ABSTRACT
As part of the great advances that have been made over the last twenty years in the detailed analysis of primitive social systems, transcendental beliefs and ritual observances have been closely analysed both as indices and sanctions of social obligation and the cohesion of social groups. The social framework of belief is secondary and may sometimes even be limited to that of a conveniently available field of communication within which individuals draw guidance for interpretation and action with respect to their common but discrete concerns. In seeking to reach any adequate degree of understanding of the supernatural beliefs accepted and acted upon by a given people, it would seem necessary to consider not merely one or other of their aspects. But to explore empirically the actual contexts in which they are manifested, so that the interplay of psychological and ecological factors can be determined.
