Abstract
A look at Campbell's concept that one can find clues about the human psyche from human created mythology that forms the core of the many different religious traditions found both historically and today in the twentieth century.

From the Paper
"As present-day humans we can trace the physical growth of the human species by examining "man the hunter", "man the toolmaker", 'man the city builder, and so on. These are the most often used explanations to trace the path of the human species, but according to Campbell, these aspects are only one-half of the human life cycle. The other half and more important part of the development of the human species lies in the human psyche. It is within the human psyche that the spiritual growth and the spiritual experience of life resides and functions. The clues to this part of the development of the human species can be found in the human created mythology that forms the core of the many different religious traditions found both historically and today in the twentieth century. "

Tags:folklore, hero, history, religion

From the Paper
?I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala" is a human story. In 1982, when this story was recorded, Rigoberta was only twenty-three years old and had already witnessed and experienced a lifetime of unbelievable physical, psychological, and spiritual persecution. Her story is a testament to the strength and endurance of the human spirit under the most de-humanizing conditions imaginable. At the same time, this personal narration offers an insiders view of the social, political, economic, religious, and cultural life of an entire group of people. Through Rigoberta, a contemporary Maya community comes alive bringing with it the struggles that began with the Spanish Conquest and continue in the Guatemala of the twentieth century. "

Tags:conflict, hispanic, latino, maya, mesoamerican

From the Paper
"...Religion can be examined from any number of academic disciplines with each discipline exercising its own terminology, methodology, and subsequent theories. In the world of anthropology, religion is viewed within a socio-cultural framework. Religion is seen as connected to, the driving force behind, and the reflection of culture. Because religion is seen in these terms, it becomes almost inseparable from the human culture in which it exists. Both religion and culture are seen as an institutionalized system of attitudes, beliefs, and practices all of which are human created, recreated, and ultimately adjusted in order to enable a society to communicate, form economic and political frameworks, gender roles, marriage rules, social roles, concepts of the natural environment, and the basic beliefs of where, when, and how things are to-be done. Each culture has its own way of looking at the world and its own way of communicating this worldview within its own boundaries, boundaries it has created for itself..."

Tags:myth, ritual, sociocultural, symbolism, traditions, anthropology

Abstract
This paper takes a look at how, within a culture, the symbolic system is able to bring together and give meaning to the personal and social relationships that make up a society

From the Paper
"One such form of nonverbal communication is symbolism which is only second to body language in terms of its primacy, ancient beginnings, and lasting endurance. Anthropologist Edward Sapir provided one of the earliest general formulations of a behavioral approach to symbolic communication, writing that "every cultural pattern and every single act of social behavior involves (symbolic) communication in either an explicit or an implicit sense,, (1931, p. 78). He also maintained that because communication is fundamentally symbolic in nature, it is dependent on the nature of the relationships and understandings that exist between individuals. This belief of Sapir implies that the cultural context in which symbols are created plays a fundamental role in, not only, the meaning attributed to a symbol, but also the physical and psychological shape a symbol will take. "

Tags:behavioral, cultural, jung, religion, ritual, communication, psychological, theory, sapir

From the Paper
"Neanderthals have long been thought of as a very primitive species, but this view is changing as evidence to the contrary emerges. Studies on Neanderthal remains have shown that they were not as primitive as initially thought, and that they possessed the ability for flexible, creative behavior similar to modern man (Brainard, 1998). They have previously been thought of as lacking language skills, foresight, creativity, and other cognitive abilities found in modern humans. In 1977, German anthropologists reported finding aerodynamic wooden spears belonging to ancestors of Neanderthals made 400,000 years ago (Brainard, 1998, p. 72), and stone spearheads have been found at many Neanderthal sites in both Europe and the Middle East (Bower, 1999, p. 4). Scientists investigating Neanderthal remains in a cave in France found evidence of tool marks on the bones..."

From the Paper
"Art along with other activities, such as oral tradition, divination, ritual performance, and city planning reveals a culture's worldview, myths, and ideals of human behavior. These factors make an informed view of Olmec art style quite important especially because their art and architecture are the only surviving artifacts that can give clues to their culture. By analyzing the Olmec-style art it becomes possible to reconstruct a picture of their way of life, which took place during the Formative period of Mesoamerica."

Tags:ancient, ethnographic, formative, mesoamerican

From the Paper
"It is hard to comprehend a culture without technology. What would we do without these necessities and pleasures of life? To determine the answer, let's take a look at a totally unfamiliar society- the cave dwellers. They lived without technology, existing upon nature alone.The cave dwellers haven't left us a lot to go on, but what they did leave us is rich in knowledge. What we have found are their cave paintings. What we can learn from these is debated. Some argue that these cave drawings only teach of location and a bit about the society. Others argue that we can learn not only that, but we can learn why they were drawn; and what the message becomes to us. The question is, then, can Paleolithic art be interpreted accurately enough to give a adequate depiction of Cro-Magnon life? I believe that with careful consideration of the wall drawings and of the culture that created them, and their physical journey, we can justly determine much about society and the stone age."

Tags:cave, dwellers, france, lascuax, paintings

From the Paper
"Most civilizations of ancient Mesoamerica were located either in the highlands or lowlands, although the Maya inhabited both. The earliest civilization, that of the Olmecs, rose along the rivers of the tropical Gulf Coast. Most Maya development also took place in the lowlands, under tropical conditions ranging from rainforest to scrub jungle in Yucatan, Chiapas, Guatemala, and Belize. The ancient cities of Tula and Teotihuacan, as well as Tenochtitlan, Motecuhzomals city, were located at high altitudes, and the center of highland life was the Valley of Mexico. Modern Mexico City is built on top of the Aztec capital, and so the Valley of Mexico still dominates Mesoamerica as it did in antiquity. "

Tags:america, anthropology, archaeology, aztec, latin, maya, olmec, yucatan

From the Paper
"Universal to virtually every human culture is the "Creation Myth or Story." A myth or story created by humans in an attempt to explain the creation, purpose, and existence of life. For the Maya, this creation story can be found in the Popol Vuh. Not only does the Popol Vuh recount the Maya creation story, but it also is a window into the religious, secular, psychological, and environmental life of the Maya people. This view can be applied to both the individual and the society and it also encompasses the cosmic world, the earth, and the underworld..... "

Tags:hero, history, myth, quiche, ritual, symbolism, creation, bible, mayan, literature

Abstract
The paper looks to answer the following questions: Can apes or any other non-humans use symbols or language? How does our understanding of the relationship between mind and brain help us to investigate which fossil hominins first used language? What do we know of the brains of fossil hominins and the constraints on brain size increase? What is language "as we know it?"

From the Paper
"A symbol is considered to be something that "stands for something else" (Davidson & Noble 1993). Davidson and Noble also suggest a second criterion, that is, symbols as accepted by social custom or convention. A ring worn on a finger can symbolize marriage, (although the social convention varies within groups of people) and is an example containing both criteria. The second criterion cited above stems from Wittgenstien's "private language argument"."

Tags:acheulean, bipedal, brain, communicate, symbolic, syntactic