transvestite, marry a man that has a wife, do wife jobs as well as be a Shaman, and have homosexual relations. There is also a secret vocabulary of the shaman that must be learned and special techniques concerning their function within society. Once they have been trained in all the ways of the Shaman, then it is then time for the novice Shaman to receive the paraphinalia of the trade. There is precious little the Shaman actually needs to perform his task. From his parents, he receives a headdress and a belt. From the instructor, the young Shaman receives his first protection item, which may be a stone, a totem animal, or a tunraq (an Eskimo custom). A tunraq is a protective spirit to watch over the shaman and to help him with his needs. Additional protections can be given by other Shaman for some service done for another, or by following the spirit’s on volition. A Shaman concentrates mainly on curing the ill and rainmaking rather than getting involved in the government of the tribe. They are, however, looked to for advice for the leadership of the community. This is because one of the roles of a Shaman is to be a guardian of the well-being of the tribe, ensuring continuing fertility and health. Then again, Shaman do not rely totally on the spiritual realm for healing. They learn considerable knowledge in first aid and herbal cures for ‘natural diseases’. This means that they do not lack empirical knowledge (knowledge gathered from trial and error) and experimental technique. Shaman use both learned knowledge and spiritual knowledge to cure those that they come in contact with. ...
