We must also point out that, to the Africans, the material has meaning only in terms of the spiritual. The only negative actions taken by ancestral spirits is to cause minor illnesses to warn people that they have gotten onto the wrong path. Hence Professor Idowu aptly describes this period as the “period of ignorance and false certainty” in the study of African Traditional Religion. Origins of major world religions reflected in SA. London: Sheldon Press, 1974) ISBN 0-85969-014-8; Parinder, E. Geoffrey. Africa Traditional Religious System as Basis of Understanding Christian Spiritual Warfare 1. (vii) Idolatry: Idol means false god; and so idolatry is the worshipping of false gods or that which is not real. Sangomas are part of spiritual traditions and are responsible for healing and telling the future. [19] S. F. Nadel, The Nupe Religion, London, 1954. The continent of Africa has been home to hundreds of indigenous tribes speaking a wide variety of languages and believing a wide variety of different spiritual ideas. African Religion is ancestor worship. While some religions adopted a pantheistic worldview, most follow a polytheistic system with various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings. In the Zulu culture there are mystics or sangomas that are responsible for healing and 'divining' - a kind of fortune telling and counseling. But they were proved wrong. Many different languages, religions and types of economic activities developed on this continent. For example, P. A. Talbot in his Life in Southern Nigera devoted three chapters to Juju among the Ibibio people and discussed the various divinities among them. Please enter description and then submit. Can we find a precise term for this religion which believes in the Supreme Being under whom subordinate divinities serve His will? Its study has to go hand-in-hand with the study of the people who practise the religion. Whatever happens, the use of the word primitive by Western scholars is derogatory and, therefore, obnoxious. The idea behind the use of such an expression is engendered by racial pride. We should also add that there is an element of savagery in every one of us and it should not be made the exclusive trait of a particular people. The most prominent were R. S. Rattray,[14] P. A. Talbot,[15] A. Religion in most African societies also supports moral order. How can divinities, however minor, be described as toys? We think such terms are more sociological than religious. [25] E. G. Parrinder, West African Religion, London, Epworth, 1949, p.26, 1969 edition, p.12. The object may be a piece of wood or of iron or a stone. for as long as they've been in existence. The purpose of this is to help to orient a person who would like to work in the context of Africa. They undergo strict training and learn many skills, including how to use herbs for healing and other, more mystical skills, like the finding of a hidden object without knowing where it is. Among such terms can be mentioned; primitive, savage, fetishism, juju, heathenism, paganism, animism, idolatry, and polytheism. Traditional African religion and culture is passed on from parents to children through stories. [2] These theorists had fantastic tales to tell about Africa. Prayers said during worship by Africans have been described as fetish prayers; the functionaries of a cult have been described as fetish priests; herbs prepared by African priests have been labelled fetish herbs, and not medical preparations, however efficacious such herbs may be; and taking an oath has been described as undergoing fetish. © World Wisdom, Inc.
But to say that the African Traditional Religion is animistic would not be correct. The difference between that type of polytheism and the structure of African Traditional Religion is that in Africa the Supreme Being is not of the rank and file of the divinities. It creates a sense of security and order in the community. 3 And similar to this was the dialogue that took place between Edwin Smith, who had gone out as a missionary to Africa, and Emil Ludwig, an eminent biographer. Traditional African religion is very popular and arrived here with our North and West African ancestors. The most important thing is that in the new South Africa religion and spirituality are used to create greater understanding and harmony rather than to divide people as was done in the past. In what sense can we describe the people as old fashioned or describe their religion as simple? Deity is a philosophical concept which savages are incapable of framing.” [4], These two quotations show the ignorance, prejudice and pride of these theorists. [23] Many writers still describe the African Traditional Religion as animistic. [20] E. G. Parrinder, African Traditional Religion, London, 1954. [10] R. H. Stone, In Africa’s Forest and Jungle, New York, 1899. 9, No. 1. Traditional African art is striking in its presentation and objectives. This tradition is practiced by the Yorubas and some other West African tribes that are thought to have migrated around the Western Coast of the continent. The declared adherents of the indigenous religion are very conservative, resisting the influence of modernism heralded by the colonial era, including the introduction of Islam, Christianity, Western education and improved medical facilities. Our remarks are the same as we indicated under primitive. African Traditional Religion is not essentially idolatrous, but it has a tendency to become so if the cult and the symbols of the divinities are so emphasized as to exclude the Supreme Being. He is also called Olorun (the owner of Heaven). For example, among the Yoruba, He is called Olodumare. It is not the religion of one hero. If this is the object of the symbol, it must be wrong to describe it as an idol. Practice Afrocentric Meditation. Here we disagree with John Mbiti who chooses to speak of the religion in the plural “because there are about one thousand African peoples (tribes), and each has its own religious system …”[1]. Meditation is one of the most powerful ways to develop your African spirituality! [3] Leo Frobenius, The Voice of Africa, Vol. This is a heritage from the past, but treated not as a thing of the past but as that which connects the past with the present and the present with eternity. 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. On the 10th January each year Benin holds a national celebration day in honour of its traditional religion and of the cults associated with it. This is ludicrous. This is just one part of it It is superstitious It is animism or paganism It is magic or fetishism African Religion embraces all these four ideas in its belief. People have looked to religion to answer questions like "Where did the world come from? We are not unconscious of the fact that Africa is a large continent with multitudes of nations who have complex cultures, innumerable languages and myriads of dialects. Linguists claim that the word is of Portuguese origin. They cherish their tradition; they worship with sincerity because their worship is quite meaningful to them; they hold tenaciously to their covenant that binds them together. Here, while Parrinder was trying to discourage the use of the term animism in connection with the religion of Africa, he created another problem by suggesting the term polytheism. Since it is a religion practised by living persons today, changes are to be expected. Even when interpreters were used, one could not be sure that the interpretation would be accurate. The word pagan is from the Latin word paganus meaning peasant, village or country district; it also means one who worships false gods; a heathen. The major faiths practiced in South Africa are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, traditional African religions and Judaism. Today, the countries of Africa contain a wide variety of religious beliefs, and statistics on religious affiliation are difficult to come by. The symbols or emblems may fall into disuse or crumble or be replaced, but the spiritual entity represented never changes. 3 Leo Frobenius, The Voice of Africa, Vol. METAPHYSICS . This means attributing a living soul to inanimate objects and natural phenomena. The major faiths practiced in South Africa are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, traditional African religions and Judaism. presuppositions about life in a Traditional/Primal society. B. Ellis,[16] and S. S. Hutchinson.[13]. [11] Noel Baudin, Fetishism and Fetish Worshippers, New York, 1885. Most of the "traditional" groups of people living in South Africa arrived here from West and Central Africa about 1 500 years ago. There are many different religions and some of them have been celebrating their faith, telling their stories and teaching their principles for thousands of years. The number of traditional elements in medieval alchemy varies from 4, 5, or 8. This person is essential in the spiritual and religious survival of the community. and Eleda (the Creator) by the same people. They did not know, and they never confessed their ignorance about, Africa and the Africans. Before we had foreign investigators to give the world an idea of what the religious beliefs of the Africans looked like, there were theorists who have never been in Africa but who regarded it as the “Dark Continent” where people had no idea of God and where the Devil in all his abysmal, grotesque and forbidden features, armed to the teeth and with horns complete, held sway. These words are not correct in describing the indigenous religion of Africa because the people are religious and they do believe in the Supreme Being. These traditions are not religious principles, but a cultural identity that is passed on through stories, myths and tales. [27] E. B. Idowu, Olodumare, Longmans, 1962, p.202f. Welcome to the summary lecture of African Traditional Religions. [26] For further details see John Mbiti, Concepts of God in Africa, S.P.C.K., 1970. But the monotheism may need some modification; hence Professor Bolaji Idowu has suggested diffused monotheism because “here we have a monotheism in which there exist other powers which derive from Deity such being and authority that they can be treated, for practical purposes, almost as ends in themselves”[27]. What does fetish mean? [14] R. S. Rattray, Religion and Art in Ashanti, O.U.P., 1927. Many of these gods are the expression of the forces of nature, which men fear or try to propitiate: These gods generally have their own temples and priests, and their worshippers cannot justly be called animists, but polytheists, since they worship a variety of gods.”[24]. When we speak of African Traditional Religion, we mean the indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Africans. The three religions are traditional religions (grouped), Christianity, and Islam. London, 1863. They therefore ask the ancestors to communicate on their behalf. It is used principally to aid man’s perception and concentration and to remind the worshipper of the divine presence. Heath, on the other hand, is a vast track of land; and a heathen is one who inhabits a heath or possesses the characteristics of a heath dweller. Most African societies—though not all—hold the cardinal belief that certain members of the community are in the habit of using supernatural means for illicitly destroying the interests, or even the lives, of their fellows. These traditional healers have to be called by ancestors. This community is made up of people who remember and share the same traditions. Each of them has a meaning beyond itself, and therefore is not an end in itself. There may be an element of this in the day-to-day life of the Africans, but it is incorrect to describe it all as fetishism. Check Out These 5 Essential Elements of the Unique African Art. The versions of these religions as they developed in the New World became known as African Diaspora religions. African Traditional Religion cannot easily be studied by non-Africans. Everyone is free to follow whatever faith they want to, or not to follow one at all. [28] E. B. Idowu, African Traditional Religion, p.106f. Traditional African religion is a way of life in which ancestors are part of every major event such as wedding, births and deaths as well as less important ones such as getting a job and finishing university. Every religion has some belief in the existence of the spirit. Examples of folk religions include African traditional religions, Chinese folk religions, Native American religions and Australian aboriginal religions. Through modern changes, the traditional religion cannot remain intact but it is by no means extinct. For example, the Iroko tree is not an ordinary tree; it is believed to be inhabited by a spirit; the Oshun River (in Western Nigeria) is believed to be more than an ordinary river because the spirit (Oshun) dwells in it and this makes the river efficacious in many respects, especially during barrenness. B. Ells, The Ewe/Yoruba Speaking Peoples of the Slave Coast of West Africa, Chapman, 1894. Several of them did their investigations as best as they could among the peoples whose languages most of them did not understand. This Ghanaian Adinkra symbol means \"except for God\" and symbolizes the supremacy of God. 1999) “In very precise language” says Professor Mbiti “The Bacongo describe the self-existence of God when they say, that ‘He is made by no other, no one beyond Him is.”[26], We see, then, that the greatest emphasis is on the Supreme Being. By the 19th century the Arabs moved to East and Central Africa. [6] See John Oman, The Natural and the Supernatural, C.U.P., 1931, p.485. Such revelations and declarations succeeded in changing the attitude of the Western world concerning the religious beliefs of the so-called pre-literate peoples of the world. [22] E. G. Parrinder, African Traditional Religion, p.16. Christianity and Islam make up the largest religions in contemporary Africa, and some sources say that less than 15% still follow traditional African religions. Please enter your comments and then submit. European and other foreign settlers brought most of these religions. [7], Father Schmidt had earlier been working among the Pigmies of the Congo in Central Africa. South Africa is a country of many cultures and many religions -indeed, a country of pluralities. These traditions have been passed from one generation to the next. Religion is an important part of millions of people's lives across the world. London: Sheldon Press, 1976). This is a religion that is based mainly on oral transmission. The three main religious traditions—African traditional religion, Christianity, and Islam—constitute the triple religious heritage of the African continent. This basic tenet has led Africans to attribute to persons designated by terms we might translate as "witches" or "sorcerers" characteristics that resemble those of their counterparts elsewhere. Traditional African religion is based on oral traditions, which means that the basic values and way of life are passed from elders to younger generation. Africans are not so low in intelligence as to be incapable of distinguishing between an emblem or symbol of worship and a doll or toy. A heathen, according to the New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary, is ‘a pagan; one who worships idols or does not acknowledge the true God; a rude, barbarous and irreligious person.’. 1, Hutchison, 1913, p.xll. Although traditional African religion recognises a Supreme God, followers do not worship him or her directly as they do not feel worthy enough. People are also encouraged to learn about and respect different spiritual practices. Beliefs about witches are, of course, not directly observable, but they may have overt consequences in everyda… When Ludwig got to know that Edwin Smith was in Africa as a missionary he was surprised; and in his surprise he asked, “How can the untutored Africans comprehend God ? The symbol can be found throughout Ghana. Thus, strictly speaking, religion in its pristine form is no longer in existence. It is the spiritual that gives meaning and importance to the visible material object. The Western scholar making the investigation wanted to distinguish between his society (which is regarded as civilized) and the other society which is not civilized but old-fashioned-just because such a society does not have or adopt the same norm as that of the investigator. [13] T. J. Hutchson, Impressions of Western Africà, 1858. 1 Where possible, the same headings have been used for Chapters Four … Even Christianity sees “God as Spirit, and they that worship are to worship in spirit and truth”. Here we see that Bouquet is propounding a theory of many Supreme Beings in order to place the African God at a lower level than the Deity that he (Bouquet) met in Jesus Christ. Sulfur, mercury, and salt are classical elements. [1] J. S. Mbiti, African Religions and Philosophy, Heineman, 1969, p.1. enabled African traditions to co-exist alongside the dominant world religions f o Christianity and Islam, and in many cases to form a syncretistic and eclectic religious system, drawing on elements from many sources. Not understand the misleading and derogatory terms used by investigators out of either sheer prejudice or ignorance abortion, the! 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