and used it with particular success in times of war to benefit their peoples. The second type try to impose their will on the spirits. The Yaqui, for instance, like to transform their body into that of an animal. These holy men are expected to act for the good of their people, though occasionally they work to cause harm to those who are seen as enemies of their people. These types of holy men could be called shamans because they are responsible for the welfare of their people, and use their powers to diagnose and cure disease.
There are different ways of becoming a holy man in different North American Indian tribes (Zimmerman and Molyneaux, 1996). Adult males actively seek spiritual powers among the Crow. They undergo bodily deprivation and even self-torture in an attempt to receive visions which would give them special prowess in battle or help them acquire wealth. Most of the men who try never achieve these visions. Holy power come to the Washo without them asking for it. Their first experience is a series of dreams with ghosts or animals as the subject matter, visions which offer them power. The Washo men fear this power and often try to avoid it, but then they would be visited by a spirit being, or wegaleya, which might cause them to become ill. When they finally give in, they receive instructions in dreams, which include their own personal holy song or chant, what objects to use in ceremonies, and where to find a secret pool for ritual ablutions and other sacred practices. They are then instructed to find a recognized holy man to teach them sleight of hand, ventriloquy, and other skills they will need for their ceremonies. Among the Upper Skagit, men decide for themselves when to become holy men, and people know it only when they begin to practice. They acquire the necessary spirits to become a shaman through fasting or through visions. They often wait until they were older so they can inherit the shaman sp...