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"Small societies" are the surviving peoples of ancient, indigenous
cultures that now exist in and around modern nation-states;
Eskimos, Lapps, the Dayak people of Borneo (Indonesia), and
the Ainu people of northern Japan are just a few examples. Typically
these are tribes of hunters, gatherers, or perhaps agricultural
or pastoral peoples; most of humanity once lived in ways that
resemble the ways of today's small societies.
Though
indigenous cultures produce little significant writing or literature,
their spiritual experience is often profound. Ever-present spiritual
powers are believed to manifest themselves throughout the natural
world: modern scholars call this outlook animism. A hierarchy
of spirits of gods culminates in a High God, who is often remote
and ineffable, barely connected to everyday human experience.
Ancestors are believed to exist still as the "living dead";
totemism identifies a clan with some specially related
natural object or species. The shaman is a king of prophet
able to undergo spiritual experiences and visions, using spiritual
methods to heal the sick and functioning much like a priest,
magician, and psychic.
Indigenous
peoples attempt to appease the gods with sacrifices;
here an object or being is often burned so that its unseen essence
or spirit is sent upwards to the gods. Magic (often using
such familiar religious vehicles as omens, spells, oracles,
etc.) is believed to manipulate the secret powers in the universe;
it is relied upon especially when outcomes are unpredictable
and the emotional consequences are significant. Taboos
help organize society by prohibiting certain behaviors. Rights
of passage promote social stability and order by formalizing
such events as birth, puberty, marriage, and death. Rituals
(especially fertility rituals) also express the society's beliefs
and commitments in a formal, structured way. And myths relate
human beings to their surrounding world.
Many
indigenous cultures have been consumed by colonial empires and
nation-states; survivors are confronted by scientific methods
and values that destroy their traditional beliefs. These peoples
have been traumatized by loss of land, new diseases, technology,
and warfare. Ideals and expectations change slowly - though
many small societies now have a growing self-consciousness and
a broader, more collective conception of their interests in
the struggle to adapt traditional beliefs to modern realities.
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On
two audiotapes - about three hours in length.
Narrator: Ben Kingsley
Author: Dr. Ninian Smart
Editor: Professor Walter Harrelson
Publisher: Knowledge Products, Inc.
This
title is part of the Audio Classics Series by
Knowledge Products. Knowledge Products publishes a variety of
audio presentations on the great ideas and events of history.
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