Indigenous Religious Traditions in Five Minutes - Molly Bassett
73. What do trickster tales tell us about human beings, and why are they important in Indigenous cultures?
Indigenous Religious Traditions in Five Minutes - Molly Bassett
Davíd Carrasco [+]
Harvard University
Davíd Carrasco, Neil L. Rudenstine Professor of the Study of Latin America, is a Mexican American historian of religions with particular interest in Mesoamerican cities as symbols and the Mexican-American borderlands. Working with Mexican archaeologists, he has carried out research in the excavations and archives associated with the sites of Teotihuacan and Mexico-Tenochtitlan resulting in Religions of Mesoamerica and City of Sacrifice. Carrasco has received the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor the Mexican government gives to a foreign national, and was recognized as the University of Chicago Alumnus of the Year in 2014.
Description
Tricksters are often animals like wily coyote, sly fox, clever spider, and cunning raven who challenge gods, insult shamans, undermine chiefs, and may become a culture hero even when caught in the act. In some traditions, tricksters can change shapes and gender.