Aboriginal Men of High Degree: Initiation and Sorcery in the World's Oldest TraditionThe first book to reveal the secret and sacred practices of Aboriginal shamans, Aboriginal Men of High Degree presents an extraordinary series of rites by which the young Aboriginal male begins the degrees of shamanic initiation--each marked by its own portion of esoteric knowledge. One of Australia's most eminent anthropologists, A. P. Elkin focuses on karadji, or men of high degree, who possess magical powers and who serve as channels between the Dreamtime beings and their own communities. As psychologists and psychic experts, the karadji are essential to the groups' social chesion. They are believed to cure and kill mysteriously, make rain, anticipate future events, and appear and disappear at will. Not content to explain away these phenomenon, Elkin boldly suggests that we enter into the karadji worldview and try to understand this remarkable culture on its own terms. |
Contents
Aboriginal Men of High Degree Their Personality and Making | 3 |
The Problems of Daily Life | 5 |
The Personality of Medicine Men | 7 |
Medicine Men Outstanding Personalities | 10 |
Medicine Men As Normal People | 13 |
How Selected or Called | 16 |
The Making of Medicine Merc Taking the High Degree | 18 |
The Powers of Medicine Men | 38 |
Far Northwestern Queensland | 119 |
Arnhem Land | 121 |
The Kimberley Division Northwest Australia | 127 |
Aboriginal Men of High Degree in a Changing World | 139 |
Mystic Experience Essential Qualification for Men of High Degree | 141 |
Northern New South Wales | 142 |
Northern Kimberley Western Australia | 146 |
Southwest Kimberley Western Australia | 150 |
Sorcery and Its Cure | 39 |
The Strong Eye | 50 |
Psychic Displays | 53 |
Comparison with Tibet | 59 |
Conclusion | 68 |
The Making and PowersA Survey | 73 |
The Uncircumcision Regions | 75 |
South of the Murray | 76 |
The Coast of New South Wales | 81 |
The Western Districts of New South Wales | 83 |
Eastern and Northern Queensland | 96 |
The Southwestern Corner Western Australia | 99 |
The Circumcision Regions | 104 |
NorthCentral Australia and Northwestern Queensland | 113 |
Animistic and Magical Causes of Illness | 154 |
Parallel and Complementary | 159 |
DoctorMan in Health Services | 162 |
Their Passing? | 166 |
A Rampart for Indigenous Culture | 168 |
BlackfellowDoctorWhitefellow | 171 |
The Psychotherapeutic Role | 175 |
Medicine Men and the Invisible | 176 |
Resurgence | 177 |
Intertribal Conference of Medicine Men | 181 |
Bibliography | 187 |
| 193 | |
Common terms and phrases
A. P. Elkin Alice Springs animistic Aranda Arnhem Land associated Australian Aborigines Baiame belief blood body bone called camp cause cave Cawte Central Australia ceremonies circumcision clever cult-hero cultural cure dead death Dieri doctor doctor-man dream dreamtime experience extract eyes Field Notes fire high degree Howitt Ibid illness initiation inserted insides Journal Kamilaroi killed knowledge latter Lower Murray maban magic stones magical substances Marrngit medicine man's medicine men mystic Native Tribes northwest Numereji Oceania patient person postulant postulant's practice profession psychic powers quartz quartz crystals Queensland R. M. Berndt rainbow serpent rainbow snake region rite ritual Roth Royal Anthropological Institute rubbed sacred says sick sky-world sorcerers South Australia South Wales Spencer and Gillen spirits sucking sung Sydney tion totem trained trance tree tribal Unggud victim Victoria vision W. E. Harney Waipuldanya Walbiri waterhole Weilwan Western Australia Wiradjeri Wonambi Yuendumu