Lesson 1 Flashcards
1
Q
Indigenous societies descended from hunter gatherer societies. What are some characteristics of hunter-gatherer societies?
A
- Nomadic and temporary shelters
- Moves with animals and plants
- Few personal possessions
- Supports a small population
- Matriarchal (women lead the community)
2
Q
What is totemism?
A
clans joining an animal species that symbolizes the ancestor/hero the tribe (each individual is apart of a tribe embedded in the natural world) commemorates in ceremonies
3
Q
How is the world renewed?
A
by sharing myths and participating in rituals –> human ancestors are descendants of tribes earliest ancestors who were divine and present at creation (become ancestors while re-enacting the myths)
4
Q
What are the supernatural beings?
A
- elemental spirits - inanimate parts of nature which possess intelligence, personality, and soul (moon, rivers, mountains)
- puppeteers - controls aspects of nature (klamath dwarf woman)
- organic spirits - natural phenomenon that have supernatural powers (coyote)
- ancestral spirits
- high god - more important than others in some senses; often a creator god
*supernatural beings are not perfect, they are like humans
5
Q
What is Axis Mundi?
A
An entity that’s believed to be connected to the heavens and the earth –> centre of the earth (ex. a mountain, tree, or pole)
