For ten-thousand years or more there have been men of God serving His children in the Americas; the shaman, "medicine man" of the Native Americans is certainly no exception. In the words of Chief Redfox, "Among the American Indians there was a single concept of religion regardless of tribe or geographic location. They believed that the finite and infinite were expressions of one universal absolute being that furnished guide lines for their morals and conduct, and motivated every living thing. They called this the Great Spirit" (Redfox 10) . When the Europeans began settling on this continent they treaded coarsely on sacred ground: "The Sioux were shocked to hear these palefaces flippantly use the name of the Great Spirit in jest, or carry on licentious conversations. No tribe of Indians has a word with which to take the name of the Great Spirit in vain" (Redfox 21).
When a man of God is able to effect a change in the environment or circumstance through ritual or prayer then the change is called a miracle and the holy man is made a saint (usually after death). If we do not recognize the ritual or understand the philosophy then the man is called insane, the people pagans, and the ritual "black-magic", such has been the case with shamans we have met all over the world.
They seem forgiving, in spite of this persecution. Even to this day, worldwide, there are shamans that claim to be working to mitigate the destructive force of nature's wrath. The Kogi people of Columbia, who call themselves "Elder Brother" have this to say, "What would they think if all we mamas (shamans) died? Would they think, 'so what?' If all we mamas died and there was no one doing our work. The rain wouldn't fall from the sky and the earth would get hotter and hotter. The trees wouldn't grow and the crops wouldn't grow--or am I wrong and they would grow anyway?" (Arara) . One might be tempted to dismiss this outlandish claim "in toto" except that immediately after these words he explained his case in sound scientific principles. "The mountains gather the clouds and make it rain. If you fell the trees on the mountain she will not make her clouds and everything will die. We know what has happened, you have sold the clouds" (Arara). The Kogi people are the last fully-functioning pre-Colombian society that exists in the Americas according to Alan Arara of the B.B.C.
In Walsh's The Spirit of Shamanism we find very clear patterns common in the development of "civilization" These (primitive) tribes the shaman plays many roles, both sacred and mundane: medicine man, healer, ritualist, keeper of the cultural myths, medium, and master of spirits" (Walsh 15). "Although shamans as such largely disappear from complex societies, most of their roles and skills are retained by various specialist. There is one exception, however--journeying":(Walsh 10). "Shamanism goes far beyond a primarily self-concerned transcendence of ordinary reality. It is transcendence for a broader purpose, the helping of humankind" (DeKorn 61). The shaman is a prophet.
In their travels to collect knowledge from the remaining elders of the Native Americans, Steve Wall and Harvey Arden heard this from Thomas Banyacya of the Hopi tribe: "Nuclear weapons. Our prophesies speak of these weapons. They are called the Gourd of Ashes that the White Man will throw back and forth and there will be a fire in the sky that no one can put out. If you don't stop what you are doing, Nature will intervene. Other forces far beyond your control will come into play. The last stages are here now. All these earthquakes and volcanoes and fires and hurricanes-- these are the final signs, the final warnings. These are the last stages. Our prophesies tell us that in the last stages White Man will steal our lands. It's all happening now. We pray and meditate and ask the Great Spirit to keep the world together a while longer. But it's coming. The Purifiers are coming" (Wall 95).
The religion of the indigenous people of America is not without its dark side, however, "Blood was the mortar Maya life, spilled to honor the gods,. communicate with ancestors, and seal events such as victory in battle or an heir's accession" (Miller 69). Yet how can we think to pull a splinter from another's eyes when we, as Christians, (are supposed to) believe that by crucifying God's son we have turned away the Father's Wrath. That the blood of Jesus, is taken by God, in the stead of our own. Let he who has spilt no blood, throw the first stone.
The shaman's journey has multiple levels (Walsh 10), yet the most important is the "axis-mundi" or world axis (Walsh 114). Truly, it has been said in our own scriptures, by our noble King of Kings, "The Kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you" (Luke 17:21). The phrase, "in the midst of you" has also been translated as simply "within." Either way the message is the same, God is not up in the sky, he is in our hearts, we have only to become aware of him. This planet is a temple. The "axis-mundi" is the heart of the earth, the very altar of the human race (Walsh 114). There has been a promise made, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them" (Mat. 18:20). The shaman, alone among humans, is able to traverse the path to the Great Center (Walsh 114). Perhaps what we need is two shamans to gather at the Alter of the Earth in the name of God.
In (the Bible's) Revelation to John We find in red letters, "I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one-thousand-two-hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. And if any one would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall derring the days of their prophesying, and they have the power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire" (Rev. 11:4-6). We might even begin to consider that perhaps the miracles and curses of Moses ore examples of a shaman with the hand of God upon him. He was raise by "pagans" as well as monotheistic peoples (Ex 2:6-23), and then, the Lord spoke through him (Ex 5:1).
Arara, Alan. "Elder Brother." Nature. KCET, Los Angeles. 15 July 1994.
The Bible. Revised Standard Version.
DeKorne, Jim. "Psychedelic Shamanism" Magical Blend 49 Winter 1995-96: 61-64.
Miller, Mary. "Maya Masterpiece Revealed at Bonampak" National Geographic 187.2 Feb. 1995.
Redfox, William, Chief. The Memoirs of Chief Red Fox. New York. 1971.
Wall, Steve, and Harvey Arden. Wisdomkeepers: Meetings With Native American Spiritual Elders. Ed. White Deer of Autum. Hillsboro, Oregon. Beyond Words Pub. 1990.
Walsh, Roger N., M.d., Ph.D. The Spirit of Shamanism. Los Angeles: Tarcher, 1990.
