Trepannation is a most vivid example of shamanic surgery. It involves
cutting a hole in the skull, and removing a piece of bone. Stone tools were used
for this operation e.g. flint scrapers and obsidian stones. Survival rates were
high.
The origins of shamanism extend back far beyond commonly recorded civilisations,
and probably span at least 40,000 years. The word 'shaman' hails from the
Tungus people of Siberia, and means 'one who sees'.
Shamanic communities can still be found around the globe on Planet Earth—in the Arctic regions (especially Siberia), amongst the Native North and South Americans, South-East Asia, Pacific Islands and West Africa to name but the better known.
Shamen are masters of energy, masters of the life force that moves through not only the human body, but throughout the whole of creation. Their reverence encompasses not only their ancestors, but the whole of nature. They understand the underlying unity of everything and are holistic master practitioners in working with various energy fields. Ironically modern physics and science have come to a similar understanding of the universe via the guise of quantum physics. More of which later.
Shamanism encompasses time-tested healing practices, ceremonies and teachings. Ritual is an important function of shamanic culture, with emphasis on dance, chanting, songs, prayer, sweat lodges, massage and sand paintings.
In traditional shamanic culture the shaman, medicine man or witch doctor, is viewed as having the power to cause or cure illness, guarantee fertility/ birth of male offspring, and to thwart diseases using ointments, talismans and fetishes (magical objects). He has the ability to communicate with gods, spirits and the "dead", and to ask for special favours be it in terms of a successful harvest, victory in battle, and so on.
Key elements of shamanic technology are Soul Retrieval, Herbal Medicine and Extraction Medicine;
In many shamanic cultures
the primary method of maintaining health remains
Soul Retrieval. Illness is seen as being due to 'soul loss', and the
shamanic practitioner journeys outside of space and time to work directly
with the spirits. All of which may sound a little far-fetched to a modern
western mind, until we remember that
"Time is an illusion. Albeit a persistent one."—Albert Einstein.
In modern science time, or space-time, is now seen as just another dimension.
Time, to the shaman, is viewed as being one vast ever-moving moment. Our modern western concept of linear sequential time is seen as merely a description, and not a reality. The shaman makes use of a combination of music, chanting, dancing, drugs or epileptic fit to enter an altered state and journey outside of space and time. It is in this state that the shaman would seek to retrieve the lost soul.
Herbal Medicine plays a central role in shamanism, and has been practiced from earliest times. Indeed it is even observed in chimpanzees, who occasionally chew herbs that are not part of their normal diet. Possibly for medicinal effect? Coca leaves, for example, were commonly used in shamanic cultures, and when chewed they functioned as a local anaesthetic.
The Aborigines, a nomadic people, made widespread use of eucalyptus. This traditional remedy was crushed to give off a powerful pungent smell. When inhaled this would help clear the nose, throat and lungs of mucus. It was also used to make a poultice, or paste, to help treat wounds. Furthermore eucalyptus has properties which can help cure flu and malaria, recent research has shown.
Extraction Medicine was highly advanced for its era. Its aim was to remove an invasive foreign force from the client, using either psychic surgery, feathers or rock work.
Trepannation is a most vivid example of shamanic surgery. It involves
cutting a hole in the skull, and removing a piece of bone. Stone tools were used
for this operation e.g. flint scrapers and obsidian stones. Survival rates were
high.
Skulls have been found in Europe and South America dating back 10,000 years. Some of them have as many as five pieces of bone removed, some holes are more than 5cm wide, and others show signs of having healed and resealed.
Amongst the aims of trepanation were the release of evil spirits, the abatement of migraine, and cure of epilepsy. Cauterisation—the use of a red-hot iron to seal the blood vessels and prevent bleeding after surgery—was another common feature of shamanic medicine, and was not rediscovered until the early 14th century by the French surgeon Henri de Mondeville.