Midwives – Midwives in some cultures can have much in common with shamans, especially election by powerful helpers from other worlds. Elsewhere, midwifery may be a role of shamans themselves. Susan Sered (1992) includes midwives among the “women as ritual experts” she discusses. However, the claim that those persecuted as witches in early modern Europe were really village midwives and healers has been shown to be based on inadequate research.
SOURCE:
Historical Dictionary of Shamanism by Graham Harvey and Robert J. Wallis 2007