Women in Shamanism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women in Shamanism - Research Paper Example When giving a reflection on the mainstream history, it is important to understand that the references on women, and the power they possess emanates greatly from the periods of the Goddesses. On the other hand, Znamenski (351) denotes that there is very little written on the role of women in advocating for religious doctrines, as well as issues in politics, rites of passage, economic affairs, world leadership etc. Scholar further denotes that women who have been written about, such as Jeanne d’Arc and Mary Magdalene have had a false representation, through the views of the masculine, or either victimized for their courage and bravery in speaking up (Holyoak, 413). It is important to understand that the society placed certain requirements for women. They had to be wives, mothers, as well as perform other feminine duties in their homes. Women who took up the roles of shamanism were unable to fulfill these roles that the society expected of them. Over the years, female shamans have suffered great discrimination and bad treatment from their communities. For example in the Korean communities, female Shamans did not have any respect from the people, and they used to live in a very poor life. Scholar denotes that these shamans have always been viewed as witches, and this is because of the manner of their dressings and behavior (Znamenski, 351). These people normally dress in very ugly dresses, wearing scary masks, and behaving under trance, as if speaking to spiritual objects. Some communities believe that Shamans have the capability of travelling to the unseen world, and communicating with spirits (Znamenski, 352). Some communities associate these aspects with black magic, and demonic forces. Based on this ground, Scholar believes that female Shamans only masquerade as medicine people, but in real sense they are witches, having learnt their trade from demonic forces. It is important to denote that the culture of contemporary