ANTH 2 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Cargo Cult, Syncretism, Social Change
Document Summary
Religion is often conceived about the heart or mind; a belief in god, faith (abstract phenomena in the world) We also think of religion as old, ancient, out of time. We should see religion as vibrant and living in the present day. Charisma = status or power that pertains to the individual. The rest of the people find a leader who articulate their difficulties. Great magical value assigned to euroamerican goods. Syncretism (taking religious ideas we already have and melding them with new religious ideas, beliefs) Big men = important figures who can distribute goods. These cargo cults led to modern democratic parties. They dance to summon the arrival of an airplane that carries all the goods. The folks are mimicking the armies that marched out of their homes. Incorporating new elements of social change into older, traditional ideas. Spread all over the west in the 1880s-1890s. Native americans would dance for days and days.
