Polytheism was widespreaded in most of ancient African and other regions of the world, before the introduction of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Deceased humans (and animals or important objects) still exist in the spirit world and can influence or interact with the physical world. Native African religions are centered on ancestor veneration, the belief in a spirit world, supernatural beings and free will (unlike the later developed concept of faith). It is suggested that most ancient traditional African religions, like most other indigenous folk religions around the world, were strictly polytheistic and lacked the belief in monotheistic concepts, such as a single supreme creator god. Kenya, for Kikuyu people, which is comparable to other traditional religions around the world. In many traditions the gods are supposed to live in the skies there are also traditions that locate them on some high mountain, for example the Kirinyaga mountain - Mt. Most names of various deities include the Bantu particle ng ( nk) some examples are Nzambi Mpungu ( Bakongo), Mulungu ( Wayao, Chewa, Akamba and others), Unkulunkulu ( AmaZulu), Gulu ( Baganda), Muluku ( Makua), Mungu ( WaSwahili), Mukuru ( OvaHerero and OvaHimba), Nyambe ( Bassa), Kibumba ( Basoga), Imana ( Banyarwanda and Barundi), Modimo ( Basotho and Batswana), Ruhanga ( Banyoro and Banyankole), and Ngai (Akamba, Agikuyu and other groups). The nature of the supreme and highest God of all gods and deities is often only vaguely defined or even lacking, although he may be associated with the Sun, or the oldest of all ancestors, or have other specifications. Traditional African religions also have elements of fetishism, shamanism and veneration of relics, and have a high complexity, comparable to Japanese Shinto or Hinduism. While some religions adopted a pantheistic worldview, most follow a polytheistic system with various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings. This includes the worship of tutelary deities, nature worship, ancestor worship and the belief in an afterlife. Animism builds the core concept of the Bantu religious traditions, similar to other traditional African religions. Most religions can be described as animistic with various polytheistic and pantheistic aspects. Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs, and festivals, include belief in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including a supreme creator or force, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead, use of magic and traditional African medicine. The traditional beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions. The phrase "Bantu tradition" usually refers to the common, recurring themes that are found in all, or most, Bantu cultures across Africa. Although Bantu peoples account for several hundred different ethnic groups, there is a high degree of homogeneity in Bantu cultures and customs, just as in Bantu languages. A Shona n'anga - a shaman and medicine man.īantu tradition is the system of beliefs and legends of the Bantu people of Africa.
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