thumb|An [[Ojibwe people|Ojibwe 'ceremonial leader' in a 'medicine lodge']]
A medicine man or medicine woman is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name in its language for spiritual healers and ceremonial leaders.
Cultural context
thumb|[[Yup'ik "medicine man exorcising evil spirits from a sick boy" in Nushagak, Alaska, 1890s]]
In the ceremonial context of Indigenous North American communities, "medicine" usually refers to spiritual healing. Medicine people use many practices, including specialized knowledge of Native American ethnobotany. Herbal healing is a common practice in many Indigenous households of the Americas; however, medicine people often have more in-depth knowledge of using plants for healing or other purposes.
Native Americans tend to be quite reluctant to discuss issues about medicine or medicine people with non-Indians. In some cultures, the people will not even discuss these matters with American Indians from other tribes. In most tribes, medicine elders are prohibited from advertising or introducing themselves as such. As Nuttall writes, "An inquiry to a Native person about religious beliefs or ceremonies is often viewed with suspicion."
The term medicine man/woman, like the term shaman, has been criticized by Native Americans, as well as other specialists in the fields of religion and anthropology.
While non-Native anthropologists often use the term shaman for Indigenous healers worldwide, including the Americas, shaman is the specific name for a spiritual mediator from the Tungusic peoples of Siberia, which has been adopted by some Inuit communities but is not preferred by Native American or First Nations communities.
See also
thumb|[[The Medicine Man (Dallin)|The Medicine Man, an 1899 sculpture by Cyrus Dallin exhibited in Philadelphia]]
- Witch doctor