Ceremonial Role Research Articles

Eco-Spirituality and the Nature of Colonialism in F. Sionil Jose’s The God Stealer

Ecocritics argue that everything in the world is interconnected and that humans have a moral obligation to safeguard nature. According to some researchers, human culture and nature are intricately intertwined and impact one another. As a result, this is one of the few studies that looked at the nature of colonialism as described in F. Sionil Jose's The God Stealer. It also looked into the idealization of nature and the rural by building a link between nature and culture. Furthermore, the data revealed that nature plays an important role in many indigenous ceremonies, customs, cultures, and spiritualities. The concept is not to reject the worldly, but to live in harmony with nature. It argues that God's existence is revealed through His creation and creatures. Moreover, the theft of an idol or god in The God Stealer implies disregard for tribal beliefs and traditions. In addition, the character Sam Christie personifies an exploitative colonial force that devalues an idol/god (nature) by turning it into a collectible. The analyses also show that colonialism has caused alterations to traditional tribal ways of living. Thus, it is evident that the nature of colonialism is portrayed in F. Sionil Jose's The God Stealer. Also, An analysis of the eco-feministic approach to discovering masculine colonialism, as well as the socio-political structures, may be studied in order to uncover the themes and sub-themes in F. Sionil Jose’s Literature.

When Do First Ladies Run for Office? Lessons from Latin America

ABSTRACTBetween 1999 and 2016, 20 former first ladies ran 26 times for the presidency, vice presidency, or Congress in Latin America. Despite the growing importance of this unique type of candidate, political analysts routinely describe them as mere delegates of ex-presidents. We argue that this view has overlooked the political trajectory of former first ladies, and we claim that women with elected political experience should be regarded as politicians who use the ceremonial role of first lady as a platform to enhance their careers. We hypothesize that first ladies with elected political experience are more likely to run for office as soon as they leave the executive branch. We test our argument by analyzing the 90 former first ladies who were eligible to become candidates in 18 Latin American countries from 1999 to 2016. The results support our argument, opening a new research agenda in the study of women’s representation.

The Japanese prime minister and the executive institutional setting

This article explores the institutional arrangements surrounding the Japanese prime minister and offers an analysis of the core executive style in accordance with the classifications introduced by Dunleavy and Rhodes. The constitutional arrangement was set out to establish a ‘prime ministerial government’ in Japan. However, Japanese bureaucrats, who feared strong individual authority, instead sought to create a ‘cabinet government’ which exercises strong authority as a collective body. In addition, two developments weakened the prime minister’s power over the cabinet, namely the ceremonial role of cabinet meetings and strong factionalism within the ruling party, which led to a ‘bureaucratic coordination model’. Since the 1990s, institutional reforms have shifted the Japanese core executive towards a ‘prime ministerial government’.

Reflections on the philosophical significance of the ritualistic use of music and mental health among traditional healers and their trainees in the Bapedi Society: a healing link to the spiritual realm

In the Bapedi society, music and rituals are the obverse sides of the same coin. They are reciprocal. They complete and complement each other. Music plays a significant role in religious rituals, cultural and social ceremonies. It has specific roles in healing and drums are the basic instrument for most of the Bapedi music tradition. Different kinds of drums are found in the Bapedi culture. Each music genre or traditional music ensemble/group uses a special type of its own. Traditional healers and their trainees use sets of drums of different sizes. The philosophical significance of the ritualistic use of music and mental health within traditional healing context as constitutive for understanding music in healing as a cultural phenomenon is evident and cannot be denied. In the Bapedi society, the significance of ritualistic music is well established and acknowledged by the personal ancestors of both traditional healers and their trainees. The combination of singing, dancing and various musical instruments form part of religious rituals with the sole purpose of appeasing the ancestors for their well-being and rejuvenation. The impact or effect of ritualistic music is multifaceted, and one can distinguish various emotional, mental and physical impacts, amongst others, strengthening the social, spiritual and cultural experience of both the traditional healers and their trainees, as well as the audience. The primary objective of this was to investigate the philosophical significance of the ritualistic use of music and mental health within Bapedi traditional healers’ healing context. To achieve this objective, the study employed contextual and Afrocentric approaches. Informal interviews, video and audio recordings were used to collect data. Secondary sources included published books and Journal articles. The main question the study addressed is: What is the philosophical significance of the ritualistic use of music and mental health within Bapedi traditional healers’ healing context? The results have demonstrated that traditional healers and their trainees apply music in their everyday life to improve their health and well-being. It was concluded that within Bapedi traditional healers’ healing context music serves as a cultural immunogen; and spirituality and religiosity are regarded as the most protective factors for health.

Maulana and sekanjabin (oxymel): a ceremonial relationship with gastronomic and health perspectives

Sekanjabin, also known as Oxymel, is an ancient beverage including honey, fermented vinegar, water, and various fruits and herbs. Great physicians Hippocrates, Galen, and Avicenna recommended treating gastrointestinal disorders, pain, asthma, thoracic, cough, sore throat, foul, and breath. Furthermore, Maulana, a symbol of tolerance that is humanism-flexible and non-violent, frequently mentions this beverage in his great masterpieces “Divan-ı Kebir” and “Masnavi.” Therefore, it can be evaluated as an intangible cultural heritage of Western and near Asian civilizations and has a significant and ceremonial role in Maulana and Maulawi Culture. From a gastronomic and health perspective, this study explored the ceremonial relationship between Maulana and sekanjabin.

Jack London's “Mauki” and the Colonial Pacific

Jack London's “Mauki” and the Colonial Pacific

The rite of cremation in contemporary burial practices of the Chukchi reindeer herders

In the Reindeer Chukchi and Koryak cultures, cremation practices did not interrupt for centuries. In contem-porary Chukchi culture, burial practices include cremation, leaving the body in the open space, and burial in “Rus-sian style”. Cremation is still practiced among Reindeer Chukchi nowadays, although with some modifications and simplifications. The article is based on the fieldwork materials assembled by authors in 2000–2021 from the vil-lages of Vaegi, Khatyrka, Meinypylgino, Omolon, Kaiettyn, and Ilirney of the Anadyr and Bilibino municipal dis-tricts, as well as on published materials. For the comparative analysis, the ethnographic materials from Kam-chatka and Magadan regions were used. The informants’ answers suggest that contemporary burial rites in Vaegi, Khatyrka, Meinypylgino, and Omolon villages are the closest to the traditional cremation ritual. The pur-pose of this article is the reconstruction of the rite of cremation of Chukchi peoples and compare the traditional ceremony with the contemporary rituals of Reindeer Chukchi from Vaegi, Khatyrka, Meinypylgino, and Omolon localities. This paper described the full cremation ceremonial cycle: the preparation for the burial, sewing the bur-ial clothing, crafting specific tools, distribution of the ceremonial roles, activities on the day before, during and after the cremation. The rite of asking the dead, preserved virtually with no changes till modern days, is described in detailed; the actions of main participants on every stage have been reconstructed. The local differences in the burial ceremony be-tween various Chukchi groups have been specified. Special consideration has been given to the local Chukchi termi-nology, formulas, and spells, which were in use in the burial rite until 1970–1980s. Currently, informants practice simpli-fied elements of the rite, the Chukchi language is not routinely used for the ceremonies, some words being spelled in Russian. Nevertheless, the burial practices have kept the mythological elements such as crossing the border into the other world, dividing of the worlds, creatures-guardians, evil spirits, guardian spirits.

Research on the Communication of Bimo Chant in Ancestor Worship Ceremony of Yi People

As the embodiment of Yi culture, Bimo plays an irreplaceable role in ancestor worship ceremony. At each stage of the ceremony, Bimo recites the sutras, using a different chant. This paper takes the seven-day ancestor worship ceremony of The Pude family held in Daxiyi Village, Fawo Township, Wuding County, Chuxiong, Yunnan as the research object, and summarizes Bimo chant tune throughout it, and analyzes it from the perspective of transmission.

Female spirits of the male cult: tutelary goddesses in the South of modern Vietnam (based on the fieldwork in the city of Vung Tau)

This article discusses the pantheon in the temple of female spirits (Miếu Ngũ Hnh) located in the city of Vung Tau in southern Vietnam according to my fieldworks during 2018. The spirits are more various than spirits of pantheon in traditional forms of worship in the north of Vietnam. The inhabitants of Vung Tau worship some deities borrowed from neighbors: the Cham and Khmer goddesses, and female deities embodying the five elements of the Chinese religious system (wu xing). A feature of the temple is the female divine service, although usually women perform an auxiliary role in ceremonies in honor of tutelary spirits, and in traditional Vietnam they were not allowed to the altars at all. According to the community house territory plan (beginning of the 19th century) the participation of women in ceremonies was originally assumed and, what is important, allowed by the authorities.

A quest for sustainable peace in South Sudan: the role of everyday religious practices, ceremonies and rituals in robust peacebuilding

Since 1955, South Sudan has had intermittent civil wars, and sustainable peace has been difficult to attain. There have been numerous attempts that include major international and national political and economic initiatives. Among the social initiatives, The New Sudan Council of Churches (NSCC), perceived to represent all religious practices and people, was considered an essential tool in uniting all South Sudanese, ending conflicts and achieving sustainable peace both within the communities and nationally. However, the inclusion of the NSCC, which represents mainly Christianity and includes Muslim religious leaders, has not delivered sustainable peace. This article utilises ethnographic data to present a socioreligious perspective. It seeks to argue that other South Sudanese indigenous or cultural religious everyday peace practices of ceremonies and rituals can present a robust peacebuilding initiative in the region. It concludes that the inter-relationships of socioreligious practices, an aspect the NSCC peacebuilding processes ignored, are essential in delivering sustainable peace.

“Tales from the Trail”: Oratory and Affect among Alaska Dog Mushers

Abstract This paper draws from linguistic anthropological and ethnographic fieldwork to illustrate the role of award ceremonies in maintaining and creating affective orientations toward rivalry among Alaska dog mushers. It focuses on award speeches given by dog mushers and others involved in the Alaska dog mushing community and reveals a “need for narrative” that has characterized sled dog racing since its origin as an (inter)national sport. Mushing “stories” are constitutive of public talk about wins and losses in the sport, as well as about race events that take place far from view on distant trails. Specifically, “accounts,” a humorous narrative genre that pivots upon unpredictable “instinct-driven” characteristics of canine athletes, serve as an important idiom for evoking chance in describing wins and losses. The performance and appreciation of these narratives constitute the intangible heritage of Alaska dog mushers, and accounts emerge as a semiotic resource for negotiating and downplaying rivalry through orchestration of embodied intersubjective sentiments, i.e. affect.

Dogs for the Gods, Fish for the Feast: The Ceremonial Role of Animals at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala

This study examines the ritual and socioeconomic significance of animals in ceremonial contexts at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala. Kaminaljuyu was once the largest and most politically powerful highland Maya center. We compare faunal remains from different contexts, including burials and dedicatory offerings in and around monumental features, to better understand the role of animals in these deposits. We then compare ceremonial activities across Mesoamerica to identify similarities alluding to widely recognized practices. Late and Terminal Preclassic (350 BC–AD 250) ceremonies at Kaminaljuyu contain some of the earliest marine fish recovered from a Maya highland site, demonstrating the ability of early elites to obtain exotic species for special events. Dogs, including perhaps the first evidence for Preclassic hairless dogs in Guatemala, appear in deposits that resemble canine sacrificial offerings in central Mexico. The new faunal data in this study provide a novel perspective on Kaminaljuyu's sociopolitical role in the region.

Chemistry behind the Betel Leaves and Betel Quid: Their Health Benefits and Adverse Health Effect-a Review

Piper betle leaves have been used in Indian and Chinese folk medicine for centuries and is well known for its extensive use in Ayurvedic medicine. Recently, it has been used as a chemo-preventive agent because of its anti-oxidant activity. Several biologically active compounds from P. betle have potential for use as medicines, neutraceuticals and industrial compounds. Consumption of betel leaf is usually in the form of betel quid which consists of areca nut, lime and some spices with or without tobacco. Long term consumption of betel quid with tobacco is known to cause adverse health effects, mainly carcinomas. In addition to oral cancer it is also known to induce chromosomal aberrations and tumours in the pharynx and oesophagus. However, consumption of betel leaf alone does not induce cancer and has invaluable health benefits due to its tremendous medicinal properties. Phenol-rich leaves of P. betle show high antioxidant activities and because of its anti-oxidant properties, it has been used as a chemopreventive agent. Its oil is used as an industrial raw material for manufacturing of medicines, perfumes, mouth fresheners, tonics, food additives etc. The leaves are nutritive and contain anti-carcinogens showing promise for manufacturing of a blood cancer drug. It is also playing a vital role in various ceremonies and auspicious occasions as an indicator of goodness. Since the traditional use of P. betle involves chewing, it offers possibilities of use in drug delivery through buccal mucosa bypassing the gastric route.

Ata Sodha dalam Tarian Gawi Desa Tenda Kecamatan Wolojita Kabupaten Ende NTT

Gawi dance’s one of the dance that has recorded as an Warisan Budaya Tak Benda (WBTB) but has not been designated as a national cultural. Literally, the meaning of the word GAWI is defined as follows: GA means reluctant or shy while WI means interesting, in the sense of uniting oneself.Ata Sodha is a poet using language of customs. Ata Sodha possess a role as a leader of Gawi dance and it belongs to a part of traditional ceremony. The probleems of this stuudy comprise of (1) How is the role of Ata Sodhain traditional ceremony Gawi dance of Tenda village community? (2) How is the perception of community regarding to Ata Sodha?. The theories being used in this research, namely role theory and simbolic interpretative theory.The concepts that are used among other: roles, Ata Sodha, Gawi dance and perception. In this reserch, descriptive qualitative method’s adopted, by the data source namely primary and secondary in which the data are collected by observing, interviewing literature review.The findings In this research points out that an Ata Sodha has an unseparable role in traditional ceremony. The brainwave that they obtain from their ancestors in form of ability to chant prayer and praise verses by using traditional language to make Ata Sodha have sufficient important role. In traditional ceremony, Ata Sodha plays the role as the lader in Gawi dance. Society expects that the existence of Ata Sodha remains exist in traditional ceremony

Fan in Chief: Richard Nixon and American Sports, 1969–1974

Fan in Chief: Richard Nixon and American Sports, 1969–1974

Turning a mundane ceremony into a meaningful organizational ritual: some suggestions for the redesign of ribbon-cutting ceremonies

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the phenomenon of ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new overseas subsidiaries and demonstrates the possibility of modifying such ceremonies to place greater emphasis on intra-organizational communications.Design/methodology/approachThis is a careful study of 200 videos on 73 ribbon-cutting ceremonies in Russia between 2012 and 2018.FindingsUnder the current prevalent design, ribbon-cutting ceremonies mostly entail inter-organizational communication, i.e. communication between foreign investors and representatives of the authorities of the host country. Meanwhile, in addition to the standard ribbon-cutting ceremonies, it is observed that several videos on intra-organizational communication, i.e. pseudoformal meetings between the team from the corporate headquarters and employees of a newly built factory. During such meetings, top corporate executives express the importance of the factory vis-à-vis the future of the whole corporation, state their expectations for the further development of the factory’s production facilities, postulate the desired working atmosphere in the factory and appeal for the commitment and assistance of the employees in safeguarding the future of the investment.Originality/valueThe findings provide a basis for a broader discussion on the role of ribbon-cutting ceremonies as staged large-scale events organized by firms to articulate, highlight, disseminate, rationalize, as well as mobilize internal and external support for their strategy.

The Bidayuh People of Sarawak Borneo: Ritual and Ceremonies

This study aims to analyse the role of rituals and ceremonies of the Bidayuh tribes in Sarawak Borneo as a way of life of the Bidayuh people. Therefore, the cultural history of the Bidayuh people as well as the function and influence to the entire community which becomes the pride and identity is analysed. The data were taken from the Bajo asal (traditional songs), girite Bidayuh damba (stories and legendary), and the exploration and preview of the authenticity of the role in the manifestation of the Bidayuh culture and tradition in the numerous villagers through dynamic modernization. The content analysis was used to identify the rituals and ceremonies of the ethnic group. With this regard, emic perspective approach was applied to the study of the description of Bidayuh ritual, focussing on the internal elements and their functions in the Bidayuh society area in Bau, Padawan, and Serian division of Sarawak. Among the findings of this community is how important it is to preserve their beliefs to make sure the management of paddy fields are always cared for and preserve abundant harvests, apart from the ‘guardians’ to safe keep the peace of the village. The function and preservation through the ritual and ceremonies as their weltanschauung, influences the peasant society in that area. The study is highlighted to ensure people that the existence of the ritual and ceremonies is still implemented in the modern era as a part of the ancient heritage in Borneo Island- Sarawak.

The Symbolic Efficacy of Plants in Rituals and Socio-Religious Ceremonies in Morocco, Northwest of Africa

Religious ceremonies and practices have long influenced human perceptions and uses of nature. Plants in particular play a prominent role in rituals and socio-religious practices and provide the cultural and historical depth of these relationships. Understanding human-floral relations is often fundamental to the cause of meaningful wildlife conservation. This research aims to investigate the cultivated and wild plant species used for rituals and religious purposes among the Moroccans, and to further understand the symbolism of these rituals. Intensive fieldwork was carried out between January 2016 and January 2020 in different parts of Morocco by an investigation approach, applying different tools such as semi-structured interviews, individual interviews, field observations, participation in the ritual activities, and published papers. The scientific name of plant species was identified using standard and relevant literature. The results revealed the Moroccan people possessed a sound knowledge of the ritual plants and the great diversity of plants used in many Morocco rituals and religious ceremonies. From the results, we identified a total of 112 plant species used for rituals and socio-religious ceremonies. These rituals and religious purposes plant species were classified into 21 categories. The most frequently mentioned families were Apiaceae (10 species), followed by Fabaceae and Lamiaceae. This study demonstrates that many plant species play an important role in rituals and socio-religious ceremonies in Morocco. However, further research is recommended for an in-depth understanding of the role of the links between traditional uses of plant resources and the conservation of biodiversity.

More than meat: the role of pigs in Timorese culture and the household economy

ABSTRACT In the Asia Pacific region, pigs play an important cultural and economic role in society. However, the cultural significance and use of livestock is often overlooked in agricultural research and development. This paper describes the contribution of pigs to the social and cultural life of rural households in Timor Leste from the perspectives of women, men and children. Three lowland patrilineal and two highland matrilineal communities in Bobonaro district were selected for qualitative research. Eight focus groups were held in five sub-villages in two locations with 20 women, 20 men and 21 children involved in pig raising and 16 people not raising pigs at the time. Ten key informants were individually interviewed. Our research found geographic, gender and age differences in ceremonial roles and pig husbandry including types and numbers of pigs used, ritual activities and pig housing or feeding. Pig raising is mostly done by women and children, with men organizing cultural events and making decisions on using pigs for rituals. Challenges and opportunities to improve pig husbandry in contexts, such as Timor Leste with limited resources, absence of formal meat markets, exotic disease outbreaks and strong cultural obligations, are discussed.

Diamond Island bridge is falling down: Cultural deathscapes of grief, funeral ceremonies, and continuing bonds after a disaster in Cambodia II: The first months

Although the cultural deathscapes of acute grief in the early days after a disaster are well-understood, there is a gap in the literature on the role of ritual ceremonies over the months that follow the initial funeral. Drawing upon a case study of the 2010 Diamond Island stampede in Cambodia, which killed 347 people, this article considers the meaning and value of the ritual ceremonies over the first year after the funeral in comforting the living and connecting them to the dead. A companion article focuses on the events that unfold in the first week after loss.An ethnographic study was carried out in Phnom Penh and 9 provinces with 38 members of the families of those who were killed and 42 key informants including monks and Buddhist lay officiants. In this article several in-depth case studies are presented.Shortly after the cremation, the ritual of ‘changing the body’ helped families who were not ready to let go. The 7- and 100-day ceremonies provided comfort that their loved ones would be successfully reincarnated, and thus helped them accept the irreversibility of their unanticipated loss. Some ameliorated their grief by ‘continuing bonds’ with the dead, who were believed to have been reborn to unwitting ‘surrogate’ mothers who were also members of the grieving families.The continuing process provides disaster relief in the form of ‘emergency cultural grief therapy’ which averts the threat of ‘reincarnation failure’ and provides a socio-moral framework for public mourning and a system of meaning for private grieving. The findings provide insights into developing a culturally responsive framework for ongoing interventions after disasters.