Week 2 - Alyssa Vang

ASA 189B - Spirit Realm: Growing Up Shaman

     When I was born, I was born straight into shamanism. I grew up from my mom side of the family and they only did rituals here and there and most of the time I was a kid so I would be playing outside. But growing up and moving to California to my dads side of the family, my grandpa was a shaman. I saw him do a lot of rituals for the family and this would save time and money for my family because usually when you go out and ask for a shaman, like Houa Her (the speaker in class) said you have to donate or at least bring an offering for them for doing the work. Like I said I never grew up around my grandpa when he was a shaman but I've seen other family members do it at their houses and I understood what it was for. But after Houa Her had explained more into dept about the spirits and everything, it all made sense and came together. 

          I relate on a high level of shamanism and I do believe in these things because I feel like it does work. So far after several rituals and callings a year nothing fatal has actually happen other then the pass of my grandpa due to cancer. This is why when I was doing the reading for Possessed by Spirits - Gift From Spirits, I got kind of triggered because it talked about how becoming a shaman will help you with your illness and how it was able to help Hung get over his sickness. But if being a shaman does help you in the long run then why isn't my grandpa still here....I don't want to get personal but I think shamanism can only go to an extent after what had happen in my family. I know cancer is a incurable thing but I just thought it would be able to hold on longer since he does so many good deeds for our whole family. I wish I could've gotten to ask him more about shamanism, it would've help me and my own culture in the long run.