Increasingly, shaman-centered cultures are respected for values of experience. What is less widely known is that Western civilization itself - beneath layers of Christianity and industrialism - stands upon its own shamanic foundation. The indigenous practice of shamanism has been under siege for as long as Western European societies have practiced colonialism and Christian missionary work. Only very recently has there been a backlash condemning our cultural chauvinism toward the primitive . Increasingly, shaman-centered cultures are respected for values of experience. What is less widely known is that Western civilization itself - beneath layers of Christianity and industrialism - stands upon its own shamanic foundation.