The Origins of Shamanism

Anthropological research suggests that shamanism is the oldest profession in the world. Some of the earliest human ancestors of 30,000 to 45,000 years ago used to practice shamanism.

In its earliest phases, shamanism was practiced as a form of magic to ensure a successful hunt, plant gathering, etc.

Archaeologists have theorized that early humans used to engage in group rituals to increase the group’s energy, seek help from the spirits, and increase the success of their hunting and gathering expeditions.

Anthropological theories about the origins of shamanism were developed by studying “modern” hunting-gathering groups during the past two centuries.

However, the most compelling evidence that shamanism can be traced back to the very beginning of human history comes from the cave paintings of the Paleolithic era.

One cave painting, in particular, found in the Cave of Les Trois Freres in France, features a half-man, half-animal, with a human face and legs that might have been drawn 30,000 years ago!

Anthropologists found various burial examples from the Neanderthals, who lived between 130,000-30,000 B.C.E, in which people were buried with animal bones, stone tools, and even flower arrangements.

Thanks to this evidence, we know that even Neanderthals had a religious belief system that could have easily been shamanic.

More recent evidence supports the central role of a shaman in hunter-gatherer societies.

Namely, in the 1920s, when anthropologists and explorers first encountered the Eskimos in Greenland, they found that when threatened by famine, the Eskimos called upon a shaman to travel down into the sea and make amends with Sedna, the mistress of animals, for all the human wrongdoings.

This ceremony would help the hunters go on future hunts with more confidence and optimism that the famine will soon be over.