Are you saying that people become shamen because shamen are respected? If
so, why are they respected...what niche do they fill? You seem to be saying
that they are respected because they are prosperous: They are prosperous
because they are respected.
I just worked out a chart on supply and demand which is similar to the
medicine whee (a four-spoked wheel with matter, mind, body, and spirit at
the circumference). Not a bad sigil to consult regarding the term "economic
shaman"!?! With matter as supply and mind as demand, the individual (body)
produces for the group "spirit" according to "availability" or "avail" and
"ability".
The shaman (I understand) uses this medicine wheel to balance
matter/body/spirit/mind. In the above example, he balances supply, demand,
"value" (avail) and "worth" (ability). By doing this, he may take from the
supply to affect demand, from the group to affect the individual (or from
all quadrants to affect himself; though to be aware of the balance of each
quadrant irrespective of his own influence, he must balance himself to to
them by giving back equally what he has taken). On the other hand, the
medicine man is in the best position to profit from any excess in any quadrant.
I agree that he is wealthy because he is respected and he is respected
because he is wealthy; but, he must be a good economist to benefit from this
arrangement.
Brett
At 05:15 PM 8/7/97 -0400, you wrote:
>>Economic Shaman? That sounds so interesting.... do tell.
>(And forgive most of this- I'm still floundering within it....)
>Only inasmuch as the shaman seems to me, (since I see it as a
>_falsehood_) to be an economic niche within the culture, inasmuch as it
>_needs_ to be within _a_ culture. A shaman displaced is a sham....
>At any rate, the shaman approaches a high lifestyle within the tribe, in
>the terms of comfort and respect, which I view as tribal monies.
>Ultimately, 'money' boils down to how one is paid. In early societies, a
>shaman was an attractive niche in this economic matrix. (I think....)
>I am not a deconstructive economist- ;-) this could well be very flaky
>crust on an unfilled tart. It's all an attempt on my part to explain why
>people are led to believe in the 'non-physical'. ;-) Cuz I don't.
>But what was 'money' back when the world was young? One could produce it,
>through goods or the hunt, one could reproduce it, through wives and
>children (or through husbands and children), or one could create a need
>for it, through shamanism. It is always attached to power, and to comfort.
>So I don't know- still toying with this. But I need a damned good reason
>to sway off this track.
Wade T. Smith
Returning,
rBERTS%n
Rabble Sonnet Retort
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