laid down the principles for the foundation for
hunting, which included respect for the forest.
Indeed, respect for the god of the forest is the
first law of hunting. If the hunter does not respect
the god of the forest, paying as much honor to the
god of the forest as they do to their natural par-
ents, they will not be able to hunt successfully.
One must believe that the forest is good and will
reveal to the respectful hunter all that is necessary
for food. The disrespectful hunter will be disap-
pointed, saddened, and destroyed by the forest.
Hunting is the occasion for praise songs and
creative dancers imitating the various animals of
the hunt. The Mbuti place a basket of food near
the river as an indication that the forest deity has
been invoked as they celebrate their hunt.
Throughout Africa, this ritual of hunting and
invoking of the deities is carried out with the same
degree of reverence as seen in Mbuti tradition.
In general, African hunters discovered that the
spirits of the forests needed to be invoked by offer-
ings of food in trees and rocks. This is necessary
because the spirits are able to assist humans in mak-
ing a successful hunting chase. The hunters become
weathermen and are able to predict and prevent the
rain because of their invocation to the forest deities.
The forest holds many spirits: those who have died
and not been buried, ghosts of twins, monsters,
tsotsies, and other creatures. Therefore, hunting in
Africa was traditionally a profession laden with
courage, mystery, and reward.
Molefi Kete AsanteSeealsoFood; Rituals
Further Readings
Benwenyi, K. O. (1970). Le Dieu de nos Ancêtres.
Cahiers des Religions Africaines, 31 , 137–151.
Biobaku, S. (1955). The Use and Interpretation of
Yoruba Myths.Odu, 1 , 152–171.
Boeck, F. de. (1993). Healing From the Margin: Symbolic
and Diachronic Study of Inter-cultural Therapeutic
and Divinatory Roles Among aLuund and Chokwe.
In W. van Binsbergen & K. Schilder (Eds.),Ethnicity
in Africa(pp. 114–135). London: Afrika Focus.
Brookman-Amissah, J. (1989). The Vocation of
Traditional Priests in Akan Society.Cahiers des
Religions Africaines, pp. 87–99.
Courlander, H. (1973).Tales of Yoruba Gods and
Heroes. New York: Crown.
Daneel, M. L. (1970).The God of the Matopo Hills:An
Essay on the Mwari Cult in Rhodesia. New York:
Mouton.
Field, M. J. (1960).Search for Security. London: Faber
& Faber.
Field, M. J. (1961).Religion and Medicine of Ga People.
London: Oxford University Press.
Fisher, R. B. (1998).West African Religious Traditions:
Focus on the Akan of Ghana. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis
Books.
Lugg, H. C. (1927–1929). Agricultural Ceremonies in
Zululand.Bantu Studies, 3 , 198–217.HUSIA
The Husia is a collection of sacred texts of ancient
Egypt. A massive work in progress, it is a result of
a project begun in the early 1980s by Maulana
Karenga, professor of Africana Studies at
California State University, Long Beach. He stated
in his pilot project for the longer text in progress,
Selections From the Husia: Sacred Wisdom of
Ancient Egypt, that “as part of a larger work, it
represents a contribution to developing a definitive
African sacred text which will serve as moral and
spiritual guide and reinforcement in the same way
other sacred texts do for their adherents and believ-
ers.” Various books of the Husia are to be pub-
lished as translated until the collection of selected
texts is complete. This entry looks at the text and
the project that seeks to gather and publish them.The Sacred Texts
The name chosen for the sacred text,Husia, is a
compound word taken from two ancient Egyptian
words that signify the two divine powers by which
Ra (God) created the world in the ancient Egyptian
creation narrative. The creation texts in the Husia
say that the Creator “conceived the world in his
heart/mind,” “took authoritative speech in his
mouth,” and called the world into being. The word
Humeans “authoritative utterance,” and the word
Sia means “exceptional insight.” Thus, the two
words are combined to express the concept
“authoritative utterance of exceptional insight.”Husia 321