|
Akan Religion
Akan religion comprises the traditional beliefs and religious practices of the Akan people of Ghana and eastern Ivory Coast. Akan religion is referred to as Akom. Although most Akan people have identified as Christians since the early 20th century, Akan religion remains practiced by some and is often syncretized with Christianity. The Akan have many subgroups (including the Fanti, Ashanti, the Akuapem, the Wassa, the Abron, the Anyi, and the Baoulé, among others), so the religion varies greatly by region and subgroup. Similar to other traditional religions of West and Central Africa such as West African Vodun, Yoruba religion, or Odinani, Akan cosmology consists of a senior god who generally does not interact with humans and many gods who assist humans. Anansi the spider is a folk hero who is prominent in Ashanti folktales where he is depicted as a wise trickster. In other aspects of Akan spirituality, Anansi is also sometimes considered both a trickster and a deity ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gye Nyame (Adinkra Symbol)
Onyame, Nyankopɔn (Onyankopɔng) or Ɔdomankoma is the supreme god of the Akan people of Ghana, who is most commonly known as Nyame. The name means "The one who knows and sees everything", and "omniscient, omnipotent sky deity" in the Akan language. Names Odomankoma The name Ɔdomankoma, spelt Odomankoma in English, means "Creator" which is said to be derived from the literal translations of the two sections of his name, "Dom" (meaning state or universe) and "Anko-ma" (meaning "who alone gives"). The name "Odomankoma" therefore means, in the literal sense, "The only one who gives the universe or world". However, others believe Odomankoma is an abbreviation of Odomankoma's full and true name: O-doma-ara-nko-ma in which all parts of the name (excluding the first o) has a meaning: "Doma" meaning 'abundance', "nko" meaning "only" or "alone", "ma" meaning "full of", coming together to mean "The one who is uninterruptedly, infinitely, and exclusively full of the manifold, namely, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoruba Religion
The Yorùbá religion (Yoruba language, Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), West African Orisa (Òrìṣà), or Isese (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria and Southern Benin, which comprises the majority of the States of Nigeria, states of; Oyo State, Oyo, Ogun State, Ogun, Osun State, Osun, Ondo State, Ondo, Ekiti State, Ekiti, Kwara State, Kwara, Lagos State, Lagos and parts of Kogi State, Kogi in Nigeria, the Departments of Benin, Departments of; Collines Department, Collines, Ouémé Department, Oueme, Plateau Department, Plateau in Benin, and the adjoining parts of central Togo, commonly known as Yorubaland (). It has become the largest indigenous African tradition / belief system in the world with several million adherents worldwide. It shares some parallels with the Vodun practised by the neighbouring Fon people, Fon and Ewe people, Ewe peoples to its west ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Libation
A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an Sacrifice, offering to a deity or spirit, or in Veneration of the dead, memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of Ancient history, antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures today. Various substances have been used for libations, most commonly wine or other alcoholic drinks, olive oil, honey, and in India, ghee. The vessels used in the ritual, including the patera, often had a significant form which differentiated them from secular vessels. The libation could be poured onto something of religious significance, such as an altar, or into the earth. On the other hand, one or more libations began most meals and occasions when wine was drunk in Greco-Roman and other ancient societies, mostly using normal cups or jugs. Etymology The English word "libation" derives from the Latin ', an act of pouring, from the verb ', "to taste, sip; pour out, make a libation" (Indo-European root , "pour, make a libation"). Religio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alusi
Arusi are spirits that are worshipped and served in the Igbo religion. There are many different kinds of Arusi and each has its own purpose and function. Ancestors The Igbo ancestral world is divided into several interconnected realms, principal among them being the realm of the living, the realm of the dead or of the ancestors, and the realm of the unborn. Individuals who led an honorable life and received a proper burial proceeded to the ancestral realm to take their place among the ancestors ("''Ndichie''"), who are separate from the Arusi. From there they kept a watchful eye on the clan and visited their loved ones among the living with blessings such as fertility, good health, longevity, and prosperity. In gratitude the living offered sacrifices to them at the family hearth, and sought their counsel. Arusi worship Each major Arusi has a priest in every town that honors it, and the priest is assisted by a group of acolytes and devotees. Children and Arusi Children are still ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orisha
Orishas (singular: orisha) are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Haitian Vaudou, Cuban Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. The preferred spelling varies depending on the language in question: òrìṣà is the spelling in the Yoruba language, orixá in Portuguese, and orisha, oricha, orichá or orixá in Spanish-speaking countries. In the Lucumí tradition, which evolved in Cuba, the orishas are synchronized with Catholic saints, forming a syncretic system of worship where African deities are hidden behind Christian iconography. This allowed enslaved Africans to preserve their traditions under colonial religious persecution. According to the teachings of these religions, the orishas are spirits sent by the supreme creator, Olodumare, to assist humanity and to teach them to be successful on ''Ayé'' (Earth). Rooted in the native religion of the Yoruba people, mos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tano (mythology)
Tano (Tanoɛ), whose true name is Ta Kora (abbreviated from Tano Kora/Akora, not to be confused with Tano Akora) and is known as Tando to the Fante is the Abosom of war and strife in Akan mythology and Abosom of Thunder and Lightning in the Asante mythology of Ghana as well as the Agni mythology of the Ivory Coast. He represents the Tano River, which is located in Ghana. He is regarded as the highest and king of all Obosom. The Tano abosom are his sons in Akan mythology. Names and epithets Tano is commonly as ''Kora'', ''Ta Akora'', ''Tano Kora'' and/or ''Tano Akora'' in the Techiman-Bono area. The name ''Ta Kora'' most likely means the “immense father' as “kora” means "the immense" and “ta” may be derived from a word meaning "father", stemming from how he is the father of a majority of the abosom. "Kora" can also mean "to mend", which means the name can also translate to "Tano The Mender” or "Tano The Healer”, referencing his healing abilities. Another name for t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asase Yaa
Asase Ya/Afua (or Asase Yaa, Asaase Yaa, Asaase Afua, Asaase Efua) is the Akan goddess of fertility, love, procreation, peace, truth and the dry and lush earth in Ghana and Ivory Coast. She is also Mother of the Dead known as Mother Earth or Aberewaa. Asase is the wife of Nyankapon, the male sky deity, and is the daughter of Nyame, the female aspect of the Nyankapon-Nyame-Odomakoma trinity, all of whom created the universe. Asase gave birth to two children, Bea and Tano. Bea is also named Bia. In some folklore tales, Asase is also the mother of Anansi, the trickster, and divine stepmother of the sacred high chiefs. Asase is very powerful, though no temples are dedicated to her, instead, she is worshipped in the agricultural fields of the Asante and other Akans. Asase is highly respected amongst Akans. Sacrifices are given to her for favour and blessings. Asase's favoured people are the Bono people. Planet Earth is Asase Yaa's symbol whilst Venus is Asase Afua's symbol. Name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Omnipotence
Omnipotence is the property of possessing maximal power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one of God's characteristics, along with omniscience, omnipresence, and omnibenevolence. Etymology The word ''omnipotence'' derives from the Latin prefix ''omni''-, meaning "all", and the word ''potens'', meaning "potent" or "powerful". Thus the term means "all-powerful". Meanings Scholasticism The term omnipotent has been used to connote a number of different positions. These positions include, but are not limited to, the following: # A deity is able to do anything that it chooses to do. (In this version, God can do the impossible and something contradictory.) # A deity is able to do anything that is in accord with its own nature (thus, for instance, if it is a logical consequence of a deity's nature that what it speaks is truth, then i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Omniscience
Omniscience is the property of possessing maximal knowledge. In Hinduism, Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions, it is often attributed to a divine being or an all-knowing spirit, entity or person. In Jainism, omniscience is an attribute that any individual can eventually attain. In Buddhism, there are differing beliefs about omniscience among different schools. Etymology The word ''omniscience'' derives from the Latin word ''wikt:sciens, sciens'' ("to know" or "conscious") and the prefix ''wikt:omni, omni'' ("all" or "every"), but also means "Eye of Providence, all-seeing". In religion Buddhism The topic of omniscience has been much debated in various Indian traditions, but no more so than by the Buddhists. After Dharmakirti's excursions into the subject of pramana, what constitutes a valid cognition, Śāntarakṣita and his student Kamalaśīla thoroughly investigated the subject in the Tattvasamgraha and its commentary the Panjika. The arguments in the text can be broadly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nyankapon-Nyame-Odomankoma
Onyame, Nyankopɔn (Onyankopɔng) or Ɔdomankoma is the supreme god of the Akan people of Ghana, who is most commonly known as Nyame. The name means "The one who knows and sees everything", and "omniscient, omnipotent sky deity" in the Akan language. Names Odomankoma The name Ɔdomankoma, spelt Odomankoma in English, means "Creator" which is said to be derived from the literal translations of the two sections of his name, "Dom" (meaning state or universe) and "Anko-ma" (meaning "who alone gives"). The name "Odomankoma" therefore means, in the literal sense, "The only one who gives the universe or world". However, others believe Odomankoma is an abbreviation of Odomankoma's full and true name: O-doma-ara-nko-ma in which all parts of the name (excluding the first o) has a meaning: "Doma" meaning 'abundance', "nko" meaning "only" or "alone", "ma" meaning "full of", coming together to mean "The one who is uninterruptedly, infinitely, and exclusively full of the manifold, namely, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legba
Papa Legba is a lwa, or loa, in West African Vodun and its diasporic derivatives ( Dominican Republic Vudú, Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, and Winti), who serves as the intermediary between God and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the spirits of Guineé, and is believed to speak all human languages. In Haiti, he is the great elocutioner. Legba facilitates communication, speech, and understanding. He is commonly associated with dogs. Papa Legba is invoked at the beginning of every ceremony. Papa Legba has his origins in the historic West African kingdom of Dahomey, located within present-day Benin. Appearance He usually appears as an old man on a crutch or with a cane, wearing a broad-brimmed straw hat and smoking a pipe, or drinking dark rum. The dog is sacred to him. Legba is syncretized with Saint Peter, Saint Lazarus, and Saint Anthony. His ''veve'' incorporates a walking cane on the right side. Offerings to hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trickster
In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules and defy conventional behavior. Mythology Tricksters, as archetypal characters, appear in the myths of many different cultures. Lewis Hyde describes the trickster as a "boundary-crosser".Hyde, Lewis. ''Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art''. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. The trickster crosses and often breaks both physical and societal rules: Tricksters "violate principles of social and natural order, playfully disrupting normal life and then re-establishing it on a new basis." Often, this bending and breaking of rules takes the form of tricks and thievery. Tricksters can be cunning or foolish or both. The trickster openly questions, disrupts and mocks authority. Many cultures have ta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
