Among the Ewe people of Togo and Ghana, as
well as many other ethnic groups, it is considered
disrespectful to eat yam from the first harvest the
season before performing a ritual offering at the
appropriate shrine. This is a form of ethical prac-
tice based on reciprocity. It reflects the belief in the
principle that holds that that which the Earth pro-
vides is respected as a gift from Mother Earth and
a gift to the Earth is given in return.
Throughout Africa, agricultural and nomadic
pastoralist societies engage in seasonal rituals to
seek the blessings and interventions of the spiri-
tual world for successful plantings, harvests, pas-
tures, and hunts. Rituals are also performed for
protection against droughts, floods, and other
catastrophic occurrences. The Fulani place a
talisman around the necks of cattle to help them
find djenne grass during the dry season. The
djenne grass contains vitamin A. The scarcity of
the grass causes a deficiency that results in night
blindness among the cattle, as well as among the
Fulani herdsmen who obtain vitamins from their
cattle’s milk.
LifeCycleRituals
Throughout Africa, attention is paid to the
journey of life. The major points of transition and
transformation along the life cycle are marked by
significant rituals and ceremonies.
Birth and Naming
The human being is both a physical and a spiri-
tual being. Birth is the entry of the embodied spirit
into the physical world and the community. Both
the birth and naming of a child are celebrated
with appropriate rituals to demonstrate their
significance.
When a child is born among the Yoruba people,
a special ceremony called The First Step Into the
World is performed 3 days after birth. The pur-
pose of this ceremony is to determine with the
assistance of a babalawo (a priest of Ifa) what sort
of person the child will be and to appoint an
orisha (divinity) or guardian spirit. Once the
father of the child has acknowledged it, the babal-
awo is consulted to determine which of the
orishaswill be the child’s protector, as well as
what is forbidden or taboo to the child.
The naming ceremony, calledI-komo-jade,a
child’s first outing or “outdooring,” is performed
on the seventh day after birth for girls and on the
ninth day for boys. Ababalawoperforms a purifi-
cation ceremony called the Iwenumo, which is
preceded by sacrifices offered to the deity who
protects the child. During the Iwenumo, the
babalawo throws consecrated water on the roof of
the dwelling. The mother with the child in her
arms runs out of the dwelling three times to catch
the water falling from the roof. As she does this,
the babalawo pronounces the name of the child. A
fire that has been lit inside the house is ceremoni-
ally extinguished, and the ashes from it are carried
outside. Following this, the members of the family
give various names to the child while offering it
gifts and best wishes.Initiation
After the observances that mark the child’s
birth, the ceremonies or rituals of the initiation
period that mark the transition from child to ado-
lescent to adult status in the community are the
second major point in the life of the individual.
Nearly all African peoples give this period of tran-
sition special recognition. These rituals and cere-
monies establish the place of the individual among
the adults in the community. By the time children
in African societies reach adolescence, they know
their place within the social fabric of their com-
munities and have learned important aspects of
their social and cultural heritage. This is accom-
plished through everyday life in the context of
family and lineage. This preparation, however, is
regarded as insufficient. Initiation is required for
admission to adult status. Three practices, which
feature prominently among initiation rites, are
education in the ways of adults, the seclusion of
initiates, and circumcision.Marriage
Initiation rituals and ceremonies are, in effect,
preparation for marriage. Once they have gone
through initiation ceremonies, there is nothing to
prevent young adults from getting married. In fact,
they are expected to do so. Marriage is a social and
religious obligation because the purpose of marriage
is procreation. Most, if not all, African societiesRituals 577