Encyclopedia of African Religion

respect of human dignity. Shakapanga the creator is largely celebrated as the king of justice and is viewed as good and pure (Vi ...

fertility and a safe delivery, and that the family lineage and the community are being perpetuated and strengthened. In many Afr ...

day after their birth. Ewe females have their ears pierced on that day. Puberty: Initiation As children mature physically and th ...

married life. Young men and women are taught about the responsibilities of married life and edu- cated about sex and procreation ...

Yofogbe: a day after Nudogbe, lineage rituals are performed and gifts are offered to the family of the deceased, especially to ...

Philadelphia that dwells along the Schuylkill River. Other festivals held in June are the various “Juneteenth” celebrations that ...

Rituals Connect Communities to God and Ancestors The African worldview is holistic, and its spiritual philosophy does not distin ...

Among the Ewe people of Togo and Ghana, as well as many other ethnic groups, it is considered disrespectful to eat yam from the ...

thus prepare the young people to fulfill that obli- gation. In many African societies, prior to mar- riage, the bride undergoes ...

living and the manner of his or her death determine entry into the ranks of the ancestors. In the case of the Akan, special ritu ...

Maquet, J. (1972).Africanity:The Cultural Unity of Black Africa. London: Oxford University Press. Mbiti, J. S. (1990).African Re ...

RIVER TANO SeeTANORIVER ROCKS ANDSTONES These humble, unassuming objects are a manifes- tation of God, the source of creation, h ...

RUHANGA One of the overwhelming features of African tradi- tional religion is the belief in the Supreme Being (God). In most cas ...

SACRIFICE Sacrifi ce is a universalphenomenon. In a general andsecularsense,sacrifice maybedefinedas the “givingup”of a thingfor ...

584 Sacrifice the body of the offerer to transfer the illness or misfortune to the sheep. It is believed that the destiny of the ...

Idowu, E. B. (1975).Olodumare:God in Yoruba Belief. London: Longman. Mbiti, J. S. (1976).African Religions and Philosophy. Londo ...

morning and evening would further help tune his body to the spiritual world. He would also have to confess any negative thoughts ...

Ngubane, H. (1977).Body and Mind in Zulu Medicine: An Ethnography of Health and Disease in Nyuswa- Zulu Thought and Practice. Lo ...

588 Sankofa,Film cultural conceptSankofa.Sankofa, an Akan term that means to return to the past and move for- ward, became emble ...

Journal of the University Film and Video Association, 35 (2), 109–128. Tassy, E. (1994, January 25). “Sankofa” Takes a Different ...