Ch 2 -- Indigenous Religions (Q&A)

A comprehensive set of Question-and-Answer flashcards covering key concepts, terms, figures, and events from Pages 1–5 of the Indigenous Religious Traditions notes.

What themes are shared by the indigenous religions studied in this chapter?

They are rooted in oral traditions rather than scriptures, belong mainly to tribal peoples in small communities, and focus on myths and rituals that connect humans to the sacred world.

What did the Ancestors create or establish in the Dreaming period?

They shaped the landscape, created life (including the first humans), organized humans into tribes, defined each tribe’s territory, and determined language, social rules, and customs.

What survives in the symbols left behind by the Ancestors?

Landmarks, rock paintings, and other symbols charged with spiritual essence, making these sites sacred.

Explain the terms totem and taboo.

Totem is a natural entity symbolizing a relationship with an Ancestor and holding religious significance; Taboo is a prohibition restricting participation in certain rituals or use of sacred objects, with serious consequences for violation.

Why is ritual essential if Aboriginal life is to have meaning?

Ritual allows the spiritual power of the Dreaming to be accessed and experienced, giving life meaning by connecting people to the sacred.

How did Aboriginal rituals originate?

They were taught to the first humans by the Ancestors during the Dreaming.

What purposes are served by Aboriginal initiation rituals?

They symbolize death to childhood and rebirth into adulthood, teach the essential truths of the Dreaming, provide spiritual identity, and ensure youths know how to live in their world.

Identify two acts of Dieri initiation rituals that symbolize death.

Arms cut and blood poured on them until it dried; initiates buried in the ground.

In what part of Africa do the Yoruba live?

Western Africa, mainly in present-day Nigeria and neighboring Benin and Togo.

Why has the city of Ife always been the center of Yoruba religion?

Regarded as the place where the gods first descended to earth and as the spiritual center of the Yoruba tradition.

Briefly describe the Yoruba understanding of the cosmos.

Reality is divided into heaven (the invisible home of the gods and ancestors) and earth (the visible world of humans descended from the gods).

Who is Olorun, and what is his role in Yoruba religion?

Olorun is the supreme god, the creator of the universe, remote and uninvolved in human affairs, with no shrines or rituals directly devoted to him.

What are the orishas? Explain their significance in Yoruba worship.

Hundreds of deities who mediate between humans and Olorun; central to Yoruba worship and often associated with natural forces or human activities.

Name and briefly describe at least two of the orishas.

Esu: a complex trickster mediator between heaven and earth who delivers sacrifices from humans to the other gods; Ogun: god of iron and war, once a human, now a powerful deity.

What is a trickster figure?

A supernatural being who disrupts the normal course of life, deceives, and plays pranks; Esu is the Yoruba trickster.

Describe the two types of Yoruba ancestors.

Family ancestors: deceased family members worshipped by descendants; deified ancestors: highly respected figures honored by large groups or the whole community.

Describe the role of Yoruba ritual practitioners.

Diviners, priests, and specialists who communicate with the gods and ancestors, carry out rituals, interpret signs, and maintain balance between the human and spiritual worlds.

What is divination, and why is it essential in Yoruba religion?

Divination is the practice of seeking knowledge about the future or guidance from the divine; essential because knowing one’s destiny guides proper and successful living.

According to the latest evidence, when and how did humans first come to North America?

About twenty thousand years ago, migrating from Asia across the Bering land bridge into North America.

Why is Plains Indian religion of vital interest among native peoples across North America?

It represents the basic features of Native American religion and has influenced many tribes.

What is Wakan Tanka?

The Lakota name for the Great Spirit or Great Mysterious—a supreme reality made up of sixteen deities, many of which are aspects of nature.

Who is Inktomi?

The Lakota trickster figure, a mediator between the supernatural and human worlds, known for teaching lessons and causing mischief.

Briefly describe Lakota beliefs regarding death and the afterlife.

Four souls depart after death; one journeys along the spirit path of the Milky Way and is judged by an old woman, while the other three are reborn into new bodies.

What do individuals try to access by going on a vision quest?

Spiritual power to ensure greater success in life, often through a vision that reveals a guardian spirit or a message from the divine.

Describe the structure and function of the sweat lodge.

A dark, airtight hut made of saplings and animal skins; heated stones inside; water is sprinkled on them to create steam; intense heat purifies participants physically and spiritually.

Describe a typical vision experienced during a vision quest.

A vision usually appears near the end as an animal, object, or natural force, often with a message; interpreted by the medicine person upon return.

Among the Blackfeet, who presides over the Sun Dance?

A woman of outstanding moral character, chosen by the tribe.

What is the axis mundi in general and in the Sun Dance?

General: the axis or center of the universe, linking heaven and earth; Sun Dance: the cottonwood tree at the center of the lodge serves as the axis mundi.

Why do some Sun Dance participants skewer their chests and dance until flesh tears?

They believe their bodies are the only things they truly own, so offering their flesh is the most suitable sacrifice to the supreme being.

How does the Aztec tradition differ from and resemble other indigenous religious traditions?

Difference: the Aztecs were highly urban with a vast civilization (~15 million people); Similar: they emphasized myth and ritual and the interconnection of myth with practices like human sacrifice.

What geographical area did Mesoamerica include?

Most of present-day Mexico and extending south into Central America—Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

According to Aztec cosmology, what god created and ordered the world, and what city is the origin of the cosmos?

Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent) created and ordered the world; Teotihuacan is considered the place of origin of the cosmos.

Who was Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, and why is he significant for the Aztecs?

A priest-king devoted to Quetzalcoatl; ruled during the Toltec golden age and served as an ideal model for Aztec leaders.

What did the Aztecs call their present age, and what did they believe would happen to it?

The Age of the Fifth Sun; they believed it would be destroyed like the previous ages, and the end could be delayed only through human sacrifice.

How did the Aztecs understand the spatial world?

They saw the world divided into four quadrants, extending outward from the center of the universe, which was Tenochtitlan.

Why did the Aztecs regard each human being as a kind of axis mundi?

Because the heart was considered the center of the universe in miniature, capable of connecting the earthly and the divine.

What were the special religious capabilities of the Aztec knowers of things?

They could communicate with the gods and make offerings through language, riddles, and wisdom, providing an alternative to human sacrifice.

What historical coincidence contributed to the fall of Tenochtitlan to the Spaniards?

Moctezuma II may have believed Cortés was the returning Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl because he wore a feathered helmet, leading him to welcome Cortés rather than resist.

How does the Day of the Dead show the survival of Aztec religious culture?

It is observed at the end of October and beginning of November, reflecting rituals similar to those of the Aztecs and preserving their religious practices.