Shaman

[Geoffrey Samuel]

On the derivation of shaman from zramaNa, see also the discussion at
pp.240-3 of Karl Heinrich Menges, "Aus dem
animistisch-schamanistischen Wortschatz der Altajer." In W. Heissig
and K. Sagaster (ed), Gedanke und Wirkung: Festschrift zum 90.
Geburtstag von Nikolaus Poppe, pp.221-251. Wiesbaden Harrassowitz,
1989.

Menges supports the derivation (not everybody does), citing inter
alia a letter from Sir Harold Bailey to Carmen Blacker (included in
Blacker's The Catalpa Bow) which traces the term through Prakrit,
Saka, Tokharian, Sogdian "and other forms in Uigur Turkish, Asokan
Greek and New Persian until it reached China as sha-men. Thence it
made its way to Japan as shamon."

Geoffrey Samuel
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Geoffrey Samuel and Santi Rozario, Department of Sociology & Anthropology,
University of Newcastle, NSW 2308, AUSTRALIA
phone (home) (02) 4957 0244, (work, Geoffrey) 4921 5698 (work, Santi) 4921 6790
fax +61-2-49216902 email (Geoffrey) sogbs at alinga.newcastle.edu.au
(Santi) sostr at alinga.newcastle.edu.au
WWW (work) http://www.newcastle.edu.au/school/socsci
WWW (personal) http://users.hunterlink.net.au/~mbbgbs
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