Posted by Vince on July 02, 2001 at 17:27:31:
In Reply to: Hawaiian Shamanism!!!??? posted by Jesse on July 02, 2001 at 01:37:02:
Isn't Shamanism Siberian?
Anyway, "Shamanism," in its new modern slang usage, can mean just about anything. Heck, I've heard Biofeedback referred to as "Shamanism for the New Age."
So "Hawaiian Shamanism" may be a great marketing hook, and it's an anachronism.
Max chose the word "Huna," with a capital "H," because it didn't carry such "baggage," and it had the perfect connotation of "that which is hidden."
Scientists generally come up with new terminology for "new" concepts to avoid such confusion. Max tried, and now "Huna" has become as generic as Refridgerator and Xerox.
So, did Hawaii have a tradition which was roughly analogous to Siberian Shamanism and to the melting pot of practices, rituals, and methodologies now commonly labeled "Shamanism?"
Yep.
--Vince