Show IJ Native American power song used by a Shaman I John B. B Colaizzi f. f Contributing Writer I I circle around I circle around the boundaries of the th Earth I circle around I circle around the boundaries of the Earth i f Wearing my long wing feathers as I fly t Wearing my long wing feathers as I fly I circle around I circle around the boundaries of pf the Ea Earth II HIS is an English translation translation translation THIS tion of a Native American power song and is repeated four times It is sung for the Eagle Bill Wright professor of So Sociology has studied shamanism for several years His primary teacher has been a Northern Ute Indian Shaman is a Siberian word for Medicine Man in the literal sense of a man of medicine Wright explains Shamans' Shamans heal the ill and help others interact with the spirits in other worlds Illness is never completely physical but it may be completely spiritual Imbalance provides an opportunity opportunity opportunity for illness to manifest The liThe joining of spirit and body is what what what-we we call life said Wright Bodies without spirits are dead The soul is what connects spirit and body When you experience trauma a piece of your soul may leave If your soul leaves entirely you enter a coma Wright says that Shamans can help with so soul loss spirit intrusions and loss of power animals They can help determine determine determine deter deter- mine what the problem m is A Shaman interacts with the spirit world in a spiritual way Wright explained the Native Native Native Na Na- tive American concept that each person has a particular spirit helper that watches over him This spirit manifests as a persons power animal In the spiritual domain power is equivalent a jackrabbit has no less strength than any oth other r power animal Wright says there are two realities the spiritual and physical In our culture we weare weare weare are well acquainted with the physical and not the spiritual This gives us a way of existence existence existence exist exist- ence that enables us to believe that things are different from the way they are Our culture can often keep a person alive aliye longer than it should past the time the spirit is ready to leave Death occurs to all humans Death is a path the he spirit leaves the body and goes somewhere else Wright has said II Americans and the rest of the industrial world have hav an incorrect view of death The path that our spirits must take is Js unknown to us Some spirits dont don't realize realize realize real real- ize that they are dead Other spirits are unaware of how to leave Wright told of one case where a person had b been en hit by a truck and died suddenly His spirit didn't realize that the body was dead and was unaware of how to go on to the spirit world A Shaman was able to contact this spirit and guide hi him n on his way Once a spirit has been shown the correct path it is no longer afraid This is one reason that thata a Shaman must be familiar with the process of dying All plants animals rocks and oceans have a spirit The liThe Earth herself is a spiritual being Spirits are different from us they tend to be more knowledgeable A spirit never dies II All things spiritual are connected says Wright For Wright Shamanism is about helping to heal the Earth Song and dance are arc like prayer for the white man There is a a. two way transfer of energy between the Shaman and the Earth I 4 f I Thi 3 v I p p Tj U Ar 4 y 2 p r A cv V fi 1 f 1 t t t I r r There are arc an unknown number of worlds above and below ours The animal spirits live in the world below ours Wright has been to the five above and three below Wright explains that drumming is a traditional means of accessing other worlds It is a sacred action and drums have sacred power Shamans drums have only one head When asked of other possible ways to connect connect connect con con- with the spirit world Wright replied I dont don't know if there are other ways Wright said Shamans drums have only one side because because because be be- cause in times past when drums were two sided a powerful Shaman learned to r bring back the dead This angered the spirits therefore they disa disallowed lowed two sided drums so that no Shaman could get that powerful again Wright said one time tim on a trip to Boise he was experienc- experienc ing-a ing sharp pain in his shoulder He stopped and and ex examine ex ex examined amine it and determined it was a spiritual arrow He was unable to extract it himself and had to have a Shaman remove it The Shaman determined determined deter deter- mined that it was put there unknowingly by- by byan an old girlfriend As a result of this experience Wright learned how to place spiritual arrows in others and now keeps himself shielded from unintentional unintentional unintentional spiritual intrusions |