Shamanism among the indigenous cultures of North America: Selected aspects of archaeological traces

Archaeological and ethnographic sources, including burials, pottery iconography, and rock art on canyon walls and boulders, provide evidence that shamanism was practiced by many indigenous cultures in North America, from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico and the Southwest, both before and after European contact. This article presents selected examples of such evidence from the Eastern Woodlands and the pre-Columbian Southwest, focusing on rock art depictions, burials, and pottery iconography to illustrate ancient shamanic beliefs and practices.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Certain forms of shamanism existed in many communities worldwide, including some of the indigenous cultures and tribes of North America, from the Arctic to the Gulf of Mexico and the desert areas of the Southwest, California, and northern Mexico. At least several American Indian and Inuit societies are known to have practised shamanism in bothpre-Columbian and other historical periods (even until very recent times). We can conclude this on the basis of various archaeological and ethnographic sources, including specific burials, interpreted as shamanic, as well as iconography of pottery and rock art imagery (paintings and petroglyphs) placed on rocks, boulders, and canyon walls, which offera profound insight into the beliefs of ancient societies. This article presents selected examples of archaeological evidence of shamanism in several cultures of the Eastern Woodlands and the Southwest of the pre-Columbian North America, with an emphasis on rock art depictions, and to some extent burials, the iconography of pottery, and other artefacts.