Lux Ferre

Combat – A major role of many shamans is to defend their communities from enemy shamans, witches, or sorcerers, as well as predatory or aggressive other-than-human persons or spirits. The ability to

Coates, Marcus – British artist whose work explores the interface between what it is to be human vis-à-vis “nature,” particularly through video installations. In Journey to the Lower World (2005), Coates made

Clifton, Chas S. (1951– ) – A lecturer in English at Colorado State University, Pueblo, with particular interests in nature writing, Clifton is the editor of a series of books about contemporary

Clever People – A term used with reference to knowledgeable and skilled Aboriginal Australian elders, healers, and ritual leaders. Thus, it is equivalent to “shamans” in some cultures and to “medicine people”

Clans – Ioan Lewis states that “shamanism is tied to the Tungus [Evenk] clan structure of which, indeed, it is an essential component,” thereby situating shamans in their communities and social contexts

Circle of the Sacred Earth – An organization founded by Roy Bauer in the United States, describing itself as a “church of animism fostering shamanic principles and practices.” Alongside “shamanic healing, counseling,

Churchill, Ward (1947– ) – A Creek/Cherokee Métis (part Native American) and professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado. A prolific author about Native American issues, especially in relation to

Christianity – Claims that the founders of Christianity—Jesus Christ and his disciples—were shamans have been made on the basis of the prevalence of healing and exorcism in the Bible. John Allegro’s claim

China – The history of shamanism in this large Asian country illustrates the variety of possible relationships between shamans and other religious, cultural, and political leaders and movements. The Chinese character wu

Chewong – An indigenous hunter-gatherer and swidden agriculturalist people of the tropical rain forest of peninsular Malaysia, whose animist cosmology and way of life is discussed by Signe Howell in a number