sinsecrets of nature and be able to prophesy. The shaman is also able to
communicate with his drum and rattle, which assists in summoning help-
ing spirits or frightens away evil spirits. Among the Iroquois of northeast-
ern America, some shamans wear false faces as part of their costume.
A good example of the way a shaman operates is evident in the spirit
lodge ceremony (yuwipi) among the Sioux of the northern plains of North
America. Situated within a teepee, the shaman (called a medicine man
among Native American Indians) is tied to the base of the lodge pole,
while spirits enter through the smoke hole at the top of the teepee. When
the spirits enter the teepee it begins to shake, a sign that they are present,
whereas other phenomena also testify to their presence, such as light
visions, voices, tapping sounds, articles being thrown around, and the
liberation of the shaman from his bonds. In what is called the rope-
binding trick, the shaman may disappear. It is common for the shaman to
go into a trance while his soul leaves his body with the purpose of curing
the patient.
Besides their ability to cure the sick, shamans assume other important
roles in their religious cultures. They play a leading role in ceremonies
and rites, serve as an authority on the sacred tradition of a tribe, insure
economic success, play the role of a rain maker, attract animals for hunt-
ing using magical means, control winds, enhance female fertility, create
war medicine, fight evil powers, or even paradoxically produce evil. In
general, the shaman protects the community, and gives it assurance that
at least one of its members can assist the community in a crisis, which
helps the community to feel secure.
Further reading: Eliade (1964); Lewis (1971); Powers (1982); Winkelman (1992)SIN
An inadvertent or willful transgression of a religious norm that is estab-
lished by an authoritative figure, divine being, or established doctrine. In
the major monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, sin
is often defined as the purposeful disobedience of God’s will. Pride, self-
centeredness, and greed are also human conditions that contribute to sin-
ful action in these religious traditions. The concept of sin is a Western
notion, but, although in the East there is nothing approaching the Christian
doctrine of original sin, the doctrine of karma approaches its meaning. In
this an individual’s evil deeds follow them like an unshakable shadow
that determines in what condition they will be reborn.