Portal:Traditional African religion

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•  Religion
  Atheism
• Creationism
• Mythology
• Nontheism
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• Spirituality
  African (Serer)
•  Bábism (Bahá'í Faith) 
•   Buddhism (Mahayana
• Tibetan
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•  Chinese (Confucianism
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•   Christianity (in China
• in India)
• Seventh-day Adventism
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• Syriac)
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• LDS Church
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• Lutheranism
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• Bible
• Saints) 
•  Heathenism 
•  Hellenismos (Greek mythology) 
•  Indian (Ayyavazhi)
•  Hinduism (mythology
• Ravidassia) 
• Jainism
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•   Islam (in China
• in Russia
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• Sufism
• Quran) 
•  Judaism (Kabbalah) 
•   Scientology 
•  Shinto 
•  Wicca 
•  Zoroastrianism 

A wooden Nommo figure of the Dogon or Tellem people of Mali, believed to be made in the Mopti Region between the 11th and 15th century. The figure is now housed at the Brooklyn Museum, The Adolph and Esther D. Gottlieb Collection. This human form with raised arms is very common in Tellem sculptures symbolizing prayer for rain. The Traditional beliefs and practices of African peoples include various traditional religions. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural, include belief in a supreme creator, belief in spirits, veneration of ancestors, use of magic, and traditional medicine. The role of humanity is generally seen as one of harmonizing nature with the supernatural. While adherence to traditional religion in Africa is hard to estimate, due to syncretism with Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, practitioners are estimated to number over 100 million, or at least 10 percent of the population of the continent. African diasporic religions are also practiced in the diaspora in the Americas, such as Haitian Vodou. "African traditional religion is inextricably linked to the culture of the African people. In Africa religion has been understood as an integral part of life in which every aspect was knit together into a coherent system of thought and action, giving significance and meaning and providing abiding and satisfying values. Religion, culture, politics, and society were part of a seamless whole and no part of it could stand on its own. The absence of a specific word for "religion" in many African languages is an indication of this African holistic understanding of life. Words related to the concept of religion may be translated as "customs," tradition," or "way of life.". Source : "The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions", (Editor: Department of Global and International Studies University of California Mark Juergensmeyer Professor of Sociology and Director, Santa Barbara), p. 537, Oxford University Press, USA (2006), ISBN 9780199727612 [1] Divination (from Latin divinare "to foresee, to be inspired by a god", related to divinus, divine) is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a querent should proceed by reading signs, events, or omens, or through alleged contact with a supernatural agency. Divination can be seen as a systematic method with which to organize what appear to be disjointed, random facets of existence such that they provide insight into a problem at hand. If a distinction is to be made between divination and fortune-telling, divination has a more formal or ritualistic element and often contains a more social character, usually in a religious context, as seen in traditional African medicine. Fortune-telling, on the other hand, is a more everyday practice for personal purposes. Particular divination methods vary by culture and religion. More about divination in Traditional African religions... Vodun altar with several fetishes in Abomey, Benin. Credit: Dominik Schwarz More about this picture on West African Vodun Template:/box-header There are several religious festivals found in the various Traditional African religions. Some of these are listed below next to their corresponding religion : Afro-Cuban religion : Plantes Igbo religion : Ekpe festivals - New Yam Festival of the Igbo - The Iwa ji festival San religion : Healing dances Serer religion : Daqaar mboob - Diouck - Gamo - Jobai - Khanghere - Mindisse - Mbosseh - Mboudaye - Randou Rande - Raan (held at Tukar, see also Saltigue) - Sam Southieh - The consultation at Ngalagne - The massacre of Cadde - The royal struggle - The session struggle at Ndiaye-Ndiaye - The session struggle Jiloor (Jijaak) - Tobaski - Tourou Peithie - Xoy (main Xoy held at Fatick) Yoruba religion : Odun Egungun - The Yoruba calendar (the year in festivals) “ The old attitude of missionaries was usually destructive; the indigenous religion was not studied, it was thought to have no divine revelations or inspiration, and little effort was made to use any part of it as a basis for fuller teaching. But it is not necessary to deny that the old religion both taught some truths and produced some spiritual values and living. ” Geoffrey Parrinder Source: Parrinder, Geoffrey [in] "African Theology in the 21st Century: The Contribution of the Pioneers, Volume 2" (Editor: Bénézet Bujo), p. 98-99, Paulines Publications Africa (2003), ISBN 9789966081575 Africa Religion Father Henry Gravrand (France, 1921 - Abbey of Latrun, Palestine, 11 July 2003) was a French Catholic missionary to Africa and an anthropologist who has written extensively on Serer religion and culture. He was one of the leading pioneers of interfaith dialog and believed that Traditional African religion was the "first covenant between God and man". More about Father Henry Gravrand... ...that as of 2003, practitioners of Traditional African religions are estimated to number over 100 million, or at least 10 percent of the population of the African continent? ...that African diasporic religions have strong similarities to Traditional African religions, which they partly derived from? ...that adherents to Traditional African religions have been the subject of persecution, demonization and marginalization and many have been forcefully converted to Islam and Christianity? ... that there are numerous Traditional African religions and African deities? ...that African culture, art and history are intricately linked to Traditional African religion? A terracotta sculpture from the Nok era believed to be made between the 6th century BC–6th century CE . Nok culture Geographical range West Africa Period Iron Age Dates circa 1000 B.C.E. — circa 300 C.E. Type site Nok Major sites Samun Dukiya, Taruga, Jos Followed by Kwararafa Traditional African religions People • Deities • Mythology • Holy places (Index of Serer holy places - Ile Ife - Oyo - Osun-Osogbo - Yorubaland - Aguleri - Ibini Ukpabi) • Notable figures (Index of Serer patriarchs - Index of Serer matriarchs - Maad Semou Njekeh Joof - YAAB and YOP - Unan and Ngoor, and Jambooñ and Agaire - Oduduwa - Oranyan - Moremi Ajasoro) • History • Countries (see also Sub-Saharan Africa) • Culture • Languages • Medicine • For more Traditional African religion topics, see Category:African traditional religions. Template:/box-header Join, contribute, and suggest new content for this portal. Explore, edit, and improve articles in Category:African traditional religions and Category:History of Africa. Announce new articles related to Traditional African religions. Help improve Category:African mythology stubs and Category:African history stubs. Create the Timeline of Traditional African religion and Outline of Traditional African religion. Create more Traditional African religion related articles and announce them on the Africa-related regional notice board. Add this portal to Traditional African religious articles you come by (the ones this portal have not been added to). To do that, simply add {{Portal|Traditional African religion}} at the bottom of the relevant article. Join WikiProject Africa and help improve African topics. Be bold. Join and contribute to Wikipedia. Wikipedia needs people like you. Without you there is no Wikipedia. Other things you can do... Serer religion Africa Religion Spirituality What are portals? List of portals Featured portals