essay

The shaman who defeated etsá sickness (smallpox): traditional Huichol medicine in the twentieth century

people of the peyote: huichol indian history, religion, & survivalAlbuquerque • Published In 1996 • Pages: 208-231

By: Casillas Romo, Armando, Chávez, Carlos.

Abstract
This ethnolinguistic study looks at ways the Huichol classify disease and employ remedial therapeutics. It shows that the Huichol use suffixes and prefixes that convey specific states of malaise or illness, be they physical, mental, or spiritual. These are used in conjunction with words identifying the nature or origin of several categories of illness. Huichol healing methods involve the use of a range of herbal medicine in combination with practical therapeutics of shamans and the direct participation of the gods, the ancestors, patients’ families, the patients themselves, and potent places and objects. (For non-English terms see Schaefer [1996] "Glossary." For references cited see Schaefer and Furst [1996] "Bibliography.")
Subjects
Theory of disease
Morbidity
Shamans and psychotherapists
Medical therapy
Revelation and divination
Prayers and sacrifices
Animism
Cult of the dead
Pharmaceuticals
Ethnoanatomy
culture
Huichol
HRAF PubDate
2016
Region
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub Region
Northern Mexico
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Types
Physician
Anthropologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Teferi Abate Adem
Field Date
no date given
Coverage Date
1965-1970
Coverage Place
southern Sierra Madre Occidental (Nayarit, Jalisco, Durango, and Zacatecas), Mexico
Notes
Armando Casillas Romo, M.D., in collaboration with Carlos Chávez
for bibliographical references see document 23: [Schaefer and Furst]
LCCN
95032453
LCSH
Huichol Indians