Anth 310 Exam 1

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Religion

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A set of beliefs and practices pertaining to the supernatural beings or forces

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Signs of Neanderthal Religion

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The first to bury the dead

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First evidence of beliefs

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How neanderthals buried their dead. sense of self-awareness

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Link self-awareness & religion

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Controlling the environment led to a highly developed sense of self-awareness. Mirror test=self aware. Great apes, dolphins, parrots and humans.

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Lascaux Cave Paintings

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-18,000 years old
-earliest evidence of religion: man being gored by buffalo, death erection; nearby, animal sitting in fear; bird on stick (represents man's clan); totem is symbol that stands for an entire group of people

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American Religions

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4% Atheist
88% Christian: 60% Protestant, 22% Catholic, 6% Orthodox

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Functions of Religion

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1. Reduces Anxiety-By providing answers about ones place and purpose in the universe
2. Maintains social order-providing moral codes and rules for living

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Revitalization: Origins of Christianity

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1. Steady state-Judaism
2. Increased stress-Roman oppression
3. Cultural distortion-Sectarian infighting-Sadducees vs. Pharisees, zealots, essenes
4. Prophetic formulation of a code
5. Communication of the code-Jesus spreading the message
6. Organization-Apostles join Jesus
7. Adaption-living the word
8. Cultural Transformation-Christianity is a new sect
9. Routinization (institutionalation)-the new testament
10. Steady State-mainstream religion

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Cult

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-unconventional religion.
-differences are size and acceptance (legitimacy)
-presence of cults indicates stress

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Difference between Religion, Worldview and Cosmology

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Worldview-ideas about the everyday, the known world
Religion-ideas about the 'other' world
Cosmology-both, about the universe, both its known and unknown aspects

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Video "The Three Worlds of Bali"

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Belief in the spirits and the food they offer

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Magic-definition, function and characteristics

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ritual practice meant to compel the supernatural to act in a desired way.
Function: reduces anxiety, giving a sense of control in situations of uncertainty
Characteristics: Unnecessary to understand the process of cause and effect and to know the supernatural agents involved. All that is necessary is knowledge. Magic is 'do-it-yourself.' A religious practice Common forms: clovers, symbols, avoiding black cats and walking under ladders

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Prayer vs. Magic

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Magic, you're in control
Prayer you ask for supernatural assistance

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"Baseball Magic"

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Baseball players avoided doing certain things before games and did certain rituals at games so they would win.
Ex: a guy refused to eat pancakes before his games after he lost two

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"Rational Mastery by Man"

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Trobriand gardening, magic and natural conditions with yams, unpredictable events use magic

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"Body Ritual among the Nacirema"

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Americans, and all of their daily practices told in a different perspective

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Cultural Relativism

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the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture

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Sympathetic Magic

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Law of similarity-things that are similar will behave in the same way
ex: voodoo dolls, lascaux cave

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Contagious Magic

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Law of Contagion-things once in contact will always maintain the connection
ex: voodoo doll with items from the victim, love magic

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Definition and Characteristics of rituals

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proscribed rules, repetitive, purposeful reason

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"Dumplings"

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The woman ate the dumplings to restore a youthful look in her skin/face-->win back the heart of her husband. Dumplings were usually made from aborted fetuses, these specific dumplings were made from a five-month boy, a child from incest

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Mainstream (biased) definition for magic and religion

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Magic: ritual practice meant to compel the supernatural to act in a desired way
Religion: set of beliefs and practices pertaining to supernatural beings or forces, ideas about the "other" world, functions include reducing anxiety, moral codes for living

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Positivism

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Knowledge can only be acquired through direct observation and experience rather than through metaphysics or theology

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Age of Reason

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(1600-1800) Intellectual movement in Western Europe, emphasis on reason and logic over all else.
How magic got a bad name-Positivism: progress, science (ultimate human intellect), religion (opiate of the masses), magic (primitive superstition).
Binary Opposition: opposed pairs (1/2 positive, 1/2 negative) magic vs. religion
Colonialism: European exploration, encountered different culture and religions, dehumanization of Aztecs (MYTHS that human sacrifice was abundant, eating victims)

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Enlightenment

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revolutionary because the world was knowable via senses, no need for faith, religion or God
*Reason could overcome ignorance/superstition/tyranny to make a better world

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Colonialism

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started with the Lateen triangle sail, allowed for a quicker way east to trade for spices. Divide and conquer tactics, modeled colonies after homeland, white man's burden: all justified in terms for religious superiority

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Magic as foolish and superstitious

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When compared to scientific evidence, when seen in primal cultures

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Purpose and Characteristics of fore cannibalism

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essential part of funeral rites to keep the family in them (literally)

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"Death be not Strange" Berawan funeral rituals

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funerals take years 1) rituals and prayers after death, lasts for a few days 2) storage of corpse at home (to not confuse the spirit) or in graveyard, for months or years, until there is enough money for the rest of the funeral 3) feast, for a few days 4) remains, the bones, are stored in a mausoleum forever

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Occult and examples

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hodgepodge of beliefs and practices from ancient or "other" cultures, more popular than the belief in God, pop religion, pseudoscience.
Ex: astrology (method of divination based on the theory that celestial bodies influence human affairs)

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Mysticism

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practice/belief whereby people achieve personal communication or union with the divine

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Levels of occultism

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Minimal occultism: UFO, x-files.
Causal occultism: seeking to understand unseen causal relationships between events non scientific or extra scientific
Complex occultism: only the occult is their religion at this level, anti science

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Western Mysteries

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"Mysteries" were secret societies in ancient Greece and Rome, gave members an emotional, personal, religion compared to other religions of the day. They were very secretive, related to fertility (most popular were Mithraism and orphic). Organized into fraternities led by experiences magicians, RIGID, and hierarchal, intellectual magic/occultism, difficult and intense initiation

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Mithraism

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Mithras was the chief Persian God of Zoroastrianism (God of the Dead), co-ruled universe with Anura, only Persian God in the west. In Rome, a military cult spread with roman legion, violent initiation, mystical means to gain strength and endurance

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Orphic

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Dionysian worship, rituals based on myth on how he was born. Zygreus and Titans=us. Practices include eating raw fish and orgies. Origins of Toddy's mysteries: descended from the Hermetic Order of the Dawn (1887), hugely influential on the first occult exploration and ancestor of today's occult groups, The Society of the Inner Lights (1922), founded by Dion Fortune most powerful occultist of the century. Gerald Gardner (1884-1964): created the occult version of witchcraft in the 1940's, emphasis on peace/harmony

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Kabbalah

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Jewish Mysticism from 7th century

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Occultism in Victorian Age

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(1830)-Emerged as people lost their faith in science, popularity is related to social strain and rebellion against religion, "progress": industrialization made poverty and pollution worse

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Current occult revival (60's)

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1950s characterized by stability and certainty, America believed we were in control thanks to tech and moral superiority ("father" rest of the world), 1960s characterized by instability, uncertainty and chaos.
Postmodern crisis: no single truth out there, world isn't safe, and western position in it isn't clear

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Postmodernism

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sense of omnipotence and omniscience is gone, left with fear and chaos after Vietnam end of colonialism in Africa. Loss of confidence and the individual is left looking for meaning. Rise of movement, cults, beliefs and practices that rejected mainstream

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What is the profile of the typical complex occultist?

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urban, educated, white, middle-class, middle-aged

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What is "othering"?

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The process by which groups of people distinguish themselves from others
-"us" and "them"
-usually, it's "us" vs. "them"
--"us=good; "them"=bad
-Sometimes, there is a reversal:
--"us"=bad; "them"=good

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What were de las Casas and Sepulveda arguing about?

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Bartolome de las Casas-became an activist for the rights of native peoples

Juan Gines de Sepulveda-believed natives were natural slaves

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What is the dirty dog vs. noble savage debate?

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-Most of the time, comparison leads them to think less of others (the dirty dog view)
-Less frequently, the comparison leads them to think highly of others (the noble savage view)

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The John Frum Movement (cargo cult) what is it, how did it start, what do its members do and want?

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-A cultural phenomenon in the Melanesia
-Cargo Cults: Deiiying the other (us)
-The John Frum Movement on Vanuatu
-Sympathetic magic to make the cargo come back

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Know how the noble savage view can be construed as racist:

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Both views are racist:
-Dirty Dogs: "Others" are clearly inferior to "Us," because they are less intelligent
-Noble Savages: "Others" possess important mystical knowledge that we've lost, because they haven't been corrupted like we have

Noble Savage:
-Industrialization corrupts
-Non-industrialized peoples idealized as possessing important, mystical knowledge that we've lost

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What does "exotic" mean?

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"exoticizing" the Other:
-->the basis of the Noble Savage concept
-Making "Others" out to be exotic...exciting..mystical...inherently different
-more natural=less human

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What were the top American fears as you discovered in your fear surveys?

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failure, death of a family member

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What's the top fear of Vietnamese people under 40?

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1. Dying young, without children
2. Losing a child
3. Family problems
-lies, separation, arguments
4. Losing opportunities due to government policy
5. Angry ghosts

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Films "Crevices" and "Spiderwoman"--be able to explain how and why these are scarier to Japanese people than us

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"Crevices": What's so scary?
-Atomic bombs, people disappeared from radiation, blocked things up with red tape which is what makes it so scary

"Spider Woman": What's so scary?
-not modern, not ignorant, uncontrollable laugh, being outed by their contrary parents (wouldn't be able to convince people that they are modern and hip)
Not appearing cool--has nothing to do with the spiders

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What is magic used for in America? How many people here use it?

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-Used by 70% of the population

-Gambling
-Dangerous situations
-Exams
-Sports

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What is magic primarily used for in other cultures?

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-Most common use of magic in "Other" cultures:
-to deal with illness and misfortune
-magic is used for both prevention and cure

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Know the Western model of illness and be able to give examples

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Western models of illness
-the self
-natural causes
Source of Illness #1 The Self
-A person's bad habits cause their illness
Source of Illness #2 Natural Causes
-Genetics
-Environment (sun=skin cancer)
-Stress

Coping with illness, Western style-
-exercise
-doctor
-pray
-medicine

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Know the "Other" model of illness used in cultures where magic is normal

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"Other" explanations for illness and misfortune:
-not accidental or random
-usually not "natural"
-personal
-source:SOMEONE ELSE
Who is the "someone" who causes illness and misfortune?
-Supernatural beings: Gods or demons
-Spirits: of the dead, of elements, of animals
-People: enemies, witches, sorcerers

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"Swallowing Frogs in NE Brazil"

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-emotions believed to cause illness
-women most at risk
-women are expected to care more, thus they suffer more
-catholic faith healers cure with prayer and magic

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"Sorcery...Among the Kabana"

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-Kabana sorcery is used to punish people for offensive behavior
-sorcerers sicken or otherwise cause problems for victims, in order to get them to rectify their ways
-victims cured once the community meets to "break the talk" and ultimately the sorcerer removes his spell

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What is sorcery?

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Harmful magic

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Film "The Asmat of New Guinea"
Who are the Asmat?
What do they believe about spirits?
What is their relationship with the natural resources they eat and use?
What was the magical ceremony we saw in the film all about?

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-To send their dead relatives of to the after-life
-Spirits of the dead can't stay in village because they cause illness
-1. Acquire trees for carvings (carve them into likeness of the people who are dead)
2. Dancing (banishes the spirits from the village-scares them off)
3. Take a head (cut off someone's head--of an enemy)

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Know the services provided by sorcerers, priests, exorcists, diviners, and mediums

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Priests-experts in standardized religious ritual
Diviner-able to see into future
Medium-allow spirits to posses them so that questions can b answered
Exorcist-expert in purging unwanted spirits (sacred texts and magic words)
Sorcerer-expert in spells, potions, poisons, for the purpose of causing harm

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Shamans: origins, purpose, source of power, role in society, use of drugs

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Shamans--multipurpose religious specialists (functions of priests, diviners, mediums and exorcists)
1. cure illness
2. dune the future
3. contact spirits for the public good or for individual reason
-came from Siberia, now found everywhere
-social role in many cultures, is an occupation
--primary function-healing (masters of the spirits), can travel to the spirit world at will (use the power of the other world in this world)
-undergo a long period of study with senior shaman, endure sometimes brutal initiations

-Shamans to be are called/chosen by the spirits, some shamans come from shamanic dynasties--power passed down through families
-most are randomly chosen
-chronic illness-they've been chosen, cured when the accept shamanism
-part human, part spirit, becomes hybrids through rituals of initiation

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Use of Drugs (shaman)

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Taken for non-nutritional reasons (medicine and recreation), synthetic addition, social problem after WWII
-in "traditional" societies-religious
--shamans travel to spirit world (hallucinogenic)

-variety (hall-mescal, shrooms)
-intoxicants-chloroform, alcohol
-stimulants-tee
-sedatives-chloral
-drink, catch, smoked, sniffed, inserted, rubbed on skin

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Drugs used by Americans v. for traditional us
Drugs shamans use and how they ingest them

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Drugs: materials taken for non-nutritional reasons. In western culture, they are used as medicine and for recreation. In "traditional" societies it is used for religious purposes. Shamans use hallucinogenics via enemas

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New World drug brought to Europe during the colonial era and which group used it in its original context

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Peyote, originally used by the Aztecs for divination rights

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"Taboo"-drug used, by whom, and for what reason?

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Peyote used by those in Peru for emotional relief and to be closer to the spirit world

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Explain Jivaro shamanism and what are the tools of the trade?

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2 types: those that bewitch and those that help. tsentask and nactecma are the "tools of the trade"

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How prevalent is witchcraft?

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90% of the world's cultures have it in one way or another

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Definition of witchcraft

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psychic power used to harm others

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What do witches represent in their societies? Examples from Nyakusa and Saulteaux

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They represent what is seen as evil in that particular society.
Nyakusa: when someone steals their cattle, they blame it on witchcraft because cattle are essential to their lives.
Saulteaux: They are peaceful and don't display emotion, so when someone is over-emotional, they are believed to be witches

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Multiple meanings of ihamba

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it can mean a ritual, the tooth, or spirit appearances

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Cure in A visible Spirit Form in Zambia

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removing the illness from within the person, usually a spirit

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What Edith Turner witnessed

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She witnessed the ihamba (ritual)

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Spirit Possession definition, prevalence, and symptoms

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Spirit Possession: trance state in which malevolent or benign spirits enter a person's body. Only 13 exorcisms in the last 20 years. Possession exists in 94% of cultures worldwide.
Symptoms include
-fright
-shaking
-speaking in tongues (glossolalia)
-out of character behavior
-amnesia
-being in a dazee

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Two types of spirit possession and their characteristics

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Involuntary (undesirable, illness, requires purging of spirit)

Voluntary (desired, cultivation of relationship with ancestors)

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Religious specialists that handle possession

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priests, exorcists, shamans

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Trance definition, 2 types, and methods for going into a trance

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Trance: altered state of consciousness

Types:

o Uncontrolled-Spontaneous achievement of an altered state of consciousness
• Road hypnosis
• Scribbling
• Staring at fire
• Listening to music
• Drum circle
o RHYTHM→
• Rhythmic sound
• Rhythmic movement
• Rhythmic sights
o Controlled-deliberate induction of an altered state of consciousness
• Ravers and Ecstasy
 Ecstasy=Trance
• Dervishes and Ecstasy (done on purpose to bring on the ecstatic state)
• Mediums or trance channelers

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What is ecstasy?

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trance, whirling dervishes

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What is fate and why do people want to know what theirs is?

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Fate→ predetermined destiny
• Predetermined by what?
o Supernatural agencies
o Natural forces
Why me??
-Belief that destiny is predetermined is widespread
-Is part of religious belief in general

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What is divination? What are the various techniques?

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Techniques for obtaining information about the unknown, including future events


Divination Techniques→
-All have to do with seeking and interpreting signs

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what is an oracle?

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Somebody or something considered to be a source of knowledge, wisdom, or prophecy

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Delphi and Nechung oracle

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The Oracle at Delphi:
Pythia, priestess to Apollo

The Nechung Oracle: the state oracle of Tibet
• Consulted for all major decisions
• Means by which the protector divinity of Tibet communicates with the people
• 2nd only to the Dalai Lamai

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How the Guajior and Dene Tha use dreams

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Gujiro use dreams to bring forward knowledge that they did not originally have, and make predictions.

Dene Tha use the dreams of elders to get involved in an already created process-predicting the future, serve as prophets

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How the Azande rely on oracles what kind of oracles, and what they provide for people

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The oracles help answer questions that the men have, often about their spouses and how faithful they are. They use poison oracles.

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What do people want to know most about their fates?

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Who they will end up with

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What is reincarnation? Where did it originate? What does it explain?

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The soul dying and being born into another body

Origins of Reincarnation:
Ancient Egypt
• Transmigration of the ka
• Why they embalmed the bodies of people

Reincarnation as Explanation:
-Why people have different fates
-Explains differences between people as the result of karma
-Leads believers to accept their fate as something they either brought on themselves or earned for themselves