Category: Shamanism

Angakkoq – “Visionary and dreamer”; the Greenlandic shaman (pl. angakkut; also ilisiitsoq sing., ilisiitsut pl.). Missionary Hans Egede in 1721 offered the first detailed account…

Andrews, Lynn – Best-selling author and neo-shaman based in Los Angeles; she has written 18 books, including Medicine Woman (1983), Jaguar Woman (1985), and Dark…

Ancestors – While this word suggests earlier generations, the predecessors of the current generation, its precise meaning varies from one cultural context to another. It…

American Indian Movement (AIM) – Under the banner of self-determination, AIM has campaigned since 1968 for the rights of Native Americans, with notable success regarding…

Ambiguity – Shamans in many cultures are perceived ambiguously. While they may be called upon to heal or protect their communities and clients, they may…

Amazonia – The many indigenous peoples of Amazonia (a vast area of South America drained by the Amazon River, including its highland watersheds) traditionally employ…

Pablo Amaringo, (1938 or 1943– ) – Peruvian Amazonian former vegetalista whose paintings of “ayahuasca visions” were published in a book (1991) he co-authored with…

Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) – Shamans are sometimes distinguished from other religious or cultural leaders by their ability to deliberately enter distinctive states of…

Altai – The Altai Kizhi, Telengits, Teles, and Teleuts are pastoralists of mixed Turkic-Mongolian descent. After the great changes brought by Russian colonization in the…

Alleluia Shamanism – An evolution of Amazonian shamanism (particularly in the eastern highlands) influenced by Christian missionary discourse (e.g., prophetic promises of a new life,…