Shamanism and Spiritual Traditions
Exam Materials
Course Introduction
This course explores shamanism and various spiritual traditions from a cross-cultural perspective, examining the roles, rituals, and practices of shamans as mediators between the material and spiritual worlds. Students will investigate the origins and evolution of shamanic practices, their significance in indigenous societies, and their adaptation in contemporary contexts. Through case studies, ethnographic readings, and critical analysis, the course delves into altered states of consciousness, healing ceremonies, mythologies, and the broader impacts of spiritual traditions on culture, identity, and social cohesion.
Recommended Textbook
Anthropology of Religion Magic and Witchcraft The 3rd Edition by Rebecca Stein Philip L Stein
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532 Flashcards
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Chapter 1: The Anthropological Study of Religion
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A study of a people's religious beliefs and rituals would be a part of the study of:
A)cultural anthropology
B)linguistics
C)archaeology
D)physical anthropology
Answer: A
Q2) Robert Edgerton believes that all cultural practices are valid and must be accepted in the context of the society's culture.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Animatism refers to the idea of an impersonal supernatural force.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) Gods and ghosts are examples of anthropomorphic supernatural beings.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Mythology
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Sample Questions
Q1) An example of a legend would be:
A)the voyage of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower
B)the story of Little Red Riding Hood
C)the story of Noah and the ark
D)all of the above
Answer: A
Q2) An apocalypse is:
A)the catastrophic destruction of the world
B)the origin of the world through birth
C)a god who gave is known for trickery and deceit
D)a type of hero myth
Answer: A
Q3) Which of the following is true about the myth of Genesis?
A)there are two separate versions of creation told
B)the stories reflect a patriarchal worldview
C)the text acts as a social charter
D)all of the above
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: Religious Symbols
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Sample Questions
Q1) Symbolic elements of dance include:
A)movement
B)costume
C)paraphernalia
D)all of the above
Answer: D
Q2) In a Buddhist temple the swastika stands for evil.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) According to the Murngin of Australian,after death a person's spirit will:
A)travel to the land of the dead across the sea
B)return to the ancestral clan water hole
C)remain for a time in the land of the living as a ghost
D)disappear forever
Answer: B
Q4) A totem is symbol that is associated with a particular social group.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 4: Ritual
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Sample Questions
Q1) A characteristic of the state of liminality is:
A)sexual continence
B)sacredness
C)absence of rank
D)all of the above
Q2) Mana can be thought of as:
A)impersonal supernatural power
B)food provide by the gods
C)a technique for divination
D)an hallucinogenic cactus
Q3) Among the Huichol the peyote cactus is thought to be the:
A)bride of the devil
B)sacrifice of the creator god
C)footprint of the sacred deer
D)food of the sun god
Q4) The anthropological study of medicinal plants is part of:
A)ethnobotany
B)ethnomusicology
C)anthrobotany
D)arboretumology
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Altered States of Consciousness and Religious Specialists
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Sample Questions
Q1) The feeling of being at one with the universe or supernatural beings is called a(n):
A)nirvana
B)sympathetic state
C)unitary state
D)entoptic phenomena
Q2) Altered states of consciousness are experienced in the way in which the culture interprets it.For example,it might be interpreted as spirit possession.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In the Holiness Church,an altered state of consciousness is interpreted as a physical manifestation of:
A)demonic possession
B)possession by the Holy Ghost
C)the need for salvation
D)being chosen for an afterlife with God
Q4) Problems such as drug addiction frequently accompany religious drug use.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 6: Religious Specialists
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Sample Questions
Q1) Okinawa is the only known society in which women lead a mainstream,official,publicly funded religion that is practiced by both sexes.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The ability to enter an altered state of consciousness is central to the role of shaman.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following features characterizes a shaman?
A)shamans are usually full-time specialists
B)shamans are usually associated with permanent shrines and temples
C)the power of a shaman is determined by his or her personal ability to contact the supernatural
D)shamanistic rituals are usually prescriptive and periodic
Q4) Shamans are able to cure illness by:
A)sending their souls to recapture the lost soul of the patient
B)removing spirits and objects from within the body of the patient
C)allowing a deity to possess their body
D)all of the above
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Chapter 7: Magic and Divination
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Sample Questions
Q1) A feeling that something is about to happen,such as an impending disaster,is known as:
A)necromancy
B)a presentiment
C)apantomancy
D)dowsing
Q2) The apparent connection between things that are no longer connected as a basis of magic defines homeopathic magic.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Magic involves the manipulation of words and objects so as to compel a deity to bring about the desired result.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Magic ritual usually includes:
A)a spell
B)the manipulation of objects
C)special conditions for the performer of the ritual
D)all of the above
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Chapter 8: Souls,ghosts,and Death
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Day of the Dead in Mexico is a time for:
A)driving evil spirits out of the village
B)a family reunion for all family members,living and dead
C)fasting and repentance
D)all of the above
Q2) Wade Davis believes that from an etic perspective,Haitain zombies really:
A)did not exist
B)have been given a powder containing tetrodotoxin
C)were in it for the fame and wealth
D)were animated from the dead to work in the fields
Q3) The earliest examples of the American custom of embalming and the establishment of the first military cemeteries took place during the:
A)Revolutionary War
B)French and Indian War
C)Civil War
D)World War I
Q4) The soul is the noncorporeal,spiritual component of an individual.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: Gods and Spirits
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Sample Questions
Q1) The attainment of a guardian spirit and supernatural power among the Ojibwa and Shoshoni is accomplished through the vision quest.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In the village of Hofriyat,anxiety in women surrounding marriage and children is mediated by possession by incubi and succubae.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The doctrine in Christianity that Jesus had been God in human form:
A)is spelled out in the New Testament
B)is not in the Bible,but is found in other writings of the apostles
C)was established in the fourth century C.E.
D)was established during the Protestant Reformation
Q4) The term pantheon refers to:
A)a hierarchy of gods
B)a collective of spirits
C)a coven of witches
D)the followers of a culture hero
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11
Chapter 10: Witchcraft
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Sample Questions
Q1) A granary has collapsed seriously injuring a man who was working underneath it.An Azande would be most like to blame the injury upon sorcery.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In small-scale societies witches differ from sorcerers in that witches kill by:
A)using contagious magic
B)using poisons and other lethal devices
C)willing death to occur
D)creating dolls in the image of the victim
Q3) Arthur Miller's play The Crucible used the Salem trials as an allegory for:
A)illegal immigration
B)McCarthyism
C)the use of alcohol during Prohibition
D)the breakup for the traditional family
Q4) An Azande is a witch because of the inheritance of mangu or witchcraft substance.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Syncretism and Religious Movements
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Sample Questions
Q1) An example of a neo-pagan religious system is:
A)Wicca
B)Santeria
C)John Frum Cult
D)Branch Davidians
Q2) The lwa of Vodou closely resemble the orisha of the Yoruba.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A new religious group that practices mass wedding ceremonies is the:
A)Branch Davidians
B)Unification Church
C)Vodou
D)Raelians
Q4) The practice of justifying beliefs and actions by reference to religious texts held to be inerrant is:
A)totalism
B)scripturalism
C)traditioning
D)agnosticism
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