When was shamanism founded?

Answer 1

The short answer is: as long as mankind has been around, shamanism has been with him.

Shamanism is a spiritual practice in which a Shaman oversees the spiritual and physical well being of a tribe, village or group of people (families and individuals), often undertaking and or leading such things as dream/vision quests, hunting and war dances and rituals, initiation rituals, rites of passage and healing rituals.

As long as mankind has been self-aware, we have had someone or sometimes several people in our groups who through observation, and trial & error have garnered information about the plants, minerals, animal products and there properties and uses.

The accumulation of this information, and the repeated uses developed into the first healing. Add to that, it is a known fact that if the patient is engaged and included in the cure, things work better (the power of the human mind is still largely untapped and not fully understood), so a few words and gestures were added to the healing, eventually evolving into standardised rituals.

As more information was gathered and rituals became things of power, it became important to the groups that they have someone trained in their rituals. Hence Shamans became valued and revered members of the community.

I would say over the sea's we Native do not label our self's as shamans I would say ask a Wicca..