Book

Rarámuri souls: knowledge and social process in northern Mexico

Smithsonian Institution PressWashington, D.c.Published In 1988 • Pages: xi, 237

By: Merrill, William L..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
William Merrill '…examines the ways in which a society lacking formal educational institutions produces and transmits its basic knowledge about the world and how the nature of this process affects the distribution of the knowledge within the society' (dust jacket). This book deals with Tarahumara history, philosophy, oratory, and ritual practices with a focus throughout on the concept of the soul. This soul concept is used by the Tarahumara to explain various dimensions of human experience and behavior and to justify much of their ritual action. Merrill analyzes this central component of Tarahumara thought in terms of its relationship to health and death practices and in various other dimensions of everyday life.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Theory of disease
Magical and mental therapy
Cult of the dead
Animism
Eschatology
Spirits and gods
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Tarahumara
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
1997
RegionThe area the document pertains to
Middle America and the Caribbean
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Northern Mexico
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
John Beierle ; 1995
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1977-1987
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1977-1987
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Chihuahua, Mexico
NotesAdditional notes
William L. Merrill
Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-228) and index
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
87062623
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Tarahumara Indians