It is wakan

22. The Medicine Men: Oglala Sioux Ceremony and Healing by Thomas H. Lewis

I probably should have looked at the publication date of this book before checking it out. I was looking for a more contemporary read in an attempt to learn more about current Oglala ritual and healing, but what I got were field notes of a psychiatrist/anthropologist taken from 1967ish through early 1973. Most of the book was transcribed field notes of a white outsider with a heavy dose of skepticism for some things he supposedly wanted to understand while promoting a white-Sioux synthesis of medicine. About the only thing he gave me a bit of insight into were the heyoka, specifically the complexity of the role they play in Native society. I didn't even read all of the last chapter because his analysis wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know.

Note to self: In the future, check the publication date!