Describe the aim of this kut, what happened during the kut, and the final result.

1. Take notes on the four questions below as you watch the video (to watch in a separate window, use the link: https://vimeo.com/213538784
The Story of Chini:
Describe the aim of this kut, what happened during the kut, and the final result. Give specific and accurate information.
Describe in more detail those parts of the kut involving Chini’s dead sister (and, based on the reading, also her father). Give specific and accurate information.
Remembering how we discussed Chinese beliefs as “means of coping”? Consider this kut as a “means of coping”. How might this kut have helped Chini and her mother and sister in dealing with their family history? Give a thoughtful, carefully considered answer.
What other issues do you think are at play here, not only in this initiation ceremony but in kuts in which a shaman would be paid by a client. Consider, for example, the relationship between practiced performance and the audience’s expectation of spontaneous visions and inspiration, considering also the economic pressures related to the training and work of a shaman, etc. Give a thoughtful, carefully considered answer.

2. Describe, in detail, and discuss the parts of Chini’s kut relating to her dead sister and father (see the assigned reading as well as the video), and suggest how these might have functioned as a “means of coping” for her, her living sister and her mother. Be sure to include ALL relevant information, demonstrating your knowledge from the lesson on Korean shamanism. Give specific and detailed information from the documentary and reading when answering these questions.

3. Making use of the videos linked to below, as well as what you have learned in the lesson about Shinto (along with previous lessons about Japanese myths), do the following:
Imagine you are visiting a Japanese Shinto shrine (write in the first person, i.e. “I …”). Describe the visit in detail. You must include the following:
Explain why you are going to the shrine and when.
Describe the key parts of the shrine as you move through it.
Describe what you do at each part of the shrine and why you do this (i.e., the purpose of the action as it relates to Shinto).
Explain how some of these activities might help you as a “means of coping.”
Also include summaries of the key beliefs and values of Shinto and try to relate these to the shrine and your description of your visit.

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