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Religion (Tyler)
The band of Phanat Nikhom is a very peaceful, spiritual, and ritualistic type that has had stories passed down by the wise through each generation which clearly states all was created by two shooting stars colliding through a black hole in the sky and sparking all that is around us. We are a very respectful tribe to everyone and everything around us. There were all sorts of people, plants, animals and other forms of life scattered all throughout the universe to live their lives and perform there duties to create an astounding history.
Some of the basic beliefs that we cherish is to hold and respect everything and everyone within and surrounding our environment to the highest degree at all times, such as in the form of Animism. Sure, we will need to kill animals for food and take down trees for shelter; whomever is performing the killing or building process will walk up to whatever it is after the act is finished, close their eyes and bow their head and say a prayer of thanksgiving and ask for forgiveness. We believe in the fact that spirits are with us and when something dies the spirit continues to live on.
Life and death is a very touching subject to all of our people. There are stages and rituals within each person's life as they grow and learn to become a better and more mature person. The first and most obvious of course is birth. When one is born, EVERYONE in the village is expected to bring the new family gifts that help celebrate and bring the new child up for their first year of life. Next, both males and females experience a biological changes around their 4,000th day of existence, and at this time they are known as an adult and are expected to uphold the responsibilities of any other adult. Now, since they do not necessarily understand the concept of 4,000 or are able to count that high, their way of determining this is realizing that they and their body is changing and see that they have reached this level of maturity. When this is discovered, their closest kinship will come together for a ceremony that could last for days and might include a great feast and the one going through the transition would go through a series of events to see if they are ready to uphold the title of an adult in the tribe. The third, final, and most sacred of a person's events is death...
LESSER BIRD OF PARADISE
When a person of the tribe dies, all comes together for a similar feast as when they were born and speak of memories and times throughout their life. To honor these beings, the Phanat Nikhomian's have a sanctuary set aside to bury them. They are wrapped in a blanket created from the branches and leaves to represent what they have lived within their entire life, and to preserve their body as a casket would within the sanctuary. Burying them helps their spirit and body be released back to the earth and also helps to prevent disease. Their death explains many of the beliefs and traditions of the Phanat people. We believe when a person dies, after a period of resting for their spirit, they would come back to life in a different form depending on how they lived their previous lives. If it was a horrible and unrighteous life then they will begin the cycle as a rain forest rodent such as a capybara, agoutis, or sugar glider, since it is believed that they were created last and meant to live their entire life on the bottom level. If it was a great and golden life, then they would end the cycle as one of the many forests birds like a wattled carrassow, lesser bird of paradise, or purple swamphen, because they were believed to be the first and best of all else and could do as they please--traveling from the grounds to the trees to the skies. Oursociety has also domesticated the birds so that they can go to them for help when a loved one becomes extremely ill.Other than these two, depending on the previous lifestyle, they could be anything in between like a piranha, baboon or even a jaguar. One exception is that a very wise person is said to enter into the spirit of the trees, who because of their great ages retain the wisdom of many generations. When the cycle is over and the bird passes away, they follow the light to a phenomenal place where they meet previous friends and family from previous lives and can do all they want, also having us pray to them in the times of thanksgiving and in the times of need.
Some of the basic beliefs that we cherish is to hold and respect everything and everyone within and surrounding our environment to the highest degree at all times, such as in the form of Animism. Sure, we will need to kill animals for food and take down trees for shelter; whomever is performing the killing or building process will walk up to whatever it is after the act is finished, close their eyes and bow their head and say a prayer of thanksgiving and ask for forgiveness. We believe in the fact that spirits are with us and when something dies the spirit continues to live on.Life and death is a very touching subject to all of our people. There are stages and rituals within each person's life as they grow and learn to become a better and more mature person. The first and most obvious of course is birth. When one is born, EVERYONE in the village is expected to bring the new family gifts that help celebrate and bring the new child up for their first year of life. Next, both males and females experience a biological changes around their 4,000th day of existence, and at this time they are known as an adult and are expected to uphold the responsibilities of any other adult. Now, since they do not necessarily understand the concept of 4,000 or are able to count that high, their way of determining this is realizing that they and their body is changing and see that they have reached this level of maturity. When this is discovered, their closest kinship will come together for a ceremony that could last for days and might include a great feast and the one going through the transition would go through a series of events to see if they are ready to uphold the title of an adult in the tribe. The third, final, and most sacred of a person's events is death...
LESSER BIRD OF PARADISE
CAPYBARA
When a person of the tribe dies, all comes together for a similar feast as when they were born and speak of memories and times throughout their life. To honor these beings, the Phanat Nikhomian's have a sanctuary set aside to bury them. They are wrapped in a blanket created from the branches and leaves to represent what they have lived within their entire life, and to preserve their body as a casket would within the sanctuary. Burying them helps their spirit and body be released back to the earth and also helps to prevent disease. Their death explains many of the beliefs and traditions of the Phanat people. We believe when a person dies, after a period of resting for their spirit, they would come back to life in a different form depending on how they lived their previous lives. If it was a horrible and unrighteous life then they will begin the cycle as a rain forest rodent such as a capybara, agoutis, or sugar glider, since it is believed that they were created last and meant to live their entire life on the bottom level. If it was a great and golden life, then they would end the cycle as one of the many forests birds like a wattled carrassow, lesser bird of paradise, or purple swamphen, because they were believed to be the first and best of all else and could do as they please--traveling from the grounds to the trees to the skies. Oursociety has also domesticated the birds so that they can go to them for help when a loved one becomes extremely ill.Other than these two, depending on the previous lifestyle, they could be anything in between like a piranha, baboon or even a jaguar. One exception is that a very wise person is said to enter into the spirit of the trees, who because of their great ages retain the wisdom of many generations. When the cycle is over and the bird passes away, they follow the light to a phenomenal place where they meet previous friends and family from previous lives and can do all they want, also having us pray to them in the times of thanksgiving and in the times of need.
clinn@k-state.edu |
Latest page update: made by clinn@k-state.edu
, Nov 16 2008, 10:30 PM EST
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| jelantz | picture | 0 | Nov 10 2008, 4:12 PM EST by jelantz | ||
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Thread started: Nov 10 2008, 4:12 PM EST
Watch
I was wondering what kind of bird that is in the picture. I think it'd be a good eye-catcher for the poster, but I'd like to label it! Thanks!
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| bwinkler | Creation Story | 0 | Nov 9 2008, 10:52 PM EST by bwinkler | ||
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Thread started: Nov 9 2008, 10:52 PM EST
Watch
I was wondering if you could add a little bit more about the creation of our culture. I had something down orginally, but since you have a good start about the religion I figure you could continue on, since our religion and creation go hand in hand.... I started a little on it and took your wonderful picture... I like what you did for the religion
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| jelantz | reincarnation | 0 | Nov 4 2008, 9:45 PM EST by jelantz | ||
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Thread started: Nov 4 2008, 9:45 PM EST
Watch
I really like the reincarnation idea. It goes along with the ancestral bit.
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