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Books Religions of Africa African American Religious History: A
Documentary Witness Africanisms in American Culture American Voudou Harder to find |
African Traditional
Religions Missionaries frequently called Africans pagans and devil worshippers. Monette A. Bailey Though many slaves embraced Christianity as part of their assimilation, many more held fast to their traditional beliefs. Just as there are many denominations of Christianity, African religions are as varied as the regions in which they are practiced. Vodun (voodoo) is a common name Americans and Europeans gave to a host of beliefs and practices Africans brought with them. These beliefs with their emphasis on polytheism, nature and lively rituals, clashed with the monotheism and often-staid spirit of Protestantism and Catholicism. Missionaries frequently called Africans pagans and devil worshippers. The importance of traditional beliefs to everyday life However, for the African people, their spirituality was not demonic or religious show. It was an intrinsic part of their lives. It determined when they planted, how justice was meted out, what to name their children. It spoke to their earthly concerns as well as their lives after death. Rev. Abraham Akrong, Ph.D., a former professor of religion at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, wrote, "One can describe African religion as a this-worldly religion of salvation that promises well-being and wholeness here and now." Slaves were told, when their masters cared to share their doctrines with them, that by embracing the masters' religion, they would come to understand that the Africans' suffering here on earth was temporal. God will reward you when you get to heaven for your behavior on earth. Traditional Africans religions did not have a similar doctrine. Work with the gods now, they believed, so that your life here is good and your after life is good, too. Though it is hard to find an African, spiritual reason for American slavery, it can be assumed enslavement had something to do with the displeasure of gods. So important is this wholeness of being and rightness of body that Africans consult elders or diviners for medicines or words for everyday concerns and maladies. Complex rituals, with significance in every step, accompany certain phases of life. It is in this way that their religion becomes a guiding force. Author and educator John S. Mbiti sums it up best in his book African Religions and Philosophy: "Although many African languages do not have a word for religion as such, it nevertheless accompanies the individual from long before his birth to long after his physical death." It is in this respect that African belief systems are similar. Fundamental aspects of each system -- God's names, names of certain spirits, medicine men -- may differ in their name from people to people, but not in their function within the system. Medicines were dispensed by a izinyanga zemithi among the Zulu people, at the direction of a diviner. Among the Yoruba people, a diviner works with an oloogun. People of both tribes possess a working knowledge of herbs, but each recognizes the gifts of its specialist. Because of this complete permeation of beliefs, Christianity did not often fulfill Africans' spiritual needs. Many Christian slaveholders and ministers gathered just once a week to worship their God and then went about their way the rest of the week. Their hypocrisy was matched only by their inconsistent devotion. Africans would, and still do, consult their own beliefs to fill in the blanks. They recognized the Christians' God, often called themselves Christians as well, but still consulted their own priests and elders, or prepared herbal cures based on recipes handed down to them. The melding Catholics, with their worship of the Virgin Mary with statues and special rosary prayers, worked hard to convert Africans - both on their soil and in America - while not seeing the similarities between Catholicism and some main tenets of African traditional religions. Catholics have various saints who receive prayers and offerings for specific concerns. It should not be a surprise, then, that two of the strongest belief systems practiced by people from the African Diaspora today - Vodou and Santeria - feature components of Catholicism. The church has begun to accept cultural variations within its parishioners, from music in ceremonies to its recognition of Vodou leaders. There are Shango Baptists who mix traditional Southern Baptist practices with rites performed to honor the Yoruba Orisha of courage and the mythical founder of the nation. Islam receives many African converts because of its similarities to traditional beliefs. As along as humans share what they believe - and learn to adapt to new environments - a syncretism will occur that challenges believers of all systems to either reconcile their beliefs or create a new model.
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Ms. Bailey is a freelance editor and writer specializing in features and personality profiles.  © 2000-2002, Drylongso.com. |
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