Chinese Wu, Ritualists and Shamans: An Ethnological Analysis
Religions June 29, 2023 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.3390/rel14070852 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
The term wu (巫) is routinely translated as shaman, but cross-cultural ethnological research shows that most types of Chinese wu ritualists resemble priests, healers, mediums, or sorcerers more than shamans. Prehistoric and commoner wu do share features with shamans, but over Chinese history wu transformed into diverse ritualist roles. Contemporary reports of shamans in China also reveal that only some match the cross-cultural shamanic pattern. Translating wu as "ritualist" or "religious ritualist" is more accurate than calling them shamans.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Most types of Chinese wu ritualists resemble other ritualist types such as priests, healers, mediums, and sorcerers rather than shamans, making 'ritualist' a more accurate translation than 'shaman'. |
Abstract
The relationship of wu (巫) to shamanism is problematic, with virtually all mentions of historical and contemporary Chinese wu ritualists translated into English as shaman. Ethnological research is presented to illustrate cross-cultural patterns of shamans and other ritualists, providing an etic framework for empirical assessments of resemblances of Chinese ritualists to shamans. This etic framework is further validated with assessments of the relationship of the features with biogenetic bases of ritual, altered states of consciousness, innate intelligences and endogenous healing processes. Key characteristics of the various types of wu and other Chinese ritualists are reviewed and compared with ethnological models of the patterns of ritualists found cross-culturally to illustrate their similarities and contrasts. These comparisons illustrate the resemblances of pre-historic and commoner wu to shamans but additionally illustrate the resemblances of most types of wu to other ritualist types, not shamans. Across Chinese history, wu underwent transformative changes into different types of ritualists, including priests, healers, mediums and sorcerers/witches. A review of contemporary reports on alleged shamans in China also illustrates that only some correspond to the characteristics of shamans found in cross-cultural research and foraging societies. The similarities of most types of wu ritualists to other types of ritualists found cross-culturally illustrate the greater accuracy of translating wu as “ritualist” or “religious ritualist.”