Review of \u3ci\u3eGoing Native or Going Naive? White Shamanism and the Neo-Noble Savage\u3c/i\u3e By Dagmar Wernitznig

In this slim volume, Wernitznig addresses the New Age phenomenon of white shamanism - the appropriation of Native American traditions by white self-help gurus who draw heavily on Plains Indian lore, with a sprinkling of everything from Buddhism to Celtic mythology for good measure. Wernitznig distinguishes between white shamans and plastic medicine men. Unlike the latter, white shamans do not claim Indian identity. Instead, popular writers like Lynn Andrews, Marie Herbert, and Michael Bromley claim to have been instructed by Indian mentors. They advocate easy-fix enlightenment through painless, pleasant initiations, such as Herbert\u27s Healing Quest, which involved spending three days in a comfortable tepee with a portable toilet, being waited upon by Speaks the Truth and Looks for Woman, two subservient Indians. In spite of his discredited status in academia, the legacy of Carlos Castaneda is clearly a potent force here. Like Castaneda\u27s teacher Don Juan, most of the supposed Indian spiritual guides are shadowy figures at best. Wernitznig justifiably assumes most never existed. White shamanism is a provocative phenomenon that deserves serious treatment. This book, unfortunately, fails to provide it. Wernitznig\u27s discussion is disappointingly brief and dependent almost entirely on secondary sources. After offering a short history of white shamanism, she covers important points superficially, offering chapters of three to five pages on such potentially engaging topics as instant enlightenment, new age environmentalism, and female shamanism, the last touching on the relationship between feminism and the New Age movement. Each barely scratches the surface, offering little new. There is some analysis of the white shamans\u27 writings, but nothing at all about their audience