Maban, mabain or mabanba is a material that is held to be
magical in
Australian Aboriginal mythology. It is the material from which the
shaman
Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
s and elders of indigenous Australia supposedly derive their magical powers.
Among the
Ngaanyatjarra people, practitioners are known as maparn or maparnjarra.
References
*
A. P. Elkin (1973). ''Aboriginal Men of High Degree: Initiation and Sorcery in the World's Oldest Tradition''. Inner Traditions.
*
Munn, Nancy D. (1984). "The Transformation Of Subjects Into Objects in Walbiri and Pitjantjartjara Myths." In: M. Charlesworth, H. Morphy, D. Bell and K. Maddock, Eds. ''Religion in Aboriginal Australia: An Anthology.'' St. Lucia, Queensland: University Of Queensland Press.
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Australian Aboriginal mythology
Mythological substances