Evgenia Fotiou, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology at Kent State University, was recently featured in Yoga Journal for her expertise on indigenous religions, healing practices and cultural appropriation.
On Jan. 6, rioters stormed the Capitol building with one man calling himself the “QAnon Shaman.” Dressed in American Flag face paint, Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley told reporters that being a shaman had been his calling since he was a child. Fotiou explained to Yoga Journal why this is considered cultural appropriation and a serious offense to real, trained shamans.
“The word ‘shaman’ actually comes from indigenous Tungusian culture in Siberia, and the Tungusic word šaman,” Fotiou told Yoga Journal. “The word šaman was used to describe practitioners who could talk to spirit, travel to other worlds, and heal in their communities.”
Fotiou has experience working with medicine men and women through her own research on ayahuasca tourism in South American communities. Fatiou explained the difference between real shamans and people who claim to be healers.
“You can’t just say you are one,” Fotiou told Yoga Journal in reference to Chansley claiming to be a shaman. “These people train rigorously for years in a lineage and in apprenticeship with older shamans. Then they have to be vetted by their community before they earn the title.”
To read more about cultural appropriation from Fotiou, visit https://www.yogajournal.com/lifestyle/shamans/.