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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Often, a patient already has the following with a returned power animal:

2. Harner indicates that a tonal animal is linked to someone's fate in what?

3. When first communicating with a guardian spirit animal, what does the author recommend novices do before engaging in detailed conversations?

4. What do the Jivaro do so that newborns can see their guardians?

5. What is the most famous method of acquiring a guardian animal spirit?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does a power animal need to be danced regularly?

2. How does a shaman obtain a power song needed to retrieve a power animal?

3. In the power restoration exercise Harner presents for the reader, what is the participant told to avoid?

4. Where do "big dreams" come from, and what purpose do they serve?

5. How did Essie Parrish, a California Pomo Indian, acquire her first power song?

6. Describe what Harner writes about the mythical past link between humans and animals.

7. What is a vision quest?

8. How do power animals first show themselves to a shaman?

9. Give a brief summary of the exercise the author presents to the reader on how to dance one's animal guardian spirit.

10. How do the Jivaro know if a person has or doesn't have a guardian animal spirit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the journey the author takes with Akachu, the Jivaro shaman, detailed in Chapter 1. Can you tell which parts of the journey are literal and which are figurative? What clues reveal the literary portions? The figurative parts?

Essay Topic 2

Harner explains that in most shamanic cultures, it's important that people are woken up slowly. Explain why. Also, explain the connection between the belief that power animals travel and the reason for waking someone up gradually.

Essay Topic 3

Explain the role of guardian spirits, spirit helpers, and power animals. Do you feel there is a significant difference between these entities? How do they differ? In what ways are they similar? Cite three separate instances showing when a shaman would call upon one particular entity over the other two.

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