shamanism
[shah-muh-niz-uh m, shey-, sham-uh-]
- the animistic religion of northern Asia, embracing a belief in powerful spirits that can be influenced only by shamans.
- any similar religion.
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Origin of shamanism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for shamanistic
Contemporary Examples
Greenspan cultivated an oracular air, his utterances vague and technocratic yet hinting at shamanistic powers.
In 1980 he added Trois Villes Saintes, a barely readable exercise in shamanistic geography.
Historical Examples
Sumerian religion had originally been 'Shamanistic' in character.
A Primer of AssyriologyArchibald Henry Sayce
Color symbolism plays an important part in the shamanistic system of the Cherokees, no less than in that of other tribes.
The Sacred Formulas of the CherokeesJames Mooney
Page 207: The use of robes made of the hides of buffalo and other large animals, painted with shamanistic devices, is mentioned.
The Origin of the Werewolf SuperstitionCaroline Taylor Stewart
The religion of the poem is peculiar; it is a Shamanistic animism, overlaid with Christianity.
Kalevala, Volume I (of 2)Anonymous
The alien rulers, accordingly, showed interest in the Chinese shamans as well as in the shamanistic aspects of Mahayana Buddhism.
A history of China., [3d ed. rev. and enl.]Wolfram Eberhard
shamanism
- the religion of certain peoples of northern Asia, based on the belief that the world is pervaded by good and evil spirits who can be influenced or controlled only by the shamans
- any similar religion involving forms of spiritualism
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for shamanistic
shamanism
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper