(In Pics) The Regalia of the Shaman

Human societal development seems to have followed a common path to success, a system of increasing complexity which develops often in isolation but which follows the same formula. It starts, it would seem, with our realization that we prosper the most when we work together.

Banding together in tribes allowed us to protect ourselves from dangerous predators, whether from our species or not. And from this initial drive to form a herd came everything else.

Agriculture, although detrimental to the individual compared to the previous approach of hunting and gathering, allowed for larger communities and an attractive alternative to a nomadic lifestyle. And much of what we see today came from that decision.

Armies started as specialized defenders, or raiders who found a way of life in attacking weaker neighbors. Before engineers and scientists, there were blacksmiths. And before doctors and modern medicine, there were shamans.

It is interesting that such figures combined religion and medicine in their role, the two being closely linked in our primitive psychology. But such figures, usually elaborately dressed, appeared in many different cultures across the world.

Here are some of the many ritual accompaniments used by the shaman.

1. Yup’ik Shaman and Healing

*Photographed around 1890, this Yup’ik shaman is exorcising* *evil spirits* *from a sick boy. The Yup’ik live in* *Alaska* to this day and have a rich history of hunting and trade. The shaman has enormously exaggerated hands which wrap around the boy, and combine with the multiple mouths of the mask to frighten the spirits within the child. Such grotesque outfits were common in shaman from many disparate societies, and show that, absent an understanding of the underlying problem, such shaman attempted to handle the sickness as they would any other unknown enemy, with bluster and bravado (Frank Carpenter / *Public Domain*)

2. Medicinal Herbs and the Zulu

Here we see the preparation of the diet of a Zulu shaman in the Mantenga Swazi cultural village, which preserves the traditions of the Zulu. This shaman also has an outfit of furs, although the hotter climate means he wears far fewer, only enough to denote his role in the village. What the shaman eat was important, as shamans across the world would consume whatever *psychoactive* products were available to them, and in their trance they would seek to understand what happens to the sick when they die, and thus gain insight on how to help the living (Pierre Andre Leclercq / CC BY-SA 4.0)

3. Bright Colors and Finery

One consistent feature of such medicine men is the flamboyance of their outfits, which sees them dressed in the finest (and often the most brightly colored) regalia available to them, as is the case for this *Aztec* shaman with his plume of blue feathers. While individual shamans from the far corners of the world seem different, it is often primarily their environment which results in the difference in appearance. The intent is always the same: the shaman is a key ritual figure for communities, and must appear to be so (MirreNL / *CC BY 3.0*)

4. A Transformation

This finery, and especially the masks used by shamans, serve a specific purpose as they distance the human inside the costume from the character of the shaman itself. Many cultures contain the idea that the shaman transforms into an animal and so gains some attractive aspect of that animal. Statuary at Chavin de Huantar in the *Peruvian* *Andes, for example, depicts figures part way through their transformation into a jaguar, and the Tairona of Colombia, pictured, depict their shamans with the distinctive upturned noses of* *bats* *(Banco de la Republica – Colombia /* *CC BY-NC 2.0*)

5. Loud Noises!

*No point in dressing to the nines if you’re not going to make a song and dance about it, and for shamans this is a literal part of their role. Much of shamanic art is performative and* *musical* instruments, such as these Venezuelan pan pipes, and drums either played by the shaman or in accompaniment, form a key part of the rituals. They would be played alongside dancing, singing and communal worship. Such aspects of shamanism show its common ground with organized religion (Fotofox / *Public Domain*)

6. A Dying Art

This is Chuonnasuan, the last shaman of the Oroqen of Manchuria. The outfit has all the hallmarks of shamanic regalia: bright colors, ornate finery, musical instruments, and a covered face to make the shaman seem *otherworldly. Sadly this is the last of the Oroqen shaman, and after their death in the year 2000 there were no more. Oroqen shamanism is now extinct (Richard Noll /* *Public Domain*)

Top Image: Drugs, finery, music and healing: much of the regalia of the shaman is purposed towards making an impression, and guiding those on a journey of discovery. Source: Jonathon / Adobe Stock.

By Joseph Green

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Joseph Green

Joseph Green is editor for Historic Mysteries, which combines his background in English Literature with a lifelong fascination for the strange and the unexplained. Read More