medicine man

plural medicine men

1. A Native American shamanistic healer.

   He spent much time in prayer, alone in the hills or in conference with a medicine man.

   1950, Dorothy M. Johnson, A Man Called Horse; in Indian Country, London: Corgi, 1961, page 183

   2 more examples

   And the Jossakeeds, the Prophets, The Wabenos, the Magicians, And the Medicine-men, the Medas, Painted upon bark and deer-skin Figures for the songs they chanted

   1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Song of Hiawatha, section XIV

   Sitting Bull is commonly thought of as a warrior. In point of fact he was not. He was a “medicine man;” which means that he included within himself the three professions of the priesthood, medicine and law.

   1891, W. Fletcher Johnson, Life of Sitting Bull and History of the Indian War of 1890-’91, Edgewood Publishing Co., page 41

2. A traditional healer among other indigenous or ancient peoples.

   "I'm sorry kiddies," he said, "but I haven't very much faith in Medicine Men."

   1943, H. Lorna Bingham, The Lost Tribe, Sydney: Winn and Co., page 11, column 1

   3 more examples

   When, however, the plant spirits were not strong enough in themselves, then the family called in the Medicine Man. He appeared, a "monster of so frightful mien", with noise making apparatus which produced such a terrifying din that even the hardiest demon was likely to flee.

   1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 254

   After the death of Ekwefi's second child, Okonkwo had gone to a medicine man, who was also a diviner of the Afa Oracle, to enquire what was amiss.

   1958 June 17, Chinua Achebe, chapter 9, in Things Fall Apart, London: Heinemann, →OCLC

   The medicine man, remembering the previous winter's disastrous prediction, decided to cover himself. So he did a medicine dance, threw some spirit dust around and proclaimed, "Winter will be bad."

   1994, Mike Hayes, Tell Us Anothree! More yarns from all around Australia, Sydney: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, published 2001, page 83

3. The pitchman at a medicine show.

   the medicine man offered free entertainment in exchange for an opportunity to sell hope to a nation of individually troubled people.

   1991, Quentin J. Schultze, Televangelism and American Culture; The Business of Popular Religion, Baker Book House, →ISBN, page 128

   1 more example

   One of the most successful of the tent road-showmen is Dr. J. Van Cleve, old-time medicine man, who operates out of Portland. Van Cleve pitches his tent for a week and shows a different film program each night combined with a vaude show.

   1942 September 19, “Van Cleve Shows Pix Under Canvas On Coast”, in Billboard, volume 54, number 37, page 26