ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Animism, Shamanism, and Shinto, along with the innovative British practice of natural burial and then an account of the national memorial arboretum. Tylor's Animism was, essentially, a theory of souls that also embraced the potential spirits of other animals, plants, and places: Animism was a theoretical account of forces of causation. Theoretical notions of Shamanism involve persons who, through ritual performances, are credited with the capacity to enter into alliances with spirits or supernatural agents. Today, shamans are found across the world in individuals able to heal or to assist with community difficulties by drawing on supernatural-style resources. Ritual Purity is a complex idea because it is both a theoretical concept and a bundle of practical behaviours or, in technical terms, it has ‘etic' and ‘emic' features. The term ‘etic' refers to formal, abstract, scholarly interpretations of behaviours, while ‘emic' explanations are those provided by local people commenting on their own actions.
