Chapter 1 Religions of The Americas Worksheet
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Central Arizona College *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
112
Subject
Religion
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
5
Uploaded by Courtneyshort1
Chapter 1 Religions of The Americas Worksheet
Type in your answers and save this file.
When you have completed all the questions, e-mail this
file to:
calzen@centralaz.edu
, as an attachment, (see the
Student Handbook’s
section on
attachments for assistance).
In this worksheet on chapter one in the textbook you will get an introduction to the different
religious tradition of America. You will try to complete the assignments on this work sheet based
on the information in the textbook.
Name: Courtney Short
E-mail: cshort122393@gmail.com
It is obviously impossible to describe or analyze the different religious tradition of the American
Continent in one chapter of the textbook. We will be very selective and limit ourselves to the
traditions of some of the Native American tribes of North America and two of city cultures of
Meso- and South America. For this worksheet you will also use information you can find in
“Learning Links” under “Myth, Ritual and Sacrifices”.
North America
The Naskapis:
1.
Describe the relationship between the religion and the living conditions of the Naskapi
tribe.
The Naskapi people, in their struggles to survive demonstrated a spiritual view of a world limited
in resources. The Naskapi people spent most their time in isolated groups of two or three families
due to the very cold environment.
During the summer when they had more plentiful food did
families camp together.
2.
What is/was the concept of god among the Naskapi Indians?
The concept of God among the Naskapi Indians was Tsaka’bec.
Tsak’bec was known to the
Naskapi people as a hero like figure.
He was a trickster who altered the natural world.
He
exhibited a craftiness admired by the Naskapi people.
The Naskapi people explained their views
of the universe by reciting myths.
3.
Describe how their religion influences the hunt of the Naskapis.
Naskapi perceive a strong presence of grace in the universe.
Animals would give themselves to
the hunters and in return the hunters would express gratitude to the animals by respecting their
carcasses.
Hunters and fishers revered their environment, knowing that they would starve if they
offended the souls that guarded the animals and fish.
Animal souls would appear to hunters as
they sleep in dreams to show them where to find them and how to take them.
The Powhatan Peoples:
1.
What was the role of the “great king” of the Powhatan peoples?
The “great king” was also known as a mamanatowick or paramount chief.
He ruled a vast
territory of southeastern Virginia through a number of commanders or petty chiefs.
Rather than a
confederacy, this group of tribes was an empire ruled by Powhatan the “great king”. He claimed
every four of five deer his subjects killed.
As well as that he also owned all copper, iron and
useful metals.
2.
Describe the relationship between medicine and religion in the Powhatan society.
The Powhatans classified medicine and religion together.
The same men often practiced in both
areas.
Native Americans took herbs that had helped cure them to their priests, who kept a supply
in the temple. The priests became keepers of both lore and medicines. Their knowledge of cures
and their rituals of divination secured for the priests a place of superiority in the tribal hierarchy.
In addition to preparing drugs, the priests could perform minor surgeries.
The Cherokees:
1.
Give examples of the Cherokee mythology. How was the creation myth told by the
keepers of the sacred stories?
One example of the Cherokee mythology is that ordinary members of the tribe did not tell stories
of creation; initiates could hear the stories only after participating in a special ceremony.
Priests
and keepers of the sacred stories met at night in a low log house to recite the stories around a
fire.
Hearers were admitted, by appointment, for initiation to the myths. At daybreak, the party
went to a running stream where the hearers stripped and a priest scraped their skin with a bone-
tooth comb. While the priest recited prayers, the participants dipped themselves seven times in
the water. The creation stories were part of the ritual of remembrance and new beginnings.
In the Cherokee story of the creation animals lived above a great stone arch below which was
water. At the bottle of the arch sky, an island-the earth-floats on the water. It was held up at the
cardinal points by cords attached to the sky vault.
2.
Try explain the purpose of the myths in the Cherokee tradition?
I think that the purpose for the myths in the Cherokee tradition are like they are in any religion.
They are trying to explain a spiritual reason why things are the way they are. For example, the
Cherokee myths about the first humans “explain” why we have to work for a living.
Peoples of the Great Plains:
1.
The tradition of the Morning Star and Evening Star was once combined with a cruel
sacrifice of a young girl who was caused to bleed to death in order to allow the morning
star to gain power. Try to explain it from the perspective of what sacrifices mean in
different religions.
While it seems impossible to trace the origin of the sacrifice, it is probably safe to say that it is as
old as mankind itself. Sacrifices take on many different forms (sacrifices for atonement and
thanksgiving, communion sacrifices etc.). The main meanings of sacrifices are to give back one’s
life to the Gods through the blood/life of an animal. It is also said that as long as the sacrifices
are performed, the sun will rise in the morning and set in the evening; the rain will fall and the
crops will grow, and life will go on.
Sacrifices can also be preformed by giving back of material
things given by the Gods.
2.
How did the living conditions influence the religious traditions of the peoples of the
plains?
North American lives may seem to have once been remarkably free and enjoyable.
Survival,
however was seldom easy.
Societies were highly traditional, governing all lives with customs
and regulations.
Those who violated prohibitions were severely punished even to death.
Most
North American people valued both group and individual insight that contributed to public
welfare. Healing had been part of the religion of every indigenous people in North America.
Physical illness manifested spiritual disorder.
Healing required gaining help from benevolent
spirits or appeasing vengeful ones.
Common features of the religions of the North American Indians:
1.
What is (generally speaking) the concept of god among the North American Indians?
North American Indians adopted the concept of rituals and symbols. Feathers appeared as
symbols among all people of the Americas. Spirits of birds and humans were similar. The full
headdresses of the Shoshone circled their heads and trailed down their backs. The symbolism
was so impressive many other people adopted it.
2.
Describe the role of Rites of Passage in the North American cultures.
Rites of passage were particularly important. Birth, puberty, marriage, and death al required
rituals to ensure good lives and tribal success. When a child was born the placenta was kept away
from animals and the umbilical cord preserved for moths to ensure the health of the infant.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
Puberty was carefully regulated. Because women’s blood was considered dangerous to men,
young women beginning menses were segregated from men. Initiation into puberty for boys
could be quite harsh. The vision quest could end in injury or death, although supervision usually
prevented permanent damage. Marriage customs and death rites varied by region. Funerals were
normal followed by a period of mourning for weeks or months. Bodies were honored for a few
days and then disposed of according to tribal customs.
3.
What does the term “Recurring Times” mean, and what does it tell us about the concept
of time among the North American Indians?
Recurring events were a common theme among peoples of North America. Sunrise and sunset
recurred daily; the four seasons recurred each year.
In the western mountains, medicine wheels –
large circles of stones on the ground- marked the changing of seasons. The myth of the Morning
star – Evening Star ritual of the Pawnees had a four-year cycle. Recurrence over a period of
years was as common as daily and annual cycles. People and animals recurred on even longer
cycles. For North Americans, time was circular.
Middle and South America
The Aztecs:
1.
Describe the function of the most important deities of the Aztecs.
The chief deity was Huitzilopochtli who was over several gods of the Aztecs. He represented a
sacred bundle of potent symbols. Tlaloc was the god who was the original source of water and
vegetation. The mother goddesses were sources of abundant powers of earth, women, and
fertility. One goddess (Tlazolteotl) governed sexual powers and transgressions.
Another goddess
(Xochiquetzal), the nubile maiden of love, was goddess of pleasure. A third goddess (Coatlicue),
“sperpant skirt” both conceived stellar beings and devoured all beings in her replusive form.
2.
Comment on (what we know about ) the role of sacrifices in the Aztec culture. Why do
you think these stories have been so well preserved?
Aztec rulers and priests participated in slashing open the prisoners’ chests and ripping out their
beating hearts to throw against the god. The Aztecs believed human sacrifices, which furnished
ample human blood, were necessary to nourish the sun, personified in Tonatiuh.
The Aztec
religion was not so different from other religions of Mesoamerica in its uses of sacrifice to keep
the sun shining and civilization blooming. What was different was the extent to which human
sacrifice and cannibalism were practiced in preference to sacrifice of Ilama.
In Aztec myth, the
gods scarified themselves to restore a revolving sun to the world.
Mass sacrifice energizes the
sun. Humans could do no less than gods.
The Incas:
1.
Describe role of the chief Inca; both in relationship to the gods and to his people.
The Incas people believed they were their gods people who were called to rule the world.
Like
the ancient Egyptians, the Incas worshiped the sun; the chief Inca was his representative on
earth.
He represented the sun.
Sacrifices were made to him even sometimes human infants.
2.
Describe the different elements in the Festival of the Queen:
The Festival of the Queen, the moon goddess, occurred after the planting of seed. The chosen
people of the creator expunged any disease or evil from among themselves and participated in
renewing heavens. The first act was the emperor Huascar ordered Cuzco purged of all foreign
influences. The second act of the drama required Inca knights in battle dress to go through the
city and bring offenders to the judges, who passed out sentences. The third act was the next day
when inhabitants in their best costumes and make up participated in eating and wearing yahuar
sanco.