Woman Shaman: the Ancients

This unprecedented visual survey uncovers seers and medicine women in the cultural record—in rock art, sculpture, ceramics, seals, bronzes. Max Dashu draws back the conceptual veil that obscures our view of female spiritual leadership, revealing a rich female past, and overturns the presumption that archaic shamanism was a masculine preserve. Women make ceremony in the rock art of the Sahara, southern Africa, Azerbaijan, Spain, and Baja California. They dance with tigers on Indus seals, with serpents on Iranian and Cretan ones. on Aztec codices, Ecuadorian ceramics, and Chinese and Nigerian bronzes.

Max Dashu is one of the most knowledgeable and dedicated researchers, artists, teachers I know. She has been addressing cultural kinship with great respect, sensitivity, and generosity. --Luisah Teish, Iyanifa, Ilé Orunmila Oshun

It is life-changing to see so many images of women shamans, priestesses, and spiritual leaders across time and culture. The images Dashú has collected present a totally different picture of the world and of women than is available in most of our culture. I highly recommend this work: it will change your view of spiritual practice forever.” --Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD, co-founder of Kohenet Institute, Director of Spiritual Education at the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York.

A visual presentation by Max Dashu

90 minutes (or 60 minutes)
Requires digital projector, screen, mic

Option: screen selections from the Woman Shaman dvd,
with a discussion by the presenter.

View media release on the dvd

Suppressed Histories Archives | Articles | Max Dashu