Holy People – A term for religious leaders among many Native American nations, who may be comparable with shamans elsewhere. Medicine people is a similar term, emphasizing the healing abilities and sacred
Hoffman, Albert (1906– ) – Swiss chemist who synthesized the hallucinogen LSD (d-lysergic acid diethylamide), a chemical derived from the ergot fungus he had been working on in order to develop new
Hmong – Southeast Asian people originating in Laos; many now live in North America. Traditionally an animist culture, the Hmong employ shamans as healers and mediators in disruptive situations. Illnesses and other
Heusch, Luc de (1927– ) – Professor of anthropology at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium. Following Mircea Eliade’s categorical distinction between shamanism as “mastery of spirits” and possession as “being controlled
Helpers – Shamans are often marginal figures, but they are rarely solitary. In some cultures, they are aided by apprentice shamans or by other types of ritualists. Where trance is a significant
Heinz, Ruth-Inge – Scholar of comparative religion and psychological anthropology and a research associate at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley. Heinz authored the volume Shamans of the
Heathens – At the time of conversion to Christianity in Iceland, the terms kristni and hedhni made a simple distinction between Christendom and Heathenry, the latter meaning “people of the heath,” referring
Healing – Among the most significant duties performed by shamans are concerned with healing clients from illnesses. Sometimes illnesses are understood to be otherworld persons aggressively assaulting humans, either because they are
Hawaii – The Huna tradition said to be indigenous to Hawaii has become popular among neo-shamans and is disseminated in workshops and via the internet. The term Huna refers to teachings or
Haslund-Christensen, Henning (1896–1948) – In addition to collecting sound recordings of Mongolian folk singing and musical instruments (e.g., The Music of the Mongols, 1943) during his five expeditions to Central Asia, Haslund-Christensen
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