Encyclopedia of African Religion

610 Seven Set then engaged in a long violent contest against Heru, the son of Ausar, that ended when Heru finally defeated Set a ...

remain after the diviner’s functions have been per- formed, it signals death. Among the Kamba, odd numbers are “without a compan ...

the collective sense of responsibility, the familial ties, and the intertwining/interconnectedness of the community’s life, sham ...

Shango 613 A shrine of Shango, the Yoruba god of thunder, furnished with figures of women devotees.These figures at the court of ...

The natural forces associated with Shango are fire, thunder, and lightning. Shango has a powerful aché, and, according to the Lu ...

One of the most dramatic examples of the shawabti belief and practice was the discovery in the tomb of the great king of the 25t ...

Nyakang, is ultimately a part of the adoration of Nyakang, and through him, of God. Marquita Pellerin See alsoJok Further Readin ...

SHRINES Shrineis a word of Latin origin, which means a box used to contain a precious or sacred object of wor- ship or veneratio ...

In theBook of the Coming Forth by Day, there is an account of Ra, the sun god of Innou (Heliopolis), who became the national dei ...

generation after the creator deities. He is dryness, and he and his sister and wife, Tefnut, have two children, Geb and Nut, rep ...

added to, and sometimes even erased the tradi- tional African cultures, makes it virtually impossi- ble to draw a clear line bet ...

Societies of Secrets 621 A rite of passage educates the youth in matters of marriage, procreation, sexual life, and family respo ...

knowledge held sacred by elders is held secret to outsiders and is only revealed to members worthy to obtain it, usually in step ...

nephew, succeeded to the leadership of the Songo. They fought with the Ngolas and the Pende and were brought under the hegemony ...

through the provision of resources and divine guidance to the pharaoh in their affairs. It is believed that the cult of Sopdu or ...

SOTHO The Sotho, or Basotho people as they are formally called, live in southern Africa, where they have resided since the 14th ...

626 Sotho Sotho Sangoma with bones, Lesedi Cultural Village, Hartbeespoort, North West Province, South Africa.The termSangomais ...

the level of the head, and when it was lightly covered, a stone plate was placed precisely over the head. Sand was then thrown o ...

importance to studying a body of knowledge referred to as the Oral Scriptures. They teach that by this study one’s soul is advan ...

Further Readings Akesson, S. K. (1965). The Akan Concept of the Soul. African Affairs, 64 , 280–291. Bockie, S. (1993).Death and ...