Book

The symbolism of popular Taoist magic

University MicrofilmsAnn Arbor, Mich.Published In 1983 • Pages:

By: McCreery, John Linwood.

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This dissertation is a comprehensive study of the rites performed by a Taoist ritual specialist, Tio Sin-se*, who also functions as a curer, advisor, and diviner. McCreery first describes Tio Sin-se*'s background and preparation, his assistants and paraphernalia, the organization of his temple, and the characteristics of his clientele. There is an extended description of the rites performed by Tio Sin-se* and examination of them as manifestations of Taiwanese cosmology and ritual symbolism. McCreery argues that these rites constitute a structural system -- a series of models which are systematic transformations of one another -- and concludes by demonstrating their interrelations and their integration with general aspects of Taiwanese society.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Magical and mental therapy
General character of religion
Cosmology
Sacred objects and places
Prayers and sacrifices
Purification and atonement
Revelation and divination
Ritual
Magic
Magicians and diviners
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Taiwan Hokkien
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
1995
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Asia
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
East Asia
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
Book
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
David Sherwood ; Marlene Martin
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1970-1971
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
not specified
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Puli city, Nantou hsien, Taiwn
NotesAdditional notes
John Linwood McCreery
Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cornell University, 1973
UM 74-6319
Includes bibliography
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Taiwanese