Maddinks the Mute

This article examines the figure of Maddinks, a non-speaking, untamed indigenous woman known as a shamanic healer and conductor of trauma releasement ceremonies, whose derogatory name references rumored mental instability. The authors argue that spirit possession should be understood within ceremonial and social contexts as serving to uphold morality and good mental health, rather than as a signifier for unwanted or sinister states. They also explore how music, dance, and trance states are used to stabilize and free the mind at personal and political levels.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Maddinks is a non-speaking, untamed, and fiercely independent woman: a conjurer of spirits, shamanic healer, and conductor of trauma releasement ceremonies. Never known by a proper first name, Maddinks is identified by this derogatory term, a reference to the mental instability she is rumored to have. As we consider indigenous spirituality, ceremonial dance, entrancement, and other forms of altered consciousness, we identify spirit possession in terms of a ceremonial or social context with a function to uphold morality and good mental health rather than being a signifier for unwanted and sinister states of being. We also understand how music, dance, and states of trance are used to stabilize and free the mind at both personal and political levels.