Maddinks the Mute
Hazel da Breo
October 10, 2024 DOI: 10.4324/9781003223603-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that spirit possession in indigenous contexts functions to uphold morality and mental health rather than indicating pathology, and that music, dance, and trance stabilize and free the mind at personal and political levels. |
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.