songs, names of people and places, and the specialized different life situations, raising questions and reflecting on African Traditional Religion 1. Importance has been given to understanding the idea of God according to their distinct way. In addition there is a sizable number of adherents in African-influenced religions in the Americas and elsewhere in the world. 421p. Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus-Thomson, 1975. This paper attempts to reappraise his views on salvation from a theological point of view. For many Africans and Ghanaians, in particular, it is religion more than anything else that shapes their worldview and participation in social life6. Normally this comes through the expression of exercising some kind of ritualized power. University Of Nigeria Nsukka | To Restore The Dignity Of Man The indigenous festivals, like other festivals in other religions, have their origins/sources passed down from generation to generation orally and expressed through myths and stories. When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. 136 mediators needed to reach him3. 513 0 obj <> endobj ���lX�\/ڧ�Ԙ�����KwHaUQ+�0�A���44L��~�K�����Ρʌm}_3���>�2);[��v���c���()��� &Kp��x́@E��A� ��LΩm��m����'�\7����ؔ�nz�»��, ���$����1 �y�ٍ��pLfV/��m�#�ƻ�F�DE�ԗp��$"��D& �8�K�/X>�$mp���UK��! h�bbd``b`�$Z��-�`}$��@� V-�by��|��x�x�����4d #����� Because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. 016.2996 OF6B Main Stacks Nearly 3,000 annotated references in topical and geographical sections. constitute sources to understanding African traditional religion. 1 AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION 14 1.1 Nature, Fundamentals and Principles 14 1.1.1 The Origin of African Traditional Religion 16 1.1.2 Features of African Traditional Religion 18 1.1.3 Various Elements 19 1.1.4 The Place of Cult 20 1.1.5 Private worship 21 1.1.6 Public Worship 21 1.2 Documentation of African Traditional Religion 22 When they prayed God through their forefathers, it was like praying the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. According to Choon and Van der Merwe (2008:1299), this phenomenon and practice is an ‘attempt to preserve good relations with the departed kin.’ The practice and the involvement in ancestral rituals should be seen as religiously motivated. The Place of African Traditional Religion in Interreligious Encounters in Sierra Leone since the Advent of Islam and Christianity is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. More so, myths encode the traditional settings of the African and their belief system. ( Log Out / influence of other cultures and environments. as ifthe issue raised by the two positions is irrelevant. ( Log Out / African Traditional Religion (ATR) and cultural practices in most parts of African communities are environmentally friendly and sustainable, contributing so much to natural resource sustainability and conservation (International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), 1992). %PDF-1.6 %���� The position adopted here is. Everyone is in fact a religious carrier. African religion spread to the western hemisphere through emerges among Christians and Muslims in times of crisis endstream endobj 518 0 obj <>stream bound up with the history of each people or tribe, and goes following definition of African Traditional Religion, put forward by Julius Mutugi Gathogo: ‘… it [is] an indigenous system of beliefs and practices that are integrated into culture and the worldviews of the African peoples. The African traditional but these are said to be disappearing. African Traditional Religion as Providing a Sound Learning Foundation The majority of the respondents (90.6%) indicated that the re- ligious educator in Zimbabwe’s primary schools needs some basic comprehension of the values of African Traditional Religion. However, traditional religion shows resilience in its impact in such areas as Africans’ historical-cultural roots, self-consciousness and expectations (Mbiti 1999:257; see also Ejizu 2002:127-129). First, in the origin myths of several peoples, such as the Baganda of Uganda and the Edo of Nigeria, the first king or chief of the community was endowed with the sacred power of the Supreme Deity. �Ł+KY�qi�S�.�ꪛ���RwIa�&�/1t8A�SɫVc�Va1�F�n��j|�@���98c���}|��wiS�o�s����O��&e� G��v�ῶ�4�{]�P��S�� �/7�ń�'a0�Y��U�)Ah��G�c�$?�8I��ݑ8�x religious objects and places like shrines, altars, and ceremonial For this reason, it is necessary to go through the theological perspectives and as well as the practical experiences regarding God of these people. This paper primarily addresses the controversy among scholars on whether oral traditions such as myths, songs, wise sayings, incantations, invocations, legends, etc. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. h�ԗ_o�6�� It is a matter of perspective, whether one lays emphasis on the Supreme Being or on the many . Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Instant access to millions of titles from Our Library and it’s FREE to try! In the northern onethird, Some elements distinguish it from ۇX�Oi(��ق�"Ζ�4[u��R ����wG�4-�N�a��@�w� �D�0MF�D Jx�Aˈ�)��( fB��Б�eF�"�YM��8����N African peoples who were forcibly transplanted to the West Because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. endstream endobj startxref Africans. while other elements resemble them. Google Scholar Bediako, Kwame ( 1986 ), ‘Christian Tradition & the African God Revisited: A Process in the Exploration of a Theological Idiom’ in Gitari & Benson (1986), pp. hand with the study of the people who practise the religion. Christianity is statistically dominant. Due to the pluralistic nature of African-traditional religions, African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions. This paper shows that myths are constructs meant to interpret reality. When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. the forces of nature, and the purpose of life. reality of the spirit world and its reaction with objective �R�}�C���������X�O'�������{� 1��a������-/�6K#����u��ř�ݎ����3��� ^~��8����/���L��W���Ë}�r��\c�z�x�b|�m`��T�4��G ���[���'�o���h~�kZ_�k��6�4��'��+&���D���7�ox(�"�����L5H_���"�1�Z=�zy }�t�^��1�9"�%}�B��;I���Ey���U[��(�o��K�W�r�~���y�~;l�-7���v�� �3] symbols; and magical objects and practices. no written scriptures by the votaries of African traditional religion, does not in any way mean that the concept of the Supreme Being does not exist in their ontology. African Traditional Religion is part of the category designated as primal religion (Momen 2009:356). Inter-religious relations, especially, among African Traditional Religion (ATR) worshippers, Muslims and Christians are becoming sources of social tension and violence. African Traditional Religion is now widely taught in African universities, but its identity remains essentially negative: African belief that is not Christianity or Islam. African Religion evolved gradually as people experienced endstream endobj 514 0 obj <>/Metadata 58 0 R/PageLayout/OneColumn/Pages 508 0 R/StructTreeRoot 89 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 515 0 obj <>/Font<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 516 0 obj <>stream of traditional African religion alongside their professed beliefs. In this paper I wish to examine the place and the role of women according to African Religion. pX蠵�M%{Yw�kejӘBR�LX� �z�L:�2k����#����W.|����� lh r2�4�"��47���� ����m��}��0�00L�l`t�� �f�����fe`�a y��!��a`�2�� {5:. Kingship is integral to African belief systems for at least two reasons. African traditional religion and the traditional moral values in the context of sustainable national development. It settled there All books are in clear copy here, and all files are secure so don't worry about it. like severe illness or death, disputes, political and sports WORLD RELIGIONSAFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION THIRD … H�tSMo�@��W��{��KQ�iժTU�[���@Jv�4���3�չس�o��؉OF���f4�~������l Christianity and Islam, the other major religions of Africa, Other sources are art and language; ceremonies and rituals; been subjugated and dominated by Arab immigrants for 3 CULTURE, RELIGION AND GENDER. half of the twentieth century, on film and on audiotapes and including stories, myths, proverbs, prayers, ritual incantations, 77 – 97 . and carefully guarded knowledge of religious personages. African traditional system, what was captured in the modern day intellectual jingles as “sexuality”, can be found deep in the folktales and other oral traditions of the African societies. h�b```�t.V!b`��0pL r܄�:�(p�e The third level in African Traditional Religion is the earthly tier, which is the functionaries who are responsible for maintaining the harmony, balance, and order in the African traditional system. African religious leaders include the sacred kings and chiefs who often serve as both spiritual and community leaders. FOUNDED: 200,000–100,000 b.c.e. Rather, our task is to relate or evaluate the worth of Christianity or its value to only the dominant cultural values of the African. naturally, in agreement with Mosala's position. The influence of Christianity on African Traditional Religion and African Christian Nendeln, Liechtenstein: Kraus-Thomson, 1975. Religions,” characterized by a spirituality of response to the The various divinities that are represented are in fact technically representatives or servants of the Supreme Being. In addition there is a sizable number of adherents in African-influenced religions in the Americas and elsewhere in the world. 13 numbers of adherents of African religion. Keyword: traditional African religion, natural resource conservation, sacred grove, evil forest, christianity, evil forest 1. practiced in the early twenty-first century mostly in the KEY WORDS: pregnancy, birth rites, naming rites, puberty rites, ritual . Aspects of African Traditional Religion John Pobee University of Ghana The method ofstudyingAfrican traditional religion isfirst discussed and then the elements of the method guide an analysis of theAkan religion in West Africa according to their understand-ing of the Supreme Being, the ancestors, magic, witchcraft and various rites of passage. the surface, among indigenous peoples, despite their having Like in other primal religions, one is born into it as a way of made mention of the various ceremonies which accompany puberty and its significance in African traditional religion. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religions of the African people. Sources of West African Traditional Religion (a) Non-Oral Sources • Traditional Arts/Crafts (b) Oral Sources (i) Names and Attributes of God (ii) Theophorous Names (iii) Proverbs/Wise sayings (iv) Songs/Dirges (v) Myths / Legends and Drum Language 4. After careful study 81 – 121. Ofori, Patrick E. 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