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By: Tristen Traicoff

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This is an imagine of a women of the Kayan tribe of Northern Thailand. Women of this tribe are known to wear brass rings around their necks. Every two years a new ring coil is added to slowly lengthen their necks. The Kayan tribe associates long necks with beauty.

Connection:
The reason women of this tribe follow this tradition today dates back to ancient traditions and ideology. The rings were initially used as protection against rival tribes and wild animals such a tigers, which are known to target their prey's necks. Today, the rings are a symbol of culture preservation and as a beauty aesthetic.

Even though the present use of neck rings was for protection, today it is viewed as the opposite as studies show the harmful effects the rings have on women's bodies. The ring coils themselves have weight to them in order to expand the neck. It can be difficult and painful for these women to have to endure. The amount of pressure the rings put on the spine can cause a vertebrae collapse and collar bone dislocation. Some women may also continue to wear the rings because it attracts tourists and it is a way for them to earn money. These women are forbidden to talk about health issues to foreigners about the rings as their wages will be reduced.

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Spain holds the biggest fiesta in the world in the city of Pamplona called the San Fermin Festival, also known as running of the bulls. The imagine depicts the bulls running through the city to the arena as citizens use themselves as a target to guide the bulls through the city. In the present, cattle herders needed a way to sell their animals from the country side to people in the city. The fastest way to transport cattle was to capitalize on their fear and excitement by having them run through the city to the arenas.

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The bull run was previously used to transport cattle, however today it is used as a ritual for citizen to show their display bravado and confidence. There have been many injuries that are a result of citizens going beyond their limits during the run. At the end of the run the bulls are killed in the arena by a matador as most out of region locals would could animal cruelty. The display of the animal killings is to show the strength and confidence of the people of Spain.

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This is an imagine of the tooth-filing ceremony in Mepandes/Metatah in Balinese langue. This is ritual for Balinese Hindu teenagers to mature and enter a world of adulthood. The ritual is said to remove impurities and passions from the body and soul so that the individuals can discover their true nature. Lust, greed, anger, intoxication, foolishness and jealously are the six enemies of human nature and are distinguished during the tooth filing.

Connection:
This is a type of ancient wisdom which encompasses religious prayers. Six teeth are filled to dispel the six enemies of human nature. If the teeth are not filed then their souls will be punished by "Betara Yamadipati" in hell. The practice has strong ideological support in Indonesia and enforces religious ideas of hells and heaven.

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Burning sage is a type of ritual used to purify spaces or people spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. The act is also referred to as "smudging". Sage is a plant in north America used by indigenous cultural. White sage, also known as salvia apiana is mainly used for purification. The video attached educates viewers on how the smudging practice is done and how it is used in homes.

Connection:
The ritual is believed to gain spiritual protection and blessing, as well as improving spiritual health. It applies to emotional connection because it is a way for indigenous cultures to revitalize their believes after traumatic events their cultures have went through. For example, residential schools, loss of territory, epidemics, and generational trauma experienced from assimilation. Bans on smudging is seen in society today as a women was prevented from smudging inside a provincial building in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It was banned because of the smoke it produces causing a human rights controversy. In the indigenous reconciliation process, the Canadian government has permitted the practice of smudging, as indigenous cultures are allowed to maintain their customs, spirituality, traditions and practices.

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How to use Sage to Purify your home (smudging)

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This is a video of the young boys from the Satere-Mawe tribe, use a ritual to turn the boys into men. The Mawe people believe that in order for one to become a man, they must suffer through the worst pain the jungle has to offer. The ritual involves the young boys sticking their hands into a glove full of bullet ants.

Connection:
This ritual must be conducted a total of 20 times over the course of a couple years. It is meant to prepare the boys for all dangers of the jungle. It is based on an ideology of the tribe that the men needs to be fearless in the face of danger and that by experiencing true pain, will turn the boys into true warriors and hunters. This is also appeal to authority because the boys of the tribe must follow the traditions of their elders in order to be part of their tribe. The issue with this ritual is that the boys can experience muscle paralysis, disorientation, and hallucinations as a result of the stings, causing permanent body damage.

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Initiation With Ants | National Geographic

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The New Zealand rugby team called "All Blacks" are famous for being the most dominant rugby team of all time and are known to preform a traditional haka before the start of every game while the opponent team watches. The video depicts this fierce display of strength shown by the team to their opponents.

Connection:
The origin of the haka was a celebration of life used by the gods. A haka was used on the battlefield to prepare warriors mentally and physically for battle. It was also performed when groups came together for peace. Hakas are still popular today and are performed for special occasions or celebrations. The All Black's haka is called "Ka Mate" first used in 1820 by a chief of their native village. The haka pays honour to their cultural roots and traditions.

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Rituals can also be seen being used by athletes to gain motivational advantages in competitions. This website link shows a ritual Michael Jordan did before all his NBA games. He use to wear his college basketball shorts under his NBA shorts because he believed that they were lucky.

Connection:
Michael Jordan shared a emotional connection to his college basketball coach, Dean Smith, who taught Michael much needed discipline and technique to propel him as one of the all-time greats. Michael Jordan's college team dominated the competition and won the nation championship game in 1982. To pay respects to his coach and his team, he believed that his shorts added to his success on the court. This is a type of patternicity as well because of the type of success Michael had throughout his career wearing these shorts on the big stage.

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Though Michael Jordan only played three years of basketball at North Carolina, he never strayed too far from his Tar Heel roots throughout his illustrious 15-year NBA career. During every game he played as a professional, Jordan would wear his UNC practice shorts under his jersey for good luck.

It has been reported that His Airness started wearing baggier shorts as a Chicago Bull to conceal the UNC duds underneath - sparking a style revolution in the NBA.

The practice shorts have become the stuff of legend themselves, having been featured in 1996's Space Jam, and receiving a 2017 retail release from Nike in their "The 2 That Started It All" pack.

#MJMONDAYS MJ used to wear his @UNC_Basketball practice shorts under his Bulls uniform for good luck ???? #JumpmanHistory pic.twitter.com/4LQVR4cBFk
- Jumpman History (@HistoryJumpman) September 22, 2020

Jordan's love for everything UNC certainly stems from his deep personal connection with his Hall of Fame coach, Dean Smith. The six-time NBA Champion admits he had the talent to become a great player at a young age, but needed the discipline and technique provided by Smith to reach his ceiling.

"Coming out of high school, I had all the ability in the world, but I didn't know the game," Jordan said. "Dean Smith taught me the game, when to apply speed, how to use your quickness, when to use that first step, or how to apply certain skills in certain situations. I gained all that knowledge so that when I got to the pros, it was just a matter of applying the information. A lot of people say Dean Smith held me under 20 points a game. Dean Smith gave me the knowledge to score 37 points a game, and that's something people don't understand."

As one of the top-ranked recruits in the country coming out of high school, Smith knew Jordan could be great, but realized he'd have to make him work for it.

"Michael Jordan has adapted very well to our type of basketball," Smith said at the beginning of Jordan's freshman season. "He's different than Walter Davis or Al Wood or David Thompson, so I think those are unfair comparisons. He's got a lot to learn, but he can be an outstanding player. He has talent. He's a very quick learner. He's a bright student, which passes on to the court and a remarkable young man who has fit in extremely well."

pic.twitter.com/KUU4bweBro - Jumpman History (@HistoryJumpman)September 22, 2020

Jordan and Smith enjoyed tremendous success together, accumulating an 88-13 record that included a National Championship victory against Georgetown in 1982. Over time, their on-court bond blossomed into a loving relationship outside the game of basketball.

"Other than my parents, no one had a bigger influence on my life than Coach Smith," Jordan stated shortly after Smith's passing in 2015. "He was more than a coach - he was my mentor, my teacher, my second father. Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him and I loved him for it. In teaching me the game of basketball, he taught me about life."

After Smith's passing, the legendary coach's estate dispersed a $200 check to all of his former varsity players. Jordan never spent his - opting to frame it and place it in his office as a reminder of his beloved mentor.

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Look: Jordan Wore His UNC Practice Shorts in Every NBA Game

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Though Michael Jordan only played three years of basketball at North Carolina, he never strayed too far from his Tar Heel roots throughout his illustrious 15-year NBA career. During every game he played as a professional, Jordan would wear his UNC practice shorts under his jersey for good luck.

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The website article outlines how a species of rhino went extinct due to poaching for their horns which is believed to have cancer curing properties.

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In present Vietnam a rumor spread that a politician had been cured by possessing the powder of a rhino horn. There are no details of the politician however this drastically increased the value of rhino horns and promoted poaching as a result. Locals believed there was mystical energy associated with the horns. The trend of obtaining the horns has lead to the extinction of three different species of rhino in Vietnam.

This is also an example of confusion with correlation with causation as the there were no scientific explanation to prove that rhino horns had special healing properties. Conservation groups have had to strategize ways to alter consumer behavior in these regions to dispel the idea that these horns or animal horns in general had mystical healing powers.

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It may have been a consumer rumour as much as a poacher's gun that finished off the last rhino in Vietnam. An investigation into the extermination of the animal has led back to a dubious claim - one that has gone viral in Vietnam in recent years - that powdered rhino horn cures cancer.

The rumour, which has no basis in science or traditional Chinese medicine, is believed responsible for a surge in demand that is blamed for the loss of three rhino populations in the past year, a wildlife NGO claimed this week. It has prompted conservation groups to begin an urgent review of strategies to identify and affect trends in consumer behaviour.

The Javan rhino was declared extinct in Vietnam last month after the last one was found dead with a bullet in its leg and its horn sawn off. This month, it was followed by Africa's western black rhinoceros and by warnings that the Sumatran rhino is on the brink of extinction in Indonesia.

This followed years of relative stability. The illegal rhino market went quiet in the late 90s as the two main sources of demand - dagger handles in Yemen and fever suppressants in China - were choked with a mix of government crackdowns and viable alternatives. As recently as 2007, only 13 rhinos were poached in South Africa. This year, the number is already 341.

"We couldn't understand what was happening at first," said Steven Broad of Traffic, a wildlife conservation group. "Then we noticed unusual demand from Vietnam. This had not previously been a major market so at first we assumed this was a staging point for China. But now we believe, Vietnam is the final destination."

The cause appears to be a rumour, started in Vietnam five or six years ago, that rhino horn had cured cancer in a former politician. The politician was not named, nor were there any details on the cancer supposedly cured. But the rumour spread rapidly and the price of rhino horn surged, recently hitting a record high of more than $60,000 a kilogramme - a higher price than gold. This prompted poachers to dust off their rifles and take greater risks. Rangers have shot dead 16 poachers since last year. Others are using helicopters for hunts.

Killings have also increased in Kenya and Tanzania. In Britain, thieves have broken into a museum to steal rhino horn. Legal trophy hunts have suddenly been flooded with applicants from Vietnam, some of whom had clearly never handled a gun before.

Some speculate that it may come from China. Others that the rumour was deliberately started by collectors and dealers of rhino horn, whose stocks have now surged in value. Other factors may also be at play, as many rhino horn collectors in China also invest in ivory products, expecting them to rise in value as the animals become scarcer.

Many questions remain. But for now, conservationists say the case shows the need to rethink their approach. Until now this has focused on protecting animals in the wild, but there is increasing recognition that more work is needed to identify and change consumer behaviour.

"The loss of our last rhino is a sad story," said Nguyen Van Ahn, a former activist now working for Vietnam's ministry of natural resources. "We have to do more to ensure the same doesn't happen to other endangered animals. I think we have to pay more attention on the demand side. We didn't do that enough before."

The stakes are high and not just for rhino. In Vietnam alone, the Indochinese tiger, Asian elephant, saola, Tonkin snub-nosed monkey and Siamese crocodile are all on the brink of vanishing. Elsewhere in Asia, many other animals are at risk from the surge in demand.

This global trend has been accelerated by the spread of internet commerce, international travel and the rapid development of China and other Asian economies, where affluent modern lifestyles and traditional habits of wild animal consumption are proving a particularly lethal mix for pangolins, tigers, sharks, elephants and a host of other species.

The sense of crisis has been evident in three separate workshops on demand reduction organised in Asia in the past two weeksThis week in Hong Kong, WWF, Traffic, the Environment Investigation Agency, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the World Bank joined marketing experts, media strategists and government officials in an attempt to draw up new approaches to reducing demand for tiger and rhino products in China and Vietnam.

This followed an "emergency brainstorming session" to arrest the depletion of Asia's wildlife, organised in Bangkok the previous week by the ASEAN wildlife enforcement network, the US international development agency and Freeland. Wildaid also called a gathering of interested parties on a similar subject in Beijing.

"Escalating demand in Asia and the poaching crisis in Africa and Asia perhaps are wake-up calls for many conservation groups," said Grace Ge Gabriel, the Asia regional director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "The fact is that putting a price tag on an endangered species is the fastest way to push it towards extinction. To reduce commercial exploitation of wildlife, we need to address every link on the trade chain, from anti-poaching to stopping smuggling to reducing market demand."

Conservationists have been trying for years to discourage purchases of ivory, whale meat, uncertified wood products and other items that up the pressure on endangered species.

While this is less glamorous, more difficult and harder to measure than the establishment of nature reserves and the fight against poachers, it is increasingly important as wild supplies decline and wealthy consumers increase. In future, more effort is likely to go into the work of surveying consumers, monitoring shopkeepers and launching marketing campaigns to shift habits, traditions and cultural norms.

The challenge and possibility were both evident around the venue for the Hong Kong meeting, which was located in the heart of the territory's massive shark fin market. It is estimated that between 25 million and 75 million sharks are killed each year to supply this billion-dollar business, which has devastated several species.

Government action to tackle this unsustainable harvest has been slow or non-existent so conservation groups have set their sights on consumers. This year, the WildAid international ambassador and basketball star Yao Ming spoke out against shark fin soup. Earlier this week, the Peninsula hotel - one of the most prestigious in Hong Kong - said it would stop serving the dish from January. It was a rare victory that campaigners hope to build on.

"Conservation groups need to help the hospitality industry develop a sustainable seafood market," said Stanley Shea of Bloom Association, a Hong Kong-based NGO that is pressing other hotels to follow suit. The demand-side strategy, he said, can help more conventional measures to protect the wild. "Now is the time for conservation groups to rethink their approach."

This article was amended on 29 November 2011. The original said Actionaid recruited basketball star Yao Ming this year to speak out against shark fin soup. This has been corrected.

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'Cure for cancer' rumour killed off Vietnam's rhinos

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It may have been a consumer rumour as much as a poacher's gun that finished off the last rhino in Vietnam. An investigation into the extermination of the animal has led back to a dubious claim - one that has gone viral in Vietnam in recent years - that powdered rhino horn cures cancer.

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In northeast India, Chhathi is a popular ritual that takes place on a newborn's sixth day after birth. Black thread is tied around the baby's waist or wrist and black eye liner is applied around the baby's eyes. This ritual provides protection from the evil eye, known as a supernatural threat.

Connection:
The article relates this ritual to these practices being used to protect health and how they are being more popularized by the covid-19 global pandemic. This is an example of ideology being used to protect one's health from sickness, disease and spirits. Rituals are being prompted and adapted during the pandemic. New traditions and clothing are being wore by northeast Indians to protect themselves from sickness. Although, these ritual are not supported by science, they are said to provide much needed psychological support to the people who may not have access to advance medical treatment. This related to emotional connection because locals do not want to live in fear of sickness and the ritual help these people live their lives more freely.

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COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of daily life, including rituals both sacred and mundane. At the same time, the pandemic has opened a unique opportunity globally to adapt rituals to meet new needs and respond to new challenges.

Rituals are social conventions that range from religious ceremonies like baptisms and bat mitzvahs to simple greetings like handshakes.

I study what rituals reveal about our minds, nature and culture. They are not arbitrary, capricious or random. Instead, they serve critical social functions such as welcoming newborns into families, celebrating graduations and marriages and mourning loved ones who've died. Rituals also promote solidarity by allowing communities to express their shared goals and values.

The pandemic has forced us to change many of our most common rituals, including how we celebrate rites of passage. Baby showers, birthday parties and funerals are now held virtually. Large celebratory signs on front lawns announce graduations. Couples livestream their virtual weddings on social media, and families host holiday celebrations outdoors to ensure social distancing.

Rituals around greetings and social support have also changed. Handshakes, kisses on the cheeks or lips and physical embraces have been replaced by elbow bumps, air kisses and virtual hugs.

Managing uncertainty

During times of uncertainty and danger, people often use rituals to reduce their stress and exert control over their environment. That's why rituals are common during periods of high risk, such as during pregnancy and after giving birth.

Consider Chhathi, a popular ritual in northeast India that takes place on the sixth day after a child's birth. During the ritual ceremony, the mother and child are bathed and fed. Black thread is tied around the baby's waist or wrist and black eyeliner is applied around the baby's eyes. This is meant to provide protection from supernatural threats such as the evil eye. Chhathi initiates a new baby into the family, garners supernatural protection and reinforces social cohesion within the community.

A global pandemic is also a time of significant transition and uncertainty when people have greater need for physical and social support. Over the past year, people have used electronic media to rapidly transform routine social rituals. Like the in-person rituals they replaced, these new interactions - such as virtual happy hours, Zoom business meetings and distance-learning classrooms - strengthen social ties.

Societies also use rituals for practical reasons, such as improving health and avoiding illness. Records of rituals used in medicine date back to ancient Egypt and the Papyrus Ebers, one of the oldest known medical texts. It includes this ritual to treat blindness: Crush, powder and blend the two eyes of a pig, mineral eye salve, red oxide and wild honey in a clay bowl. Inject mixture into patient's ear and say, "I have brought this thing and put it in its place. The crocodile god Sobek is weak and powerless."

Contemporary rituals are also used in this way to attempt to treat and prevent illness. Rituals called simpatias are used to treat pulmonary ailments in Brazil, rituals based on traditional medicine are used to treat HIV in South Africa, rituals performed during pregnancy are used to prevent birth defects in India and rituals using homoeopathic remedies are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in the U.K.

Image by Nghi Nguyen from Pixabay

Promoting hygiene

Many religious rituals concern cleansing and purification. For example, it is obligatory for Muslims to wash their face, arms, head and feet before praying, a purification ritual called Wudu.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also prompted people to adopt new rituals around personal and communal hygiene such as wearing face masks in public, rigorously cleaning shared surfaces and taking turns being inside businesses and workplaces.

Anthropologists believe such rituals may be part of a hazard-precaution system, a psychological system geared toward responding to threats in the environment such as pathogens or contamination. Since reducing contamination and promoting hygiene is essential to health and survival, having rituals to spread these practices within a population is useful.

There are good reasons people spend time, money and energy engaging in rituals in the face of COVID-19 restrictions. They are essential to meeting our physical, social and psychological needs in the face of adversity.
Cristine H Legare, Professor of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Why rituals are important survival tools during the COVID-19 pandemic

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COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of daily life, including rituals both sacred and mundane. At the same time, the pandemic has opened a unique opportunity globally to adapt rituals to meet new needs and respond to new challenges. Rituals are social conventions that range from religious ceremonies like baptisms and bat mitzvahs to simple greetings like handshakes.

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1. What surprised me most about this topic is how old rituals and beliefs are transformed overtime to used in modern times. For example, the use of neck rings was first used as a way of self defense against animals and rivals but now is used as a way of attracting tourists to their village to sell novelties. Also, at first glance I thought of rituals being a type of satanic act, however seeing how rituals are used for spiritual healing or emotional relief showed a different side as to why rituals can be beneficial to communities in times of depression.

2. This topic is relevant to me to help understand more as to why rituals are conducted by certain cultures. For example, learning about sage burning is especially important to Canadian culture because it shows how indigenous communities heal through rituals and prayers. It helped me gain an understanding as a non-religious person as to why religions continue to follow ancient practices.

3. I found the Haka dance the most interesting because it is a safe way for a culture to pay homage to their ancestry by performing a powerful display of strength. The routine shows how it creates unity and boosts morale for the team performing it, and the results speak for themselves.

4. I am most likely to remember how deeply rooted our current society is to ancient rituals and artifacts. For example, poaching of animals for their horns is still a practice today that needs to be distinguished. There is still a ignorance to research and information over ancient wisdom.

5. I think ideology is the most harmful overall because ideology takes old beliefs and applies them to today's world. Whether it relates to the bulls runs, neck rings, ant gloves, or animal poaching, things change and are learned over time which make certain practices irrelevant. It would be better if these ideologies would be updated to apply safely in today's society such as the All-Blacks haka. The least harmful in my opinion is "the unexplained" because conspiracy theories are sometimes harmless as they can create fun story telling that challenges current ideas. At least with the unexplained a certain amount of research or reasoning is conducted to prove one's point.

6. The most important knowledge I could pass along to a friend or family member is to respect the practices of one's culture because there is always some time of meaningful significant because their actions. For example smudging is important to indigenous cultures because it helps remove negative energies and helps with reconciliation of their communities.