Kiowa Voices

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Santanu K. Patro

A Guide to Religious Thought and Practices devotes a chapter to each of the world religions, all but one of which are written by a member of that faith community. Readers thus gain insiders' views into the theology, spirituality, and religious practice of each faith. The introduction encourages respect and engagement with those of other faiths. It emphasizes the cultural nature of religion and its importance to society, and it notes the rise of interest in the study of religious traditions in the face of contemporary geopolitics. This book does not, however, attempt to address these politics, leaving the reader to think about and interpret the issues for themselves. The International Study Guides (ISGs) are clear and accessible resources, contextual and ecumenical in content and missional in direction. The contributors are theological educators who come from different countries and different religious backgrounds and bring practical emphasis alongside contemporary scholarly reflection. (Publisher).

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Ronald L. Grimes

"The work of a major scholar who has spent years writing and teaching about ritual, Deeply into the Bone instigates a conversation in which readers can fruitfully reflect on their own experiences of passage. Covering the significant life events of birth, initiation, marriage, and death, each chapter includes first-person stories told by individuals who have undergone rites of passage, accounts of practices from around the world, brief histories of selected ritual traditions, and critical reflections probing popular assumptions about ritual. The book also explores innovative rites for other important events such as beginning school, same-sex commitment ceremonies, abortion, becoming seriously ill, divorce and retirement."--BOOK JACKET.

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Inge Bolin

"In the remoteness of their mountain retreat, the herders of Chillihuani, Peru, recognize that respect for others is the central and most significant element of all thought and action," observes Inge Bolin. "Without respect, no society, no civilization, can flourish for long. Without respect, humanity is doomed and so is the earth, sustainer of all life." In this beautifully written ethnography, Bolin describes the rituals of respect that maintain harmonious relations among people, the natural world, and the realm of the gods in an isolated Andean community of llama and alpaca herders that reaches up to 16,500 feet. Bolin was the first foreigner to visit Chillihuani, and she was permitted to participate in private family rituals, as well as public ceremonies. In turn, she allows the villagers to explain the meaning of their rituals in their own words. From these first-hand experiences, Bolin offers an intimate portrait of an annual ritual cycle that dates back to Inca and pre-Inca times, including the ancient Pukllay weddings the Fiesta de Santiago, with its horse races on the top of the world and Peru's Independence Day, when the Rituals of Respect for elders and young people alike are carried out within male and female hierarchies reminiscent of Inca times.

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Claire R. Farrer

Details the four-day Apache "changing woman" ceremony by which pubescent Apache girls are formally recognized as adults. Includes a look at the author's relationship with an extended Mescalero family and some observations on Mescalero culture and life.