Within Native American groups, shamans are considered to be ritual specialists. The word shaman literally means, "one who is excited, moved or raised." Shamans are intermediaries between the spirit and ordinary world. When Native Americans were first moved off of their lands and put into reservations, Europeans did not really want anything to do with their religious practices. Many were even banned by the Europeans. Now, however, with the rise in popularity of new age religions, many Americans are taking an interest in Native American religious practices without fully understanding their implications. .
The only real similarities between traditional Native American shamanism and the newfound plastic medicine man practices are the actions performed. The vision quests performed by both may be very similar, involving the same actions. This is the same with the sweat lodge ceremonies. The problem is that the new age interpretations of shamanism do not fully address all of the implications of the ceremonies. For example, at www.shamanicvisions.com, there is a page devoted to the songs used during ceremonies. The songs themselves should not be the focus of the ceremonies. As found with Native American shamanism, the ceremonies had less to do with the songs themselves, but more to do with their context and meaning. This website seems to focus more on the songs and instruments used, rather than their spiritual meaning when used during a ceremony. Another ridiculous section at www.shamanicvisions.com is the recognition of Winnie the Pooh having "shamanic undertones." One example the author of the webpage uses to explain this was that Winnie the Pooh had a boat called "The Floating Bear." I can easily see why this would offend Native Americans. Shamanism should not be treated so lightheartedly.
I found www.shamanschool.com equally as offensive as the previous site. The first page contains a banner stating, "Need help with angry bosses, unpaid bills, headaches and more? Get Everyday Magic! Just $19.
