“Last night I dreamed of my Spirit Guide. He came to me with a white mountain lion. I don’t know why the mountain lion came to me yesterday, but I know it was not a bad omen.”
Masheka frowned. “You have powerful dreams and animal guides. Perhaps some day you will be a shaman.”
“You mentioned once before that woman can be shaman in your tribe. What do women shamans do in your tribe?”
“They help make major decisions for the tribe and lead ceremonies. They also help those who go on Vision Quests understand their visions and dreams. They get their power from the spirits and can foretell the future and cure illness.
“Women can’t be shamans in my band. They’re not allowed in councils nor are they allowed to participate in many religious ceremonies. They aren’t even allowed to look at or touch the men’s sacred objects or use the sacred sweat lodges. When a young warrior returns from a Vision Quest, he shares his vision with the elder and shaman. His father may help him prepare ahead of time, but never his mother. I have heard of a woman becoming a chief in some tribes but only after she is so old that she no longer has her moon cycle.”
“If women in your tribe can’t become shamans then the people in your tribe must think your behavior is strange.”
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