摘要：This article examines the historical, social and demographic factors that contributed to the changes of the roles of shamans among indigenous groups in Colombia. Shamans Valley Sibundoy strengthened its role of healing in the twentieth century through the articulation with the therapeutic practices of folk medicine known as charlatanism. However, during the same period, the Siona shaman, who inhabit the lowlands of the Amazon, lost its position of political and religious leaders, and ceased to practice their rituals for two decades. Through this comparison, it is argued that shamanism should be seen as a constantly changing phenomenon, which emerges from the interactions between social, cultural, historical and demographic factors in specific situations. The role of the shaman is not a homogeneous phenomenon, but one that is under construction continuously dependent on the action of social actors in particular contexts.
