Specialists of shamanism have often focussed on the symbolic transformations of the world that a shaman may realize by using ritual language. In this perspective reflexivity appears as an external way to comment upon the nature and effectiveness of ritual action. This article tries to show that the ritual use of language can be equally used to define the nature of the ritual performer. This pragmatic definition of the enounciator constitutes a kind of reflexivity, defined as the problem of self-definition of the ritual agents, included within the domain of ritual action. In conclusion, an hypothesis on the perlocutionary effect of this kind of ritual use of language is formulated.