Introduction to Anthropology

Angela Lockard Reed

Outline 11, November 5, 2003

Religion

I           Holy Ghost People

            A          What is the power that enables the people of Scrabble Creek West Virginia to speak in tongues, handle serpents and drink poison?

            B          Based on what you saw in the film about handling serpents, speaking in tongues and drinking poison, would you characterize the religious experience of the Holy Ghost people as individualistic, community oriented, or both?

            C         What do the snakes symbolize?

            D         Can you think of some ways in which the ritual of snake handling might have a social function in Scrabble Creek?

            E          Is the ritual enacted by snake handlers in Scrabble Creek an example of a rite of passage?  If so, how?  If not, why not?

II           Religion

            A          Categories of Supernatural Beings and Powers

                        1          Natural spirits and powers

                                    a          Animism

                                                -           The Beng

                                    b          Animatism

                        2          Ancestral spirits

                                    a          The Beng

                                    b          The Trobrianders

                        3          Gods and goddesses (deities)

                                    a          polytheism

                                    b          pantheon

                                    c          monotheism

            B          Categories of Religious Specialists

                        1          Priest or Priestess

                        2          Shaman

                                    a          The Beng

                                    b          The Tecpán Maya

            C         Religious rituals and ceremonies

                                                1          Ritual

                                                2          Ceremony

                                                            a          rites of passage

                                                                        -           separation

                                                                        -           transition

                                                                        -           liminality

                                                                        -           incorporation

                                                            b          rites of intensification

                                                                        -           the Trobrianders

            D         Functions of Religion

III          Magic and Witchcraft

            A          Magic

                        1          The Trobrianders

                        2          Baseball players

                        3          Imitative magic

                        4          Contagious magic

                                    a          Abelam

            B          Witchcraft

                        1          The Trobrianders

                        2          The Tecpán Maya

            C         Functions of Magic/Witchcraft