Anthropology of Religion. African Tribes’ Beliefs

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
Reference

Introduction

Religion is part of the complex whole and it forms the core of beliefs and practices in a society. Beliefs simply refer to interrelated values, norms, and attitudes that enable people to adapt and survive in their environment. Africa is well known for being one of the most religious continents in the world whether one is looking at traditional religions or contemporary religions. Traditional religions have not been fully eroded by modern religions such as Christianity and Islam. It is very common to find a person who is a fully pledged Christian participating in traditional religious activities without feeling guilty. This is because in an African perspective religion is not separable from day-to-day activities.

This essay focuses on the traditional religions of three African tribes that will give a general view of how religion is practiced in Africa. These tribal groups are the Kikuyu who are found in Kenya, the Igbo who are found in Nigeria, and the Bushmen of South Africa. One common thing with all Africans is that there is a belief in one supreme god, ancestral worship is prominent and deities are also worshipped. The Supreme Being is treated differently from the ancestors and the same case applies to the deities. It is worth noting that the three tribal groups in my essay are going to represent three different modes of subsistence. Ceremonies that are carried out by the respective groups are also going to highlight the difference between the three facets of African religions.

Discussion

The Kikuyu

The Kikuyu is the largest tribal group in Kenya and they occupy the central part of the country. They are agrarians although they mix farming with cattle rearing. Kikuyu are very religious and they believe in the existence of one supreme and omnipotent God. Therefore one can say that the Kikuyu are monotheists. The Supreme Being is known as Ngai. Kenyatta (1938) note that ‘Ngai is the ruler or the creator and give of all things.’ Ngai created the founder of the community that is Gikuyu and Mumbi and he gave them all the resources that they needed to support and ensure the survival of the community. Ngai for the Kikuyu is a male and that is why they use the ‘He’ term when referring to him and he is believed to be resending on top of Kerenyaga (Mount Kenya) and this god cannot be seen with our naked eyes. He manifests himself in things such as the sun, moon, wind, and thunder among others.

Kenyatta (1938) points out that the Kikuyu ‘has a very close relationship with their ancestors and the spirits.’ The difference between Ngai and the ancestors is realized during the various ceremonies that are carried out either in honor of Ngai or the Ancestor. The ancestors are the founding fathers of the tribe and they are seen as the founders of the clan. This means that every clan has its ancestors also they are treated in the same manner by all the clans. The spirits are called Ngoma and they are of two types. We have good spirits and evil spirits. The bad spirits are a source of misfortune in the entire tribe but the good spirits are very healthy and they ensure the well-being of the community. Good spirits are associated with the departed members of the family and an individual departed parent fall in this category. These spirits are known as ngoma cia aciari.

The evil spirits were not that common and they lived in the plains and the forests and they featured mostly in stories narrated to young children and I guess that their main purpose was to scare thing children from going to far places alone. Although good spirits are friendly they could also cause misfortunes. Mbiti (1969) arguing along with the same line note that ‘some of the spirits, presumably those who links with the clan or nation have weakened, turn against people and cause illness.’ These cases made people cautious when dealing with their ancestors. The Kikuyu offered sacrifices and prayers to their God-Ngai on various occasions. They pray to face Mount Kenya where their Ngai lives.

Sacrifices are carried out under a Mugumo tree which was never brought down by anyone. Kenyatta (1938) notes that ‘ kikuyu made sacrifices on great occasions such as the rites of passage, planting time , before crops ripened, during then harvesting period, during a purification ceremony and during rainmaking ceremony.’ It is worth noting that women played a very minimal role in all the sacrifices since all the major worth involving the sacrifices was carried out by men. During such sacrifices, a ram or he-goat was sacrificed and at the same time beer was offered. The ancestral spirits also found their way into these sacrifices because before the Kikuyu could bring beer they had to pour down the first sip for their ancestors. Guitangira ngoma njohi. Njohi means beer. When evil spirits were being chased away services of a witch doctor or a medicine man were needed and he is the one who carried out this activity on behalf of the tribe.

The Igbo

The Igbo are found in West Africa and specifically Southeastern Nigeria and they are one of the largest ethnic groups in the region. Like any other African tribe, they had a decentralized form of government and they are very religious as the Kikuyu are. Slattery (2001) points out that ‘the Igbo believe in a benevolent creator, usually known as Chukwu, who created the visible universe (Uwa). Apart from the creator the Igbo also believe in the existence of parallel spirits which are known as the Supreme Being (agbara) and the spirit world which constitutes spiritual forces that are known as Alusi. The Alusi is similar to the ngoma of Kikuyu because they are divided into forces of blessing as well as forces of destruction. These two forces are well known by the Igbo because they punish those people who do not adhere to their cultural teachings.

Since the spirits emerge from their ancestors they are keenly observed by the Igbo. This is because the Igbo do believe that one’s ancestral spirits keep an eye on him and the living is supposed to be showing a continuous appreciation for the dead. This appreciation is in form of sacrifices and will be looked at in detail next. The Igbo also avoid topics that may have ill motives about their ancestral spirits. Slattery (2001) adds that ‘those ancestors who lived well, died in socially approved ways, and were given correct burial rites, live in the words of the dead, which mirrors the world of the living. As I had indicated earlier religion was regarded seriously and this is evident in the way Igbo carried out their sacrifices.

Sacrifices were carried out by priests on behalf of the people. This is a sharp contrast to the Kikuyu who had only elders who both served as political and religious leaders. Probably this is an indication that the societal structure in West Africa was more advanced compared to that one in East Africa. The main purpose of the sacrifice was to act as a way of mediating the relationship between an individual and his / her gods Achebe (1962). These sacrifices included animals, as well as plants and mostly fruits from trees, were involved. Achebe (1962) argues that ‘animals were a symbol of spiritual, as well as the physical means of sacrifice.’ The body of the animal that was used is seen as representing the living world, although it belongs to the spiritual realm. The Igbo also had sacrificed for other purposes such as for curing illnesses, increasing fertility, and for the warriors to give them strength to defeat their enemies.

The religious practitioners I had mentioned were divided into two kinds of priests. The Igbo had hereditary lineage priests and priests who had been appointed by respective deities for their services. The lineage priests lead ceremonies on behalf of his lineage and thus he is highly regarded because he is the main bridge between the people, the supreme god, and their ancestors. The diviners on the other had been given the duty of interpreting spirits’ wishes to the people. Therefore they become an integral part of this tribal group because once they carry out their duties well the society lives in harmony. They also determine the kind of sacrifices that need to be carried out.

The Bushmen

The Kung or the Bushmen as they are famously known are found in the Kalahari desert in South Africa. They live in small bad groups made up of at most fifty people although this number fluctuates as season changes. They are also very religious and they believe in the existence of a supernatural being whom they call Kaggen whom they worship and revere. Kaggen created the Bushmen and provides them with the resources that enable them to live and survive in the desert. The Bushmen can also be said to believe in the existence of two separate gods. One of them lives in the East while the other one lives in the Western side of their world. The main work of these two gods is to protect the Bushmen from adversaries.

Bushmen like all the other African tribal groups also believed in the existence of the spirit world. This gives us the reasons which make shamans very prominent among this tribal group. Shamans lead various religious functions such as sacrifices and prayers to the Kaggen. Since the Bushmen are hunters and gatherers they need the services of these shamans. In a real sense, the hunter has to visit a shaman before they go out for a hunting expedition who carries out a given ceremony blesses them, and then sends them out to the hunting ground. If they fail to visit a shaman the hunting expedition more often than not becomes a failure because the spirits were not invited o be with the hunters. The hunters may also sustain injuries because the ancestral spirits did not guard them.

A paper on African religion cannot be complete without looking at the modern religions in the continent. This modern religion such as Christianity and Islam was brought by foreigners with the sole aim of disrupting African belief systems which were already established. This new religion has managed to erode many African belief systems and many people have abandoned their traditional belief systems in favor of the new ones. However, this does not mean that all is lost. It is important to note that although Christianity for instance has gained prominence majority of Africans themselves continued with their traditional religion back home and this gives us the reason for Africanizing Christianity as well as other religions to make them fit in our system

Conclusion

In conclusion, Africans are very religious a fact that is supported by my essay. The three groups I have discussed show some commonality in that they believe in the existence of a supreme being who is their creator, spirit word which is either good or evil and the good spirits emerges from the dead people although in African religious terms these people are not dead and various deities. The main way of communicating with the Supreme Being is through sacrifices that are carried out at a specific time of the year. A sacrifice involves the killing of an animal either a ram or a beast and beer is also brewed and is given to the ancestor first before the priests or the elders drink it. Up to date, traditional religions are still present although foreign religions have become more dominant.

Reference

Achebe, C (1962): Things Fall apart. Heinemann Publishers.

Kenyatta, J. (1938): Facing Mount Kenya. Kenway Publishers.

Mbiti, J. S. (1969): African Religions and Philosophy. East African Education Publishers.

Slattery, K. (2000): Religion and the Igbo people. University of Belfast Press.

Chingere, N. H. M. V. (2001): Foreign Missionary Background and Indigenous Evangelization in Igboland. Lhverlag Munster.

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