Definition of "shaman" [sha•man]

• A member of certain tribal societies who acts as a medium between the visible world and an invisible spirit world and who practices magic or sorcery for purposes of healing, divination, and control over natural events. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "When you think of the term shaman or medicine man it might conjure up images of African witchdoctors."
• "A HREF = "images1105/i1105large. jpg" Here again, we see the coexistence of indigenous and Spanish beliefs, as a shaman is among the figures gathered in the pews."
• "On one side of the shaman is a bonfire and on the other side are the ceremonial objects, including ears of corn and peyote."