A medicine man is not to be confused with a doctor, even though
doctors prescribe medicine! A medicine man is a term for a Native
American healer or spiritualist. (The term medicine man is considered
to be derogatory towards Native American spiritual beliefs, as it is a
term applied to these individuals by people outside of the culture).
Also
known as a shaman, this individual was believed by outsiders to claim
supernatural powers. There are also equivalents in other cultures, and
have been throughout time. Sometimes they are also called witch
doctors. All of these terms have problematic cultural implications due
to their disrespectful connotations. A better analogy for a medicine
man might be a counselor or a pastor, someone who heals the community
at a spiritual level, rather than using the term medicine man, which
implies that this healer is no better than a pretend doctor.
In
each case, this individual is a respected and important figure in his
or her community. The medicine man is not in every case a man—women can
perform this role as well.
Typically, this healer is
believed to have control over matters such as weather, fertility, food
sources, and disease. The healer engages in ritual and ceremony to
cleanse and heal a victim, or to commune with the spirits so that they
may help the tribe in matters of survival.
The healer is a
highly respected and crucial member of a tribal community, whose work
benefits the tribe. It is also important to remember that Native
Americans do not form a single culture in spite of being referred to as
“Native Americans”—rather, the many different tribes each have their
own identities and practices, and the role of a healer will also vary
from culture to culture. The environment and history of each
individual tribal community will affect the types and purposes of the
ceremony that the healer performs.