Shamanism In Cave Art

Shamanism is a front running hypothesis and is associated with magico-religious expression through the form of cave art. However, it’s a highly contentious subject with some people fiercely opposing this theory and branding its advocates as ‘shamaniacs’. Perhaps the contention lies with “the loose use of labels and names such as shamanism that has led to some of the confusion” (Taçon, 2006). Often shamanism has been used to rationalize almost everything in a way that suggests it was “shamans and their initiates that were the main or even exclusive producers of rock art” (Taçon, 2006). Even though shamanism has been a long standing theory for cave art interpretations, it has only been taken seriously in the scientific field within the last two decades, and is based on ethnographic data linked to San rock art in Southern Africa. In essence, shamanism is described as a “religious technique of ecstasy” (Eliade, 2004). Ethnographic observations have revealed that shamanism is a significant component of religion in hunter gather societies around the globe. Each society differs in certain ways, but in principle, shamans are ritual specialists, who are able to enter altered states of …show more content…
Similarly, the meaning behind cave art should not be construed as one correct explanation, but as a fragmentary piece that needs to be capable of incorporating new findings and adjusting to changing understandings. The cave art found in the Upper Palaeolithic Franco-Cantabrian region is understood to be an integral part of human’s “emancipation from the animal state” (Steif, 2010). Even though the purpose behind cave art remains largely a mystery, this uniquely human capacity demonstrates the ability to think of abstract concepts and give meaning to ideas, which suggest that cognizance began to mature within hominids during the Upper