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Last Updated: Sunday, December 2, 2001

• ART: What is painted in relation to what else gives clues as to the meaning of the concepts in a mythology of a culture.
  pp 25-29
  
• Sacred Institutions: What is sacred, what rituals are performed at important times of the year, or performed at important occassions like the changing of leadership, or birth and death of people give substantial clues as to the belief systems of people. A graphic example was given by the meaning and use (appropriate and by the colonial authorities inappropriate) of the Golden Stool among the Ashanti.
  pp 29-30
  
• Oral Tradition: This usually includes riddles, prayers, idioms, blessing and curses.
  p 30
  
• Myths: This are sacred tales that are believed to actually have happened, and are unquestionable, undebatable matters.

  "Myth is the clear presentation of the outlook of people living in communities. It is their objective and permanent philosophy of life."

  
  pp 31
  They are not Folktales which are told for entertainment, and perhaps to instruct in morality, nor are they legends which are the cultures history put in story form.
  
• Proverbs: What is true in a culture is captured in a proverb. Sets of proverbs often reveal conflicting viewpoints of the world. There are two different expectations being contrasted in the English proverbs: "It never rains but it pours." and "Every cloud has a silver lining."
  Here is what some tribes have said about their proverbs:
  ZULU: "Without proverbs, the language would be but a skeleton without flesh, a body without spirit."
  YORUBA: "Proverbs are horses for chasing missing words."
  (both from page 30)
  They can emphasis the power and consideration of the gods as in the Sans' proverb: "What a frog eats, God does not put on top of a tree."(page 33), and they can emphasize the reciprocal nature of the relationship between humans and their gods, as with the Dahomey: "A spirit which eats a man's offering pays him back with life."(page 34) or the Kalaheri "People make the gods important."(page 35)
  pp 32-35
  
• Names of People: "Nomen est omen" - The name is an omen. The name given to people reflect their world view and expectations, their fears and hopes.
  pp 25-29
  
  
  
  
  
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