Unlike priests in today's modern religions, they were thought to have supernatural powers. The word itself suggests that the shaman's unusual power came from his superior knowledge. Each early culture throughout the world had its own shamans. The shaman was thought to be the only person in the tribe able to communicate with the spirits of ancestors and with the gods and demons. Shamans attempt to cure disease, heal the sick, assure good harvests and hunting, and in other ways make the community safer and better.
Shamans usually are men, but some women also have shamanic power.
They reach this power through a self-induced trance or state of ecstasy. During the trance, the shaman's soul is believed to travel in the quest to help the sick individual. The soul is said to leave the body and ascend to heaven or descend into hell. When there, the shaman communicates with demons and spirits. Though in a state of trance, the shaman is still conscious.