Kammala wannan magana: A cewar "Oxford English Dictionary", shaman (, ko ) wani ne wanda ake ganin yana da damar shiga, da tasiri a cikin, duniyar ruhohi masu kirki da mugunta, wanda yawanci ya shiga cikin yanayin damuwa yayin al'ada, kuma yana yin duba da warkarwa. Wataƙila kalmar nan "shaman" ta samo asali ne daga harshen Tungusic Evenki na Arewacin Asiya. A cewar masanin ilimin harshe Juha Janhunen, "an tabbatar da kalmar a cikin dukkan yarukan Tungusic" kamar Negidal, Lamut, Udehe / Orochi, Nanai, Ilcha, Orok, Manchu da Ulcha, kuma "babu wani abu da ya saɓa da zato cewa ma'anar'shaman' shima ya samo asali ne daga Proto-Tungusic" kuma yana iya samun tushen da ya koma baya a lokaci aƙalla shekaru dubu biyu. An gabatar da kalmar a yamma bayan sojojin Rasha
ya ci nasara da shamanistic Khanate na Kazan a 1552.