Shamanism \Sha"man*ism\, n. The type of religion which once prevalied among all the Ural-Altaic peoples (Tungusic, Mongol, and Turkish), and which still survives in various parts of Northern Asia. The Shaman, or wizard priest, deals with good as well as with evil spirits, especially the good spirits of ancestors. --Encyc. Brit.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)