Primal Religions Chaper Review Questions

1. Primal religions are called primal because: multiple gods, belief that humans and gods comprise an interdependent universe, magical music, presence in small villages and tribes, closed system, religion of common people, diverse, Individualistic, animated world of spirits, concern for meaning of the present life, concerned with well-being and death, manipulative strategies such as amulets and shamans, and pursuit of a knowledge of the unknown to aid one's present life. 

2. Tribes, territories, culture (human) and landscape, landmarks, and cave paintings (natural

3. The spiritual essence of the Ancestors

4. A totem is an inanimate representation of the Ancestors, or any primal god. 

A taboo is a rule pertaining to a religious act that allows some to participate in it and/or forbids some from participating in it. 

5. Because they reenact and make present the myths which support the Aborigines' unique world. 

6. They are believed to have been taught to the Aboriginals by the Ancestors. 

7. The young learn essential truths about their world and how they are to act in it

8. Knocking out of the front teeth and circumcision

9.  The western regions of Central Africa

10. Orisha-nla first began to create the world there

11. The Yorubas believe in Olorun, the High God and a hots of Orishas, or lesser deities. 

12. Olorun is the high god of the Yoruba tradition, but he is not involved in human affairs. He is the source of the power of the universe. 

13. The orishas are lesser deities that are involved in human affairs and can harm or help humans. 

14. Esu is an orisha who embodies both good and evil and mediates between heaven and earth. Ogun is the god of iron and of war. 

15. A trickster figure is a mischievous supernatural being. 

16. family and deified

17. facilitating communication with a deity or ancestor

18. It is discerning one's future, and knowledge of one's future is considered essential for figuring out how to live one's life. 

19. between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago

20. It is representative of Native American religion in general because of the culture exchange that occurred on the plains due to a common sign language

21. Wakan Tanka is the supreme God and source of the universe (Lakota)

22. Inktomi is the Lakota trickster figure

23. Four souls depart from a person after death, one of which travels the milky way and meets an old woman who judges it and allows it to continue or sends it back to earth as a ghost

24. Spiritual power that will ensure greater worldly success

25. It is an airtight hut of animal skins and saplings and hot stones in the middle with water on them produce steam that purifies the spirit and body with sweat

26. An animal or force of nature arrives and communicates a vision which is interpreted by a medicine man to reveal a truth about that person's life. 

27. a woman

28. The center of the world. the tree in the center of the sundance hut

29. As a sacrifice to the supreme being. 

30. It occurred in a highly developed civilization with 15 million people, and it was in an urban area

31. Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica

32. Quetzalcoatl

33. He was the priest-king during the Toltec age that provided the Aztecs with a role model for their authority figures.

34. It was the fifth age that would end with a destruction of this age and an end to all time

35. They saw the world as emanating out from one point and emphasized the four cardinal directions and the center. 

36. Because each person was imbued with such powerful cosmic energy in the head and heart

37. They could communicate with the gods and make offerings through language

38. Cortez arrived on the day that Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl was expected to return to Earth and they were thought to be the same person. 

39. The aztecs used to perform a similar ritual to the popular day of the dead

40. totemism, taboo, the trickster figure, the vision quest, and the axis mundi. 

Lakota Sioux

The Lakota Sioux reside in North and South Dakota and Montana today, although they used to roam the plains in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska, following the buffalo herds.

The supreme being of the Lakota Sioux is called Wakan Tanka, which means "Great Spirit". They believe that Wakan Tanka is the spirit of Inyan, the deity of rock. Was the first of the Gods, and was there when there were no others. He spread himself into a disk with no edges, the earth. The Lakota have a long creation narrative stemming from Inyan that explains the creation of the sun, the moon, the sky, thunderstorms, wind, wisdom, and more.

The Lakota also believe in a pervasive and omnipresent energy called ton. Skan is the name for ton when the energy is active, which is manifested in our reality by motion. Skan is believed to be one with Wakan Tanka, who bestows the soul into each human upon birth with the breath of life.

The Lakota Sioux have a few sacred symbols to represent their beliefs:

Thunderbird:
The Thunderbird, also known as Wakinyan, is the guardian of truth. It nests at the top of the tallest peak in the Black Hills.

Uname:
This symbol represents the earth and wind. The four lines coming from each corner illustrate the four winds of the earth.

Medicine Wheel:
This Medicine Wheel also honors the four directions (with its four quadrants), a key concept in Lakota Sioux mythology. The circle behind the buffalo's head represents the never ending cycle of life, and the buffalo head itself is the locus of reality, or the Heart.

The main sacred location of this religion and people is called Pe' Sla. The Pe' Sla is located at the center of the Black Hills in South Dakota and is considered to be the center of the universe in Lakota Sioux mythology. In the fall of 2012, private owners of the area attempted to auction off the area but pressure from media and the Lakota Sioux forced the sellers to make a deal with the natives.

The Lakota have a plethora of gods, but a few stand out above the others. Obviously, Wakan Tanka is the most notable because he is the spirit of the first god, Inyan, who represents the earth. Inyan's son, Iktomi, is a trickster god that taught the first humans their ways and customs, but also causes discontent and symbolizes defiance. Inyan also created the aforementioned Wakinyan, which represents contradiction and contrariness and is the god of truth. The Wakinyan is shapeless (although pictured in the form of an eagle) and terrifiying, striking down liars with bolts of lightining. Heyoka is the alternate personality of the bipolar Wakinyan, combating evil and fostering good among people and growth among nature. Tate is the god of the wind, a hugely important factor in the Lakota people, and Tokapa was the first man, sent by God to teach the humans how to live.

The Lakota Sioux carve fetishes from stone to symbolize various spirits and confer good fortune. One such carver, Delbert Charging Crow, carves bears that carry crystal for good health, arrowheads as direction finders, and beads for luck. He goes through a long and intricate ritual with each stone that he plans to carve prior to beginning the actual carving process, and the meaning of the finished piece relies heavily on the type of stone and the animal chosen. Here are some Lakota fetishes:

The Lakota do have medicine men, which play a shamanistic role in Lakota culture. They guide men and women on vision quests, or journeys intended to reveal a truth about life and reality to the one going on the quest. The medicine man spiritually prepares the candidate in the time leading up to the quest and helps the candidate take part in a ritual involving a sauna-like lodging and profuse sweating intended to purify the participant. Then, the participant retreats to a remote spot in the wilderness and endures the elements for a few days with no food or water. Usually towards the end of the journey, the candidate has a vision and reports it to the medicine man upon returning, who then interprets the vision and explains it to the participant.

Another interesting ritual performed by the Lakota, the sun dance, is communal in nature as opposed to the individualistic vision quest. The sun dance is performed by an honored and honorable leader at the beginning of the summer and occurs in a lodge built specifically for the dance. This lodge has a cottonwood tree at its center, representing the locus of the universe and the supreme being. Dancing, music, and self-mutilation are all integral parts of this ceremony performed in glorification of the life-giving powers of the sun.

I have some pieces of Lakota art in my home, interestingly enough: