The Category of Religion: four general aspects of religion:Transcendent discourse: prayer, meditation, communication to a higher powerSet of practices: rituals, ethicsCommunityInstitutions: 1. An institutional structure (hierarchy) 2. An institution itself (Vatican)Globalization: growing independence of global political, economic, social and cultural networksEuropean Enlightenment: the realization that humans are inherently rational creatures (Descartes)there is emphasis on scientific empiricism---humans only gain knowledge from experience (Bacon)there is an Epistemological Shift: the way in which humans understand our sources of knowledge---human knowledge is rooted in revelation (biblical text)there is a shift on human nature: before humans were believed to be evil, now they are goodthere is a shift on destiny: people used to believe God predetermined everything, that is now also changedthis all elicited a strong sense of progressIndustrialization: scientific processScientific discoveryInventionsMass productionRapid economic growthEmergence of the urban center: cities as we know them todayColonialism: industrialization and the need for resources influenced thisExploitation: Europeans would exploit resources in specific areas“the sun will never set on a British Empire”“Scramble for Africa”: European (many countries of Europe) want for African resourcesThe Category of Indigenous:Indigenous Traditions and Western ScholarshipMissionaries, soldiers and government officials see these traditions and write about them in their journalsScience becomes an academic subject in the 19th centuryOrigin of Species: Charles Darwin pushes evolution and science to become popular (1858)Evolutionary Model of World Religions: by end of 19th century1. Protestantism (most evolved)2. Catholicism3. Judaism4. Islam5. Buddhism6. Hinduism7. Tribal Religions (least evolved: represents a window into the past)Typical Indigenous African Cosmology: supreme deities and lesser deitiesNuer TribeKwoth Nhialcreator god of the Neur Tribehad a rope connected from the heavens to the Earth so that he could visit his work; ended up severing the ropeYoruba TribeOlorun: responsible for the creation of their communityOrishas: spirits; people that the Olorun replaced his sons withSpirit Possession: during ceremonies, the people of the tribe dance and a spirit (lesser deity) my choose to possess someone’s body. The person will then scream and continue to take on the personality of the spirit possessing themA person will then put on the mask of the spirit possessing themRitual Performances:Birth and Death Rituals: done at the time of each; one might dedicate their newborn child to a godRites of Passage: coming of age ceremonies where kids/teenagers typically were thrown out of the community to fend for themselvesSacrifice: some spirits may require the shedding of blood to be called downWitchcraft: some people would blame unusual things on this; children are victims and are disowned by their parents; still around todayColonialism: 3 stagesExpansion of Islam into Africa: Islam was deeply engraved in African indigenous traditionsSlave Trade: Africans were taken from West Africa to the Caribbean and sold as slavesEuropean Colonization: “Scramble for Africa”Indigenous Responses to ColonialismXhosa (South Africa) Cattle-Killing Movement: a prophetess, Nongqawuse, said witchcraft in their community was to blame for her people’s suffering and the only way to push out the colonial forces was to offer a very valuable sacrifice (nothing more valuable then their cattle)---didn’t work, the rotting carrcases increased the rate of disease and death and the British stayedAfrican DiasporaSlave ChristianityOfficial: slaves would attend white church services that would reinforce the power a slave owner hadInvisible: set of beliefs and practices kept secret from slave owners (blending of Protestant Christianity and Indigenous Traditions)VodouMisconceptions: hexes, creepy, Voodoo dollsSyncretism: blending of French Catholicism and African TraditionsLwa: “spirits”-3 categoriesRada: spirits that are mild mannered, sometimes tricksters, they have intermediate power and they’re relatively easy to deal withPapa Legba: associated with “crossroads” such as moving through a doorway or moving from life to death; associated with St. Lazarus (resurrected)Gede: spirits associated strictly with death and the afterlifeBaron Samedi: grim reaper of Vodou, tells dirty jokes; associated with St. Gerard (patron saint of child bearing)Petwo: by far the most powerful of the Lwa, most volatile as well, you need to know what you’re doing when you call upon a spirit of this magnitudeElizi Dantor: associated with motherhood, tough mother, “she will shank you”; associated with the Virgin MaryHaiti: Vodou emerged out of the Haitian context with a rudimentary Catholic education; during the Haitian revolution Vodou becomes a more concrete religionMama Lola: Brooklyn, NY; “I am a Catholic who serves the Lwa”Marie Laveau: New Orleans; was able to influence political decisions; people in authority feared herMyth of the Noble Savage: a misconception about Native Americans; Pochahontus movieOther Challenges when Studying Native Americans:There are no written sources: mostly oral texts, no alphabetMost of precontact people were killed by diseases and sickness: uniqueness of tribes lost“Native American” is an umbrella term-loses diversity cannot be forgotten: there are unique tribesFour General Characteristics of Native American cultures:Holistic Culture: Native Americans viewed the sacred holistically: the sacred is everywhere, even in the physical worldAnimism: notion that spirits animate things in the physical worldRoger Williams: a missionary colonist who wrote down the Narragansett people’s accounts, eventually becomes the Algonquin Bible“A Key into the Language of America”Manitoo: spiritual force that penetrates one’s existence/portrays all thingsKinship Culture: Native Americans believe that their tribal identities are based on relationships and associations that can extend to other tribes, Europeans and animalsNoble myth: notion that people have supernatural relationship with each other and natureJohn Heckwelder: minister to Delaware Indians, had a connection with a dying bearIndigenous (“born into”) Culture: the idea that geographical settings are significant to the land; play an important role in cosmogonic myths
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