Category: Shamanism

Ametra is a project in Peru founded by a Shipibo shaman to teach health care workers to use plant remedies alongside pharmaceutical drugs. The use…

The alto mesayoq is a high level of paq’o, a shaman of the Q’ero in the Andes. There are three levels of alto mesayoq. They…

Ambil is tobacco syrup made by the Witoto of South America for medicinal use. The Witoto boil tobacco leaves down to a molasseslike consistency. In…

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…