The Immigrant Shaman

I've had this same conversation lately with a variety of people, so I have these thoughts rumbling around in my brain that I want to put to paper - the blog kind.

When anthropologist and such started to study shamans, it was discovered that they were found in nearly every part of the world.  Shamanism is the oldest spiritual practice known to humankind.  It dates back a hundred thousand years, if not more.  An odd thing happened when shamans were studied.  These healers had no way of talking to each other during those thousands of years, yet it was found that they were all doing the same thing.  Or rather, their practice was the same at the heart of what they were doing.  This is called Core Shamanism.

Around that core practice, a shaman would take on the trappings of the culture she or he belonged to.  So in each region of the world, researchers found a wide variety of outer practices that reflected local beliefs.  This is called Cultural Shamanism.

Outwardly, as we look at shamanic practices, no two styles look the same.  There is a beautiful array of beliefs, ceremonies, deities, costuming, etc.  But when we look beneath all of that, at what the shaman is actually doing, we find the same practice the world over.

This makes me think of cultural appropriation.  How does an immigrant shaman find her tribe?  And what happens when the shaman is an all American mutt made up of many cultures?  It's a bit of a sticky wicket.  (Shout out to my English shamanic heritage!)

We could be talking about anything from shamanic healing practices to the desire to understand another culture.  When does one cross the line from "respectful curiosity to learn", to "inappropriate cultural appropriation"?  Let's say for example, that I buy a beautiful Native American necklace from a pawn shop.  Let's also say that unknown to me, it's a sacred object that belongs to a specific tribe, and it is only worn by certain people and only during sacred ceremonies?  What happens if I later find out about it's origin and purpose?  What if a similar necklace is gifted to me by the maker with a clear understanding that I would not be able to wear it in public?  What is my moral and ethical responsibility in each scenario?  I agonize over these questions because I want to be respectful.  But what if I make a mistake?  What if I'm irreverent out of ignorance?  What if my seeking takes me to places I ought not to be - and according to whom?  How do we explore our spiritual center and remain respectful to others?

I don't have the answers to these questions.  Perhaps asking them and having the conversation is a good start.  I do believe that core beliefs and practices cannot be appropriated because they are from the tribe of human. But I also believe that maneuvering life with the desire to understand and be respectful of others and their cultures is an ongoing, worthy endeavor which I intend to continue.