A system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such a aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.
I really think that the "mysterious" Mound Builders follow the definition of the religion by Geertz fairly well.
As I mentioned in my RLST class I thought that use of symbols was something that could be argued against. But, in the case of the Mound Builders (MB) their symbols, their existence was shown by the mounds. How else would we have known that they existed? The MB created these mounds because it meant something to them, there are artifacts inside of the mounds that lead to this conclusion. We aren't exactly sure what kind of moods they received from mound building but it couldn't have been negative if they kept going? Right? Their mound building isn't exactly unique because there are other groups that have done something similar but they are the only group in WI. And whoever they are, they found something beneficial in creating mounds, such as the effigy mounds. They are in the shape of animals, and other various shapes. MBing was something that they used to express their belief...in what? I'm not exactly sure. But, I am sure that they fulfil the definition of Geertz pretty well.
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I found it interesting that you made the point about how if they wouldn't have built these mounds we wouldn't even have known about them. This makes me think about how many things we don't know and probably will never know about our world, because of things and artifacts that weren't preserved. Ok, I'll stop rambling now. I liked your point about how we really don't know the specifics about their beliefs, however it seems that we are still able to recognize the importance that these people felt towards their beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Geertz definition is a perect match for describing mound building. I think that the mounds are symbols of there culture and religious beliefs. It also makes me think about how much information we have gained since the discovery of mounds.
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