NATIVE AMERICANS

Native Americans: translation

A significant number of traditional Native American cultures have employed and sometimes continue to employ people who have been labeled “shamans.” Indigenous terms that are sometimes translated as “shaman” often refer todoctoring, especially the common “medicine people,” but may also acknowledge theritualexpertise andmediatingfunctions of “holy people.” Theanimismof some Indian nations includes a democratized or diffuse shamanic engagement withother-than-human personsby potentially anyone. Others delegate specific roles toinitiatedand trained individuals, who may become well known far beyond their own community. Many Native Americans object strongly to the misappropriation of religious traditions by non-Native people, especially when this leads to the charging of extortionate fees for spiritual activities and when used to construct a romanticized “Native American spirituality.”

See alsoNorth America.