Primal Religions World Religions
Go over basics of Primal Religions to better understand them Consider how these religions are distinct from other faiths we ve learned about Goals:
What Primal Religions are you familiar with? Explain. Thinking Question:
Primal Religions with Ancient Roots What is this? Venus of Willendorf Discovered in Austria, thought to come from fertility rituals dating from 30,000-25,000 BCE
The Nature of Primal Religions: Some primitive religions continue to be practiced Primal because they came before the major religions in the world Provide special insight into the mythic and ritual dimensions of religions All historic religions may stem, more or less directly, from primal beginnings
Primal (Oral) Religions I. The human relationship with nature 1) Animism is often found in oral religions 1) Defined: a belief that there is a life force in all things 2) Leads to deep respect for natural world 3) Animals may be seen as relatives 4) Living things as sources of blessing or harm 2) Environmental movements like EarthFirst! are drawing upon oral religions for their own ceremonies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eljfywrtrh4 gates, etc.)
Primal (Oral) Religions II. the framing of sacred time and space 1. Sacred time = the time of eternity 2. Sacred times often coincide with rhythms of nature 3. Mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, etc., may be viewed as being sacred spaces 4. Sacred spaces may be constructed, (e.g., Stonehenge, sweat lodge, special gates, etc.)
Primal Religions III. Respect for origins, Gods, and Ancestors 1. Origins the supernatural or from stories of the Earth arising out of previous Earths or from earlier, more chaotic material forms 2. Gods - often a High God; some native religions focus on lesser deities, especially forces of nature 1. Shrines some performed/enacted at small shrines instead of at huge temples 2. Ancestor spirits bring health, wealth, and children 3. If you make them angry they can only be appeased with rituals
Primal Religions IV. Sacred practices in oral religions 1. the human journey through life is aided and marked by rites of passage 2. rites of passage mark important events like: a) the birth of a child b) a person s entry into adulthood c) circumcision for boys d) the girl s first menstrual period e) the vision quest
The Vision Quest Quester goes off alone Spends time without food or water Endures the elements Vision arrives to the quester in the form of an animal or form of nature Message often part of the vision
VI. Primal Religions The Line Between the Natural and the Supernatural (Unity of Experience) 1. There is no perceived division between the physical (natural) and the spiritual (supernatural) 2. Life as lived is a sacred "activity" in and of itself 3. One worships as one breathes
Primal Religions VII. Orality (Central Role of Stories) 1. Stories of sacred origins a) Animals and humans descended from gods or divine actions 2. Stories of gods or other divine beings a) Often mention of a high god, but devotion tends to be to that god s offspring 3. Stories of primal ancestors a) Often seen as having become gods in some way b) Recent ancestors are often revered or feared in oral religions 4. We remember verbal information better than written Thomas, Rover. Cyclone Tracy. 1974. National Gallery of Australia, Australia.
Primal Religions On Christmas Eve 1974, Cyclone Tracy destroyed the city of Darwin. The event was interpreted by Aboriginal elders in the adjacent Kimberley region as a warning by the ancestral Rainbow Serpent to Aboriginal people to keep their culture strong. Thomas, Rover. Cyclone Tracy. 1974. National Gallery of Australia, Australia. In Thomas' painting, the black form represents the cyclone itself gaining in intensity as it heads towards Darwin. Minor winds, some carrying red dust, are shown feeding into the main image.
Primal Religions VIII. Place 1. Place is space with a line drawn around it 2. The physical location of the community is the spiritual pivot of the universe 3. The primal consciousness is identified with the Earth in this particular place 4. One's physical place is one's spiritual base 5. Not available for export 6. Place is a specific sacred location
IX. Eternal Time Primal Religions 1. Time is better thought of as "timelessness." 2. Primal time is not linear but eternal 1. "Eternal" does not mean "forever," as the idea of forever is in itself linear (i.e., going on and on) 2. Eternity simply "is." 3. Understood through dreams, shamanic ecstasy, mask performance, etc. 3. Primal people may speak of "the Past," but not as chronological but causal: the past is not "back then" but closer to the original source of things
Thinking?: What do you see as the most distinct difference between Primal Religions and the other faith s we ve learned about?
Primal Religions V. Shamanism 1. Shamans contact the spirit world, receive visions of, transmit messages from it, often to help or heal others 2. Gains power of animals & nature by wearing items from important animals 3. Often blends the roles of priest, oracle, psychologist, and doctor (common English term is medicine man) Lindsay, Hebberd. Apa Tani Shaman Performing Death Ritual. 1995. Photograph. Corbis.com, Ziro Valley, India.
Primal Religions V. Shamanism 5. The shaman trance can be induced by: a) fasting b) experiencing sensory deprivation c) making regular rhythmic sounds d) dancing in a repetitive way e) the use of natural substances like opium and marijuana 6. Magic and trance states are make it possible to look into the past & future
Primal Religions X. Totemism 1. Mystical relationship between an individual/group and an animal or plant 2. The natural form in which the Ancestor appeared in the Dreaming 3. May be an animal, a rock formation, or other landscape feature 4. Totemism: the system of belief and ritual based on totems Edmondson, Paul. Detail of Kats and Bear Wife Pole Photograph. Corbis.com.
Taboo Certain people are forbidden to participate in certain rituals Violation of this principle sometimes results in the punishment of death Men, women, maturity determine participation in rituals