Going Native or Going Naive?: White Shamanism and the Neo-Noble Savage (Paperback)

by Dagmar Wernitznig (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Going Native or Going Naive? is a critical analysis of an esoteric-Indian movement, called white shamanism. This movement, originating from the 1980's New Age boom, redefines the phenomenon of playing Indian.

Product Details

• Paperback: 146 pages
• Publisher: University Press of America (February 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761824952
• ISBN-13: 978-0761824954
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,532,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thoughtful dissection of motives, beliefs, and impact, March 7, 2004

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Going Native Or Going Naive? White Shamanism And The Neo-Noble Savage by Dagmar Wernitznig is a scholarly and seminal study of the "new age proliferation" of those born outside Native American tribes and culture who take it upon themselves to adopt the title and role of "Shaman." Wernitznig provides his readers with an evenhanded exploration of tangled issues of identity; devaluation of religious believes when those outside of the religion claim its titles; the purposes pursued by non-natives who consider themselves shamans; New Age eclecticism and environmentalism; women who adopt the role of shaman, and so much more. Strongly recommended for New Age Studies, Religion/Spirituality Studies, and Native American Studies reference collections and supplemental reading lists, Going Native Or Going Naive? is a meticulous and thoughtful dissection of motives, beliefs, and impact.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For people who read shaman books, September 10, 2004

By	Edward B. Holman (Presidio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This one is the best one out there! The author has put together a very important study on the phenomenon of white shamans, the latest neo-colonial model for the replacement of the proverbial noble savage with his bleached out clone from the suburbs. Now that Castaneda has been thoroughly debunked and people are starting to wake up to how much time a money they have wasted trying to find the Garden of Eden on the shelves of the New Age spiritual supermarket, maybe they can "find their roots" by taking a proverbial "look inside themselves" and see how they got let down the rosey path by hucksters with feather decorated drums and beaded chokers.

By the way, there are no Toltecs. They disappeared from history some 700 years ago.