Webster's Dictionary describes a shaman as "someone who, in some cultures, believes they can use magic to heal sick people and control future events", and shamanism as "a religion practiced by the natives. peoples of the far north of Europe and Siberia who are characterized by the belief in an invisible world of gods, demons and ancestral spirits responding only to shamans. Although there are many shamanic practices around the world, in this article I will focus on Bonpo or Bon shamans within Tibetan Buddhist society, as well as shamans practicing within the Zulu tribe in South Africa . Since the dawn of time, humans have strived to know more, do more, and compete more. In a time when the supernatural was just that, humanity took extraordinary measures to explain the seemingly inexplicable. With so much happening in the world beyond the scope of human understanding, shamanism was seen as a spiritual and therapeutic technique for understanding and resolving problems. Shamanism is widely recognized as the oldest spiritual system on earth, dating back to the very origin of the human race. Not only does a shaman have a duty to care for the living and guide the deceased, but he is also believed to maintain a direct connection between humanity and the heavens. Shamans are generally believed to be the first of humanity to walk side by side and speak with God, spirits and ancestors of the unknown universe. I will first take my thoughts to Tibet, a region located in a plateau region in Asia, in northeast Asia. East of the Himalayas. To a Tibetan Buddhist, a Good Shaman is generally called a “Pawo” or “Nyen-jomo” medium, similar to a priest or spiritual magician. Losing some of their distinction in today's world due to their middle of paper......almost prehistoric way of living and healing. I believe shamanism originated within a tribe as a way to give faith, hope and healing to those who need it most. Dating back thousands of years, when extraordinary natural events were unexplainable to humans, mystical ideas were considered the culprits. I do not believe that illness is caused by evil spirits or a lack of offerings or by a deity or ancestor, but by a pathogen whose existence has been proven by science. That said, people in ancient times didn't know about pathogens, all they were trying to do was connect the dots and try to figure out why bad things happened and how to avoid them in the future . I believe shamans were good to people's faith when they needed specific things that were beyond their control. “Faith is an inner knowledge, beyond the reach of proof.” -Khalil Gibran.