why are we "The Story telling apes?"

[Anomalocaris]

Who was the first 'Shaman'?

In addition to being hunters, paleolithic humans were undoubtedly also adventurous herbalists. I suspect the first shaman is some person who already enjoy substantial credibility within the clan/tribe, and who took some substance with neurochemical effects, either from herbs, mushrooms, or perhaps a piece of bad meat.

What did they see?

Probably some some partial hallucination based on memories of important activity such as hunting, danger evasion, clan/tribal conflict.

What stories did they spin to explain/ describe what they saw?

Hard to tell. I suspect hallucination came first, then embellishment upon hallucinations, followed up by out right spinning by thus who just want in on the fun. Eventually the lines separating the three becomes blurred.

How did they maintain their place in the tribe/ family group?

At the beginning, some were probably were fortunate that their hallucination based fortune telling happen to resemble what came true, that through this and were able to overawed their fellows, perhaps themselves as well. Subsequently they were cunning in assessing their fellows and caculating what they can get aways with and what would be over the top and burst their bubble.

Many of our "stories" are from what is observed in the night sky, knowing people as I do I am wondering just how our 'primitive' legends of what was going on in the 'heavens' above us influenced our current political and religious understanding/ misunderstandings ..today?

That "There is a heaven above" seem to still be a required piece of stupidity that anyone striving for control of enough weapon to end humanity must profess to embrace wholeheartedly.