Month: March 2022

Aboriginal Australians – Many of the different language groups and peoples indigenous to Australia speak of “people of high degree” or “clever people.” These are…

Yopo – Amazonian snuff prepared from the seeds or nuts of a tree (Anadenanthera peregrine) mixed with ash. Its cultural usage is similar to that…

Yellowtail, Thomas (1903–1993) – Medicine man (akbaalia) and Sun Dance chief of the Absaroke (Crow). He succeeded the Shoshone medicine man and Sun Dance chief…

Yaqui – Calling themselves Yoeme (“people”), the more widely known term Yaqui derives from “Hiakim,” the Yaqui term for their land, encompassing the southern coastal…

Yanomamo – An Amazonian people whose traditional homeland spans the border of Venezuela and Brazil and who remained so remote that Napoléon Chagnon could claim…

Wounded Healer – Many recorded examples of shamanic initiation involve a debilitating or life-threatening illness, recovery from which is facilitated only by the assistance of…

Women – In some cultures, only men can serve as shamans, while in others, shamanism is almost entirely women’s business, and in still others, the…

Witchcraft – Shamans in many cultures are expected to combat users of malevolent magic, witches, or sorcerers—or they may be suspected of being witches or…

Winkelman, Michael – Professor in anthropology at Arizona State University, former president of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness, and founder of the Anthropology…

Wilby, Emma – Much of the data on early medieval witches is unreliable, extracted under conditions of torture and permeated by witchhunt propaganda discourse—originating not…