Shamans/neo-Shamans: Contested Ecstasies, Alternative Archaeologies, and Contemporary PagansShamans and shamanisms are in vogue at present. In popular culture, such diverse characters as occultist Aleister Crowley, Doors musician Jim Morrison and performance artist Joseph Beuys have been termed shamans. The anthropological construct 'shamanism', on the other hand, has associations with sorcery, witchcraft and healing, and archaeologists have suggested the meaning of prehistoric cave art lies with shamans and altered consciousness. Robert J. Wallis explores the interface between 'new' (modern western), indigenous and prehistoric shamans, and assesses the implications for archaeologists, anthropologists, indigenous communities, heritage managers, and neo-Shamanic practitioners. Identifying key figures in neo-Shamanisms, including Mircea Eliade, Carlos Castaneda and Michael Harner, Wallis assesses the way in which 'traditional' practices have been transformed into 'western' ones, such as Castaneda's Don Juan teachings and Harner's core shamanism. The book draws on interviews and self-reflective insider ethnography with a variety of practitioners, particularly contemporary pagans in Britain and north America from druid and heathen traditions, to elucidate what shamans do.; Wallis looks at historical and archaeological sources to elucidate whether 'Celtic' and 'northern' shamanism may have existed; he explores contemporary pagan engagements with prehistoric sacred sites such as Stonehenge and Avebury, and discusses the controversial use by neo-Shamans of indigenous (particularly native American) shamanism. Rather than discuss neo-Shamans as inauthentic, invalid culture-stealers, Wallis offers a more detailed and complex appraisal. He makes it clear that scholars must be prepared to give up some of their hold over knowledge, and not only be aware of these neo-Shamanic approaches but also engage in a serious dialogue with such 'alternative' histories. |
Contents
WHITE SHAMANS Sources for neoShamanisms | 24 |
forefather of neoShamanisms | 35 |
literal or literary shaman? | 39 |
disseminating coreshamanism | 45 |
PLASTIC MEDICINE MEN? Appraising the Great Pretenders | 49 |
Decontextualising and universalising | 50 |
Individualising and psychologising | 58 |
Cultural primitivism and archaism | 61 |
NeoShamanic engagements with sacred sites | 146 |
NeoShamanic interpretations of sacred sites | 149 |
Stonehenge | 153 |
WAKING NEOLITHIC ANCESTORS Further controversies and reburial | 168 |
Handson resolutions | 172 |
Unpacking the preservation ethic | 175 |
Contests to the preservation ethic | 179 |
Seahenge | 180 |
Romanticism | 64 |
seeing to extra pay | 67 |
TALIESINS TRIP WYRD WODEN Druid and Heathen neoShamans | 79 |
Celtic shamanism and Druidic shamans | 81 |
Philip Greywolf Shallcrass a Druid shaman | 85 |
Heathenry and seidr | 90 |
Hrafnar community San Francisco seidr and possession | 93 |
Comments on the ethnographic fragments | 97 |
CELTIC AND NORTHERN SHAMANISMS? Contesting the past | 107 |
Academic approaches to Celtic shamanisms | 109 |
NeoShamanic interpretations of Celtic shamanisms | 113 |
Northern shamanisms | 124 |
Did Celtic and Northern shamanisms exist? | 136 |
SACRED SITES? NeoShamans and prehistoric heritage | 142 |
Problematising the sacred | 143 |
A British reburial issue? | 188 |
INVADING ANTHROS THIEVING ARCHOS WANNABE INDIANS Academics neoShamans and indigenous communities | 195 |
An Anthros dilemma | 198 |
The Wannabes | 200 |
NeoShamans and the capitalist ethic | 206 |
Native Americans Anthros and Archos | 208 |
Ancient Pueblos and neoShamans | 214 |
NeoShamanic neocolonialism? | 218 |
CONCLUSION NeoShamanisms in postmodernity | 227 |
Resolution of the 5th Annual Meeting of the Tradition Elders Circle and AIM resolution | 235 |
NOTES | 239 |
253 | |
295 | |
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Common terms and phrases
academic alternative ancestors Ancient Pueblo Anglo-Saxon anthropologists approach archaeologists argues aspects autoarchaeology Avebury Blain Britain British Druid Order Castaneda Celtic shamanisms Celts ceremonies Chaco chapter cited claims contemporary Pagans context core-shamanism critics culture discussion diversity Dowson Druidic Druidry Eliade engagements English Heritage entheogens ethnographic fragments evidence example experiential explore Freyja gender Goddess Greywolf Harner Harvey healing Heathenry heritage managers Hopi Hrafnar human Hutton Indian indigenous communities indigenous shamans instance interest groups interpretations issue journey London magic modern monuments National Trust Native American neo-colonialism neo-Shamans Neolithic Northern shamanisms Odin particularly past Paxson perceived perhaps perspective political post-modern practices practitioners prehistoric present preservation ethic Press reburial religion religious ritual rock art runes sacred sites saga Seahenge seidr shamanic experiences shamanisms shamanistic social society socio-political sources specific stereotypes Stonehenge stones suggests sweat lodge Taliesin teach techniques term shaman tion traditional shamanisms trance tribal Vitebsky völva Wallis Western Wicca workshop
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