Ritual - Research Articles

A diffusionist deep dive tracing masked ritual from a single Levantine hearth—stone masks and plastered skulls—to a global grammar of spirit embodiment.

On Cape York, dunggul names both ‘snake’ and ‘bullroarer.’ What this polysemy reveals about initiation, being ‘snake‑bitten,’ and the ritual voice.

How bullroarers figure in Papua New Guinea male initiations—from Purari Delta imunu viki and kaiamunu ‘monsters’ to Sepik Tambaran houses—plus names, stages, and secrecy.

Comparative cases where initiates are called ‘snake‑bitten’ or ‘swallowed’—from Cape York’s dunggul to Sabazios, Yuruparí, the Ophites, Hopi Snake Dance, and Wawilak—w/ primary sources.

A research-oriented account of the Yolngu Djang’kawu and Wawilak Sisters cycles—origins of law, language, and ceremony—mapped to EToC.

A research-first account of the Tiwi Purukapali myth and the Pukumani mortuary rite, with primary quotations, variant attestations, and a synthesis with the Eve Theory of Consciousness.

Comparative, primary-source survey of the bullroarer’s functions across Aboriginal Australia, mapped to Eve Theory of Consciousness constructs.

A research‑oriented account of the Wanjina Wunggurr creation complex (Worrorra–Ngarinyin–Wunambal), showing how repainting rock images sustains seasonal order and Law.

How a simple whirled instrument traces the spread of male secret societies and ritual culture from the Late Paleolithic to the present.

Explains the shared Chinese 招魂 and Tai-Lao su khwan rites that summon a runaway soul back into the body and why they persist across cultures.