VISION QUESTS

For manyNative Americans, traditionalinitiationrituals, especially those celebrated at puberty, are marked by avisionquest, in which a person goes to a remote and possibly sacred place and seeks to encounter a powerfulother-than-human helper. This may be an animal or aspiritbeing and may be seen after prolonged sensorydeprivation, for example, fasting and continuous wakefulness.Neo-shamansoften demonstrate theirNew Agecredentials by presenting vision quests as opportunities for self-discovery, seeking the “soul” or true inner self, rather thanaltered styles of communicationin ananimistworld. Neo-shamans such asSun Bearhave been strongly criticized (and labeled “plastic medicine men”) by theAmerican Indian Movement, among others, for charging clients to participate in vision quests and related,purificatory sweat lodges.