Lux Ferre

Pretty Shield (1856–1944) – Medicine woman of the Apsáalooke (“Children of the Large-Beaked Bird,” often now called Crow) during the 19th-century transition to reservation life. She told her life story to Frank

John Pretty on Top, – Cultural director and speaker for the Crow/Absaroke Nation who succeeded Thomas Yellowtail as medicine man and Sun Dance chief in 1985. He was chosen for this role

Predation – A significant theme of many Amazonian cultures is that there are basically two kinds of beings—predators and prey— each of which is divided into three major groups: spirits, people, and

Pragmatism – Indigenous shamanisms tend to disrupt the binary sacred–profane boundary imposed by Western observers, avoid transcendentalism, and embed practice in pragmatic day-to-day community (human and other-than-human) relations. The relationship between shamans

Power Animals – A significant portion of the practice of neoshamanism, including almost all early workshops in the style of Michael Harner’s core shamanism, involve guided visualization or meditation—sometimes glossed as “journeying”—in

Possession – Shamans are sometimes distinguished from other religious or cultural leaders by their ability to deliberately enter a trance that is sometimes considered to be equivalent to possession. Mircea Eliade and

Pomo – An indigenous people of California. Greg Sarris has written both biographical and fictionalized accounts of the life and work of traditional doctors such as Mabel McKay. He describes their healing

Polynesia – A subdivision of Oceania or the Pacific Islands (along with Micronesia and Melanesia), including islands in a vast triangular area of the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii, New Zealand, and Rapa

Politics – In Mircea Eliade’s construction of shamanism, political involvement is a sign of degeneracy among shamans. He prefers to present them as ritualists and religious leaders rather than as community leaders,

Plastic Medicine People – A term applied to Native Americans who perform ceremonies or teach traditional knowledge to Euro-Americans or anyone else who is willing to pay. It can also be applied