"African Religions and Philosophy" is a systematic study of the attitudes of mind and belief that have evolved in the many societies of Africa. In addition to the belief in deity, the Supreme Being of Africa largely overlaps conceptually with the identity and work of the biblical God. B. Foundational Religious Practices. Totems are very important because they are used on specific occasions to respect each other. <> According to Gottlieb and Mbiti: The environment and nature are infused in every aspect of traditional African religions and culture. H��Wk���>��"_vx6z��o�mR���b��@���h�ItHi\���\>4#J�`�����{�=��Ä%���w�������q�����߭��ϫ�������A������������}};���[�3����tŞ����ٳ�n�����j��m����������'��{�������=�v����������x���VfI����u�5�f��R�_��E��B4߄6�e���_U����.L���^˒�ȂW����5{>��p��s�,|��&>gȺ;�uG��+�*�����u�!�Q6F�{� kx��ɎI�v���D�.�W��[�sfB���|떼��,�B���1N��t�n�t�NBW��e{^vL��<>~���w�������n��\ʣ:/���t]�9lxm�@�:>�K��|��yz~��*��eΐ#��b��S���Jm�x�=����Qlp�C! [25], Some researchers, including historical ethnolinguist Christopher Ehret, suggest that certain monotheistic concepts, such as the belief in a creator god or force (next to other gods, deities and spirits) are ancient and indigenous among peoples of the Niger-Congo ethnolinguistic family (of much of West Africa and Central Africa) and date to the beginning of their history, in a form substantially different from the monotheism found in Abrahamic religions. This community is made up of people who remember and share the same traditions. In the context of traditional Africa, people are surrounded not by things but by beings; the first in rank being GOD . ), are excited to the point of going into meditative trance in response to rhythmic or driving drumming or singing. [39], For example, in the Serer religion, one of the most sacred stars in the cosmos is called Yoonir (the Star of Sirius). It deals with their cosmology, ritual practices, symbols, arts, society, and so on. A spirit ceremony is held by the Fon people of Benin, Nigeria, to contact the spirit world. "Traditional Religion", in his. He opines that African traditional religion contributed to the spread of Christian beliefs in Africa. stream /XObject <> Meru is located at the eastern part of Mount Kenya. That is the indigenous religion of every African people, which evolved from ancient times, without founders. J. Soc. 2. [32], Followers of traditional African religions pray to various spirits as well as to their ancestors. (Onitsha Nigeria: IMICO Press 1985) 109. Loosely, it encompasses all African beliefs and practices that are considered religious but neither Christian nor Islamic. In the United States Vudon is more predominant in the states along the Gulf of Mexico. Majority of people in Africa believe that spirits dwell in . The traditional values of the African includes among others: large family, love for and practice of the extended family system, respect for old people, ancestor worship, traditional religion, African loves nature and seeks harmony with it. All aspects of weather, thunder, lightning, rain, day, moon, sun, stars, and so on may become amenable to control through the cosmology of African people. Most religions can be described as animistic[4][5] with various polytheistic and pantheistic aspects. This Ghanaian Adinkra symbol means \"except for God\" and symbolizes the supremacy of God. Last week, in a veiled comparison between African traditional religions and Christianity, which is the major religion in Jamaica, some of the key elements of African traditional religions were discussed using Kenya-born Professor John S. Mbiti, a well-known scholar and researcher of African religions, as the main reference. While some religions adopted a pantheistic worldview, most follow a polytheistic system with various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings. The work begins with a literature review and field based on oral … The concept of death and afterlife in African Traditional Religion was not created in one day. General Overviews. Sc i., 2010, 1(2): 209-218 . … Some castings are done using sacred divination plates made of wood or performed on the ground (often within a circle). E. Ilogu, Christianity and Igbo Culture (New York : NOK Ltd. 1982) 204. Mgmt. Most indigenous African religions have a dualistic concept of the person. In Nigeria, the Yoruba people believe that a person has at least three spiritual beings. Cf. Emefie Ikenga - Metuh, African Religions in Western Conceptual Schemes: The Problem of Interpretation (Studies in lgbo Religion) 2nd ed. Man is however religious by nature, “Homo Religiosus”. 08��`DvG�њ;J��(E�Ɣhe۪R(��W���d}[3��m#>7F��w�b�G�t�iಳQ8� D:�ڳ�u. "African Religions and Philosophy" is a systematic study of the attitudes of mind and belief that have evolved in the many societies of Africa. The traditional African religions or traditional beliefs and practices of African people are a set of highly diverse beliefs that includes various ethnic religions. For the Kikuyu, according to their primary supreme creator, Ngai, acting through the lesser deities, is believed to speak to and be capable of guiding the virtuous person as one's conscience. AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION Religion is a difficult subject to inquiry including attempts at definition and conception. Rubinga, Paluku (1986), ‘The Concept of God as Father in the Bible & in African Religion’ in Benson & Gitari (1986), pp. In this state, depending upon the region, drumming or instrumental rhythms played by respected musicians (each of which is unique to a given deity or ancestor), participants embody a deity or ancestor, energy or state of mind by performing distinct ritual movements or dances which further enhance their elevated consciousness. That is, African traditional religion or African traditional religions (Mbiti 1969, 1–2; Idowu 1973, 103; Booth 1977, 3; Ikenga-Metu 1987, 19; Alolo 2007; Ejizu n.d). In this paper, we shall examine the African world view in order to locate the role of women in the traditional religion. [35], Traditional African religions generally believe in an afterlife, one or more Spirit worlds, and Ancestor worship is an important basic concept in mostly all African religions. African traditional religions is a term referring to a variety of religions indigenous to the continent of Africa. 4 0 obj Apart from the Jewish religion, there are diversity of religious expression that has developed around the world over the past 6000 years. The will of the gods or spirits is sought by the believer also through consultation of divinities or divination. - The unity of God - Intermediaries between Man and God - The relationship between Man and God - Attributes of God; 4) Conclusions. %PDF-1.3 %���� 217. The various divinities that are represented are in fact technically representatives or servants of the Supreme Being. The symbol can be found throughout Ghana. They counteracted various derogatory names given to AIR. Keywords: Sexual relationship; African Traditional culture; Cultural globalization; Sacredness; Taboos Introduction From Cf. Some African Religions even distinguish more than one spiritual essence residing within a person. Religion in most African societies also supports moral order. /ProcSet 46 0 R `��"����ѫT��d�[(.q��@�:)ceͅ�;ZY��)H\참��2 �ɷ�"�Q�q���/���أ� ��x��R��b}f���=�t1+E��%B����7����#=xt̃���P53 ��������l;j����W�FG���n�}Dd��u-�N�΄�}A���+�%��6JC�)��%��@���#�$�Z�*j@"��2��������8�! The Religion puts man on the center as a central concern, the universe, life, death and life after death. It is necessary to have the perception of the basic concept of the word “conflict” before exploring the extensive area of conflicts between African Traditional Religion and Christianity. By and large they had a much better perception of African Traditional Religion and they saw the relevance of the system of beliefs for African traditional society. (16) Each one is aware of all the elements of religion and worship. Among Nilo-Saharan speakers is the belief in Divinity; evil is caused by divine judgement and retribution; prophets as middlemen between Divinity and man. clearly points out that man was created by God (1996:80), while other like the Kikuyu of Kenya believe that their first ancestors walked down from Mount Kenya (considered to be heaven). The religion does not separate believers from unbelievers. Conflicts Between African Traditional Religion and Christianity in Eastern Nigeria: The Igbo Example Chukwuma O. Okeke1, ... for the life of an Igbo man is like a religious drama, which ... same vein sees this concept of Chi as a genius or spiritual double. The situation is, however, not the same in Africa. The reason is certainly associated with the religious propensities of man. S. Mbiti, John (1991). Egwu (2001) observes religion not only because of the problem of objectivity one encounters in defining but is emotion laden, even more so because of the difficulty of penetrating the "inner essence" of religion. Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated. Raleigh, NC: SI. Therefore, in African traditional set up, religion is almost synonymous with culture. This page was last edited on 31 December 2020, at 15:48. Among Niger–Congo-speakers is a belief in a creator God, force or higher deity, which is considered by some to be a widespread and ancient feature of Niger-Congo-cultures,[19][20][21] along with other more specialized deities, ancestor spirits, territorial spirits, and beings, as well as evil caused by human ill will and neglecting ancestor spirits, and priests of territorial spirits. Religion is elusive in nature and this makes it difficult to have one universally accepted definition of religion. Because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. People could gain knowledge of it through different ways but primarily from their experience. Also, this practice can also give rise to those in these trances uttering words which, when interpreted by a culturally educated initiate or diviner, can provide insight into appropriate directions which the community (or individual) might take in accomplishing its goal. Instead of God keeping his distance from man, He, throughout history and today reaches down in love to draw humans toward him. ), World Christian Encyclopedia, summarized here, "Ancient African Religion Finds Roots In America", "The Need to Re-Conceptualize African Traditional Religion", The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800, Black God: the Afroasiatic roots of the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions, Sayings of the Ancient One - Wisdom from Ancient Africa, culture-exchange.blog/animism-modern-africa, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Traditional_African_religions&oldid=997452558, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with dead external links from October 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Manjonjo Healers of Chitungwiza of Zimbabwe, Information presented here was gleaned from, Chidester, David. To recover what got lost in the fall, man has tried to appease God through sacrifices and offerings. �yD���xjm�5o=? [34] Some recognize a dual god and goddess such as Mawu-Lisa. We find it in the oral culture of proverbs, ritual formulas, prayers, creedal formulations, and … According to Clemmont E. Vontress, the various religious traditions of Africa are united by a basic Animism. "Kings, Magic & Medicine". ATR is the original religious belief and practice of the Africans. In traditional African societies, many people seek out diviners on a regular basis. I have opted to not include the concept of transcendence under similarities for I believe it to be an area where African theologians have fundamentally misrepresented African religion, by “‘baptising’ the data in order to project a traditional religion that is compatible with Christianity” (Bowers, 2002: 118). In the African traditional religions, ancestors were never considered demonic or as part of evil spirits (2007;383). There are more similarities than differences in all traditional African religions. John S. Mbiti, in his book Introduction to African Religion (1977: 63-66) argues that, “in African societies sacrifice was very common and that most, involved shedding of blood of a human being or an animal.” He adds that in African societies, life is closely associated with blood. Animism builds the core concept of traditional African religions, this includes the worship of tutelary deities, nature worship, ancestor worship and the belief in an afterlife. In traditional African religion the community is the most important part of someone's life. <> CONCEPT OF GOD IN AFRICA. This thesis covers the concepts of God in the traditional faith of Meru people but the background goes back to African traditional religion in general. [21][22] New world religions such as Santería, Vodun, and Candomblé, would be derived from this world. It is the most popular for decoration and can often be seen printed on cloth or stamped on pottery.The rapid spread of Pentecostal Christianity and fundamentalist Islam has greatly affected the role of indigenous religion in African society. Since Africa is a large continent with many ethnic groups and cultures, there is not one single technique of casting divination. Introduction. [26][20][21][27], Traditional African medicine is also directly linked to traditional African religions. [30], West and Central African religious practices generally manifest themselves in communal ceremonies or divinatory rites in which members of the community, overcome by force (or ashe, nyama, etc. The Supreme Being 37 38. They have replaced indigenous African religions, but are often adapted to African cultural contexts and belief systems. The defining line between deities and ancestors is often contested, but overall, ancestors are believed to occupy a higher level of existence than living human beings and are believed to be able to bestow either blessings or illness upon their living descendants. African continent as a unique continent in respect to culture and redefining the concept of sexuality and sacredness shifting the traditional norms and values, is one of the continents where many emphasis from group to individual erroneous perception of sex In most African traditional cultures, there seem to be no distinction between man and the rest of creation. [17] The first is that the context of this article is sub-Sahara Africa. The term “African Traditional Religion” is used in two complementary senses. 98 – 118. We now turn from examining the foundations of religious beliefs to the foundations of religious practices. 24 It is expedient at this juncture to give attention to the African Traditional Religion with the Edo concept of sacrifice in focus. Gods were either self-created or evolved from spirits or ancestors which got worshiped by the people. endobj Google Scholar Samuel, Vinay & Chris Sugden (eds.) The practice of casting may be done with small objects, such as bones, cowrie shells, stones, strips of leather, or flat pieces of wood. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religion of the African people. Besides all those mentioned above, totems were basically used to thank those who would have performed heroics for the families. The Semitic Abrahamic religion of Judaism is comparable to the latter world view. Africans who are notoriously religious who “eat religiously, drink religiously, bath religiously, dress religiously and sin religiously.”5 Cherish, nourish and sustain the institution … worth. Traditional Niger-Congo religion also included polytheistic and animistic elements. OLUPONA: If we lose traditional African religions, we would also lose or continue to seriously undermine the African practice of rites of passage such as the much cherished age-grade initiations, which have for so long integrated and bought Africans together under a common understanding, or worldview. Some sacred or holy locations for traditional religions include Nri-Igbo, the Point of Sangomar, Yaboyabo, Fatick, Ife, Oyo, Dahomey, Benin City, Ouidah, Nsukka, Kanem-Bornu, Igbo-Ukwu, and Tulwap Kipsigis, among others. He also notes that most modern African folk religions were strongly influenced by non-African religions, mostly Christianity and Islam and thus may differ from the ancient forms. But Does African religion or do ... satan or Lucifer is an imported religious concept from Europe. Totemism is manifested in various forms and types in different contexts and is most often found among populations whose traditional economies relied on hunting and gathering, mixed farming with hunting and gathering, or emphasized the raising of cattle. African Traditional Religion is a thriving scholarly business, but a serious disconnect exists between contributions that celebrate a generalized African Traditional Religion and those that describe particular religions and aspects of religion on … cultural globalization is so enormous to have sunk the ships of most African Traditional Cultures, the paper suggested a common ground for the accommodation of the concept of sex and sexual relationship between the African Traditional Culture and the emerging global culture. Peavy, D., (2016). The term totemism has been used to characterize a cluster of traits in the religion and in the social organization of many peoples. This facilitates better control and transformation of these energies into positive, culturally appropriate behavior, thought, and speech. The names which various African communities give to God project their best expression of Him in their religious experiences. In African traditional religion the spirits are always present, and requests and offerings are made to them for health, prosperity, and protection.36 African Traditional Religion 37. He further maintains that African culture has much in common with Diverse traditional beliefs and practices of African people, Encyclopedia of African Religion (Sage, 2009). Most of those who came to study the religions of Africa were armchair scholars who depended on data from missionaries who themselves concentrated in one community or tribe. An African understanding, The List: The World's Fastest-Growing Religions, "US study sheds light on Africa's unique religious mix", Ian S. Markham,(A World Religions Reader. Transcendence in African traditional religions Francis Rakotsoane1 Department of Theology and Religious Studies National University of Lesotho, Roma, Lesotho Introduction ‛Transcendence’ is derived from the Latin word transcendere, which means to ascend on or elevate oneself above (Mondin 1991:196). The ancestors are generally believed to reside in an ancestral realm (spiritworld), while some believe that the ancestors became equal in power to deities.[29]. [23][24][20] San religion is generally non-theistic but a belief in a Spirit or Power of existence which can be tapped in a trance-dance; trance-healers. The Benin Monarchy, Olokun & Iha Ominigbon. This paper attempts to reappraise his views on salvation from a theological point of view. 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