North America
North American Indigenous Traditions
specific nation-language terms; 'shaman' is largely an outside word
Hundreds of distinct nations with distinct legal and ceremonial status
HistoryEthnography
The single most important editorial point on this continent: these are hundreds of sovereign nations with distinct languages, ceremonies and protocols. Many communities explicitly reject the word 'shaman' and object to outsiders publishing ceremonial detail.
Ritual specialists
- Roles defined within specific nations: medicine people, ceremonial leaders, dreamers, society members
- Authority tied to community recognition, not self-declaration
Cosmology
- Nation-specific; no pan-Indian cosmology exists
Ritual practice
- Ceremonial detail is frequently restricted knowledge and is not published here
- Public-facing material: history, law, sovereignty, repatriation
History and pressure
- Ceremonial bans in the United States and Canada into the 20th century
- Residential and boarding school systems
- American Indian Religious Freedom Act 1978; NAGPRA 1990
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