Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1944, Blaðsíða 320
28o
LE NORD
craft in general has developed from these primitive male con-
claves. Karsten points out that to rank without further circum-
stances the ancient German parliament, which was essentially
a political institution, with Melanesian or West African leagues
and secret societies which often had a religious foundation, is
a highly artificial proceeding.
It is also worth noting that Karsten’s conception of the tribe
takes in the geographical factor, only too often, unfortunately,
ignored by many other sociaologists. But in Karsten’s otherwise ad-
mirable introduction to sociology one misses a section devoted
to husbandry and the investigation of economic forms.
A second and important aspect of Karsten’s “theoretical”
contribution comprises his works dealing with the comparative
study of religions. In this sphere Karsten began with The Origin
of Worship (1905) and followed up this thesis written for his
doctor’s degree with studies in early Greek religion and a work
Hedendom och kristendom. Above all, however, mention should
be made in this connection of his Inledning till religionsveten-
skapen (1928) and a lengthy work in English, The Origins of
Religion (1935).4 In these works Karsten makes an exhaustive
study of the religious view of life and cult and describes the
various theories of the origin of religion and the different forms
of religion: so-called pre-animism, primitive conceptions of the
soul, the origin of magic from conception of a soul, animal and
plant worship, totemism, polytheism, pantheism. In the section
devoted to religious cults he deals with the origin of worship
of a deity, incantations, sacrifice, prayer, and the cult of the
soul.
Karsten’s field-work comprises research among the Indians
of South America. In 19n, when Karsten undertook his
first journey of research among the Indian tribes of Argentine
and Bolivia, the areas in question had been very little studied
from an ethnological and sociological point of view. His first
journey extended over a period of two years. Later, in 1916
—19, he made a similar journey to the interior of Ecuador, and
in 1928—29 and 1937 journeys to Ecuador and Peru (Western
Amazonas). Karsten also spent some summers in research work
in Petsamo.
Because the South American journeys were undertaken at dif-
ferent periods, it was possible for Karsten to check earlier material
on later journeys, and by directing his steps to different regions