My hunch is that Bill in Alabama's definition of 'shamanism' is a little too broad. It doesn't allow much room for distinctions from other froms of priest-craft. I suspect a more useful definition would involve trances and spriritual journeys. Does anyone know if Carlo Ginzburg, the Italian historian from Bologna, has a definition of shamanism in his recent book "Ecstasies" ? (I'm still waiting to get it on interlibrary loan.)