Shamans

I thought the shaman reading and our overall class today was extremely interesting. I agree with some people in our class though, for most of the information seemed unreasonable. I dont think shamans actually had the medical power that people seemed to believe. It was possible they made people think they were healed and then they actually felt better. (the placebo effect) i doubt they were actually able to talk with plants and animals, control the weather, etc. I find it amazing that people actually believed they could be healed by these spiritual men. Also i thought the Navajo Sand paintings were extremely fascinating. They believed that they could restore the balance of life and make a holy person happy by doing this painting. I also cant quite grasp the fact that they thought the Kwakiuti Masks held actual spirits in them, and that they became the spirit when they put the mask on. The article i read was also interesting because it showed the modern side of shamans. However, it seems like they have became much less important and more of a joke. They can simply take a week long class and became a shaman, and they make people pay money for their help. Overall, i think shamans are very interesting and i hope to learn more about their ways.