Also, please note that no real medicine men/women would take on a white person as a student. They will not teach white people, period.

This Crowther person probably read a few books and maybe spoke with a few real medicine people, and then took it upon herself to call herself a "shaman". One cannot randomly decide that one is a "shaman" or a "medicine" person; you are told you are one and given the medicine man/woman title by elders of a Native nation.

[link to www.angelfire.com]

The Case Against "Shamans" In North American
Indigenous Cultures

Shamanism is not the same thing as Native American spirituality.

The word shaman, used internationally, has its origin in manchú-tangu and has reached the ethnologic vocabulary through Russian. The word originated from saman (xaman), derived from the verb scha-, "to know", so shaman means someone who knows, is wise, a sage. Further ethnologic investigations shows that the true origin for the word Shaman can be tracked from the Sanskrit initially, then through Chinese-Buddhist mediation to the manchú-tangu, indicating a much deeper but now overlooked connection between early Buddhism and Shamanism generally. In Pali it is schamana, in Sanskrit sramana translated to something like "buddhist monk, ascetic". The intermediate Chinese term is scha-men (source). It has been adopted into the English speaking world not unlike words such as kayak for example, but when it is used to describe Native American holy men or women it can be offensive to traditional Natives and their Elders.

Below are excerpts from a number of articles I have selected (with links to the originals) clarifying the above paragraph. I have several Shaman related pages that support and link through to my Zen pages and the following excerpts are presented to ensure all who may be interested where I stand and that what is offered, presented, or linked to is not intended to cross into sacred areas. It should also be clarified that, even though I am in agreement with contents of the articles presented, in no way is their appearance here intended to imply an endorsement by the authors of MY Shaman related links or philosophy.

My Uncle was well accepted by most spiritual members of the indigenous people of the desert southwest he interacted with as a person at one with the Earth. He was married to a Native American of the Little Shell Plains Ojibwe who was a fourth level Midewiwin medicine woman that was held in awe by most that came within her presence. He himself moved with an almost cloak-like and uncanny nearly invisible ability, passing among people and places without disturbing the environment. Some say he was a Cloud Shaman and it may very well be the case. However, for the most part, he felt it was an impropriety to usurp for ones own gain or any other reason the traditional spiritual realms of others. Plain speaking, from a very young age I was, by example, both shown and taught by my father and uncle two very basic concepts: "When walking in the woods, never leave tracks," and "when you depart from a campground, always leave it better than you found it." Both concepts, although worded specifically in context, were meant to be expanded to the world and ones life as a whole, the philosophy meshing perfectly in my later teen years when I began study practice of Zen under the auspices of my Mentor.

It should be brought to the attention of those who may have an interest as well, that the word Shaman is meant to mean in the English language, by definition, that a Shaman so indentified, understands that ALL things have a spirit, which inturn would imply within that definition, that each of our words and thoughts are thus endowed. As I have treated the words of the authors below appropriately, so too, it is hoped the spirits of my words are granted an equal treatment. I bow in deference....