World Religions Unit 2 Study Guide PDF

World Religions Unit 2 – Primal/Indigenous Religions Study Guide The test will consist of: 17 Matching (1 point each) 6 True or False (1 point each) 11 Multiple Choice (1 point each) 1 Short Answer (5 points) 4 Image Labeling (1 point each) Know the following terms and concepts: -​ How do...

World Religions Unit 2 – Primal/Indigenous Religions Study Guide The test will consist of: 17 Matching (1 point each) 6 True or False (1 point each) 11 Multiple Choice (1 point each) 1 Short Answer (5 points) 4 Image Labeling (1 point each) Know the following terms and concepts: -​ How do primal religions relay stories? -​ Other religious traditions draw from elements of primal traditions -​ Originated with non-literate people -​ No scripture or written teachings -​ Myths or stories are passed down from generation to generation -​ What is sacred in primal religions? Time, space, and practice/rituals. -​ What is the role of ancestors? -​ Often seen as having become gods in some way -​ Recent ancestors are often revered or feared -​ Axis mundi: The “center of the world” -​ Diviners: A trained priest who is knowledgeable in wisdom stories and applies them to the people’s lives to determine their future. -​ Animism: Belief in a life force present in all things; all things have a soul/spirit/life force (animals, objects). Great respect for the natural world, animals are relatives, living things can be sources of blessings or harm. -​ Totem: -​ A system of beliefs and ritual based on totems. -​ Mystical relationship between an individual/group and an animal or plant. -​ May be an animal, rock formation or other landscape feature. -​ Serves as an emblem for a group of people, family, clan, tribe, etc. -​ Can commemorate ancestry, history, people, or events. -​ Taboo: -​ Certain people are forbidden to participate in certain rituals -​ Violation of this principle sometimes results in punishment or death -​ Men, women, maturity determine participation in rituals -​ Can also mean forbidding association with a particular person, place, or thing. -​ Trickster Figure: Inktomi (Iktomi) is the “trickster” figure. -​ Shamans -​ Shamans contact the spiritual world, receive visions, transmit messages and help or heal others. -​ Gains power of animals and nature by wearing items from important animals.  -​ Blends the roles of priest, oracle, psychologist, and doctor. -​ Common English term is medicine man -​ Shamans can go into trances. -​ A trance is induced by fasting, experiencing sensory deprivation, making regular rhythmic sounds, or repetitive dancing. -​ They use natural substances like opium or marijuana -​ When in a trance, they believe it is possible to look into the past and the future -​ Primal: before other religious traditions were on their land. -​ Aborigines: -​ Location: Australia -​ The Dreaming: -​ The mythic period of the Ancestors -​ This period continues to live on; the spiritual essence of the Ancestors live in various symbols. -​ The sites of the Ancestors are sacred, charged with power. -​ Aboriginal cosmology (their understanding of the nature of the universe) plays a constant role. -​ The Didgerdoo: A tube like instrument played in religious ceremonies. -​ Uluru/Ayers Rock: Uluru is venerated by the Anangu peoples of central Australia. It is a prime example of the axis mundi, the “center of the world”. -​ Yoruba: -​ Location: The Yoruba live in the western regions of central Africa, in Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. -​ Olorun: The supreme god of the Yoruba is Olorun. -​ Orishas: Many other deities are known as orishas. -​ North American Plains Indians: -​ Location: The first inhabitants of America; Numerous tribes migrated into the Plains region -​ Wakan Tanka: i.​ Supreme being or reality is Wakan Tanka (the Great Spirit or the Great Mysterious) ii.​ Refers to 16 separate deities -​ 4 is a sacred number -​ Vision Quest: i.​ Considered a rite of passage for young males (recently young females are being allowed to participate). ii.​ Focused on the individual iii.​ A spiritual leader issues instructions; the “questor” is sent to a sweat lodge for purification iv.​ Once purified, the questor goes off to a place far from camp, either a mountain or hilltop, without food or water (usually four days). v.​ A vision will come to the questor in the form of an animal or force of nature. vi.​ The lessons derived from the vision quest guide the person for the rest of their lives. vii.​ This is an expression of two dimensions of religion -​ Sun Dance: i.​ Focuses on the community ii.​ Happens in spring/beginning of summer iii.​ Long periods of dancing while facing the sun—giving thanks for its life-giving powers iv.​ Some will tear their flesh as an offering to the sun -​ Ghost Dance:  i.​ A ritual dance believed to drive away white people from attacking the tribes in order to restore their traditional lifestyle ii.​ Chief Sitting Bull advocated for this dance to be done at the Battle of Wounded Knee -​ Potlatch: i.​ A communal ceremony to re-distribute wealth ii.​ Those with more give gifts to those who do not have as much iii.​ It also strengthens and reaffirms tribal bonds and positions -​ Inktomi (Iktomi): Is the “trickster” figure. i.​ Teaches customs but makes mistakes so people can learn ii.​ The dreamcatcher is associated with Inktomi—it “catches” any harm before it reaches someone. iii.​ The web represents the web of life -​ Sweat Lodge: Water is poured over heated stones to create steam. The steam causes the questor to sweat profusely, leading to spiritual and physical purification. -​ Aztecs: -​ Location: Mainly located in present-day Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. -​ Tenochtitlan: The earth has four quadrants with Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) being their axis mundi (center of the universe). -​ Quetzalcoatl: Is the main and most powerful god. Aztec myth tells of Quetzalcoatl having ordered the world and created human beings. -​ Hernan Cortes: -​ In 1519 Hernan Cortes, the Spanish explorer, came to the Aztec region. -​ They mistakenly thought he was the returning form of Quetzalcoatl, due to the year (1519) and the feathers in his helmet. They showered him with gifts.  -​ He overthrew the empire with force. -​ Our Lady of Guadalupe: -​ Juan Diego was an Aztec convert to Catholicism. -​ He had a vision of the Virgin Mary on a hill which was the sacred place of the Aztec mother goddess, Our Lady of Guadalupe. -​ Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead): The Aztecs set aside time each year to perform rituals devoted to the remembrance of their ancestors. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) has its roots in Aztec religious culture. SHORT ANSWER: Pick one theme common to primal/indigenous religions and connect it to one of the four specific religions we discussed in class. Give a specific example from that religion that matches your chosen theme and explain it. Primal religions believe in the effectiveness of sacrifice and ritual. One ritual from the North American Plains Indians is vision quest. This ritual involves adolescents getting purified in a sweat lodge and then spending a few days alone in nature with no food or water. This is the process for them to recieve their vision.