Miskito Role of Shamans

Throughout my research, I haven't found too many good sources on the religion of the Miskito Indians. Many sources seem quick to categorize them as evangelized. From what I have gathered, this is not exactly the case. While there was a Moravian missionary movement in the 1800's that "reached" a good potion of Miskitos, they now acknowledge both the Christian God and parts of their indigenous religion as well. I know that shamans are an important part of their society, and I have always wondered how this ties together. I came across an excellent article explaining this, and I will try to summarize the issue.

First, as I said, the Miskito people recognize the Christian God. In their language, He is called "Daiwan" or "Dawan," which means "owner" or "master" in an unlimited sense, as in "Owner or God of everything." This is the God of the Bible. However,they believe that between man and God/"Dawan" are mythical beings called "Dawanka." Dawanka are masters/owners of something specific such as fish, game, cotton, etc. For example, Duwindu is master of game animals and Merry Maid (Liwa Mairin) is master of animals of river and sea. In fact, I've read that Miskito children often wear amulets to protect them from mermaids/liwa who might drag them into the sea. Anyways, these Dawanka (who you could think of as spirits) are believed control the things of nature. Interestingly, Dawan/God blesses the good/upright and gives misfortune to the bad/sinful. Dawanka/Spirits, however, give out their blessings much more randomly.

Apparently, humans have little or no influence over the dawanka/spirits, therefore needing a mediator to ensure they receive the blessings from the dawanka. This is where shamans come in. Shamans act as intermediates between the people and the dawanka/spirits. If somebody wants to be blessed with game, fish, or fortune with the opposite sex, they may consult a shaman, who will then entreat the dawanka/spirit. In this process, there is an understanding similar to a contract, that there is a price for this blessing. Sometimes this may be in the form of the dawanka's claiming of the persons next child, whom the person may care little about. This end of the bargain inevetably comes into play as the person is unable to keep their end of the bargain. If the person does not hold up their end of the deal, the dawanka can then come harm or kill a person. So essentially, the dawanka are viewed as having two natures- one of blessing which is necessary, and the other of opportunities for the greedy and unwise. They are viewed as dangerous- so dangerous that only the shamans can entreat them without being ensnared. Because of this, the dawanka/spirits are sometimes called "Setan nani" or "satans." The Dar, which is a vine or sometimes a bird, found in the legend of the invisible hunters (also posted on the discussion board), is also considered a dawanka. The dawanka/spirits are also believed to be able to take human form. Sometimes if a wealthy person has a sudden death, people will believe they have been dealing with dawankas/spirits.

As you can tell, this is very interesting and will present a challenge for reaching the Miskito people. The people acknowledge the God of the Bible, yet they still consult with shamans, who make deals with the dawanka, who are essentially called devils. This also reveals how important it is to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am sure I will learn much more about all of this in the future.

If you want to read the article, I have attached a link below:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/anthropology.journal/vol16/iss2/jamieson.pdf