Plastic shamans, or plastic medicine people,[1] is a pejorative colloquialism applied to individuals who are attempting to pass themselves off as shamans, holy people, or other traditional spiritual leaders, but who have no genuine connection to the traditions or cultures they claim to represent.[2] In some cases, the "plastic shaman" may have some genuine cultural connection, but is seen to be exploiting that knowledge for ego, power, or money.[3][4]
Plastic shamans are believed by their critics to use the mystique of these cultural traditions, and the legitimate curiosity of sincere seekers, for their personal gain. In some cases, exploitation of students and traditional culture may involve the selling of fake "traditional" spiritual ceremonies, fake artifacts, fictional accounts in books, illegitimate tours of sacred sites, and often the chance to buy spiritual titles.[3] Often Native American symbols and terms are adopted by plastic shamans, and their adherents are insufficiently familiar with Native American religion to distinguish between imitations and actual Native religion.[1]
^ abHagan, Helene E. "The Plastic Medicine People Circle." Archived 2013-03-05 at the Wayback Machine Sonoma Free County Press. Accessed 31 Jan 2013.
^Sheets, Brian, "Papers or Plastic: The Difficulty in Protecting Native Spiritual Identity", Lewis & Clark Law Review, 17:2, p.596.
^ abG. Hobson, "The Rise of the White Shaman as a New Version of Cultural Imperialism." in: Hobson, Gary, ed. The Remembered Earth. Albuquerque, NM: Red Earth Press; 1978: 100-108.
^Chidester, David, Authentic Fakes: Religion and American Popular Culture. University of California Press; 2005; p.173: "Defenders of the integrity of indigenous religion have derided New Age shamans, as well as their indigenous collaborators, as 'plastic shaman' or 'plastic medicine men.'"
Plasticshamans, or plastic medicine people, is a pejorative colloquialism applied to individuals who are attempting to pass themselves off as shamans...
Shamanism or samanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman or saman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of...
of shamanism. It usually means shamanism practiced by Western people as a type of New Age spirituality, without a connection to traditional shamanic societies...
Regarding Indian spirituality, the PlasticShaman even out-Indians the actual ones. The messianic element, which PlasticShamanism financially draws on, is installed...
use of smoke. Indigenous peoples of the Americas portal Moxibustion Plasticshaman "Policy on preventing discrimination based on creed - Indigenous spiritual...
Cultural cringe Plastic Brit Plasticshaman Symbolic ethnicity Tartanry West Brit "Time for Irish to stop calling Irish Americans Plastic Paddies". IrishCentral...
indigenous religion have derided New Age shamans, as well as their indigenous collaborators, as 'plasticshaman' or 'plastic medicine men.'" Metcalfe, Jessica...
form of resistance to mainstream culture, leading to the rise of the plasticshaman or "culture vulture." By 1990, many years of pushback by Native Americans...
Necromancy Necronomicon Neodruidism Neopaganism Neotantra, see also Tantra & Plasticshaman New Age Neoshamanism New Thought Night terror, see also Sleep paralysis...
terms "plasticshaman" and "plastic medicine person" have been used to describe an outsider who identifies or promotes themselves as a shaman, holy person...
throughout the rural areas of NE India. Bomoh Curandero Dukun Kahuna Nganga Plasticshaman Quimbanda Lugira, Aloysius Muzzanganda. African Traditional Religion...
Rolls Índia pega no laço Native American identity in the United States Plasticshaman Pretendian Circe Sturm, Becoming Indian: The Struggle over Cherokee...
Eroto-comatose lucidity – Sex magic technique Neoshamanism – New forms of shamanismPlasticshaman – Fraudulent spiritual practitioner Sex magic – Magic involving...
time, given their small size. Andiruna Cultural appropriation Inipi Plasticshaman Puyallup people Sauna Temazcal The red road and Great Race (Native American...
Native American mythology." Cultural appropriation Invented tradition Plasticshaman Pretendian "Interview with Michael Niman". On The Road With John Tarleton...
Church Native American Spirituality Movements Neoshamanism Pan-Indianism PlasticShaman Stereotypes of Native Americans Traditional knowledge McGaa, Ed, Rainbow...
The Way of the Shaman: a Guide to Power and Healing, has been foundational in the development and popularization of core shamanism as a New Age path...
Castaneda Folk healer Kalku Machi (shaman) Maya medicine Medicine man Nganga María Sabina Plasticshaman Santería Shamanism Shipibo-Conibo people Witch doctor...
examples: The Blue Lagoon (novel) Brave New World A High Wind in Jamaica (novel) Legend of the Rainbow Warriors Lord of the Flies Magical Negro Plasticshaman...
such as stereotypes of Hollywood Indian dress, New Age beliefs (cf. plasticshaman), made-up dances and ceremonies, or imitations of what they believe...
Indians more than real ones. Rock and Other Four Letter Words (1968) Plasticshaman Jacobs, Alex. "Fool's Gold: The Story of Jamake Highwater, the Fake...
and Crafts Act of 1990 Large-group awareness training Neoshamanism Plasticshaman Stroud, Matt (2013-12-04). "The Death Dealer". The Verge. Retrieved...
New Age Frauds and PlasticShamans website Quodoushka at the Internet Adult Film Database The Institute for Contemporary Shamanic Studies page on Quodoushka...
(youth movement) The Woodcraft Folk Cultural appropriation Kibbo Kift Plasticshaman Playing Indian Scoutcraft Youth rights Youth participation History of...
contributions from Theosophy while Emerson would be an early example of a plasticshaman in Mayanism. Mayanism has no central doctrine. However, a basic premise...
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