A battle between a shaman and the evil spirits may become so intense that the shaman may fall to the floor and roll around groaning and shouting. If the shaman ever feels that the spirit is too powerful, the shaman will have to use the divination horns (kuam) to see if the shaman can fight the wicked spirit. If the divination horns say no, the shaman will have to stop. If the divination horns say yes, the shaman will have to continue his/her voyage.
After the shaman completes his/her journey, a table of food, which was cooked by relatives and friends, is then served. The shaman is paid for his or her services and given some of the meat that was from the pig or cow that was sacrificed for the ceremony. The shaman also takes home the jawbone of the pig, so that they can count how many jawbones they have gotten at the end of the year. The bones are then burned usually in November or December so that the sacrificed pigs can be reborn.
Although many Hmong people are Christians, many Hmong people from the Christianity belief are converting back to their original belief. We believe that Hmong shamanism will continue for many more generations to come because we are surrounded by young teenagers who are maturing into a shaman.
Siv Yis (The first shaman) / Hmong Shaman / Tools / Ceremony /
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