Spirituality, Art, and Health
Under sociocultural anthropology, creativity, spirituality, and health are all connected. It is how we as humans can represent ourselves as well as connect to others. Spirituality can be defined as the beliefs around the connection between other humans and the environment or supernatural aspects of greater powers. It differs from religion because religion is based more on structure and organization, while spirituality is not as strict and is based on feelings. Humans use religion and spirituality to find comfort in the unknown and to find a sense of belonging and purpose. Creativity and the use of imagination to connect to others can be seen through works of art, such as physical media like drawings and paintings, music, or performance. Art can be used to represent culture or a way of life and serves as a form of physical representation. Health, medicine, and how we care for one another can be seen through medical anthropology. Ethnomedicine can be described as how a society treats illness based on cultural practices and beliefs. Every society has its own forms of spirituality, art, and health practices based on its feelings, beliefs, cultural practices, and social norms.
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| Pottery fragments found in China dating back 20,000 years.“Ancient Pottery” by Gary Todd/flickr, Public Domain |
In the article "Tapping Into Ancient Soundscapes" by Joshua Kumbani, the author writes about the recent archaeological explorations in Southern Africa to find traces of musical instruments. Many instruments of the time were made from organic materials, so they have not been able to be preserved through time. Evidence of dance and instruments has been depicted in cave drawings and other forms of art. Humans are social creatures and have been known to use art and music to connect and entertain. Instruments are not only applicable to music production but can also be used in religious ceremonies or sound-making devices. Sound and music are ways to communicate without words or language and can be traced back to almost every ancient civilization.
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| Remains of an ivory trumpet found in Mozambique. University of Pretoria Museums |
Tapping Into Ancient Soundscapes
In the video "Hmong Healing at Dignity Health" posted by Dignity Health, the video explains how an ethnic minority called the Hmong do not have trust in modern medicine and instead have trust in their own cultural health practices. At the Dignity Health hospital located in Merced County, California, where there is a population of about 7000 Hmong people, the hospital staff allowed for Shamans to treat Hmong patients. The ties of spirituality and health in the Hmong community are very close, and they believe that health comes from the mind, body, and soul. The hospital has allowed Hmong Shamans to practice rituals and religious ceremonies to take care of their sick Hmong patients.
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| A Hmong shaman treating patients at Dignity Health hospital. |
At the Panama City Publishing Company Museum, located in St.Andrews, the printing press was used to mass-produce newspapers that also incorporated art and graphics. In many advertisements, art and bold imagery were used to capture readers' attention. In a sea of words and information, the art stood out to paint a picture of what was being advertised. Many examples include grocery store sales, local attractions, and local events. The use of comics also made readers want to pick up the newspaper more often.
Panama City Publishing Company Museum
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