toba unui shaman

Magic Words

In the very earliest time,

when both people and animals lived on earth,

a person could become an animal if he wanted to

and an animal could become a human being.

Sometimes they were people

and sometimes animals

and there was no difference.

All spoke the same language.

That was the time when words were like magic.

The human mind had mysterious powers.

A word spoken by chance

might have strange consequences.

It would suddenly come alive

and what people wanted to happen could happen—

all you had to do was say it.

Nobody could explain this:

That's the way it was. 

Nulungiaq, West Greenland Eskimo shaman

Translated by Knud Rasmussen

http://www.shamanicartsstudio.com/Shamanism.htm