Terms and Definitions in the Study of African Spirituality and Indigenous Communities, Quizzes of World Religions

Download Terms and Definitions in the Study of African Spirituality and Indigenous Communities and more Quizzes World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 Ancestors DEFINITION 1 - Usually deceased members of the community- They are supposed to protect the community and the community should revere them- Newborns are named after ancestors, reinforcing the circle of life- Very rarely are living elders considered ancestors- To be an ancestor you must do great things in life and die in a natural way(African Spirituality) TERM 2 Aziah DEFINITION 2 - A type of witchcraft/magical war medicine among the Lebang people of Africa- Allegedly makes the Lebang warriors bullet and machete proof- The magic is performed by a medicine man and during the ritual the warriors yell 'aziah!' TERM 3 Boro Mangu DEFINITION 3 - A Zande Witch- This is a person who performs evil in secret or uses psychic powers that do harm or injury to another person- The Boro Mangu's power is tied to a magical substance which can be discovered after an autopsy of the dead witch TERM 4 Primal Religion DEFINITION 4 - A way in which indigenous religions are often labeled.- It implies the same meaning as 'archaic' and is meant to be a positive word for 'primitive'- Puts indigenous people in the Natural History Museum (from Harvey) insinuates a lack of culture and civility(Harvey) TERM 5 Community DEFINITION 5 - A group of people interacting with 1 or more commonalities causing a degree of cohesiveness- Although there are many types of communities, we focus on communities of culture in this course- This includes people brought together of ethnicity, religion, etc. TERM 6 Africanization DEFINITION 6 Obinna What does it mean to African Christianity or other practices?- An example of Africanization of a World religion can be seen in the documentary video we watched on Bono- The bono practice Christianity or Islam while also practicing their beliefs and traditions- For example: the Bono will have a traditional funeral a week after their orthodox funeral- They also embrace Western medicine by practicing hygiene in schools in Ghana- The healers also tend to work with medical practitioners to find what works best for a patient- This shows how an indigenous tribe can be modernized although they are often stereotyped as primitive TERM 7 Diaspora DEFINITION 7 - Movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland- Doesn't represent the loss of customs however- The African diaspora was a historic movement of Africans and their descendants to places throughout the worldOBINNA- People that are spread out of their normal origin were originally describe as the Jewish community- In the last 40 years used to describe African diaspora- Questions raised about how they retain identity as they move, what happens when they move into new homes, and how their their past help cope with identity split within new homes TERM 8 Outsider Within DEFINITION 8 - To be part of a group without feeling like you completely belong- Relates to double consciousness (William Du Bois)- Sees patterns that immersed individual may not see, a balance between nearness and remoteness- I.E. - Negotiation insider/outsider status TERM 9 Divinities DEFINITION 9 (African Spirituality)- Supreme divinity who is often not known by name and obliges followers to invent intermediate gods to fill in the space between the people and the divinity- Secondary divinities account for mystic phenomena- Intermediaries direct major events- Assistants were assigned to task of creation TERM 10 Fon DEFINITION 10 - Paramount chief of Lebang Village- This person settles disputes between villagers- In context of Harvey's book the Fon specifically deals with witchcraft disputes- It is inferred the Fon will deal with mundane disputes as well- He does good witchcraft to expel and combat bad witchcraft(Harvey) TERM 21 Nganga DEFINITION 21 - Witch catcher, sorcerer, diviner- English term is usually sorcerer, he uses his occult power to detect and root out witches- The witch catcher is almost always MALE, but witch doctors can and often are women- Can be consulted by Fons to find witches, but nganga have a negative connotation, especially with the Christians in the area(Harvey) TERM 22 Ndah DEFINITION 22 - Preparation of war magic (Harvey)- Prepared amongst other things with the heart and blood of the slave TERM 23 World Religion DEFINITION 23 - Can be reflected as indigenous if they reflect the cultural cores of the religions in which they are practiced- Tend to have massive followings, seek universal appeal, membership, and promotion- Simply put the scope of a world religion is much larger than an indigenous religion- Noes Indigenous Religion as World Religion- More spread out throughout the world; try to spread and expand to other parts TERM 24 Outsider DEFINITION 24 - Person that is not in a group- It is important to note that this is a changing status- Outsiders benefit when researching because they can see patterns that insiders may not notice- Outsiders are also at a disadvantage because they are not as trusted as insiders TERM 25 Powwow DEFINITION 25 - Periodic, short, festive events American Indians organize for social, celebration, educational, political or commercial purposes- Function is for American Indians to affirm identity as individuals, communities, and tribal nations- An intersection of communal spirituality, transcultural social relations, historical traditions, and American Indian identity TERM 26 Kwoth DEFINITION 26 - The supreme God of the nuer who manifests himself in natural phenomena- Has an intangible quality like air- Everything is the way it is because of the Kwoth- Kwoth gives and sustains life along with bringing death by natural circumstances TERM 27 Nkonnua DEFINITION 27 - Low stools that sat in front of a shrine used for religious purposes- Idols are sat on stools, and priests use them during ceremonies- This particular low stool was used by Bono mediums in West Africa when they communed with spirits TERM 28 Ritual DEFINITION 28 - A religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to an ascribed order- Rituals are not simply about the changes in individual status or belief, but also about the dynamics of human society and its dynamic with the ancestors or spirits- Rituals are valuable on an individual, social, and metaphysical level- In spirit possession among the Bono, the ritual is studied based on the interactions between the audience and the medium TERM 29 Nuer Religion DEFINITION 29 - Believe in the "Kwoth" which translates to God- Believe that Kwoth is the creator of all things, protector and reason why things happen- Stoic attitude towards events because it is what the Kwoth wanted- They also have lower Kwoths TERM 30 Spirit Possession DEFINITION 30 - Rituals in which participants in a public forum behave in ways that signify to the audience that they are communicating with an invisible force- They enter into a trance, lose muscle and motor control, and have no memory of the event after TERM 31 Double Consciousness DEFINITION 31 - Describes an individual whose identity is divided into several facets- Term was originally coined by Du Bois in relation to every African American possessing 2 souls, thoughts, and ideals- We can relate the term to the notion of the outsider within- Sometimes conflicting personalities negotiating a conflict TERM 32 Sorcery DEFINITION 32 - A direct and conscious manipulation of objects in order to harm others TERM 33 Social Contract DEFINITION 33 - Legal charter of the kinship program (Obinna's Paper) TERM 34 Shrine DEFINITION 34 - A holy/sacred place that is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, or other figure of awe and respect at which they are worshiped(African Spirituality) TERM 35 Matrilineal DEFINITION 35 - Lineage traced through the women; this causes inheritance/economic wealth and property to be passed down through the women; also tied to matrifocal, or a society that holds women in high respect and leadership roles