Theology World Religions Vocabulary
Indigenous Religions
Complementary dualism –the concept that the universe contains life enhancing and life-diminishing forces that work together and are equally necessary to its survival.
Conflict dualism – the concept that the universe contains good and evil forces that are wholly separate and in constant opposition. Dogon – a member of a group of indigenous people of the mountains of central Mali.
Ghost dance - a group dance of a late 19th century American Indian (Iroquois) messianic cult believed to promote the return of the dead and the restoration of traditional ways of life.
Mana – a Melanesian term for a life-enhancing power that can be concentrated in people or objects.
Oral traditions – narratives, myths, histories, legends, fables, proverbs, and riddles that are transmitted verbally from generation to generation within a community and are seen as authoritative sources of knowledge.
Shaman – a ritual specialist trained in the use of visions, ecstatic trances, and out-of-body travel to communicate with the gods on behalf of the community; the term was borrowed from the Tungus people of Siberia.
Sun dance – one of the most important rituals of people of the Great Plains and northern Rockies.
Syncretism – the blending of elements from two or more religious traditions; use of the term is often negative, suggesting contamination of a “pure” religion under the influence of a different tradition.
Revitalization movements – a religious movement sparked by a social crisis, which seeks to reform and give new life to a particular tradition.
Taboo – a Polynesian term for an action or object that is prohibited; any violation of a taboo is believed to have dire spiritual consequences. Totem – an Ojibwa term for an animal that is believed to share a spiritual connection with a particular clan or lineage.
Yoruba – a West African ethnic group, one of the largest on the continent; because a large proportion of the slaves sent to
Complementary dualism –the concept that the universe contains life enhancing and life-diminishing forces that work together and are equally necessary to its survival.
Conflict dualism – the concept that the universe contains good and evil forces that are wholly separate and in constant opposition. Dogon – a member of a group of indigenous people of the mountains of central Mali.
Ghost dance - a group dance of a late 19th century American Indian (Iroquois) messianic cult believed to promote the return of the dead and the restoration of traditional ways of life.
Mana – a Melanesian term for a life-enhancing power that can be concentrated in people or objects.
Oral traditions – narratives, myths, histories, legends, fables, proverbs, and riddles that are transmitted verbally from generation to generation within a community and are seen as authoritative sources of knowledge.
Shaman – a ritual specialist trained in the use of visions, ecstatic trances, and out-of-body travel to communicate with the gods on behalf of the community; the term was borrowed from the Tungus people of Siberia.
Sun dance – one of the most important rituals of people of the Great Plains and northern Rockies.
Syncretism – the blending of elements from two or more religious traditions; use of the term is often negative, suggesting contamination of a “pure” religion under the influence of a different tradition.
Revitalization movements – a religious movement sparked by a social crisis, which seeks to reform and give new life to a particular tradition.
Taboo – a Polynesian term for an action or object that is prohibited; any violation of a taboo is believed to have dire spiritual consequences. Totem – an Ojibwa term for an animal that is believed to share a spiritual connection with a particular clan or lineage.
Yoruba – a West African ethnic group, one of the largest on the continent; because a large proportion of the slaves sent to