Triggered to Thinking

“Every religion in the world has syncretism,” said my professor of Anthropology of Religion many years ago. Examining religion through the lens of anthropology and historical analysis can reveal the phenomenon of syncretism. The phenomenon of syncretism among religious believers warrants examination. First, I will be using Merriam-Webster’s definition of syncretism as “the combination of different forms of belief or practice” (“Syncretism,” 2026).

Sergei Kan is an anthropologist at Dartmouth University who studied the Tlingit people in Alaska from 1979 to 1987. Kan’s research focused on how Tlingit shamans responded to Christian missionaries (Klass & Weisgrau, 2019). Tlingit shamanism held the belief that the shaman (ixt) was an intermediary between humans and the powers of this world. The shaman would cure the sick and predict the weather. The Orthodox Church had started missionary activities between 1840 and 1860 but still faced the challenge of dealing with Tlingit shamanism. This changed with the arrival of a Presbyterian mission in 1878. Presbyterians, while being supported by military and civil authorities, attacked traditional Tlingit customs (Klass & Weisgrau, 2019). By 1910, all of the Tlingit villages had been Christianized by the Presbyterian and Russian Orthodox missions.

Kan’s research found vital information on how the Tlingit viewed Christianity after their exposure. The shamans of Tlingit culture were not totally seen as antithetical to Christian belief. Many Russian Orthodox converts saw no contradiction between Christianity and shamanism and embraced both belief systems (Klass & Weisgrau, 2019). Kan’s informants took an extreme view of either never fully accepting or condemning Tlingit shamanism. The idea that the teachings of the shamans corresponded to teachings in the Old and New Testaments was found in many of Kan’s informants. Healing done by Tlingit shamans was seen as similar to Christ’s healings. The revered Dr. Walter Soboleff still believed that “objects possessed a sort of spiritual essence” (Kelly, 2024). Shamanism still has an influence in Tlingit society to this day, even if a full revival is unlikely.

The Tlingit are not the only example of how, when Christianity comes into contact with a new people, syncretism can emerge. In 1937, North American anthropologist Charles Wagley studied a village of Mam-speaking Indians in the northwest called Santiago Chimaltenango. He wrote, “Ostensibly Chimaltecos are Catholic, and they are recognized as such by the Roman Catholic Church. Obviously, their religion is not Catholicism as we think of it. Their entire culture is a fusion of Maya and European cultures, and this fusion is probably most striking in their religion” (Goodpasture, 1992). He explained that in their prayers, believers could invoke Christ, a traditional Catholic saint, and a Guardian of the mountain. Despite this, Chimaltecos did not view themselves as outsiders. They saw themselves as muy buen católico, or good Catholics. For them, being a good Catholic involved being respectful of all religious forms, whether Catholic or indigenous in origin (Goodpasture, 1992).

Even earlier, in 1654, this phenomenon of syncretism was observed in Mexico by the priest Gonzalo de Balsalobre. He observed that many Mexican converts were continuing to mix their native beliefs with Christianity. Balsalobre noted, “They sacrifice to the god of Nocana of their ancestors, and in pregnancies and childbirths they sacrifice to the goddess Nohuichana” (Goodpasture, 1992). The priest did acknowledge that he obtained this information through inquisitorial methods, but his inquiry did find that this pattern of syncretism was evident in a large number of witnesses (Goodpasture, 1992).

Christianity is not the only religion in which the phenomenon of syncretism can be observed. Gerard Russell was a diplomat who wrote the book Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms: Journeys into the Disappearing Religions of the Middle East. He interviewed an Alawite sheikh in Tripoli, Lebanon. The sheikh explained that the Alawites’ most secret ritual involves the drinking of wine, which has Christian influence (Russell, 2014). The Alawites’ holy books also make reference to traditions that come from Iran. Russell also explained that “the Alawites share the Yazidis’ and Harranians’ reverence for planets” (Russell, 2014).

There is much more that can be said about syncretism and this phenomenon observed in religious thought. Human history has shown that this pattern can emerge when people are exposed to new religious ideas while still maintaining aspects of previously held beliefs. Syncretism will most likely continue to intrigue historians, anthropologists of religion, skeptics, and believers alike in the future.

References 

Goodpasture, H. M. (1992). Cross and sword: An eyewitness history of Christianity in Latin America. Orbis Books.

Kelly, C. (2024, October 30). World says shamanism still influential in Tlingit culture. Alaska Public Media. https://alaskapublic.org

Klass, M., & Weisgrau, M. (2019). Across the boundaries of belief: Contemporary issues in the anthropology of religion (1st ed.). Routledge.

Russell, G. (2014). Heirs to forgotten kingdoms: Journeys into the disappearing religions of the Middle East.

Syncretism. (2026). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syncretism