2 Sacred Beings and Cosmologies Free Online FlashCards

What is a cosmology?

A cosmology is a community’s account of how the world is ordered, what beings exist, how the world began or changes, and how humans relate to other beings and forces.

Why should terms like “spirit” be used cautiously across cultures?

Terms such as “god,” “spirit,” and “ancestor” are useful for comparison but are not universal categories; their meanings depend on how people distinguish beings in context.

How can a sacred force differ from a sacred being?

A sacred force may be understood less as an individual being than as a power or vitality present in the world.

What can the term “animism” highlight in contemporary anthropology?

In contemporary anthropology, animism can draw attention to relationships in which some nonhuman beings are treated as persons or social partners.

How may ancestors remain connected to the living?

In some communities, ancestors remain part of family or community life; people may honor them, remember them, ask for guidance, or seek their aid.

How do cosmologies differ in their boundaries between humans and nonhumans?

Some cosmologies treat humans, animals, plants, landscapes, objects, and spirits as belonging to separate domains; others emphasize shared qualities, kinship, or social relationships across them.

What aspects of life can cosmologies shape?

Cosmologies can shape ethics, social roles, ideas about illness and death, and everyday relationships with places and other forms of life.

What older view of animism is now rejected?

Anthropology rejects older theories that ranked animism as an early or inferior stage of religion.

What is one danger of generalizing about Indigenous animist worldviews?

Animism should not be used to assume that all Indigenous peoples share one worldview or simply “believe nature is alive.”

What kind of human–nonhuman relationship is described in some Sámi reindeer-herding perspectives?

Research describes some Sámi reindeer-herding perspectives as involving context-dependent relations of mutual care and respect between humans and nonhumans.

Name one practice through which people may honor ancestors.

Practices can include maintaining graves, making offerings, or conducting ceremonies, and may express care and continuity as well as religious devotion.

What obligations or roles can characterize relationships with ancestors?

Descendants may be expected to care for ancestral places or perform particular rites; ancestors may be understood as protectors, intermediaries, or sources of authority.