medicine men

Noun

medicine man (plural medicine men)

1. A Native American shamanistic healer.
   • And the Jossakeeds, the Prophets,
     The Wabenos, the Magicians,
     And the Medicine-men, the Medas,
     Painted upon bark and deer-skin
     Figures for the songs they chanted1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Song of Hiawatha, section XIV
2. A traditional healer among other indigenous or ancient peoples.
   • When, however, the plant spirits were not strong enough in themselves, then the family called in the Medicine Man. He appeared, a "monster of so frightful mien", with noise making apparatus which produced such a terrifying din that even the hardiest demon was likely to flee.1940, Rosetta E. Clarkson, Green Enchantments: The Magic Spell of Gardens, The Macmillan Company, page 254
3. The pitchman at a medicine show.
   • One of the most successful of the tent road-showmen is Dr. J. Van Cleve, old-time medicine man, who operates out of Portland. Van Cleve pitches his tent for a week and shows a different film program each night combined with a vaude show.1942 September 19, “Van Cleve Shows Pix Under Canvas On Coast”, in Billboard, volume 54, number 37, page 26