There are two schools of thought on the use of the singular and the plural in describing the African indigenous religion(s). The first perception is that the religions have common features, religious philosophy and thought forms. The latter identifies Africa’s numerous cultures, different ethnic nationalities, and varying practices.
The indigenous people (the first inhabitants) of southern Africa can be categorised into two groups, the San hunter-gatherers and the traditional African farmers.
Whereas historians tend to emphasize the changing nature of cultures and religions, the conceptualisation of the term ‘indigenous’ refers to the native people of a given territory, and connotes a set, unchanging people. Historians, however, prefer to
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Women, too, could fadll into a trance, although it was more often the men. Shamans had a special status but they use their supernatural powers for ‘good’ and weren’t considered grander than others.
The San communicated their indigenous religion by word of mouth, since there were no sacred scriptures, in the form of (the aforementioned) songs, stories, ritual dances and rock paintings.
Over the last 2000 years, the existence of the San was challenged by the Khoikhoi herders who attracted some San to their group (the assimilated group being known as Khoisan), the Bantu-speaking farmers who were more powerful and accordingly, dominant over the San (however, some San shamans became employed by the Bantu as rain-makers) and the European colonists who decimated the San, leaving few behind.
The first African farmers are believed to have arrived in southern Africa in 300 CE whereas the ancestors of most of today’s Bantu speakers in southern Africa are said to have relocated from eastern Africa around the 10th century CE. Being the stronger of the two groups, they incorporated the earlier farmers into their
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An elderly patriarch was at the head of each homestead. The patriarch would have many wives who would each have her own hut, arranged in order of hierarchy. Large settlements were made up of clans (many homesteads together), which were ruled by a chief. The chief of chiefs, the ‘warrior king’, could and would conquer and unite clans, disrupt and displace other groups and rule dominantly, such as what occurred in the 19th century when a mighty Zulu empire was created under the Shaka.
Sotho-Tswana speakers’ settlements were larger than the Nguni speakers’ and the chief or king had his own homestead away from the homes of the ‘commoners’. The Sotho-Tswana speakers lived in thatched rondavels whereas the Zulu lived in beehive huts. The Sotho-Tswana king owned the cattle and the land.
As mentioned previously however, marriages between different group members, relocations and interaction in and between the different cultures resulted in intercultural exchanges. Cultural and religious identities were profoundly affected by the arrival of the Western colonists and
Duane Champagne in Social Change and Cultural Continuity Among Native Nations explains that there has never been one definitive world view that comprises any one Native American culture, as there is no such thing as one “Native community” (2007:10). However, there are certain commonalities in the ways of seeing and experiencing the world that many Native communities and their religions seem to share.
Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions. 5th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill, 2010. 320-322. Print.
The terms Aboriginal peoples, American Indian, Indian, Indigenous Peoples, First Nations and Native American are used to describe the original habitants in North America and South America. These people have a proud history and heritage and it seems that most of the professors, collegiate and scientists try their best to use terminology that best represents their heritage, “The National Aboriginal Health Organization Terminology Guidelines
―"Religion in “Brave New World“." Religion in Brave New World. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
In Ostler’s The Lakota and the Black Hills, Jeffrey Ostler details the history of the Lakota tribe, beginning with the earliest records we have about them, detailing their origin story of humanity. The Lakota believe that the earliest humans came about within the earth and came to the surface through a narrow cave opening, called the Wind Cave, in the Black Hills, a beautiful h...
The purpose of this reflective outline is to demonstrate a thorough understanding of theories, concepts, and/or strategies relating to cultural and social religions. “Whale Rider” (Caro, 2002) , is a depictive representation of a cultural religion that has survived on the belief of male inheritance as their form of guidance; however, history has shown that change is inevitable. For example, throughout history, religion has played a pivotal role in the development of individuals, including the evolution of societies. This shows that because religion/s around the world have practiced their core beliefs in an attempt to guide humanities behaviors, yet , as we can observe with the “Whale Rider,” even the most influential community and cultural leaders can become miscued in their ideologies. Because The Maori of New Zealand have developed deep seated beliefs within natural creatures; Katu is term used to relate to their god (Maori.com, 2014) steaming for their ancestral Polynesian descendants. In addition to what can be observed, such as beliefs, practices, and/or symbolic terminologies, each religion will ensure its presidential knowledge is passed to those who receive it accordingly. The factual concept stands and history has proven is evolution that without guidance and continuous religious and cultural support, decedents of a heritage may become lost and/or miscued within their mislead ideology. Although many religions are centered on the belief of normality’s cultural expectance, often times we can observe drastic changes in the reorganization of a cultural religion.
McCutcheon, R. T. (2010). Will Your Cognitive Anchor Hold in the Storms of Culture? Journal of the American Academy of Religion, 78(4), 1182-1193.
When contact was made with indigenous peoples, Europeans discovered that the languages of the indigenous peoples did not include words for religion or for God as Europeans understood these concepts. These Europeans considered themselves a civilized and pious people who lived according to the ways and teachings of the Christian Bible and believed that this was the only proper and correct code of conduct. Believing that the lack of Native American words to identify and describe God and religion meant that these concepts did not exist within the culture and society of the indigenous peoples, the European...
Five myths from throughout Africa will be mentioned throughout this essay. They are from the Boshongo, Mande, Shilluk, Egyptian, and Yoruba peoples. For a brief description of these myths please see the appendix. Please remember that these myths do not represent the beliefs and stories of all of Africa.
In sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of languages, cultures, and geographical regions helped influence our African society. The ways in which we produce our artwork, spiritual ideals, and ritual performances are organic and raw. From the tropical regions of Congo and Ghana, to the arid regions of Mali; I pass through the global gateway into a domain where the Western world lost its roots and artistic imagination and grandeur. Africa appeals most to me for its ability to create a realm where the living, dead, and artistic ideals come into a single unit of tranquil philosophy.
Religion is big part of human life. Every area of the world has some kind of religion or belief system. Religion is defined as “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” (“Religion” Def.2). With such a large amount of religions today, religion is widely variegated, usually with divisions in each one. Despite the large amount of religions, I will only be covering only three religions: Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism.
Religion is an ever-growing idea that has no set date of origin. Throughout history religion has served as an answer to the questions that man could not resolve. The word religion is derived from the Latin word “religio” meaning restraint in collaboration with the Greek word “relegere” which means to repeat or to read again. Religion is currently defined as an organized system of beliefs and practices revolving around, or leading to, a transcendent spiritual experience. Throughout time, there has yet to be a culture that lacks a religion of some form, whether it is a branch of paganism, a mythological based religion or mono/polytheistic religion. Many religions have been forgotten due to the fact that they were ethnic religions and globalizing religions were fighting to be recognized, annihilating these ancient and ethnic religions. Some of these faiths include: Finnish Paganism, Atenism, Minoan Religion, Mithraism, Manichaeism, Vedism, Zoroastrianism, Asatru, and the Olmec Religion. Religion is an imperative part of our contemporary world but mod...
... Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa. Ed. Roland Oliver. 1. New York: Trewin Copplestone Books Limited, 1984. Print.
Indigenous people are those that are native to an area. Throughout the world, there are many groups or tribes of people that have been taken over by the Europeans in their early conquests throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, by immigrating groups of individuals, and by greedy corporate businesses trying to take their land. The people indigenous to Australia, Brazil and South America, and Hawaii are currently fighting for their rights as people: the rights to own land, to be free from prejudice, and to have their lands protected from society.
...econd African Writers Conference, Stockholm, 1986. Ed. Kirsten Holst Petersen. Upsala: Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, 1998. 173-202.