ABSTRACT
In small-scale societies with relatively simple technologies, rituals usually are performed by most or all of the adult members of the community. However, some individuals may develop a special interest in religious practices and may develop a special ability to contact the supernatural. An example is the healers found among the !Kung San, in which around half of the men and a number of women become healers. Yet these men and women are full participants in the secular life of the group. Full-time, specialized religious statuses usually do not exist in such societies, because these societies do not produce the surplus of food that is necessary to support full-time specialists.
