what african traditional religion believe about creation and death

Traditional African religions generally hold the beliefs of life after death (a spirit world or realms, in which spirits, but also gods reside), with some also having a concept of reincarnation, in which deceased humans may reincarnate into their family lineage (blood lineage), if they want to, or have something to do.

Full Answer

What is death in African religions?

Death in African religions is one of the last transitional stages of life requiring passage rites, and this too takes a long time to complete. The deceased must be "detached" from the living and make as smooth a transition to the next life as possible because the journey to the world of the dead has many interruptions.

What is the African belief in the afterlife?

According to the African belief system, life does not end with death, but continues in another realm. Becoming an ancestor after death is a desirable goal of every individual, a feat which cannot be achieved if an individual asks for an unnatural death by attempting to utilize advance care directives.

What is the belief in God in Africa?

BELIEF IN GOD. Belief in God is found among all African peoples. The Creator and Preserver of all things, God is invisible, but the ongoing work of creation points to God's existence and involvement in the world. There are no atheists in African traditional society; belief in God is part of the common knowledge of everyone, including children.

What is the traditional African religion?

The traditional African religions (or traditional beliefs and practices of African people) are a set of highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions . 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 African ...

What is the African belief about death?

According to the African belief system, life does not end with death, but continues in another realm. Becoming an ancestor after death is a desirable goal of every individual, a feat which cannot be achieved if an individual asks for an unnatural death by attempting to utilize advance care directives.

What is spirit in African traditional religion?

Spirits may be divided into human spirits and nature spirits. Each has a life force devoid of physical form. Individuals who have died, usually ancestors in particular lineages, are the human spirits. These spirits play a role in community affairs and ensure a link between each clan and the spirit world.

What is the nature of God in African traditional religion?

Many religions see God as transcendent or immanent dimension, but in African traditional concept, 'He is both transcendent and immanent'. He dwells inside human souls and He is also beyond any reach. People cannot even appreciate Him fully in their imagination.

What are African spirits called?

Water spirits, called Simbi, are also revered in Hoodoo which comes from West African and Central African spiritual practices. When Africans were brought to the United States to be enslaved, they blended African spiritual beliefs with Christian baptismal practices.

What was Africa's first religion?

Christianity came first to the continent of Africa in the 1st or early 2nd century AD. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was still alive (he died in 632). Thus both religions have been on the continent of Africa for over 1,300 years.

What religion was Africa before Christianity?

A very few Africans enslaved in America were Christians; some were Muslims, and the vast majority practiced traditional African religions, which were animistic in nature.

What are the 4 main religions in Africa?

Contents2.1 Christianity.2.2 Islam.2.3 Judaism.2.4 Baháʼí Faith.

What is the name of God in indigenous religion?

Indigenous religions have many different names for their God or gods, including Olódùmarè, Gran Met, the Great Spirit, Nzambi, and Dagpa. Symbols.

What is ancestral spirit?

Ancestral spirits were often contacted in dreams and in the trances of spirit mediums, as were the high gods and other nonhuman spirits. They would give people information about the causes of diseases, deaths, and other misfortunes and would sometimes prescribe new medicines or new…

What is an avenging spirit?

Avenging spirits, commonly known as ngozi by the Shona people in Zimbabwe, are one of the most feared and mysterious spiritual manifestations among African people particularly the Shona. Denying the existence of ngozi would be comparable to burying one? s head in the sand and ignoring reality.

What do African traditional religion believe in?

Traditional African religion believe that ancestors maintain a spiritual connection with their living relatives. Most ancestral spirits are generally good and kind. Negative actions taken by ancestral spirits is to cause minor illnesses to warn people that they have gotten onto the wrong path.

What was the role of God in traditional African society?

Abstract. African peoples do not consider God to be a man, but in order to express certain concepts, they employ languages and images about God as an aid to their conceptualization of him whom they have not seen and about whom they confess to know little or nothing. God is experienced as an all-pervading reality.

What is traditional African religion?

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. During these events usually an offering is made to honour, please and thank the ancestors.

What is the traditional religion of South Africa?

Traditional African religion is very popular and arrived here with our North and West African ancestors. It is often combined with elements of Christianity and Islam. 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 ...

What religions are practiced in South Africa?

This is part of democracy. The major faiths practiced in South Africa are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, traditional African religions and Judaism.

What do followers believe?

Followers believe in the guidance of their ancestors spirits. There are spiritual leaders, kinds of priests or pastors in most traditional African religions. This person is essential in the spiritual and religious survival of the community.

Why is religion important?

More than ten million Jews from all over the world observe the Sabbath every week and millions of Muslim pilgrims travel to Mecca in the Middle East every year. They do this because they have certain religious beliefs and because their religions guide their lives.

What is the meaning of ancestral worship?

Ancestor worship and belief is an extension of a belief in and respect for elders. Followers of traditional African religion believe that ancestors maintain a spiritual connection with their living relatives. Most ancestral spirits are generally good and kind.

Why is the community important in African culture?

This community is made up of people who remember and share the same tradition s. The individual only exists within the community and separation from it is sometimes worse than death. A believer's family still has influence over him or her even if they live far away. Religion in most African societies also supports moral order. It creates a sense of security and order in the community. Followers believe in the guidance of their ancestors spirits.

What are the natural phenomena of African religion?

Traditional African religions embrace natural phenomena – ebb and tide, waxing and waning moon, rain and drought – and the rhythmic pattern of agriculture.

What religion do Africans practice?

Although the majority of Africans are adherents of Christianity or Islam, African people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions. The two Abrahamic religions are widespread across Africa, though mostly concentrated in different areas. They have replaced indigenous African religions, ...

What is the Yoruba divination board?

The practice of casting may be done with small objects, such as bones, cowrie shells, stones, strips of leather, or flat pieces of wood.

What is the traditional way of divination in South Africa?

Traditional healer of South Africa performing a divination by reading the bones. There are more similarities than differences in all traditional African religions. Often, the supreme Deity is worshiped through consultation or communion with lesser deities and ancestral spirits.

What are some examples of virtue in African religion?

Examples include social behaviors such as the respect for parents and elders, raising children appropriately, providing hospitality, and being honest, trustworthy, and courageous.

What is the role of humanity?

The role of humanity is generally seen as one of harmonising nature with the supernatural. According to Lugira, “it is the only religion that can claim to have originated in Africa. Other religions found in Africa have their origins in other parts of the world.”. Bakongo masks from the Kongo Central.

How are spirits honored?

The deities and spirits are honored through libation or sacrifice (of animals, vegetables, cooked food, flowers, semi-precious stones and precious metals). The will of the Supreme Deity is sought by the believer also through consultation of divinities or divination. In many traditional African religions, there is a belief in a cyclical nature ...

How do Africans follow their religion?

Africans who follow a traditional religion rely on no scriptures, canonical texts, or holy books to guide them. In African traditional religions guidance is provided through myths, which are handed down orally. Elders, priests, and priestesses have served as guardians of the sacred traditions. Throughout Africa innumerable myths explain the creation of the universe, how man and woman appeared, the origin of the culture, and how people arrived in their current location. Oral narratives define morals and values for traditional religions, just as written texts do for religions that have sacred books. Because of the oral nature of African sacred texts, the faithful who transmit this knowledge are considered sacred.

When did African religions start?

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. Because they date back to prehistoric times, little has been written about their history. These religions have evolved and spread slowly for millennia; stories about gods, spirits, and ancestors have passed from one generation to another in oral mythology. Practitioners of traditional religions understand the founders of their religions to be God or the gods themselves, the same beings who created the universe and everything in it. Thus, religious founders are described in creation stories.

How did the spread of Christianity and Islam affect African culture?

The rapid spread of Pentecostal Christianity and fundamentalist Islam has greatly affected the role of indigenous religion in African society. African traditional religions have creatively responded to this religious onslaught by formulating new ways of survival, such as developing literature, institutionalizing the traditions, establishing associations of priests, and creating schools for the training of its priests. Moreover, they have also extended outward and influenced global culture, especially in African diaspora communities. From the 1500s to the 1900s the transatlantic slave trade took African religions to the Americas and the Caribbean. Contact with Catholicism in Brazil, Cuba, and Haiti produced new forms of religious syncretism called Candomblé, Santeria, and Vodun. Since the 1980s the religions of African immigrants have influenced American culture. A new wave of conversion to indigenous African traditions has been noticeable in the United States, especially among African Americans. New forms of Yoruba religion have been emerging that are quite different from the Yoruba orisa traditions in Nigeria. These forms have introduced African healing practices among the black population of the United States. There are a number of West African babalawo s (diviners) of African origin practicing in major American urban centers, such as Atlanta, Miami, and New York City.

What are the natural objects of Africans?

Natural objects, such as rivers, mountains, trees, and the Sun (as well as forces such as wind and rain), represent the nature spirits. Africans integrate this religious worldview into every aspect of life.

Why do African societies anchor their moral values on belief in the ancestors?

Many African societies anchor their moral values on belief in the ancestors, who are regarded as the ultimate custodians of family mores. Breaking the laws of the community offends the ancestors, who may wreak disaster upon the offender and community as well. The ancestors often reward devotion to ancestral traditions by bestow blessings upon members of their lineages.

How did the interaction between Western and traditional African religious traditions influence religious innovations in Africa?

As a result, Islam and Christianity have become Africanized on the continent, significantly changing the practice of the two traditions and leading to a distinct African expression of them.

What is African spirituality?

Africans are a deeply spiritual people. Their traditional religions, however, are perhaps the least understood facet of African life. Although historically non-Africans have emphasized the multiple deities and ancestral spirits in African traditional religions, there are other notable features.

What is the African belief system?

According to Eyetsemitan, the traditional African belief system is also referred to as ancestor worship and is based on an understanding that the life course is cyclical and not linear. Based on this system of belief, those who are dead are alive in a different world and can reincarnate (and return to this world) in new births.[3] Death is considered a rite of passage for those who die at an acceptable (old) age.[8] When death occurs in Africa, divination as to the cause of death is sought from dead ancestors, with death causes usually attributed to spiritual elements (witchcraft, offending one's ancestors, or Gods) rather than medical or physical reasons.[5] Furthermore, it is an African cultural belief that to be in the world of the dead confers supernatural powers over those in the world of the living, such as the ability to bless or to curse, and to give life or to take life among others.

Why are Africans so varied in their mourning practices?

Death rituals and the mourning practices of Africans are varied because of the existence of so many religious and cultural practices .[4] African societies are communalistic and do not acknowledge advance care directives which according to many Africans encourage “atomistic individualism.”[10] Atomistic individualism refers to the idea that the isolated individual is the only fundamental reality and that the individual is the natural atom in artificial social composite.[12]

What is the meaning of death?

Dancy and Davis[2] assert that death is a “universal, natural, persistent, inescapable, unavoidable, and undeniable fact of life.” When death occurs, there is usually an impact on the family and friends of the deceased, the magnitude often depends on whether death was expected or unexpected. Even the dying person goes through periods of fear, anger, and grief, once the inevitability of death becomes apparent. However, according to the great philosopher Epicurus, the human soul perishes with the body at death, bringing to an end all sensation and conscious existence.[3] Thus, death according to the proponents of Epicurian ethics, being merely the cessation of sensations, is nothing to be afraid of.

What happens after death?

After death, an individual lives in a spirit world, receiving a new body which is identical to the earthly body, but with the capacity to move about as an ancestor. Becoming an ancestor after death is thus a desirable goal of every individual and it is believed that this cannot be achieved if an individual did not live a meaningful life, or had his or her life cut short say through an accident or by an unnatural death.[9] An African individual would, therefore, prefer a slow and lingering death that comes naturally, as they would not only be able to tidy up many issues such as making peace and saying farewell to relatives, but also they would also be admitted in the spirit world.[10] Death in any group apart from the very old is considered unnatural and premature.[8]

Why do people have to be buried after death?

With the belief that the goal of life is to become an ancestor after death, a person is given a proper burial after death as failure to do this may result in the individual becoming a wandering ghost, unable to live properly after death, and constituting a danger to those who are still alive. [11] Lending credence to the African concept of death, Dancy and Davis assert that death indicates the physical separation of the individual from other humans. Funeral rites and ceremonies serve to draw attention to this permanent separation, and particular attention is paid to the funeral rites to avoid undue offense to the dead.[2]

Do Africans like death?

Africans do not like facing the reality of death and often do not encourage the contemplation of death, be it their own death or the death of their loved ones.[11] It is somewhat a taboo to think of or discuss one's death. Hence, people do not write their living wills or set aside money for their funeral while still alive, contrary to the practice in the western world. Death is also considered an enemy of life and Africans believe life should be preserved by all means even if the case is a hopeless one. The average African is not likely to discontinue life-sustaining treatment once it has commenced, and also do not favor any artificial termination of life.[13]

What does the African religion believe?

Some recognize a dual god and goddess such as Mawu-Lisa. 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.

What are the beliefs of African people?

Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs, and festivals, include belief in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme creator or force, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic and traditional African medicine. Most religions can be described as animistic with various polytheistic and pantheistic aspects. The role of humanity is generally seen as one of harmonizing nature with the supernatural.

What does Olupona say about monotheism?

Olupona rejects the western/islamic definition of Monotheism and says that such concepts could not reflect the complex African traditions and are too simplistic. While some traditions have a supreme being (next to other deities), others have not. Monotheism does not reflect the multiplicity of ways that the traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. He summarizes that traditional African religions are not only religions, but a worldview, a way of life.

How many people are adherents to traditional religions in Africa?

Adherents of traditional religions in sub-Saharan Africa are distributed among 43 countries and are estimated to number over 100 million.

What is traditional African culture?

Traditional African, like most other ancient traditional religions around the world, were based on oral traditions. These traditions are not religious principles, but a cultural identity that is passed on through stories, myths and tales, from one generation to the next.

What is the basic concept of animism?

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. While some religions adopted a pantheistic worldview, most follow a polytheistic system with various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings.

Why are nature and environment important to African culture?

This is largely because cosmology and beliefs are intricately intertwined with the natural phenomena and environment. 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. Natural phenomena are responsible for providing people with their daily needs.

What are the origins of African religion?

African Religion evolved gradually as people experienced different life situations, raising questions and reflecting on such mysteries of life as birth and death, joy and suffering, the forces of nature, and the purpose of life.

Where is African religion practiced?

African religion is practiced in the early twenty-first century mostly in the southern two-thirds of Africa, including Madagascar, where Christianity is statistically dominant.

How did African religion spread to the West?

African religion spread to the western hemisphere through African peoples who were forcibly transplanted to the West Indies and the Americas by the slave trade. It settled there and survived in a mixture with Christianity, despite the influence of other cultures and environments. For example, the spirit possessions that abound among people of African descent in Brazil and the West Indies have their origins in Africa. Voodoo in the Caribbean and macumba in Brazil are remnants of African religion that have been modified to suit local practice. Some names of people in Jamaica, like Cudjoe, Acheampong, Kwaku, and Obi are originally African, but these are said to be disappearing. After careful study of the American scene, Gayraud Wilmore concludes that "an essential ingredient of Afro-American Christianity prior to the Civil War was the creative residuum of the African Religions," characterized by a spirituality of response to the reality of the spirit world and its reaction with objective reality (1983, p. 26).

How do people mourn in Africa?

During this time the bereaved stay at home and do not socialize or have sexual contact. Some wear black clothes or black cloths fastened to their clothes, and shave their hair ( including facial hair) from the day after the funeral. Because life is concentrated in the hair, shaving the hair symbolizes death, and its growing again indicates the strengthening of life. People in physical contact with a corpse are often regarded as unclean. The things belonging to the deceased should not be used at this time, such as the eating utensils or the chairs the deceased used. Blankets and anything else in contact with the deceased are all washed. The clothes of the deceased are wrapped up in a bundle and put away for a year or until the extended period of mourning has ended, after which they are distributed to family members or destroyed by burning. After a certain period of time the house and the family must be cleansed from bad luck, from uncleanness and "darkness." The bereaved family members are washed and a ritual killing takes place. The time of the cleansing is usually seven days after the funeral, but some observe a month or even longer. Traditionally, a widow had to remain in mourning for a year after her husband's death and the children of a deceased parent were in mourning for three months.

What are the two interlinked realities of African cosmology?

A strong feature of African cosmology is the recognition of the world as comprising two interlinked realities: the visible and the invisible, the physical and the spiritual. Both are bound together in a primordial unity. They interact, and Africans do not make a strong distinction between the two.

What are spirits associated with?

The spirits can be considered in two categories: those associated with nature and those that are remnants of human beings after death. Nature spirits are personifications of heavenly or earthly objects and phenomena: the stars, the sun, thunder, rain and storms, mountains, earthquakes, lakes, waterfalls, and caves.

Why do we have to have a proper funeral?

The goal of life is to become an ancestor after death. This is why every person who dies must be given a "correct" funeral, supported by a number of religious ceremonies. If this is not done, the dead person may become a wandering ghost, unable to "live" properly after death and therefore a danger to those who remain alive. It might be argued that "proper" death rites are more a guarantee of protection for the living than to secure a safe passage for the dying. There is ambivalence about attitudes to the recent dead, which fluctuate between love and respect on the one hand and dread and despair on the other, particularly because it is believed that the dead have power over the living.

What is the difference between life and death in African traditions?

While the first sees death as an evil occurrence caused by evil spirits or ultimate penalty for sin, the second sees it as something to be desired as it helps one transcend into the realm of ancestors which is viewed as a higher realm than the physical realm.

What is the origin of death in African mythology?

The African Cycle of Life – Birth, Life, Death and Rebirth – Source. The origin of death is described in many African myths. In most, death is conceived as something that came as a result of some mistake. Death was not supposed to be a part of human life and is blamed on some animal, on people or on some spirits.

What happens if you don't bury someone?

Those not buried rightfully are believed to become wandering spirits who were refused admittance into the world beyond. They wander the physical realm aimlessly and wreck havoc whenever they can. They are mostly feared and believed to become evil spirits perpetuating and causing evil plagues and occurrences. Often times, no burial or incomplete burial rites are performed for deceased persons of questionable character. This is to serve as a form of punishment in the great beyond since they will be refused admittance. For them, the ultimate goal is to reach the great beyond and become an ancestor carefully overseeing the realm of the living.

What is the ultimate goal of Yorubas?

For them, the ultimate goal is to reach the great beyond and become an ancestor carefully overseeing the realm of the living. Although African tradition believe in life after, the issues or reward and punishment in the after life is largely contested. The Yorubas, Lozi, and landagaa believe that the life one has lived in ...

What does it mean when a person dies in Africa?

For many African traditions that believe in life after death, it is believed that when a person dies, he transcends into another realm which is not as physical as earth. For them, death is not the end but the beginning or in some cases continuation of life. This explains why death in most African traditions is not viewed as a tragedy, rather it is celebrated with several rites of passage.

What is the issue of reincarnation?

Most African traditions believe in reincarnation of the dead. This means that there is widespread belief in the reborn of hitherto dead individuals. E.g the Yoruba people of west Africa.

What is the difference between life and death?

Life is often defined in terms of ones ability to be consciously active in the physical realm. While death on the other hand talks about the inability to actively participate in the physical realm. It is the departure of the soul from the human body, this renders the body lifeless. There are different ways by which the issue ...

Who defeated death in the Fulani story?

And he came as Gueno , the eternal one. And Gueno defeated death. A Fulani story (Mali) Tortoises, Men, and Stones. God created the tortoise (turtle), men and stones. Of each he created male and female. God gave life to the tortoises and men, but not to the stones.

What did Shida Matunda say when he saw the blood?

When Shida Matunda returned and saw the blood, he was much afraid and said: “You have killed your co-wife and thereby caused all men, animals, and plants to die.”

What did Truth feel when he knocked him down?

In his scrambling, Truth stumbled unto Falsehood, and knocking him down Truth, felt the head of Falsehood, which he took to be his own head. His strength being truly awesome, a mere pull from Truth yanked off the head of Falsehood. Truth then put the head on his own neck.

How many times did the Doondari descend?

The Doondari descended a second time. And he took the five elements

Who created all things?

Shida Matunda created all things. After making the earth and water and plants and animals, he created two women and took them as his wives.

When sleep became too proud, did Doondari create worry?

But when sleep became too proud, Doondari created worry, and worry defeated sleep; But when worry became too proud, Doondari created death, and death defeated worry. But when death became too proud, Doondari descended for the third time, And he came as Gueno, the eternal one. And Gueno defeated death.

Did the stones want to have children?

Only the stones didn’t want to have children, so they never die!

Gye Nyame.

• This Ghanaian Adinkra symbol means "except for God" and symbolizes the supremacy of God. The symbol can be found throughout Ghana. 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 relig...

See more on encyclopedia.com

Glossary

Sacred Kingship

Racism in The Early Study of African Religions

Bibliography