在中國史前社會復雜化進程中,主持宗教祭祀的巫大都為男性。他們既是氏族、部落中掌握神權、軍權的首領,還是聚落秩序及原始道德的維護者及知識文化的掌握者。隨著史前社會復雜化進程,巫師兼首領的貴族群體以神權和王權的力量,逐步占有并控制公共資源,由此促進了早期分層社會向早期國家的轉型。隨著顓頊宗教改革,原始宗教逐漸演變為等級化、家族化的"宗自為祀"的祭祀禮制。商周時,專門的巫師、貞人群體逐漸分化為巫、祝、卜、史等角色。女巫群體則從這時出現,而以女巫為犧牲以賄神、賂神成為一種專門職業。西周時期,傳統"巫王合一""巫政合一"中的巫師職能逐漸融入國家祭祀系統與朝廷禮樂制度,而民間巫、卜、醫等則延續于鄉里社會中,成為古代民間宗教的承載者。

With the growing complexity of prehistoric Chinese society,it was mainly male shamans who presided over religious sacrifices.They were not only clan and tribal leaders who controlled divine and military power,but also the defenders of settlement order and primitive morality and masters of knowledge and culture.In the growing complexity of prehistoric society,the aristocratic groups led by shamans gradually took over and controlled public resources using the forces of theocracy and kingly authority,thus promoting the transformation from the early hierarchical society to the early state.With Zhuan Xu’s reform of religion,primitive religion gradually evolved into a hierarchical and familial ritual system within which each clan conducted its own sacrificial ceremonies.During the Shang and Zhou dynasties,specialist groups of shamans and augurs were gradually differentiated,with the appearance of shamans,augurs,soothsayers and historians.Female shamans as specialist occupation appeared at this time,and they were sacrificed as a bribe to the gods.During the Western Zhou,the traditional function of shamans in the "unity of shaman and king"and the "unity of shaman and government"were gradually integrated into the state sacrifice and court ritual and musical systems,while folk shamans,divination and medicine continued in rural society and became the carriers of ancient folk religion.