Deck 2: Indigenous Religions Quest for Harmony

Question 1

Most Yoruba live in the modern nation of __________.

A) Egypt
B) Nigeria
C) South Africa
D) Sudan
E) Zaire

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The belief that a rabbit's foot brings good luck is a vestige of which of the following aspects of indigenous spirituality?

A) magic
B) purification
C) shamans
D) taboos
E) totems

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The most important of the Yoruba festivals is Odun Egungun, which focuses on __________.

A) the ancestors of the father's family
B) powers of destruction
C) the priests who foretell the destiny of Yoruba children
D) the yam harvest
E) women elders and ancestors

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Santería ("saint way") is a synthesis of Yoruba religion and __________.

A) Hinduism
B) Islam
C) Marxism
D) Native American spirituality
E) Spanish Catholicism

Question 5

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the role of the shaman in indigenous religions?

A) No one can be taught any of the skills a shaman utilizes.
B) The practice is restricted to the indigenous religions of Siberia.
C) The role is open only to men.
D) A shaman uses sacred words, but not sacred objects.
E) Through journeys into the spirit world the shaman acquires special knowledge.

Question 6

The belief that all of life is interconnected and that humans need to respect the balance of life means that __________.

A) animals should be used to serve human beings
B) humans are superior to all other life forms
C) human should care for one another and make use of the earth's resources
D) humans should exploit the earth's resources to their advantage
E) humans should respect the earth and all creatures, treating them with care (APPLY;

Question 7

The massacre at Wounded Knee on December 29, 1890, occurred as a result of the government's reaction to __________.

A) the assassination of Crazy Horse
B) the Ghost Dance
C) the Red Cloud Wars
D) the Sun Dance
E) the Vision Quest

Question 8

When a Lakota leader asked, "How can we put a price on our Mother?" he was referring in particular to __________.

A) the Black Hills
B) Jerusalem
C) the Little Big Horn
D) their reservation
E) the Virgin Mary

Question 9

According to The World's Religions, which of the following designations for the religions of people like the Yoruba or Oglala poses the least problems?

A) basic
B) indigenous
C) preliterate
D) primitive
E) small-scale traditional

Question 10

The name "Sioux" means __________.

A) allies
B) buffalo people
C) cheaters
D) little adders
E) prairie dwellers

Question 11

If disharmony is the root problem of human existence, then __________.

A) anger is always wrong
B) fighting against exploitation should be avoided
C) music is an important corrective
D) social chaos and individual disease or dislocation are fundamentally spiritual problems
E) none of the above

Question 12

Rituals are important to re-establishing life-balance because __________.

A) the balance of life is essentially a personal phenomenon
B) many people find them entertaining and a break from the stress
C) social groups determine what constitutes a "harmonious" life
D) they provide a chance for individuals to show their excellence
E) the whole people has a role in fostering and maintaining harmony

Question 13

The "taboo" against touching a menstruating woman shows __________.

A) a fundamentally misogynistic perspective
B) an irrational fear of contamination
C) a primitive understanding of hygiene and medicine
D) a strong sense of the power of blood as the life-force of humanity
E) none of the above

Question 14

The pattern of separation, transition, and incorporation are distinguishing characteristics of __________.

A) modern rites of passage, but not indigenous rites of passage
B) indigenous rites of passage, but not modern rites of passage
C) the rites of passage of men in indigenous and modern societies, but not women
D) the rites of passage of women in indigenous and modern societies, but not men
E) the rites of passage of women and men in both indigenous and modern societies

Question 15

Two key characteristics of the Aladura Movement are __________.

A) animal sacrifice
B) charismatic leadership and visionary interpretation of the Christian Bible
C) cannibalism
D) sympathetic magic
E) totemism

Question 16

Most of the adults of ________ still practice forms of Voodoo (Vodun).

A) Cuba
B) Florida
C) Haiti
D) Mexico
E) Venezuela

Question 17

Which of the following best describes the understanding of time common among indigenous peoples?

A) eschatological
B) linear and unreal
C) linear and real
D) nasty, brutish, and short
E) rhythmic and cyclical

Question 18

There are over__________ native North American cultures in existence today.

A) 50
B) 100
C) 500
D) 1,000
E) 2,000

Question 19

According to the traditional indigenous worldview, what is the basic human problem?

A) entrapment in the cycle of rebirth
B) failure to respect the balance of all life
C) ignorance of the true nature of reality
D) violation of the Ten Commandments
E) worshipping false gods

Question 20

The high god in the Yoruba pantheon is __________.

A) Esu
B) Ogun
C) Olorun
D) Orisa-nla
E) Orunmila

Question 21

Match each of the Lakota rituals (in the right column) with the correct description (in the left column).

Praying with and for everything and everyone, for mitakuye oyasin

Question 22

Explain the meaning of the following concepts and take a stand on whether they should be used when describing indigenous religions: animism, totem, taboo, fetish, and magic.

Question 23

Compare the indigenous understanding of the spiritual, language, time, and space with the perspectives of these concepts common today in Western cultures. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each perspective?

Question 24

By the 1990s traditional Oglala spiritual practices __________.

A) had been absorbed into the American Indian Movement's rituals
B) had been totally replaced by Christian rituals
C) had died out on the Pine Ridge Reservation, but were being kept alive in other places
D) were dying out because they are still outlawed by U.S. law
E) were undergoing renewal in a variety of ways

Question 25

Match each of the Lakota rituals (in the right column) with the correct description (in the left column).

Entering the spirit world to gain guidance for life

Question 26

Discuss the significance of the "circle" in the spiritual ways of the Oglala Lakota. What can other Americans learn from this perspective?

Question 27

What was the Ghost Dance Movement and what role did it play in the history of the Oglala Lakota? In your judgment, was the suppression of the Ghost Dance Movement by the U.S. government a justifiable act of self-protection or an inappropriate violation of the First Amendment's clause concerning religious freedom? What evidence can you adduce to support your viewpoint?

Question 28

Using the "framework for understanding" religion (humanity, problem, cause, reality, end, means, sacred) describe the basic outlines of the religion of the Oglala Lakota. What do you see as the most valuable insight of this religious tradition?

Question 29

Using the "framework for understanding" religion (humanity, problem, cause, reality, end, means, sacred), describe the basic outlines of the religion of the Yoruba people. What do you see as the most valuable insight of this religious tradition?

Question 30

The most important implement for the Oglala Lakota and many other Native American nations is the sacred __________.

A) buffalo
B) feather
C) moccasin
D) pipe
E) tomahawk

Question 31

Match each of the Lakota rituals (in the right column) with the correct description (in the left column).

A rite of a rite of penance to "strengthen the sacred hoop of the nation"

Question 32

Review the history of the Oglala Lakota from about 1750 to the present day. By looking at their national story, what can we learn about Oglala views on the importance of (a) their native land; (b) life in harmony with nature (hozho); and (c) the role of the "buffalo people" (pte oyate) in maintaining that harmony in Oglala life?

Question 33

What role do visions play in traditional Oglala Lakota spirituality? What comparisons can you see with spiritual practices of other peoples?

Question 34

Match each of the Lakota rituals (in the right column) with the correct description (in the left column).

Ritual of purification and renewal

Question 35

Since 1890 most Oglala Lakota have lived in poverty __________.

A) in small nomadic bands that roam the Great Plains
B) on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota
C) in urban ghettos in Chicago and Minneapolis
D) on a dozen different reservations throughout the Midwest
E) in Rapid City, South Dakota

Question 36

What are the pros and cons concerning using the word "religion" to categorize life pathways of indigenous peoples? Does the definition of religion in this textbook adequately avoid the problems and prejudices connected with the traditional use of the term?

Question 37

Wakan Tanka is addressed in Lakota prayers primarily as __________, whereas the Earth is addressed as __________.

A) Father and Grandfather, Mother and Grandmother
B) Father and Son, Holy Spirit
C) Messiah, Winged One
D) Mother and Grandmother, Father and Grandfather
E) Winged One, White Buffalo Calf Woman

Question 38

According to legend, the seven traditional rituals of the Lakota were given to the people by __________.

A) Black Elk
B) John Neihardt
C) Mother Earth
D) The president of the United States
E) White Buffalo Calf Woman

Question 39

Match each of the Lakota rituals (in the right column) with the correct description (in the left column).

A meal related to the "keeping of the soul" ritual

Question 40

Name three of the ways Oglala spirituality is being renewed today. Which do you think is most important? Why so?