Week 2: Harry Manacsa

A key highlight that I take away from this week’s readings is the behaviors surrounding shamanism that keep its topics discrete, under wraps, and largely taboo. It seems that cultures acknowledge the existence of out-of-this-world phenomena, yet are quick to undercut some validity due to pressures within its own society and among other societies. I believe that the cognitive dissonance comes from an innate desire to rest ones’ fate in a higher being and fearing the unknown. The magnitude of emotions one may resultantly feel brings a more personal relationship to these rituals, which may be why individuals want to keep these discussions to themselves. For example, in Chongho Kim’s article, about the mother paying a hefty sum for her son’s shamanistic treatment, the mother seeks a miraculous cure from a shaman and a doctor, the latter practicing an empirical science. We see that the mother does not mention to the doctor about any rituals performed prior to hospital visits. Fjelstad and Maiffret also suggest that, “Believers are convinced that avoiding mediumship, and thereby escaping one’s preordained fate, can prove harmful to other family members.” (Fjelstad and Maiffret 115) Because of the strong personal adherence one has with spirituality, the need to respect the relationship develops. For this reason, Korean words like “musok” is preferred over the heavily stigmatized “misin” as a title for shamans.

Hmong Shaman invited to see patient at Mercy Medical Center in Merced, CA

Question: Why do some cultures more heavily stigmatize spirits than others?

Karen Fjelstad and Lisa Maiffret. "Gifts from the Spirits: Spirit Possession and Personal

Transformation among Silicon Valley Spirit Mediums." Cornel Southeast Asia Program 2006. 

Kim, Chongho. "Korean Shamanism: The Cultural Paradox. Aldershot, Hants, England:

Ashgate, 2007. Print.

"The Pa Lor Story - The Journey between Two Worlds." 2008. California Asian Directory. 07

Apr. 2017.