Indeed, one finds that it remains current in the
context of African religion. Among the Akan of
Ghana, when one wants to create a drum, the
people responsible for making the drum accom-
pany the hunters to the forest, and when they dis-
cover a tree that is suitable for the drum, they
offer libations and prayers to the spirit of the tree.
This is representative of the belief that trees,
stones, and plants have spirits of their own that
must be appeased and appealed to when one
wants to make use of them. Some trees, moun-
tains, or rocks might be thought to possess spirits
that must be feared; others possess spirits that can
be given reverence because of their beauty, histori-
cal significance, or utility.
Animism as a function of African religion has
impacted the world to the degree that, throughout
the world, there are people who believe in the con-
vergence of the spiritual and material worlds; they
believe that nothing separates the sacred and the
secular or the animate and inanimate because they
all possess the spirit or breath.
Molefi Kete AsanteSee alsoAnimatism
Further Readings
Asante, M. K., & Nwadiora, E. (2007).Spear Masters:
An Introduction to African Religion. Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield.
Mbiti, J. (1990).African Religions and Philosophy
(2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
ANKH
Theankhis a pervasive symbol in ancient Egypt.
The meaning of the ankh conveys the idea of life
or the force that generates living. It has been
found on all types of materials, including leather,
stone, copper, and wood, although it is most often
used on gold. The ankh appears in all eras of
ancient Egyptian life and is one of the oldest sym-
bols. However, the exact origin of the symbol is
not known. Kemetologists and Egyptologists have
searched many documents seeking to discover the
first instance of the ankh. This has proven to be a
difficult task because of the provenance of the
symbol as well as its antiquity.
The form of the ankh is an oval supported by
a “T.” Thus, its shape has given rise to many
theories about its original meaning. The three
most prominent ideas are that the symbol repre-
sents the coming together of the male and female
genitalia, a type of sandal worn by ancient
Egyptians, and the Knot of Isis, which appeared
on many fabrics in ancient Egypt. No one knows
for certain whether any of these explanations is
true because there are no records of the Egyptians
giving advice about the origin of the symbol.
Much like thedjed, the symbol for stability, or the
was, the symbol for power, the ankh reflects a
concern with the practical life of the people.
As a symbol of life, the ankh was also used to
represent regeneration or be used as an amulet
to protect one against misfortune or as a talisman
to bring good fortune. There was an intense inter-
est on the part of the ancient Egyptians to ensure
that their fortune was good, particularly as it
related to the life after death. The concentration on
prolonging life by ensuring that death would have
no control over the body meant that they looked
for every advantage to secure a firm position on
eternal life. The ankh was used in greetings, salu-
tations, and leave-taking. When the Egyptian
wrote a letter or a treatise, one of the most appro-
priate endings was to wish for the recipient all life,
or eternal life,ankh neheh.
There is some thought by Kemetologists that
the House of Life, a compound of buildings used
for the temple library, the archives of spiritual
chants, and other information available to priests,
was dominated by images of the ankh. In fact, this
symbol is sometimes shown as a scepter that was
held in the right hand of deities, who could apply
it to the nostrils of the dead to resurrect them. To
speak of a House of Life was to discuss the appro-
priate ways of maintaining the society against all
forms of anarchy, chaos, and death.
The best philosophers, priests, and councilors
went to the House of Life to investigate all issues
that related to living forever. So obsessed was
the society with life that the wisest among theAnkh 59