ABSTRACT
B Y Definition The shaman is a liminal being. He 1 is a mediator between this and the other world; his presence is betwixt and between the human and supernatural. In a trance, possessed by a divine force, he becomes the focus of the fervent attention of his client and séance audience. Manifesting the power of the gods, the shaman indicates what is causing the extravagant behavior of a usually frugal and submissive housewife, or he ensures the success of the enterprise that an ambitious businessman has just undertaken. Incarnating the ancestor suffering from severe punishments in the afterworld, he moans with pain, asking for pacifying rituals.
