African Spirituality: Forms, Meanings, and Expressions. African Traditional Religion book. Human conduct is most important within African traditional religions and the belief in God implies a certain type of conduct. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Larger buildings, such as temples, function exclusively for religious purposes; there are numerous temples for the worship of various deities. Because there are no sacred books, however, it is impossible to know what traditional religions were like 500 or 1,000 years ago. Another set, "Twins of Storm," retained authority to govern thunder and lightening. This Ghanaian Adinkra symbol means "except for God" and symbolizes the supremacy of God. Myths do, however, retain similar structures and purposes: to describe the way things were at the beginning of time and to explain the cosmic order. African Traditional Religion has been evolving; there is in it the element of continuity as well as discontinuity. In the case of drought, flooding, volcanoes, famine, illness, and other disasters, devotees offer a sacrificial animal to appease the spirit deity thought to be responsible for the calamity. Every African community and ethnic group has its own religious places, which can take several forms. Thus, religious founders are described in creation stories. In the forefront was E. Bolaji Idowu. in The Concept of God in Africa (1970) are a few examples of . ." However, the date of retrieval is often important. In some southern African religious groups, however, the Supreme God is not considered to be remote. Berber, Karin. Thus, traditional funerary ritual in many cases has been effective in inspiring wise use of natural resources. The wheel contains everything found on Earth. . Representing iron and metal, the most powerful pair maintained jurisdiction over the manufacture of iron implements such as knives, hoes, arrows, and, beginning in the twentieth century, guns and automobiles. A head priest is chosen by his predecessor; otherwise, village elders or a chief's council make this decision. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). The diviner prescribes a remedy, which is usually a sacrificial ritual, but in a case of grave illness medicinal herbs may offer a cure. For example, agricultural rituals function communally to benefit the group. During the 1940s and 1950s departments of religious studies were created in universities in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and Sierra Leone. There is great variation in the traditions and rituals surrounding death. They are based on seasonal availability and environmental, social, cultural, and religious differences. Individuals or groups of people practice divination in order to discern the meanings and consequences of past, present, and future events. Masks, costumes, and body design accompany religious ceremonies. Traditional African cultures have various standards and restrictions for attaining ancestral status and spirituality, and at times even a child may become an ancestor. Many communities maintain elaborate calendars of festivals that run throughout the year. Accordingly, dietary prohibitions and peculiarities are associated with the deceased and the diets of those who inhabit the heavenly world. It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society and so on.because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. These moral values are thus embedded in the religious ethos and cosmology. Merriam, Alan P. An African World: The Basongye Village of Lupupa Ngye. About 10 per cent of the African population is still practicing some form of traditional religion today. Shrines, religious objects, and sacred places are decorated with many forms, shapes, and colors to express religious concepts. Puberty rituals signify the coming of age, when elders reveal to the younger generation the ancestral secrets of deep knowledge. One of the foremost of these is Wande Abimbola (born in 1936), who in 1987 was selected by the elder babalawos in Nigeria to be the awise awo agbaye (chief spokesperson of Ifa and Yoruba religion and culture). Leaders in African traditional religions are the people who impart religious wisdom and guidance to believers. A nightmare indicates the coming of an unpleasant event. History of African traditional religion Christianity came to Africa from the outside, it happened, as the legend says, in 42, then the Orthodox Coptic Church was formed by the Apostle Mark. Certain herbs are sacred, and those priest specialists who have deep knowledge of how to use them are called herbalists. An injured toe means that a visit will be dreadful. All traditional religious practices incorporate ritual, although the forms vary greatly from region to region, ethnic group to ethnic group, and even from individual to individual within the same religious tradition. Religious Denominations, African-American Sports Statistics, Lists, and Award Winners, https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/african-traditional-religions. These deities consume no other foods, except perhaps kola nuts, a standard ritual ingredient in many African cultures. . They reward good deeds and punish bad deeds. Proper burial entails a performance of elaborate funeral ceremonies by all members of the deceased's descendants. Africans do, however, precisely define the structure of their cosmos. Seasonal festivals commemorate annual events such as field preparation, planting, harvesting, hunting and fishing periods, and the New Year. Traditional African Belief. Although a large proportion of Africans have converted to Islam and Christianity, these two world religions have been assimilated into African culture, and many African Christians and Muslims maintain traditional spiritual beliefs. Newborns are said to come from the place of the ancestors, not necessarily in actual physical This entry presents a brief, general picture of Africa's traditional religious heritage, focusing on the major beliefs because…, ••• Furthermore, African cultural practices contain elements of indigenous religion. The diviner recalls and interprets an appropriate text and, through further questioning, arrives at a definitive cause of the client's quest. Moyo, A. This is because he occupies the realm beyond the physical abode of humans and thus remains outside their immediate influence. For instance, Yoruba devotees of an orisa (deity) wear red and white marks on their foreheads. One of the best, however, is the account by Malidoma Patrice Somé (born in 1956) of his own initiation as a member of the Dagara of Burkina Faso. A bad death (suicide or murder) may cause the victim to be buried in the "waste bush" to discourage the spirit from reincarnating or disturbing the peace of the living. In African traditional religions guidance is provided through myths, which are handed down orally. In hierarchical African societies a few skilled elites who possess status, knowledge, authority, and power are chosen to use sacred ritual icons. A twin in Yoruba culture is forbidden to eat the meat of the colobus monkey, because the Yoruba believe that twins have kinship relationships with them. Lineage or familial misfortune signifies punishment for the past sins of members of the lineage. ——. It was named after its namesake Yoruba kingdom in West Africa. Return from African Traditional Religions to Homepage. In a village one priest usually leads all other priests. Today, around 10 percent of the African population still practice some form of traditional religion. Such offerings are often placed in or on family shrines, which are usually located behind the family house or compound. African religions rely on no single individual as a religious leader but instead depend upon an entire community to do religious work. Highly trained diviners have largely been responsible for memorizing and transmitting important historical and cultural events to the living generation. Most traditional African religious cultures have thus become more inclusive. female circumcision, polygamy, and approaches to gender relations—as peculiar compared with Western cultural practices. African religious leaders include the sacred kings and chiefs who often serve as both spiritual and community leaders. Ifa Divination: Communication between Gods and Men in West Africa. Rather, they have certain vital elements that function as core beliefs. Ifa Religion is an indigenous, earth centered African spiritual tradition which was conceptualized by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa. The Igbo people of Nigeria's Owerri region traditionally believe that Alà, goddess of Earth, together with Amadióhà, god of thunder and lightning, oversee the essential aspects of village life. The Creative Communion: African Folk Models of Fertility and the Regeneration of Life. Since the 1980s the religions of African immigrants have influenced American culture. The gods are concerned with many issues in the day-to-day life of the people, including their fertility, agricultural production, governance, and health and well-being. The African pantheon of gods, goddesses, spirits, and other superhuman beings is difficult for outside observers to comprehend. The spirit takes hold of the diviner and speaks in spirit voices, which are interpreted by the diviner's assistants. Among some peoples of East Africa it is thought that a person dies only if he or she has no one to remember him or her. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1986. In the Fon creation myth the Supreme Being, Mawu, is of indeterminate gender. There are an abundance of temples, shrines, altars and groves used for private and public worship. According to African traditional beliefs, deities normally prefer certain foods and drinks and abstain from others. African artists produce sacred icons and symbols of traditional religions in an enormous array of forms, both abstract and representational. They are used only for ceremonies, rituals, prayers, and sacrifices. Their traditional religions, however, are perhaps the least understood facet of African life. Similarly, the name for a medicine healer is sumãnkwafo, amawato, onisegun, and dibia. Africa, the place of origin of all humankind, is divided into numerous political and cultural regions, reflecting its diverse range of histories, ethnicities, languages, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. This is because traditional weavers manufacture textiles from palm fronds and also because Ògún's preferred food and drink come from the oil palm tree. The study of African religions today is a global phenomenon, with methodologies and theoretical approaches that range from collecting ethnographic data to addressing the works of missionaries who try to convert the indigenous people to Christianity. As goddess of peace and mother of her people, Alà provides and protects them, deriving her great strength from the land. This veneration takes the form of libations, offerings and prayers. They are not fixed, because accounts may vary from generation to generation or even among individuals who tell these stories. African indigenous religions are timeless, beginning with the origin of human civilization on the continent, perhaps as early as 200,000 b.c.e., when the species Homo sapiens is believed to have emerged. The prayers are usually short, extemporaneous, and succinct, and may be accompanied by sacrifices and offerings. Some African groups have cults dedicated to the Supreme Being, but in general the creator does not have a special cult of devotees. They always involve larger groups of people or entire communities. Persian and Arab merchants introduced Islam in East Africa by trading in coastal towns up and down the eastern seaboard. Their studies avoided describing African cultures in indigenous terms. At the end of the twentieth century, Islam spread into areas such as Rwanda, where the trauma of civil war, ethnic violence, and genocide implicated Christianity and left Islam with a reputation for being on a higher moral level. 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