and the evolution of the study of shamanism. Many of the authors included in this anthology, such as Black Elk and Claude L?vi-Strauss, are familiar to those interested in the subject. What makes this work unique is that it also includes translations of relevant materials that were previously available only in foreign languages. The inclusion of an excerpt from Carlos Castaneda is questionable, however, since much of his "research" has been largely discredited. Recommended for large public libraries and academic libraries with anthropology collections. John Burch, Campbellsville Univ., KY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
Surprisingly little appears to have changed in shamanic practices throughout the world in the last 500 years. Most rely on plant hallucinogens to communicate with otherworldly spirits for guidance and for enhanced perceptions of diseases and the identities of enemies. And most can choose whether to direct their energies for good or for evil purposes, an ability that provoked much hostility among their early observers. Scholarly treatments of shamanism, however, have changed dramatically over the centuries. In this excellent volume, anthropologists Narby (The Cosmic Serpent) and Huxley (Affable Savages) have collected observations about and interviews with shamans from more than 60 missionaries, botanists, anthropologists, ethnographers and psychologists spanning from 1535 to 2000. The contributors convey everything from fear, suspicion and condescension to respect, fascination and adulation. Many contemporary anthropologists lament shamanism's recent popularization and its likely degeneration in global culture. Anthropologist Michael F. Brown writes, "Tribal lore is a supermarket from which [New Age Americans] choose some tidbits while spurning others." As an example of shamanism-as-commodity, British anthropologist Piers Vitebsky cites a dumbed-down version of traditional healing that is part of a compulsory course for schoolchildren in northeast Siberia, where 50 years ago shamans were put to death. On the positive side, ethobotanist Glenn H. Shepard believes that shamans will become the ethnobotanists of the future. This first sweeping study of shamanism is sure to become a classic.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Narby (The Cosmic Serpent: DNA & the Origins of Knowledge, Putnam, 1998) and Huxley (Affable Savages: An Anthropologist Among the Urub# Indians of Brazil, Sheffield, 1995) have compiled this anthology of excerpts from 64 previously published works to illustrate how shamanism has been perceived through the centuries. The essays are divided into seven parts, each including an introductory essay that identifies the prejudices of the researchers and shows how preconceived notions influenced both their methodology and the evolution of the study of shamanism. Many of the authors included in this anthology, such as Black Elk and Claude L?vi-Strauss, are familiar to those interested in the subject. What makes this work unique is that it also includes translations of relevant materials that were previously available only in foreign languages. The inclusion of an excerpt from Carlos Castaneda is questionable, however, since much of his "research" has been largely discredited. Recommended for large public libraries and academic libraries with anthropology collections. John Burch, Campbellsville Univ., KY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
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Citations
(learn more)
3
books
cite this book:
- The Power Path: The Shaman's Way to Success in Business and Life by Jose Stevens in Back Matter
- Shamanism: A Reader by Graham Harvey in Back Matter
- Riding the Spirit Wind: Stories of Shamanic Healing by John G. Myerson in Back Matter