The shamanic interpretation of rock paintings is today used by the media as well as by many specialists world wide. The public’s interest for cave art meets today’s fashion on neo-shamanism. The theory was elaborated originally to explain South African rock art and then extended to the rest of the world. The ethnographical and methodological basis of this approach is examined here 25 years after its elaboration. This paper reveals the very fragile construction of the evidence in the area it was meant for in the first place (Africa). In consequence the application to other zones appears quite out of place.