TERMIUM Plus®

The Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic data bank.

POWWOW [2 records]

Filter results by subject field Alphabetical list of terms

Filter results by subject field

Alphabetical list of terms

Record 1 2022-10-28

English

Subject field(s)
  • Indigenous Arts and Culture
CONT

Powwows are celebrations that showcase Indigenous music, dances, regalia, food and crafts.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Arts et culture autochtones
CONT

Le pow-wow est une fête qui convoque la musique, les danses, les habillements de danse, les aliments et les objets d'artisanat autochtones. [...] Les pow-wow défendent auprès des jeunes et des aînés des valeurs telles que la fierté, le respect et la santé, et les drogues et l'alcool sont interdits sur les terrains où ils se déroulent. Ils jouent un rôle important dans la vie de beaucoup d'Autochtones, celui d'un forum qui permet de visiter la famille et les amis et de célébrer leur patrimoine culturel tout en servant de plateforme d’échanges interculturels avec les visiteurs et les participants non autochtones.

Spanish

Save record 1

Record 2 2017-03-13

English

Subject field(s)
  • Occupation Names (General)
  • Indigenous Arts and Culture
DEF

The popular early name for an American Indian who treats the sick or has special powers. More specific terms are used by contemporary scholars. Medicine men also exist in other primitive societies.

CONT

The medicine man played the role of mediator between the gods and simple humans. He interpreted dreams, directed all religious ceremonies and dances, questioned the supernatural powers, looked into the future and advised the warriors. Finally he cured the sick, using magic plants, and practised exorcism and magic with incantations related to the Micmac nation's religious mythology.

CONT

In religious matters, powwows (priests or medicine men) were in charge, using their powers to cure the sick, bring rain or ensure victory in battle.

CONT

The Indian of the Colombian Amazon distinguish two general classes of bioactive plants. The first are regarded as sacred, and they are used exclusively by or under the strict supervision of the "payé", or medicine man.

OBS

Stylistic synonyms: "medicine man", "pow(w)ow", "predictor" and "shaman". These three terms have all too frequently been used interchangeably, owing to the overlapping job descriptions of each one of these terms. The same can be said of the corresponding French equivalents "sorcier", "guérisseur", "chaman(e)", "homme-médecine", "sorcier guérisseur", etc. Often an author's selection of one word over that of another is solely based on a particular perspective he wants to impart on his text: by using "medicine", he would emphasize the beneficial powers of the person in question; whereas by using "shaman", a term originally used to refer to a Siberian medicine man, the author would focus on the use of magic in the performance of rituals. Note however that "shaman/chamane" would be the term used by Europeans to describe the occult performed by non-Europeans; it would not be used by native peoples to refer to one of their own kind. As for "powwow", this author does not recommend its use today because of the confusion that might arise, owing to the polysemous nature of the term (could also mean a special meeting). Nevertheless the use of "powwow", a specific native term used by certain aboriginal tribes in the past, could impart an ethnic coloring to a given text if such is desired. The interchangeability of similar terms occurs also in French. Hence, in French, one who heals but is not certified as a doctor is commonly called a "guérisseur"; whereas one who specializes in magic (whether for medicinal purposes or not) is called a "sorcier".

Key term(s)
  • payé

French

Domaine(s)
  • Désignations des emplois (Généralités)
  • Arts et culture autochtones
DEF

guérisseur : Spécialiste censé obtenir la guérison des malades ou réussir un traitement chirurgical grâce à des pouvoirs surnaturels ou grâce à des connaissances expérimentales positives dont la mise en œuvre est seulement favorisée par la bienveillance d'esprits tutélaires [...] Le rôle du «medicine-man» (ou guérisseur) au sens propre fut de la plus grande importance dans la plupart des sociétés indiennes d'Amérique.

DEF

Prêtre-sorcier, à la fois devin et thérapeute [...]

CONT

Le sorcier micmac jouait le rôle d'intermédiaire entre les divinités et les simples mortels. Il interprétait les rêves, dirigeait toutes les cérémonies religieuses et toutes les danses, interrogeait les puissances surnaturelles, prédisait l'avenir et conseillait les guerriers. Finalement, il guérissait les malades à l'aide des plantes magiques et pratiquait l'exorcisme et la magie au moyen d'incantations se rattachant à la mythologie religieuse de la nation micmaque.

CONT

Chez la plupart des tribus populeuses les hommes de médecine de cette classe étaient associés en gildes ou en sociétés, et à des occasions spéciales faisaient de grandes cérémonies de guérison ou «de restauration de la vie (vitalité)» [...]

Spanish

Save record 2

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