Feb 4 / Copper Age: Ritual Practices

 

 REVIEW

The Florida of the Inca (Page 433) 

 https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Florida_of_the_Inca/o11AZeV4pwEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=procession

Emergence of a syncretic form of worshipping the cross brought by the Spaniard, but by the indigenous Curacas of the peninsula today called Florida.

 

Timeline 


  • First Hominins Period:  The earliest, dating 7-6 million years ago.
  •  
  • Early Hominins Period: From 2.7 - 1.5 million years ago.
  • Paleolithic Period: Roughly from 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 B.C.
  • Neolithic Period: From around 4300 BC down to 2000 BC

Indigenous Caribbean 1492 AD (Spider web idea)

Syncretic Caribbean  2022 AD (Spider web idea)

  •  Copper or Chalcolithic Age: 3500 to 2300 BCE.

 

 

I

Unit: Copper Age

Theme: Ritual Practices


Introduction

  The analysis of ritual behavior and symbolism may be used as a key to understanding social structure and processes. Concepts such as rite of passage and liminality elements of the ritual process.

 

II

Learning Objectives

 

  •  Understand the importance of recovering ritual practices in modern times
  •  Explain the function of rituals
  • Gather an awareness of terms such as rite of passage and liminality
  • Experience the structuring of a ritual by adding the rite of passage and the liminal component to the previous ritual performed in class.

 

III

Main Lesson

 

 1

Modern Rituals

 

 

Question 1

After watching this video, answer the following question:

Why is it important to recover the practice of rituals in modern times?

2

 


Question 2

 What do rituals do?

------------------

 

3

 

The Ritual Process


LINK

Rite of Passage / Victor Turner 

(Page 94)


Question 3

Define the following terms:

Rite of passage

Liminality


 ----------

 

IV

A Note to Remember 

Victor Witter Turner was a British cultural anthropologist best known for his work on symbols, rituals, and rites of passage. His work, along with that of Clifford Geertz and others, is often referred to as symbolic and interpretive anthropology.

 

V

Case Study

 This video covers the work of anthropologist Victor Turner, and his concept of rites of passage. This series was created Feb - June 2014.

 


 

VI

Activity

Re- structure the ritual your group performed last class by adding the rite of passage and the liminal component to the previous ritual performed in class.

 


VII

Journaling

 

VIII

Glossary

threshold: the dividing line, the limen

ritual: an event that has three stages: separation, transition, aggregation

communitas: Within liminality, the bonding experience or sense of community developed during the transition. 

syncretism: Syncretism is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions.(1)

 

IX

Sources

1. "syncretism". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Random_House_Webster%27s_Unabridged_Dictionary

2. De la Vega, Garcilaso (1980). The Florida of the Inca.  University of Texas Press 

3. Turner, Victor (2011). The Ritual Process. Aldine Transaction



X

Students' Work 
 

Bradley Merschman
Copper Age Make-up

Question 1:
Why is it important to recover the practice of rituals in modern times?

  • Rituals help provide meaning, structure, and a sense of belonging in people's lives today, especially as modern societies often lack shared ceremonial experiences.

  • They reconnect individuals with community, tradition, and personal milestones, offering a way to mark important life transitions meaningfully.

Question 2:
What do rituals do?

  • Rituals create a structured way to recognize and celebrate changes in status, life stages, or social roles.

  • They build community, help manage emotional transitions, and connect individuals to larger cultural or spiritual traditions.

Question 3:
Define the following terms:

  • Rite of Passage:
    A ceremony or event marking an important transitional period in a person’s life, such as birth, puberty, marriage, or death. It has three stages: separation, transition, and aggregation.

  • Liminality:
    The "in-between" phase during a rite of passage when participants are no longer in their previous state but have not yet transitioned into their new role. It's a period of ambiguity, openness, and transformation.

     

     

     
    Nicholas Gioino
    Group from last class reflection
     
    Seperation- when we stopped holdings hands 

    Liminal- worshipping the sun for the harvest 

    Agregation - Worshipping the sun and celebrating for the harvest. Welcoming everyone in the group. 

    Purpose- praising the sun god and hoping for a good harvest. 

    Theme-Our ritual was essentially sundancing 

    Challenges-the challenege was we were struggling for harvest. 

    Lessons-Community and coming together

     

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4/8/2025 / Baroque and Rococo: Minuet and Contradanza

Image
  I  Unit: Baroque & Rococo Theme: Minuet & Contradanza Introduction The Baroque is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. Rococo, less commonly Roccoco, also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding. In dance, the spirit of Rococo is present in its depiction of the curving lines of the hoop-supported skirts, the delicate lace and flower.   II Learning Objectives   Understand the main characteristics of the Baroque Explain relationship between the Baroque, Rococo  and the Renaissance  Gain an awareness of the pre-clasic aspect of these dances Experience dancing the contradanza     III Main Lesson   1  The Baroque General Notes The Baroque is a style of architecture, music, dance, pain...
Read more

Mar 27 / Classical Period Elsewhere: Mesoamerica, India & China

Image
   I Unit: Classic Period Elsewhere Theme: Mesoamerica, India & China   Introduction Often classical antiquity refers to a historical period spanning from the output of ancient Greek author Homer in the 8th century bce to the decline of the Roman Empire in the 5th century ce. Seldomly, do we refer to the classical period that took place in other parts of the world. Today's class focuses on the classical periods in Mesoamerica, India and China.    II Learning Objectives   Understand the importance of the classical period in other parts of the world Explain the meaning of the term "classical" and why it can be applied to the cultures of Mesoamerica, India and China Gain an awareness of the differences between these three classical cultures Realize the impact of the classical periods in these three areas of the world on their present cultures  Experience the main steps of the dances representative of these three cultures and their classical peri...
Read more

Feb 18 / Iron Age: Dokwasa / The Last Iron Master

Image
  I   Unit: Iron Age Theme: Dokwasa / The Last Iron Master   Introduction The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. The concept has been mostly applied to Iron Age Europe and the Ancient Near East, but also, by analogy, to other parts of the Old World (1200 BC - 550 BC).     II  Learning Objectives   Understand why the Bantu migration was so important Explain the role of dance withing the iron smelting process  Gain an awareness of the function of a smelting master within a large ritual context Experience the creation of a three act dance/performance in which you re-enact the three stages of the smelting process   III Main Lesson 1 Nok Culture / Iron Age   The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age and the Bronze Age. Th...
Read more