Un-Erasing ‘Women Who Know’ – Restoring the Ancestral Lineage

This is too good not to share. Jamie creates a wonderful riff off my earlier Max Dashu post and introduces the scholarly work of Barbara Tedlock, Ph.D. Tedlock’s book, “The Woman in the Shaman’s Body” reveals the deliberate cover-up of women’s traditional roles as shamans around the world. At a time when “Sophianic scholars” continue to put a patriarchal spin on shamanism and Goddess traditions, I find Tedlock’s (and Jamie’s) work a welcome relief and breath of fresh air! Thanks again to Jamie for writing this post!

Sophia's Children

Russian postcard based on a photo taken in 1908 by S.I. Borisov, showing a female shaman, of probable Khakas ethnicity.[17] By Sergei Ivanovich Borislov (1867-1931). Public domain image courtesy of Wikimedia. In her excellent book, The Woman in the Shaman’s Body*, Barbara Tedlock, Ph.D., shares this about the origin and meaning of the word shaman:

“The term shaman itself comes from the Evenki language in Siberia, and means “the one who knows.” Other general words for shaman, such as Finnish tietäjä, Japanese munusu, Bella Coola kusiut, Nahuatl tlamatiquetl, and Quichua yachaj, all have the same meaning.”

The same is true for other cultures around the world in the words for seers, wise women, shaman: Veleda, Filidh, Cailleach Feasa, Haegtessa, Wicce (which meant ‘wise’) … the list goes on.

Thankfully, due to more recent integrity-centered scholarship, we’re learning more and more about the long-running…

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