Since it is a religion practised by living persons today, changes are to be expected. The tribes across Africa have various names for the High God such as Maa for the Bambara, Irke for the Songhey or Amma for the Dogun (Velton, p.31). African traditional religions, also referred to as African indigenous religions or African ethnic religions, is a term referring to a variety of religions indigenous to the continent According to Parrinder (1962), religion lies at the root of African culture and it is essential to African life. Eliade mentioned that around 800 languages are spoken on the continent [5]. Achetez neuf ou d'occasion Thus, linguistic experts such as Christopher Ehretand Placide Tempels have applied their knowledge of languages towards reconstructing the original core beliefs of the followers of these traditions. Noté /5. Some examples of devotional masks and outfits are shown below (images courtesy of the author unless otherwise attributed): Examples of masks and ceremonial outfits from the Bassam area of Ivory Coast, Examples of masks and statuettes made by craftsmen on the Gambia-Senegal border. In ATR, people believe in multiple gods which are capricious and unpredictable. These included marriage rituals which entered adulthood, birth and death. Contact Us They were organised in tribes with a hierarchy, and each tribe had a chief or king with a religious legitimacy [6]. Among the tribes, they will often have statues or use mask ceremonies to access secondary divinities or intermediaries between humans and the High God. There is also a Hadith [4] saying of the Holy Prophet (sa)] recording a conversation in which Prophet Muhammad (sa) when asked how many Prophets had been sent to mankind, answered that there were 124,000! There are similar accounts hidden away in African culture, such as this song from Benin: ‘At the gates of the land of the dead you will pass before a searching Judge. It is often evident that adults, children and other family members have an established system, as do more senior figures in a village or community. The great faiths of the world have a religious text to refer to, and yet, our observance of religious people is often that their behaviour does not reflect their teachings and faith. Healers, PROPHETS and other RITUAL specialists play an important role in these religions although not all have people easily identified as PRIESTS. You can submit your story for publishing through above email. These oldest religions of the world,have had their history and traditions handed down orally and preserved in the culture and religious artifacts of the African people. Why Religion Shouldn’t Be Pushed Aside at Work, Imagining the Divine – Art & the Rise of World Religions, Dear Muslim Ummah! About 10 per cent of the African population is still practicing some form of traditional religion today. Sacrifice – Many ancient African religions offered their gods or spirits some kind of sacrifice. The first academic studies of African traditional religions were written in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries by Muslim and European scholars. African traditional religions in some parts of Africa, have had an elaborate pantheon of divinities. Although Africa is represented as countries through the political and colonial influences of the last century, in fact there are many more distinct tribes in Africa, many stretching across multiple country boundaries. African Traditional Religions are sets of diverse beliefs that are followed by people in separate places. There are also codes of ethics and morals that are entrenched in these rural communities. African beliefs in reincarnation differ from those of major Asian religions (especially Hinduism) in a number of important ways. Your email address will not be published. Understanding the Creator is intrinsic in mankind, and not learned, as the following Ghanaian proverb highlights: ‘God needs no pointing out to a child’, Akan Proverb (Ghana). But it is also noticeable that the major world religions all seem to originate from the Middle East and South East Asia. Rituals – The culture played significant part in traditional practices and ceremonies. The effect of colonisation on Africa's traditional religion is seen in the views of colonialists that African traditional religious practices are fetish, barbaric, ritualistic and demonic. theafricanhistory@gmail.com However, there were many traditional religions practiced prior to the arrival of these two religions. In this second edition, Dr Mbiti has updated his material to include the involvement of women in religion, and the potential unity to be found in what was once thought to be a mass of quite separate religions. African religiousness is not a matter of adherence to a doctrine but is concerned with supporting fecundity and sustaining the community. Traditional African religion has common themes such as a Creator or High God, positive ancestor influences as well as tricksters, and an afterlife with spirit worlds. Just as the concept of Satan is familiar to the Abrahamic faiths, in Africa they talk about the Trickster, and ceremonies would seek to ward off the impact of the Trickster and evil spirits. Because religion is a way of life, it relates to culture and society as they affect the worldview of the African people. The Holy Qur’an mentions that all tribes (including those across Africa) have received revelation and prophets: ‘And for every people there is a Messenger. In Africa, the term ancestors does not cover all predecessors, but only those of high rank and achievement, who act as mediators to access divine guidance and favour. African Traditional Religion is now widely taught in African universities, but its identity remains essentially negative: African belief that is not Christianity or Islam. According to Mbiti, “animism is the system of belief and practices based on the idea that objects and natural phenomena are inhabited by spirits or souls” (Mbiti 1996, 18). In the case of African traditional religion, it can be traced back to the very beginning of the emergence of African peoples. The gods Oludmare from Nigeria, Nhialic of South Sudan and Katonda from Uganda are examples. He also serves as the Global Operations Director with Humanity First, and is responsible for poverty alleviation projects in 54 countries, mainly in Africa, South Asia and Central America. An example is among the Dinka tribe in South Sudan (Enc. Similarly, when visiting a village, there is normally a set of customs to first seek permission from the village chief and declaring your mission before being allowed to engage with other members of the village. The modern understanding has evolved through syncretism with Christian and Islamic influences, and often these beliefs are practised alongside Islam and Christianity in rural communities. In this song, there are similarities to the Day of Judgement of the Abrahamic faiths. Their studies avoided describing African cultures in indigenous terms. The indigenous religious beliefs and practices of African peoples include various traditional religions. The traditional African religions (or traditional beliefs and practices of African people) are a set of highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions . Trained in the new method of \"fieldwork\"—which entailed observing participants and speaking the language of the community—these anthropologists worked for their governments. The four linguistic phylums spoken in Africa are: Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo, and Khoi-San. Priests (sometimes known as witchdoctors) may cast spells or offer charms to help people with their diseases or other issues. There are hundreds of major tribes across Africa with their own languages and distinct cultures, but broadly they are grouped into the following families: The locations of the various tribes are shown in the following map: Across African tribes, there is a recurring theme of an ultimate superior Creator in the heavens, as illustrated through the following proverbs and prayers passed down: ‘Nzame (God) is on high, man is on the earth’, Fang Tradition (Gabon), ‘God, you are in the heavens, you are the only one’, Anuak Prayer (Sudan), ‘The earth is wide, but God is the elder’, Akan Proverb (Ghana). In this way, we might find traces of the prophets and revelations given to the tribes of Africa. But before those two religions arrived, there were several traditional religions practiced. These traditions are not religious principles, but a cultural identity that is passed on through stories, myths and tales. But there are exceptions to this general observation, especially in Southern Africa and some parts of West Africa. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural, include belief in a supreme creator, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic, and traditional medicine. So normally we refer to African Traditional Religions in the plural, and it’s simply summarized or written in notation form as “ATR” – African Traditional Religion. Traditional African religion has common themes such as a Creator or High God, positive ancestor influences as well as tricksters, and an afterlife with spirit worlds. They include: Supreme God – Most African religions believe in the world’s supreme creator. There are common beliefs in Africa although the continent is a large with many different cultures and traditional religions, many religions share similar beliefs and practices. Having established that a more powerful Creator sits above us and sees everything that we do, there is also a recognition that the Creator is also our benefactor, planning and providing for us: ‘As you plan for somebody, so God plans for you’, Igbo Proverb, (Nigeria). For Christianity, it is the first century AD, and maybe beyond; and for Islam the seventh century. For example, the song mentions that the Judge will see all stains whether visible or hidden; similar to the notion that God can see all of your actions and your intentions. 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There is also a recognition that time on earth is limited, and that there is a greater purpose: ‘We are on a market trip on earth: whether we fill our baskets or not, once the time is up, we go home’. So when their Messenger comes, it is judged between them with equity, and they are not wronged.’ [1], ‘And We did raise among every people a Messenger, preaching: “Worship Allah and shun the Evil One”. Other great empires such as Great Zimbabwe built by descendants of the Shona people had amazing architecture depicting their power, but also had what are thought to be temple complexes before the advent of Islam and Christianity through trade [6]. There must have been many Messengers that we are not aware of, but whose legacy would be imprinted in the changes in behaviour and culture resulting from their teachings. Britannica 2020). This Yoruba proverb from Nigeria illustrates the Golden Rule of treating others as you would want to be treated yourself: ‘One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it hurts.’, (Yoruba Proverb, Nigeria). Ritual is the means by which a person negotiates responsible relationships with other … Often good behaviour is highlighted in proverbs, such as this Kenyan proverb about the virtue of being humble: ‘It is humility that exalts one and favours him against his friends’, Kipsigis Proverb (Kenya). But before those two religions arrived, there were several traditional religions practiced. The Yoruba of Nigeria record that Obatala creates the physical body, but the greater Olodumare who sits in the heavens, blows the spirit into the body [5]. Then there is the characteristic of the Creator being omnipresent and seeing all of our actions and thoughts: ‘God has nothing hid from him’, Ovambo Proverb (Angola), ‘The sun shines and sends its burning rays down upon us, the moon rises in its glory. African religions emphasize maintaining a harmonious relationship with the divine powers, and their rituals attempt to harness cosmic powers and channel them for good. African traditional religion refers to the indigenous or autochthonous religions of the African people. These proverbs show an understanding of a superior Creator who is also on a different physical plane to mankind, often depicted as being in the heavens. For the continent of Africa, were those people devoid of religion until the Abrahamic faiths came to the continent in the last two millennia, or were they also the beneficiaries of revelation which would have impacted their cultures and behaviours? 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