Zulu Shaman: Dreams, Prophecies, and Mysteries

Abstract

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Book ReviewsFull AccessZulu Shaman: Dreams, Prophecies, and MysteriesMichael B. Sheikman, M.D.Michael B. SheikmanSearch for more papers by this author, M.D.Published Online:1 Aug 2004https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.55.8.950-aAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail In this well-written book, a practicing Zulu shaman who lives in Pretoria, South Africa, gives a clear picture of the complex world of Zulu tribal cosmology and traditions and takes us into the heart of Zulu ancestral wisdom. In our culture we know very little about the healing practices and culture of tribes of the vast African continent. The author of this book received a calling to follow in his grandfather's footsteps as a shaman and keeper of tribal folklore. He decided to break the bonds of traditional silence and shares in Zulu Shaman: Dreams, Prophecies, and Mysteries his personal experiences as a Zulu shaman healer. The book also includes several photos of the author, ceremonial clothing and objects, and the author's paintings.He tells interesting stories of his ancestors, tribal creation myths, and Zulu relations with the "fiery visitors," whom he likens to extraterrestrial beings. He also shares previously guarded secrets of Zulu tribal healing and some of their ancient spiritual practices, including the curing power of a Zulu shaman (sangoma) and the psychic powers of the people of the Zulu tribe. These are the first-person accounts of an African healer. According to a sangoma's viewpoint, "illness," or "madness," is a result of a disruption of some powers of the universe, and harmony must be balanced or restored. The "evil spirits" must be removed, or returned to from whence they came: offended nature spirits must, according to sangoma views, be propitiated or pacified by a dietary change and loosening of "a blockage in part of the body," and good breathing should be restored by the sangoma. Once the diagnosis has been made, a sangoma may apply different remedies, medical or magical: the application of herbs, roots, seeds, minerals, the ground-up bodies of insects, shells, smoke, eggs. Therapies include massage, herbal teas, and snuffs. Occasionally, animal sacrifices are used, especially blood, to placate disruptive spirits.Sangomas were the spiritual leaders of many tribes and still are. They consider themselves the guardians of their tribes and of the ancient cultural ancestral wisdom of African tribes. The author attempts to preserve the knowledge of his ancestors and encourage his vision of a community united in peace and harmony protected by sangomas.Dr. Sheikman lives in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.by Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, edited by Stephen Larsen; Rochester, Vermont, Destiny Books, 2003, 224 pages, $16.95 softcover FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 55Issue 8 August 2004Pages 950-a-951 Metrics PDF download History Published online 1 August 2004 Published in print 1 August 2004