Lecture Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the provided lecture transcript defining key terms.

Theologian

A person who studies God, religion, and religious beliefs.

Invariably

Always; without exception.

Cession

The act of giving or handing over land, rights, or power to someone else.

Aborigines

Indigenous/native people of a particular region; the term is now often considered outdated or insensitive.

Entities

Separate or distinct things, beings, organizations, or concepts.

Coerced

Forced someone to do something through pressure, threats, or intimidation.

Butte

A hill or small mountain with steep sides and a flat top.

Chattel slavery

A system of slavery in which enslaved people were legally treated as property that could be bought and sold.

Polysynthesis

A linguistic feature where many word parts are combined into one complex word.

Powwow

A traditional gathering or celebration among some Indigenous peoples, often involving dancing, music, and cultural traditions.

Blasphemous

Showing extreme disrespect toward God, religion, or something considered sacred.

Preposterous

Extremely unreasonable, ridiculous, or absurd.

Dispersal

The spreading or scattering of people or things over a wide area.

“Mongoloid”

An outdated racial classification formerly used to categorize certain populations; not considered an appropriate modern scientific category.

“Caucasian”

A term commonly used to mean white or European, though its historical racial classification is outdated.

Genesis

The beginning or origin of something.

Mechanistic

Explaining something as working like a machine through predictable processes.

Solemnly

In a serious, formal, or sincere manner.

Hataałii

In Diné tradition, a ceremonial singer/healer who performs traditional ceremonies.

Sensationalized

Presented something in an exaggerated or dramatic way to attract attention.

Potlatch

A traditional ceremonial gathering among some Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest involving feasting, gift-giving, and ceremonies.

Prominent

Important, well-known, noticeable, or standing out.

Influx

A large number of people or things arriving somewhere at the same time.

Incomprehensible

Impossible or extremely difficult to understand.

Motifs

Repeated ideas, images, symbols, patterns, or themes in art or literature.

Vulcanism

Geological processes and activity associated with volcanoes.

Primeval

Extremely ancient; belonging to the earliest period of something's existence.

Sentience

The ability to experience feelings or sensations and have subjective awareness.

Prevalent

Common; widespread; existing frequently in a particular place or group.

Kiva

A ceremonial or community room traditionally associated with Pueblo peoples of the American Southwest.