The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft

Chapter 2: Religious Symbols

Chapter Summary

Religious Headwear Activity  

Coming Soon!

Multiple Choice Questions

When anthropologists identify symbols as being arbitrary, what does that mean?

Which of the following is not a good example of a symbol?

Using the Maya numbering system as presented in the Long Count calendar covered in the chapter, what number is represented by two long bars?

What forms of Maya architecture most commonly indicate sacred space?

Periodic rituals shift in dates from one year to the next. Why does this occur?

Case Studies 

Sacred space is important to all religious. In this case study you will be examining diverse religious spaces. Do these spaces share any characteristics that make them sacred? How are they different from each other? What colors are predominant in these spaces? What religious symbols do you notice? 

Study Questions

  1. Choose a religious symbol with which you are familiar and describe its meaning. How is it arbitrary and multivocal? Would someone who is not familiar with the religious system understand the meanings of this symbol?  
  1. Why do calendrics matter? How does the division of time affect a community? Identify and describe two periodic rituals (religious or secular) that occur within your community. 
  1. Symbolism plays a role throughout the course of our lives. Take an opportunity to visit a local cemetery. What forms of religious symbolism can you find?  
  1. Color has meaning in all cultures. What are some of the social rules that determine the use of color in our society (e.g., a bride wears white, or never wear white after Labor Day)? Interview someone of another generation and see if they know the same social rules or different ones. 
  1. Many American sports organizations (professional and amateur) are identified with particular animals. For example, colleges and professional football teams are often associated with a mascot, usually some kind of animal. Why are those particular animals used and not others? When you go to a football or baseball game, what ritual activities revolve around the mascot animal? How does this differ from an Australian totem?  
  1. Religious music is important across cultures. Visit the generic website at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_music and read more about diverse types of religious music, then choose one that is new to you and interests you and explore it in more depth. How is this different from music you might traditionally hear in a religious service with which you are familiar? 
  1. Do an analysis of a sacred space using either the three criteria of Mircea Eliade (threshold, axis mundi, imago mundi) or the phenomenological approach of Thomas Tweed (that the use of the space evokes its sacred meaning). Explain why and how this space is sacred.   

Suggested Readings  

Aas, Lars Reinholt.The Rock Carvings of Taru Thang: The Mountain Goat – A Religious and Social Symbol of the Dardic Speaking People of the trans-Himalayas (Berlin: Verlag, 2009). Ethnographic study of the symbolism of ancient rock carvings in India.  

Bado-Fralick, Nikki and Rebecca Sachs Norris. Toying with God: The World of Religious Games and Dolls (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2010). An examination of religious games/dolls and blending of religious symbols with popular culture. 

Dresser, Norine. Multicultural Celebrations (New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999). Explanations of etiquette for celebrations in various ethnic traditions in the United States. 

Liungman, Carl G. Dictionary of Symbols (New York: Norton, 1991). An excellent reference book on religious symbols. 

Obeyesekere, Gananath. Medusa’s Hair: An Essay of Personal Symbols and Religious Experience (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1984). A psychological anthropologist examines the use of symbols by Sri Lankan ascetics. 

Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. 1994. Rice as Self: Japanese Identities through Time (Princeton: Princeton Univ. Press, 1994). 

Pallasmaa, Juhani. The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the Senses. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, 2012). Finnish architect examines the symbolism of space and how humans create meaning.  

Stuart, David. The Order of Days. The Maya World and the Truth about 2012 (New York: Harmony Books, 2001). Noted Mayanist examines Maya astronomy, mathematics, and calendrics to debunk apocalyptic interpretations of December 21, 2012. 

Suggested Websites  

360/Architectural Sites: the following offer an opportunity to view religious sites in a 360 panoramic views: Lascaux Cave: https://archeologie.culture.gouv.fr/lascaux/en/visit-cave; Blue Mosque: http://www.3dmekanlar.com/en/blue-mosque.html; Sistine Chapel: https://www.360cities.net/image/the-sistine-chapel; Hindu Temple (Varanasi): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkZECPdl4wI  

www.cem.va.gov/hmm/emblems.asp (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs- available emblems of belief for placement on government headstones and markers) 

www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar.html (web exhibit of calendars through the ages, including the Maya Calendar) 

www.mayacalendar.com/mayacalendar.html (Maya World Studies Center)  

http://guides.lib.washington.edu/ethnomusicology (a list of ethnomusicology websites from the University of Washington) 

www.folkways.si.edu/ (Smithsonian Folkways – music) 

http://sounds.bl.uk/ (British Library Sounds Website)           

Suggested Video 

The Cross and the Bodhi Tree: Two Christian Encounters with Buddhism, Filmmakers Library, 2001 – a French Catholic priests and an English Protestant nun discuss the profound influences Buddhism has had on their faith lives 

The Veil Unveiled, Royal Anthropological Institute, 2004 – focusing on a small group of women in Yemen, this film examines the deep symbolism associated with wearing “the veil” 

Fashioning Religion, French Connection Films, KTO, 2017 – an in-depth look at fabric, religious attire, and symbolism – and the ways that liturgy interacts with art 

D’vekut: Hasidism & Jewish Mysticism, Filmmakers Library, 2000 – Jewish mysticism is founded on religious symbolism; this film covers several Hasidic sects and includes personal interviews 

Taksu: Music in the Life of Bali, Berkeley Media, 1991 – “taksu” is a focus on the spiritual power found in music, instruments, costumes, and dance in Bali 

On this page