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How did shamans among the Inuit and Yupik help people who were sick?
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Shamanism
Korean shamans, or mudang, performing a ritual dance in South Korea.
Among the Inuit and Yupik peoples, the shamanâknown as an angakokâaddresses sickness by identifying its spiritual cause, which is typically attributed to the violation of a taboo or the capture of the patient's soul by a ghost.1
The methods of healing depend on the perceived cause of the illness:
- Violation of a taboo: The shaman works to remove the resulting impurity through collective confessions.1
- Soul capture: The shaman performs a journey to heaven or to the depths of the sea to retrieve the patient's soul and restore it to their body.1
These healing practices are central to the role of the angakok, who also utilizes trance-based journeys to ensure the abundance of game and to assist with conception.1