Seated in a circle, men chant lyrics and drum rhythms in remarkable unison, echoing ancestors who did the same thing centuries before. People of all ages wearing colorful shawls and headdresses march around them, socializing with one another while performing to spectators seated in folding chairs outside the circle.
This circle of friends is not closed. In fact, it is open to everyone.

in this election, in the form of spiritual advisors. Ki Joko Panjihamijoyo, a Javanese shaman, was once the spiritual advisor to the king of Solo but today, the 67-year-old provides his services to aspiring politicians. He said nearly three times as many candidates have sought spiritual help this year compared with the previous elections in 2009.

Nearly all of us can go back in history and find a Native American in our family tree — a great grandmother or great, great aunt or somebody.
When early settlers arrived in the United states there were more than two thousand tribes of Native Americans. Each tribe had and some still have their own system of herbal medicine that was, in many ways, far superior to the European style of health care practiced by the pioneers.

Mark Plotkin is president of the Amazon Conservation Team, which works with local indigenous peoples to protect the rainforest. This article is adapted from an article for the Skoll World Forum. Skoll contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
"What's wrong with your foot?" asked the medicine man as I ducked into his grass hut to escape the tropical downpour. He could see that I walked with a slight limp.

After decades in the shadows, South Africa's traditional “sangoma” healers are modernising and becoming big business, raising questions about the need for strict regulation.
“Granny” Mahlasela Matcheke runs her practice from a squeaky clean white floor-tiled home in Johannesburg's up-and-coming Soweto township.
Her consultation room is ringed by orderly shelves of transparent jars containing a kaleidoscopic collection of coloured powders and roots.