THROUGH THE LENS OF ANTHROPOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN EVOLUTION AND CULTURE312

gods gathered together. They were discussing the best way to create the sun anew to provide life for the world. They came to the conclusion that sacrifice was the means to achieve this. However, none of the gods wanted to be sacrificed. Finally, two gods offered themselves: a proud and strong god (Tecciztecatl) and the humblest and poor-est god, the God with Boils (Nanahuatzin). At the last minute, the strong god lost his nerve, but the lowly god calmly offered himself up, becom-ing the sun. Ashamed, the strong god followed, but a more powerful god kicked a rabbit at him in protest, dimming his light. So the strong god, now weakened, became the moon, which is said to have the shape of a rabbit on its face. This origin myth teaches its followers that being strong and conceited are wrong, while acting humbly and for the benefit of others is right. It also provides a foundation for the religious practice of human sacrifice, without which the sun would cease and day and night would end.

3. Renewing Faith: Certain regular rituals elevate the mood of participants and bring on a state of happiness or transcendence. This may include such elements as song, call-and-response, hand clapping, trance states, or dance. For instance, Islamic Sufi dancers of the Mevlevi sect in Turkey perform a form of moving meditation in which they spin in circles. Practitioners, called whirling dervishes, experience closeness to the divine by abandoning the self in a trance-like dance. The Sema, or worship ceremony, is highly regulated, from the dervishes’ clothing to the movements of the feet and hands.

Some revitalization activities use the threat of danger to rejuvenate faith in their belief system. An example of this is the religious snake handlers of the Pentecostal Holiness or Church of God churches across parts of North America. The handling of venomous snakes is one way members of these sects provide evidence that the Holy Spirit has saved them. The dangerous nature of this ritual generates excite-ment and transcendence for the community participating and witnessing the event. Unfortunately, there have been several high-profile deaths from snakebite in these rituals, causing some states to outlaw the practice.

4. Providing Reasons: Belief systems provide explanations for life’s events. Humans want to understand why we do things in certain ways, and why bad things

Figure 13.4 DERVISH DANCER, CAIRO This Dervish dancer experiences a revitalization of faith and devotion by spinning in circles and entering a trance-like state. This worship brings the dancer into a state of divine meditation. Credit: © Barry D. Kass/Images

of Anthropology

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© Barry D. Kass/Images of Anthropology