What is African Traditional Religion? This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. First, the association of traditional African religion with an other-worldly orientation may appear problematic, given the "pragmatic" basis of this religion. In one case the thinking and experience of the people produced a written record of Gods dealings with the Jewish people in particular. One read Honest to God and a variety of other works in an effort to understand the hot debate then raging in Europe and America. There is not space here to argue the case for the role played by African religion in the establishment of the Christian faith in Africa. Take em with a grain of salt. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. We can list some obvious and often publicized factors. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Some African diasporans are returning to the continent to reconnect with their ancestral traditions, and they are encouraging and organizing the local African communities to reclaim this heritage. GAZETTE: What is the state of indigenous African religions today? African diaspora religions, also described as Afro-American religions, are a number of related beliefs that developed in the Americas in various nations of the Caribbean, Latin America and the Southern United States. Vodou is an oral tradition practiced by extended families that inherit familial spirits, along with the necessary devotional practices, from their elders. 43. The unseen world is populated by lwa (spirits), myst (mysteries), anvizib (the invisibles), zanj (angels), and the spirits of ancestors and the recently deceased. Jacob Olupona, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School and professor of African and African-American studies in Harvards Faculty of Arts and Sciences, recently sat down for an interview about his lifelong research on indigenous African religions. %%EOF This chapter includes information on: Traditional African religious beliefs, such as belief in the protective power of sacrifices to ancestors Traditional African religious practices, such as owning sacred objects Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB) Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis In particular, the concepts about God provide one area of great commonality. I have been greatly enriched by working at the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, 1974-1980. Some of these African diaspora religions include Cuban Regla de Ocha, Haitian Vodou, and Brazilian Candomble. Didnt our Lord let it be clearly known that "before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58)? Again, it doesnt reflect the multiplicity of ways that traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. The first African captives entered England's North American colonies through Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. A magisterial historical synthesis of the formative period of African Christianity written by one of its foremost scholars. /// Dans le nord-est du Zare, la communaut rurale Bira a t expose depuis plus de cinquante ans au message chrtien. Important lwa are celebrated on saints days (for example: Ogou on St. Jamess Day, July 25; Ezili Danto on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, July 16; Danbala on St. Patricks Day, March 17; and the spirits of the ancestors on All Saints Day and All Souls Day, November 1 and November 2). While the recourse to traditional healers may be motivated in part by economic reasons and an absence of health care alternatives, it may also be rooted in religious beliefs about the efficacy of this approach. Supreme Court may halt health care guarantees for inmates, Why police resist reforms to militarization, Historian says Fla. dispute shows why AP class in African American studies is needed, Low-carb diet can help manage progression of Type 2 diabetes, Those breezy TV drug ads? Fewer say it is paramount to their faith to attend religious services (39%), avoid sex before marriage (30%) or oppose abortion . Today most Zairians belong to either the Catholic or Protestant church, and the Bira themselves are predominantly Catholic. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. I wont pray to an orisa, but I will affirm the importance of my connection with members of my age group. Corrections? Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. At first, Christianity made few inroads into the African slave population, which had its own religious traditions. In the cities, local hierarchies of priestesses or priests (manbo and oungan), children of the spirits (ounsi), and ritual drummers (ountgi) comprise more formal societies or congregations (sosyete). Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Reuben Kigame, the Kenyan Christian musician and apologist, has rightly suggested that considering the fact that Christianity existed in Africa for a good eighteen centuries before the. << /Length 5 0 R /Filter /FlateDecode >> His research has helped to introduce and popularize new concepts in religious studies, such as the term reverse missionaries, referring to African prelates sent to Europe and the United States. Holding or maintaining to a uniform doctrine is not the essence of indigenous African religions. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. African scholars In four countries, for instance, half or more of the population believes that sacrifices to ancestors or spirits can protect them from harm. 0000003217 00000 n I am tantalized by the fact that my vision cannot cope with that horizon. 0000002264 00000 n Later, my theological studies in America and England did not challenge this position, since that was not a living issue for my professors and fellow students. I feel deeply the value of biblical studies in this exercise, and the contribution of biblical insights in this development. Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. The council made me aware, perhaps even frightfully so, of the problems of our world. (I myself have consulted with several diviners for my research on specific academic topics regarding African culture and history; consequently, if we were to lose Africas diviners, we would also lose one of Africas best keepers and sources of African history and culture. My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. But Gods dealings with the African people are recorded, nevertheless, in living form -- oral communication, rituals, symbols, ceremonies, community faith. Some scholars choose to call it the African Traditional Religion, while others prefer to name it the African traditional Religions. In most countries surveyed, at least three-in-ten people believe in reincarnation, which may be related to traditional beliefs in ancestral spirits. Model tested on tens of thousands of routine brain scans spotted disease risk with 90% accuracy, Experts on law, policy say originalist view used to overturn Roe could upend 76 ruling based on cruel, unusual punishment clause, Issues revolve around culture of viewing civilians as potential threats, concerns about self-protection in departments equipped with military-grade arms, Khalil Gibran Muhammad says College Board needs to stand firm behind curriculum, 2023 The President and Fellows of Harvard College. I want to make a pilgrimage into Christ. But upon my return to work in Africa, and upon careful study of the religious background of our people, there emerged gradually the demand to examine this issue and to form my own judgment. 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. GAZETTE: How have ancestors played a role in traditional societies? I have concentrated these comments on the role of African background in my theological reflection. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. The Pew Forums survey finds a similar number of people in Guinea Bissau identifying themselves as Muslim (38%) but a much higher percentage identifying themselves as Christian (62%) and very few describing themselves mainly as practitioners of traditional African faiths. Of course, behind all these factors is the Holy Spirit working through them. A close geographical correlation exists between the location of African religion and the rapid expansion of the Christian faith. They depended on the labor of enslaved Africans who often constituted the majority of the population in these areas and developed their own forms of cultural and religious autonomy Examples: plantation agriculture, the Carolinas (rice), Barbados (sugar), tobacco Colonial government They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. For instance, if we were to lose indigenous African religions in Africa, then diviners would disappear, and if diviners disappeared, we would not only lose an important spiritual specialist for many Africans, but also an institution that for centuries has been the repository of African history, wisdom, and knowledge. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender, Side by side with their high levels of commitment to Christianity and Islam, many people in the countries surveyed retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax Following a period of parish work in England, I went to teach at Makerere University, Uganda, where I remained for ten years until 1974. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. religious syncretism, the fusion of diverse religious beliefs and practices. (See the glossary for more information on the evil eye.). In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. African immigrants and slaves worked to maintain traditional religious and social practices in their new surroundings. trailer OLUPONA: Thats a mixed bag. Alternate titles: Vaudou, Vodun, Voodoo, Voudou, vodon, Elizabeth McAlister Associate Professor of Religion, Weslyan University. These initiation rituals are already not as common in Africa as they were only 50 years ago, yet age-grade initiations have always helped young Africans feel connected to their community and their past. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. 0000000676 00000 n The success of Christianity and Islam on the African continent in the last 100 years has been extraordinary, but it has been, unfortunately, at the expense of African indigenous religions. Yet consider that in 1900 most Africans in sub-Saharan Africa practiced a form of indigenous African religions. Par consquent, Mbali-Dieu est la rponse crative des Biras une rencontre religieuse syncrtique. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. But, it has been a sorrowful, disappointment to me to experience the fact that some individuals who exercise great power in the council are not angels: they sometimes practice the exact contrary of those values and goals to which the council is committed. But it is nevertheless a working Yes and one that demands theological understanding. Some people tried to involve Africa in the debate. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Oral tradition says the first Muslims appeared while the prophet Mohammed was.

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