By: Robera Abajobir, Ashley McBurnett, and Rashitha Siyasena
jhbn44
4th Block
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Origin/Hearth
Historians believe that Animism is foundational to the human spirituality, dating all the way back to the Paleolithic period.
There is no known origin/hearth of Animism, but it was discovered in 1871 by Sir Edward Burnett Tyler
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Diffusion and Distribution
Animism is currently distributed across Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Southeast Asia.
Previously, Animism was spread around the world in North America, Sca Latin America, Scandinavia and throughout Asia.
Animism diffused from Africa to around to around the world.
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Core Beliefs
Animists believe that everything has a spirit.
They worship everything from nature to animals to inanimate objects.
Most rituals are performed outside, usually led by a Shaman, doctor, or medicine man.
Rituals that are inside the home have ancestor worship at the family altars.
They dance in hopes to receive blessings for their lives, crops, fertility, health and families.
They also offer up sacrifices and prayers.
They worship the spirits so they do not harm them or their families.
They do not have a specific text, they just tell traditional stories.
They are considered to be Polytheistic because they worship and believe many things( everything) to be a spirit.
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Type of Religion and its Branches
Animism is a type of Ethnic religion due to its isolated origins from that of universalising religions. It is considered an almost tribal-like religion.
As mentioned earlier, the religion is polytheistic with the worship of multiple spirits.
Animism is split into two branches: Particularism and Ceremonialism. Particularists were sometimes called fetishists due to their propitiation of spirits and demons. Ceremonialism is characterized by totemic or ancestral cults, where the people dramatize the role of spirits in society.
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Symbols Associated with Animism
There isn’t one singular symbol associated with Animism, however different areas have symbols that mean different things. For example:
These different symbols mean things such as long life, harmony and peace, and adaptability.
Due to the limited symbol understanding, the cultural landscape was not changed at a substantial amount.