Of all the tribal traditions, this one is arguably the most magical. For the San people of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Angola, dance is considered a sacred power.
One of their most integral tribal traditions is the trance dance (also known as the healing dance).
Conservation has eroded away the native lands of people and they have gone with their practices. However, the trance dance is still alive in some San Communities in the Kalahari region. The dance is a ritual-like practice that produces an altered consciousness through hyperventilation and rhythmic dance.
The whole community comes together around a fire for several hours or even an entire night, led by healers and elders. The healers dance around the fire, chant and hyperventilate until they induce a powerful trance-like state. In this state, they are granted access to the spirit world (and are often able to walk over fire).
The San healers aren’t just doing this to cure physical illnesses in their community – they also attempt to expel what they call “star sickness”, a force that causes jealousy, anger and arguments.
The dance is used for healing sick people and healing some of the negative habits of the people. Historians believe that this trance dance was recorded by southern African rock art. The dance is the most prominent cultural and religious practice that the San people still practice. The healing dance comes in many shapes and they still produce the same effect; healing the sick.
Many people including the women are healers in these communities. Some women may sit around a fire and do their rhythmical clapping and singing medicine songs while their healers dance around. The ritual is a night long affair that ends the healers in an altered state, often feeling great pain and screaming during this dance.
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