Shamanism in North America

Joanne Wotypka is a branch library assistant in the Cameron Library and
the University of Alberta.

Bancroft Hunt has spent over 30 years researching shamanism. In this
book, he demonstrates that shamans are not just involved in magic. They
are also healers of the mind, employing methods that are quite different
from those employed by today’s Western doctors. “Psychonauts,”
like some Tibetan Buddhist masters, are able to journey inward, and to
encounter and interact with the rich spirit world both within ourselves
and within the universe. Modern neo-shamans continue this journey as
part of the New Age experience, though some traditional shamans are
uncomfortable with yet another episode of cultural appropriation.

The visually stunning illustrations that accompany Hunt’s
well-written text help the reader to grasp the complexity of the
iconography that the shaman has to be conversant with in order to
practice his profession.