Aboriginal men of high degree

by Adolphus Peter Elkin

The first book to reveal the secret and sacred practices of Aboriginal shamans, Aboriginal Men of High Degree presents an extraordinary series of rites by which the young Aboriginal male begins the degrees of shamanic initiation - each marked by its own portion of esoteric knowledge. One of Australia's most eminent anthropologists, A. P. Elkin focuses on karadji , or men of high degree, who possess magical powers and who serve as channels between the Dreamtime beings and their own communities. As psychologists and psychic experts, the karadji are essential to the groups' social cohesion. They are believed to cure and kill mysteriously, make rain, anticipate future events, and appear and disappear at will. Not content to explain away these phenomena, Elkin boldly suggests that we enter into the karadji worldview and try to understand this remarkable culture on its own terms.

Genres: Anthropology, Australia, Mythology, Nonfiction, Indigenous, Spirituality, History

185 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[Mr_wormwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize how old this book was until i read the forward and the introductions. It was first published in 1945. So i was a little guarded throughout reading this book, aware of how easily sociological and anthropological terminology reveals its problematic underlying assumptions the further back you delve. Basically I couldn't trust that this wasn't going to say more about the racist prejudices of white Australian anthropologists, than about the ritual practices of Aboriginal shamans, which is what i turned to this book for. So I was somewhat relieved, and not a little surprised, to discover upon finishing this book that there was little cringe-worthy opinion or theoretical assertions. Instead the focus is largely on rehearsing the many verbal descriptions, or oral histories, collected on the practices of aboriginal healers, or shamans, throughout Australia. This saving grace could also, for some, be its damnation, as the same basic ground is endlessly retrodden with close attention being paid to what for some would only seem to be slight permutations on the same basic themes. But it is in those permutations that the strangeness and wonder of this book lies. Of course you'll have to just accept that these transcriptions approximate the truth, even though there would be plenty of room here for mistranslation and interpretation. But because there is little room given to voicing opinion on the nature of these narratives, and more on simply describing them in all there unique details, this necessary oversight is made somewhat easier.

[Alcina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, the information is fascinating but so clinical and the rites are just listed endlessly, droningly. However, the ritual and initiation rites of Aboriginal cultures are really interesting and the author simply lists them as they were told to him (in the 70's),thing like 'the clever man then flies into the sky drawn by an invisible string and pulls quartz from his abdomen leaving no scar"... and so on. This is gripping, but the whole book just lists it all like that w/out much cultural context except that of directions such as North and if they are or are not of the circumcision regions.

[Fabio Bertino · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In questo popolo apparentemente passivo, che sta seduto a guardare e a manipolare il senso di colpa dell’uomo bianco, c’è un potere terrificante”. Bruce Chatwin, "Le vie dei canti".
Uno storico testo etnografico sugli aborigeni australiani.

[Noel Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written as a memorial to a soon to be lost culture. But, the Aboriginal culture of Australia is resurgent and people are paying attention.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with great interest and with intentional suspension of my potential predjudical disbelief in the details of the Australian indigenous mentality and their Spirit-human interactions. I wanted to experience how my mind would actuate the phenomenon of Aboriginality, a nearly lost civilization.

Over ten years ago, for about four years, I lived and worked on hydrogeological-related consulting projects in Queensland and the Northern Territories. Although, I did not see many Aboriginal people, I talked to a few coworkers who knew something about them and one who lived, when not working remotely, among them.

I heard interesting stories about Aboriginality from these conversations and during a visit to the rock monolith, Uluro (aka: Ayers Rock) and its neighboring landscape of rocks, Kata Tjuta, in central Australia, vicinity Alice Springs.

Interestingly, here the rock details are equivalent to a non written version of Scripture. These large rock features are incredibly sacred to local Aboriginal people and known as being the resting place for past ancient spirits of the region.

This book was originally published in 1945. Its author, A P. Elkin was the former head of the Anthropology Department at the University of Sydney and he made many surveys of Aboriginal society from 1927 to 1972 as an effort to come to terms with the unknown.

I read the 1976 edition which in addition to the original parts directed separately at the layman and the specialist adds a third part focused on Aboriginal men of high degree in the settings of mission and settlement in the context of cultural disintegration. Throughout, Elkin 's subject is the medicine man.

Aborigines do not seem to use hallucinatory drugs. Bolder than most anthropologists, Elkin entertains the possibility that medicine men really have powers not understood in terms of the rational and the academic. He suggests mass hypnosis may be the explanation for an extraordinary event.

One possibility that Elkin does not explore is that some of the Medicine Man's marvels are deceptions, not in the fraudulent sense, but the religious (aka: noble fiction). The outcome of this deception is not skepticism, but faith.

The man of high degree is not peculiar to Australia, of course. He is kindred to Carlos Castaneda's brujo Don Juan and other Amerindian 'men of power'.

What are examples of an extraordinary event particular to Aboriginal Men of High Degree? Many events of extraordinary quality are described and range, considerably, in wider detail and settings than my mind could conjure up in a million years; too many to mention here.

Australian medicine men place significance in magic crystals, especially quartz.

Elkin describes a man of high degree who died and became alive again; his entrails were taken out and replaced; he has been swallowed by the rainbow serpent and regurgitated; and magic crystals have been placed inside his body. As a result, the medicine man can fly and travel over the ground at great speed; he can anticipate events and knows what is happening in faraway places. He can cure and kill mysteriously. He can make rain. He can ascend to the sky world on a magic cord that emanates from his testicles. He can roll in the fire without hurt, appear and disappear at will. Like I mentioned earlier, this is just one example.

Taking a rest period, after reading this book of two weeks, my mind has connected principles of Aboriginality to the unholy union of Trumpism and evangelical Christianity. As you know, this strange hybrid culture has produced, as one example, denial of basic arithmetic as being true and other widely reported mass delusional behaviors.

People can be receptive to certain phrases or "dog whistles," with or without the use of alcohol or recreational drugs, to reliably enter enduring hypnotic-like states. My understanding of human nature requires additional research and study.

[Jan Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really excellent study on a subject authors and anthropologists seem to find hard

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

Essentially meaningless without a greater context given on Aboriginal culture and traditions, but there's a generous bibliography supplied here and I intend to come back and browse this a little more once I've brushed up a bit on anthropological language and how that applies in Australia. As a view into what I now must presume is an almost entirely vanished world, it's enthralling, even if that view is like a microscope you just can't figure out how to adjust properly.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly valuable insight that is difficult to find elsewhere today.

[Michelle Brimley]

So far very insight full and interesting.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A valuable survey.