ANTHROPOLOGY 354: NATIVE AMERICAN RELIGION
& EMPOWERMENT
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INSTRUCTOR: Jeffrey Anderson OFFICE: Diamond 304 PHONE: 859-4708 |
E-MAIL: jdanders@colby.edu CONFERENCE HOURS: T 3:30-5:00pm; W 2:30-4:00pm PAGE:
http://www.colby.edu/profile/jdanders/ANTH
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COURSE DESCRIPTION: The
course explores Native American sacred ways of speaking, acting, knowing, and
creating in diverse historical and contemporary cultural contexts. Indigenous
views and practices are studied as a groundwork for
interpretive and theoretical formulations about the role of religion in Native
American history, culture, and language. Native American religious traditions
are further comprehended as dynamic modes of survival, empowerment, and renewal
in the face of Euro-American domination, past and present. Upon these
understandings, indigenous, anthropological, and Euro-American perspectives on
religion are brought into balanced dialogue and exchange.
REQUIRED TEXTS
(Available in the Colby Bookstore):
Deloria,
Vine, Jr. 1994. God Is Red: A Native View of Religion. Golden, CO:
Fulcrum Publishing
Sullivan,
Tedlock, Dennis & Tedlock, Barbara, eds. 1992. Teachings
from the American Earth: Indian Religion & Philosophy.
La Duke, Winona. 2005. Recovering the Sacred: The Power of
Naming and Claiming.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
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1.
ATTENDANCE/DISCUSSION |
20% |
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2.
RESPONSES (10 REQUIRED, 12 ACCEPTED) |
40% |
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3.
TERM PROJECT (15-20 pages) |
40% |
COURSE SCHEDULE:
9/5 INTRODUCTION
Tedlock,
D & Tedlock, B. “Introduction,” Teachings from the American Earth, (pp.
xi-xxiv)
LaDuke,
W. “What is Sacred?”, Recovering the Sacred (pp.
11-15)
Deloria, V., Jr. “Sacredness Among
Native Americans:” https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ES-Programs/Conservation/Legacy/Sacred/ch2.html
What
is “Religion?” http://www.religioustolerance.org/rel_defn.htm
9/12 THE POWER OF BENDING
THE NATURE OF BEING: SHAMANS,
CLOWNS, AND CONTRARIES
Tens,
Rasmussen,
K. “A Shaman’s Journey to the Sea Spirit
Takánakapsâluk,” Teachings from the American Earth, (pp. 13-19)
Tedlock, B. “The Clown’s Way,” Teachings from the
American Earth, (pp. 105-120)
Harkin, M. “Carnival and Authority: Heiltsuk Cultural Models of Power,” Ethos,
Vol. 24, No. 2. (Jun., 1996), pp. 281-313. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0091-2131%28199606%2924%3A2%3C281%3ACAAHCM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-3
Goulet, Jean-Guy A. “The `Berdache'/`Two-Spirit': A Comparison of Anthropological and Native
Constructions of Gendered Identities Among the Northern Athapaskans” The Journal of the Royal Anthropological
Institute, Vol. 2, No. 4. (Dec., 1996), pp. 683-701. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=1359-0987%28199612%292%3A4%3C683%3AT%60ACOA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q
9/19
COSMOLOGY AND ONTOLOGY
Whorf,
B. “An American Indian Model of the
Universe,” Teachings from the American Earth, (pp. 121-129)
Lee,
D. “Linguistic Reflection of Wintu Thought.” Teachings from the American
Earth, (pp. 130-140)
Hallowell,
A.
Ortiz,
A. “The Tewa World View,” Teachings from the American Earth, (pp.
179-190)
Ridington, R and Ridington, T. “The Inner Eye of Shamanism and Totemism,” Teachings
from the American Earth, (pp. 190-204)
Tedlock, D. “An American Indian View of Death,” Teachings
from the American Earth, (pp. 248-271)
Radin,
P. “Monotheism Among
American Indians,” Teachings from the American Earth, (pp. 219-247)
9/26 DINÉ-APACHE/LAKOTA
Griffin-Pierce, T. “The Continuous Renewal of Sacred Relations:
Navajo Religion,” Native Religions and
Cultures of
Talamantez, I. “In the Space between Earth and Sky:
Contemporary Mescalero Apache Ceremonialism,” Native Religions and Cultures of
Schwarz, Maureen
Trudelle, “Holy Visit 1996: Prophecy, Revitalization, and Resistance in the
Contemporary Navajo World.” Ethnohistory, Vol.
45, No. 4. (Autumn, 1998), pp. 747-793. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0014-1801%28199823%2945%3A4%3C747%3AHV1PRA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C
Schwarz, Maureen
Trudelle, “The Explanatory and Predictive Power of History: Coping with the
"Mystery Illness," 1993 Ethnohistory, Vol. 42, No. 3. (Summer, 1995), pp. 375-401.
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=00141801%28199522%2942%3A3%3C375%3ATEAPPO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-F
Powers,
W. K. “Wiping the Tears: Lakota Religion in the Twenty-first Century,” Native Religions and Cultures of North
America (pp. 104-120)
Black
Elk, “Hanblecheyapi: Crying for a Vision,” Teachings from the American
Earth, (pp. 20-41)
Walker,
J. R. “Oglala Metaphysics,” Teachings
from the American Earth, (pp. 205-219)
10/3 LITERATURE, DISCOURSE AND POETICS
Buckley, T. Renewal as
Discourse and Discourse as Renewal in Native Northwestern California, Native Religions and Cultures of
Ridington, R. “Voice, representation,
and dialogue: the poetics of Native American spiritual tradition,” American Indian Quarterly -- Berkeley, ISSN
0095-182X v. 20, no. 3-4, 1996. pp. 467-488. http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=9709205868&db=aph
Meli,
F.
“Images of the Sacred in Native American North American Literature,” Native Religions and Cultures of
Anderson, Jeffrey D. 2002. Northern
Arapaho Conversion of a Christian Text: The Our Father. Ethnohistory
(48:4:689-712) http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ethnohistory/v048/48.4anderson.html
Basso, K. H. “"Speaking with
Names": Language and Landscape among the Western Apache,” Cultural
Anthropology, Vol. 3, No. 2. (May, 1988), pp. 99-130.
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0886-7356%28198805%293%3A2%3C99%3A%22WNLAL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V
10/10
Speck,
F. G. Penobscot Tales and Religious
Beliefs The Journal of American
Folklore, Vol. 48, No. 187. (Jan. - Mar., 1935), pp. 1-107. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8715%28193501%2F03%2948%3A187%3C1%3APTARB%3E2.0.CO%3B2-6
10/17 SACRED ARTS
Witherspoon, G. “Beautifying the
World through Art” (MILLER RESERVE)
Carpenter, E. “Image Making in Arctic
Art” (MILLER RESERVE)
Anderson, J. “The Motion-Shape of
Whirlwind Woman” (MILLER RESERVE)
The Living Tradition of Yup’ik Masks
by Ann Fienup-Riordan http://www.tribalarts.com/feature/riordan/
Agayuliyarararput: Our Way of Praying http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/yupik/
Fienup-Riordan, A. “Eye of the Dance:
Spiritual Life of the Central Yu’pik Eskimo,” Native Religions and Cultures of
10/24 GHOST DANCE & PEYOTE WAY/REVITALIZATION, HISTORY & CONTINUITY,
Wallace, A. F.
C. “Revitalization Movements” American Anthropologist,
New Series, Vol. 58, No. 2. (Apr., 1956), pp. 264-281. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-7294%28195604%292%3A58%3A2%3C264%3ARM%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I
Mooney,
J. "The Doctrine of the Ghost Dance," Teachings from the American
Earth (pp. 75-94)
Slotkin,
J. S. "The Peyote Way," Teachings from the American Earth (pp. 96-105)
Calabrese, J. D., II “Reflexivity
and Transformation Symbolism in the Navajo Peyote Meeting,” Ethos,
Vol. 22, No. 4. (Dec., 1994), pp. 494-527.
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0091-2131%28199412%2922%3A4%3C494%3ARATSIT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-T
Grim, J. A. “Traditional Ways and Contemporary Vitality:
Absaroke/Crow,” Native Religions and
Cultures of
Martin, J. “Rebalancing the World in the Contradictions
of History: Creek/Muskogee,” Native
Religions and Cultures of
10/31 THE INDIAN MOVEMENT
THROUGH RELIGIOUS EMPOWERMENT
Deloria,
Vine, Jr. God Is Red: A Native View of Religion, Introduction &
Chapters 1-9 (pp. 1-164)
11/7 THE GREAT CHASM & CONTRADICTION:
LAND VS. HISTORY
Deloria,
Vine, Jr. God Is Red: A Native View of Religion, Chapters 10-17 (pp.
165-292)
11/14 RECOVERING THE SACRED: LAND AND SACRED
PLACES
LaDuke, Winona. Recovering the Sacred, Part I, (pp. 19-152)
Deloria, V., Jr. “Selection of Sacred Sites”: https://www.denix.osd.mil/denix/Public/ES-Programs/Conservation/Legacy/Sacred/ch3.html#ch3
11/28 RECOVERING THE
SACRED: FOOD AND MEDICINES
LaDuke,
Winona. Recovering the Sacred, Part III,
(pp. 153-212)
12/5 RECOVERING THE SACRED: WATER, WIND, AND WAYS
OF LIFE
LaDuke,
Winona. Recovering the Sacred, Part I,
(pp. 213-254)
TERM PAPER GUIDELINES:
Throughout
the course, you should identify and research one ritual, movement, event,
object, issue, or other religious element in critical, comparative, or
historical context. The concern should be with forms of power and empowerment generated
by or surrounding the element or form in question. Any subject covered in the
course is also acceptable. The discussion should synthesize what you have
learned in the course with your own research and analysis of the subject. Once
you have identified some direction, consult with me about strategies for
research and presentation. The paper should be 15-20 pages in length and use at
least ten sources, at least five of which must derive from the course.
PAPER DUE: 12/12