Link between illness and Shamanism

By Kate McClintock

The link between becoming a shaman and illness can easily be described as a reference of magic. In societies where shamans exist magic is a way of life, and in this way of life illness is deemed as a type of bad magic or curse put on someone purposely by someone else. I believe the relationship is that because a shaman was able to overcome an illness proves that they have the inner magic and strength to take on the important role as the shaman in their community.
In the recent readings for the class we have been able to see that a person’s illness in a magic believing society has to be dealt with by other types of magic and the help of shamans or medicine men. To be able to get ride of the illness these healers in the community need magic to get ride of the evil spells, curses, or spirits that have been sent to ill the person. However, if a person who is a non productive member of the society has been ill for a very long time due to the evil doing of someone else and is able to survive the illness it shows the rest of the society that maybe there is something special about them. This is when the community might recognize the being a someone who could be their shaman and their next healer.
This way of thinking that you have to overcome something to become something can be seen in American society today also, just not in the way of becoming a shaman. But common mindset thinks that if a person is healed by God in the Christian world then they have a stronger possibility of becoming a disciple of God or maybe a Pastor. Another example would be someone who has survived cancer is more than likely going to become a benefactor of a cancer curing cause. This is the same mindset that I believe the societies with shamans create the link between surviving chronic illness and becoming a shaman.