The African Traditional And Diasporic Religions Thread (Santeria, IFA, 21 Divisions, Sanse + etc)
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The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Honoring your Ancestors
“The Ndiichie (esteemed ancestor spirits) also held a high place in traditional Igbo society. Elders have always been revered in Igbo society, and even more so after they passed onto Be Mmuo (the land of the spirits). The Ndiichie would often be consulted to offer advice to their descendants and appeal to the Alusi on their behalf. Ndi Igbo have never worshiped their ancestors only venerated them, which is no different then what Catholics do to their saints or what every country does to its national heroes. Respect and honor for the Ndiichie was shown in one way by pouring of libations while chanting incantations. Ndi Igbo believed in the concept of reincarnation and felt that the Ndiichie often reincarnated back on Earth. In fact, all Mmadu (human beings) were believed to reincarnate seven or eight times, and that depending on your karma, one either ascends or descends into another spiritual plane” – Onyemobi
Obu Figures
Ancestral veneration is a very ancient and common practice all over the world. The Igbo people have understood the importance of honoring the Ndichie (Venerated ancestors) in order for the civilization to survive and progress from times immemorial. One of the reasons Igbos and Africans in general are in a state of damnation is because we have forgotten how to honor our ancestors.
Figure in an ancestral shrine
Instead of developing our own culture as a people, we see Western culture as superior to our own and trap ourselves in an inferiority complex. Yes despite hardcore resistance against the Atlantic slave trade, British colonialism, and the Nigerian genocide against our people we ended up losing. Yes our Civilizations collapsed. Yes Nigeria continues to discriminate and oppress Igbo people. We have suffered a lot and nobody shall ever down play that. However, until we remember to honor our ancestors, we will continue on the path of self destruction our enemies have planted for us.
Uxurhe Ancestral Staffs
The Igbo people are one of the most ancient groups in the world. Like most African groups and civilizations in ancient times had advanced human consciousness, culture, knowledge, creativity, leadership, philosophy, science, and etc. True civilizations respect, honor, and live in accordance to Nature. We once understood the oneness of the Source/Creator (Chineke) with Creation and our relationship with Nature (Ani).
Ani in Mbari House
We honored and respected Ani. That is why we had rich societies and collective democratic leadership that lived by justice, order, peace, unity, and balance. Our ancestors built many ancient civilizations such as the Ugwelle (6000 BCE), Afikpo (3000 BCE), Nsukka (3000 BCE), UmuEri/UmuNri dynasties (500 BCE), Igbo Ukwu (900 CE), and etc. We developed sophisticated architecture such as the Nsude pyramids in Agbaja, Mbari structures, and etc. Igbos developed writing scripts such as Uli, Aniocha writing systems, Nsidibi, Ikwu, and many more. The level of knowledge and scientific (especially metaphysics) discoveries and practices done by the Igbo Civilizations is most likely beyond our imagination. We have a long history of achievements.
Igbo Ukwu Burial
In order for us Igbo people to really rebuild and progress, we must honor our ancestors. We shall not live exactly how our ancestors lived but revive the institutions they built that are applicable today and improve on it. How can you know what today and tomorrow will be if you don’t yesterday was? How can you know who you are if you don’t know who brought you here? The ancestors brought us here and as a mixture of all of them into one, we must know who they were to know who we are. We may say we are children of the ultimate source of all creation and life (Chineke). But through who are we children of Chineke? Who did Chineke give power to bring us into this world and gave life? The answer is our ancestors. Therefore, we must honor and respect them. To honor the ancestors is to honor ourselves and the ultimate ancestor/source of us all Chineke. Chi (God) Bless
Land of the Rising Sun
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
https://ia802500.us.archive.org/18/...Cosmological Foundations of Igbo Culture).pdf
E-Book on Igbo philosophy, cosmology and sacred sciences ready for download
E-Book on Igbo philosophy, cosmology and sacred sciences ready for download
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Introduction to Amadioha, Igbo god of Justice, Thunder and Lightning
Amadioha: The Igbo God of Thunder and Lightning
Yagazie (may we prosper)
Amadioha: The Igbo God of Thunder and Lightning
Last week, I had the luxury of seeing the movie Thor. I was very excited to see the movie for a number of different reasons. For one, I am a very big fan of superheroes, and love to watch both animated and live action movies and television series based off them. Secondly, I also happen to be a huge fan of mythology (In particular, Graeco-Roman, Judeo-Christian, Hindu and of course , the various ones of Africa) and I think that one of the best ways to understand a peoples culture and values is to read their mythology. So since this movie was a mixture of two of the things I love most, it was at the top of the list for on my “movies to watch” list.
The comic book character Thor was based off the Norse God of Thunder by the same name. According to Stan Lee, he had been looking for a hero that could compete with the Hulk, and he figured that since no man could, he would have to use a god…literally. So he adapted various characters from the mythology of the Nordic and Germanic people into comic book characters.
The Mighty Thor
Thor was said to rule over thunder, lightning, and storms. He was associated with oak trees, strength, destruction, fertility, healing, and was seen by his worshipers as the protector of mankind against the Jötunn, a race of malevolent nature spirits. The day of the week Thursday actually stems from his sacred day, and literally means “Thor’s day.” He carried a large hammer called Mjölnir which is still worn today as a pendant by many European neo-pagans.
Hammer of Thor
But the most compelling reason that I was drawn to see this movie (more so than most of the other superhero films that were coming out this year such as Captain America and the Green Lantern was the fact that Thor reminds me ALOT of another God of Thunder that also happens to be one of my favorites: Amadioha.
Artist’s depiction of Amadioha
Amadioha is one of the most popular of the Igbo deities. In fact, right after water spirits, the gods of thunder and lightning like Shango, Siete Rayos, Nzaji, etc seem to be the most well known and liked of all the deities all over Africa and its diaspora. Although he is usually referred to as Amadioha, that is not really a name, but one of his many epithets, which also include Igwe, Ofufe, and Igwekaala. The proper name of this entity would actually be Kamalu, or Kalu Akanu, and that’s the name that I use personally when referring to him.
Much of what is said about the other gods of thunder and lightning can be said about Amadioha: They serve as agents of justice, they are associated with war and aggression, and their colors tend to be red and white. People who have been accused of crimes go to their shrines to declare their innocence, less they be struck by lightning.
Unlike his fellow thunder and lightning deities, Amadioha doesn’t carry an object of power like Thor carries his hammer or like his second cousin Shango carries his axe. If he did carry something, I would assume it would be an Ogu stick, seeing as though its the symbol of justice. The ram is sacred to alot of the African thunder and lightning gods, both as a sacrifice and as a symbol. In fact, Amadioha at times appears to people in the form of a large white ram.
Amadioha in the form of a ram
Even though the vast majority of Igbo people profess to be Bible believing Christians, belief in Amadioha still remains strong. I remember a conversation I had with a traditional ruler a few years ago while he was visiting the states about when he described an evening when he went outside during a storm and saw his the grass near his compound on fire, but not burning. Afterwards, a white ram appeared out of nowhere. When it was all over, it was like nothing had happened.
Amadioha is also still used to curse people or threaten them. I can’t count the number of times that I have heard the phrase “thunder fire you!” or “Amadioha magbukwa gi!” (Amadioha will punish you!) Just the other day, I read an article where one of the priests of Amadioha proclaimed that the deity would punish any of the candidates if they dared try to rig the Governorship or House of Assembly polls in Nigeria. I personally would have more confidence in elected officials in Nigeria if they had to swear oaths at Amadioha’s shrine instead of swearing them on the Bible or Koran, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in that sentiment.
What tends to happen when folks swear on the Bible/Quran
Although I was raised as a Christian, I was always very curious about what my ancestors believed and practiced. So I took it upon myself to actually research it. When I read about the Igbo deities, Amadioha was one that really stuck out to me for some odd reason. That affinity towards him never went away, and to this day, he’s one of my favorite of the Igbo Alusi.
When I was in the early days of my traditional practice, I was trying to figure out how I would make shrines and alters for the different deities. I asked some elders for images of the different Alusi and the response I got was one of amusement. They explained to me that trying to find an image of a Mmuo (spirit) was like trying to find an image of the wind, and that each picture or carving that you’ve ever seen of any of them is just an artistic representation of an invisible force.
Wind Blowing
Furthermore, the vast majority of the times, most of the shrines to the different forces of nature weren’t carvings or images at all, but rather plants, trees, or simple combination of rocks and wood. For example, one examples of a traditional shrine to Amadioha would be a log resting on two large bamboo posts. I didn’t get the lessons at first, but one day it hit me: My ancestors were very artistic in the way they created their shrines, and the spirits that they represented would always appear to my ancestors in ways that they could recognize them. So I asked myself, how would I want them to appear to me? I’m a young man growing up in the age of Youtube, Facebook and Iphones. What would a supernatural being look like to me? Perhaps a superhero? A superhero representation for Amadioha was the first one that came to mind. It was pretty easy too:
The Man of Steel (John Henry Irons)
Steel (also known as the Man of Steel) is a comic book character in the DC universe. His alter ego is Dr. John Henry Irons, a brilliant weapons engineer who creates a high powered suit of armor to fight crime after Superman gets killed by Doomsday. This character was inspired by the legendary African American folkhero John Henry. He is very similar to Marvel’s Iron Man. Although he has no superpowers, but his suit grants him flight, enhanced strength, and endurance.
Steel was the image that I decided to use to represent Amadioha for my shrine. If he were to appear to me in a vision or dream, that is how he would look like, combined with the abilities of Thor. What I did was very similar to what alot of enslaved Africand did in Santeria, Voodoo and Palo Mayombe when they placed pictures of Catholic Saints to represent their deities in order to avoid religious persecution. However, since I could never see myself using images of my enemy to represent my deities, I choose to use comic book characters instead.
After I made one for Amadioha, I started making similar shrines for other Alusi, using various comic book characters. If one went into my room and didn’t know any better, you would think I was just obsessed with comic books and nothing moreAnother comic book character I used to represent an Alusi was The Human Torch. He is the image I use to represent Anyanwu, which is the spirit of the Sun. I will go in depth in the near future on the process of syncretism and how one can start to create shrines and images that work for them.
The Human Torch
While we are on the topic of symbolism, lets break down what Amadioha really means. Metaphysically, Amadioha represents the collective will of the people. An analysis of his name says so much. The name is a combination of Amadi and Oha. The first word, Amadi, is a name given to freeborn males. Oha is a concept that deals with the power community. Traditionally, Igbo communities were not ruled by monarchs, and made their decision by using Ohas (community assemblies). Whatever they agreed on, the community was responsible for enforcing. From my understanding, the Oha title is also supposed to be the last highest level of the Ozo title system. And its one that is virtually impossible to get, because it belongs to the people! So as the rules are made by the Earth Mother Ani (who metaphysically represents the unity of the people), they are enforced by Amadioha (their collective willpower) through lightning and thunder.
In other words, the Amadioha shrine, along with the other similar ones in Africa were said to be an indigenous form of weather manipulation. Besides being used to bring rain (which exists in just about EVERY society in the form of a rain dance/prayer…even until today!), it also was used to enforce the rules and regulations that were made by the community. While people have conspiracy theories about alleged government weather warfare programs like HAARP, some Africans in the bush might have claimed to be successful in doing naturally what modern scientists have attempted to do with machines. The power of Amadioha really makes me wonder what else Africans could do if they decided to come together. It also brings a whole new meaning to the phrase: “The Power to the People!”
Black Power!!!
Yagazie (may we prosper)
Guvnor
Da Speculative Spectacle®
@MansaMusa Interesting articles man, thanks for sharing.
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
Thanks. I'm trying to explore the philosophies, cosmogynys and mythologies of our people. I'll post more stuff during my journey.
The Odum of Ala Igbo
Hail Biafra!
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My problem / issue is what about the ines we don't know/didn't meet
Guvnor
Da Speculative Spectacle®
Guvnor
Da Speculative Spectacle®
HOw y'all incorporating ancestor veneration into yall daily lives
I keep a space for them with a glass of water under a white cloth which comes from the espiritisimo tradition. I change it every Monday and when I can I light a candle near it and leave back some left over food I may have for a few hours or so as offering to them. I also am supposed to contemplate on them daily, pray to them and give thanks but truth be told I'm bad with that lol. As Dip said it's also a great ideal to put pictures of them in this space but make sure it's not a picture with you or any living people.
The ones you never met or know you could still ask them for help as the thought is that many of them still walk with you. Their is some talk about ones that may not like others but if you know about that don't put them too close together on your shrine. Also ask that they be enlightened and that they get light and energy to help them on their journey.
KravenMorehead™
Barrel Brothers.®
I have never followed religion all that closely, but the people in the Kingdom of Kongo belief system is interesting to me. The Dikenga or Yowa is a cosmogram is at the center of Kongo's belief system.
"...There are a number of basic Kongo religious concepts that have persisted amid the profound viscissitudes of Kongo history. Among them is the belief in a supreme being, known as Nzambi Kalunga or Nzambi Mpungu Tulendo, who is thought to be omnipotent. Although Nzambi Kalunga is the creator and the ultimate source of power, lesser spirits and ancestors mediate between humanity and the supreme being. Evil, disorder, and injustice are believed to be the result of such base human motives as greed, envy, or maliciousness. As constant sources of life and well-being, both the land and the matrilineal ancestors buried in it form the basis of the preoccupation in Kongo thought with fertility and the continuity of the community. Patrifilial relations and other alliances formed in the public sphere bring forth in Kongo religion a concern with the nature of power, its sources, applications, and the consequences of beneficent and malevolent uses of it... ."
Kongo Religion - Dictionary definition of Kongo Religion | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary
Emotions are the feedback from th heart [the mind] that is having a certin experience in the world at a given moment. How that feedback is expressed is dependent on the person's level of consciousness, values and experiences. This is why, Kajangu noted previously, the Africans sought to have a "well-designed" double, because only well-designed doubles (logically, carefully crafted, intelligent, wise minds) can stem the tides of life's challenges. The pursuit of perfection (nfr; love) involves, among other things, the attempt to build a double that will survive beyond death. In the Egyptian Book Of Amenomope, Amenomope says: "The heart/mind of man is a gift of God. Beware of neglecting it" [i.e., its cultivation] . As stated by the great Egyptian sage Ptahhotep: jn rh sm b3.f m smnt nfr.f jm.f tp-t3 "A wise one cares for his b3 by establishing goodness in it on earth". By becoming enlightened on Earth, the double (ena, b3, ori) seals its immortality and becomes an ancestrl spirit (3hw) that can be used by the living for enriching life on earth. In other words, one becomes an Osiris (Wsr, Asar, WaShil, Mujilu). Only foolishness [Egyptian isft "evil"; Isizulu uzibuthe "the spirit of conflict"] can distort the construction of the double
The double is what becomes the ancestor after death. The ancestor after death. the ancestor is a consciousness and the ancestral realm is the "collective consciousness" of all human beings according to African theology.
The above digram represents the sun's apparent movement around the earth. Sunrise is in the east (V2) and sunset is in the west (V4). The human-being is also a living sun (symbolized by the small circles) and our cycle of life goes in a similar trajectory as the apparent movement of the sun around the earth. The diagram is divided into 2 primary demarcations: the top-half representing life on earth [ku nseke < nza "world, earth"; also nza a mwini "world of sunshine/light" ] and the bottom representing the ancestral realm [ku mpemba < mpemba "white clay/ chalk"); white is the color of the ancestors). The bottom portion of the diagram is also known as ndoki, which is the knower of man's principles and systems of n'kingu ye bimpa higher levels. the kindoki or science of higher knowledge'. The manipulation of these n'kingu and bimpa principles and systems permitted, say the Kongo, to assist the ndoki to become a winged person, a flier. The kikongo dictionary has the meaning for ndoki as "witch, sorcerer" . We can see here this association with "knowledge"[sacred/magical] and "flight" and our Egyptian word b3. I interpret this mean an active and powerful "imagination" as well a deep knowledge of the universe and the ability to bend matter. A witch [ndoki] is simply someone who can imagine something and translate their inspirations into experiences because they know the laws [higher sciences] that will allow for them to do so.
Fu-Kiau expands on this as he notes:
"In the spiritual world the kundu, kindoki, is the central and most important element in this unfathomable world. This element is made up by the experience based on bibulu (b) including [the] human being, the simbi (s), i.e,. ancestral experience, and on mpeve (m) , i.e., soul-mind experience. In this case kundu or kindoki is the lived and accumulated knowledge."
Fu-Kiau is confirming that the ancestral world consists of the collective human and ancestral experiences, which is therefore the mpeve "soul-mind" experience" [the collective b3l unconscious realm). The musoni stage of development [V1] is the formation process stage of all life. This aspect of the cosmogram relates to both the physicl birthing process [the womb] and ideological development [the mind].The "ancestral realm" is in reality the "cosmic collective mind" and it is from this pool of inspiration that we draw from to find solution to the problems we are currently facing. whene discover new solutions, these experiences are then added to the collective pool of wisdom, which is accessible through the mind [i.e., the spirit > b3 > ori). It is considered a dark realm , and as Fu-Kiau notes regarding the concept of the "V" as depicted in the diagram above :
The "Vee" is not only a human experience , it is found everywhere in nature as well as in the universe. It is the most primitive form that emerged from the depth of the first matter, "the dark matter" [ndobe/piu], which is the "printing room" of all realities, not only visible and invisible, but material and immaterial as well. A "printing room" for realities that were and realities to come. It is the printing room inside where all great ideas, images and forms emerge to be impregnated in our minds. Thereafter, we create them as realities.
The "V" is what I call "context", whose left and right edges represent the extremities of a concept [i.e. positive & negative forces]. One can also consider the extremes the edges of a perspective. The more narrow the "V", the narrower the perspective. The wider the "V", the wider the perspective [the more knowledge one has, the more one can see.] The merging point at the base of "V" is what Fu-Kiau calls the " the dark matter" or "printing room," which is none other than the cosmic mind [the mind of God, the law (s) of th Universe]. Remember the hermetic teaching, " The All is Mind; The Universe is Mental ". Our individual mind is but a spark of the greater inferno of the cosmic mind.
The Kikongo word ndobe is a variant of ndombe [, andombe] "blackness". This word has a variant ndombo "papyrus mat" [when used to sleep on] . The ndobe/ndombe is the "blackness" we are surrounded by when we look into the right sky and when we go to "sleep". By going to sleep we go into the ancestral realm nightly. The ancestral realm nightly. The ancestral realm is not "out ther" but "inside" of us: i.e., the heart, the core, the mind > jb , b3, PAA *lab- , ndobe [Kikongo ntima, moyo, mbundu "heart".)
Similar attitudes cn be seen among the Dagara people of Burkina Faso as it regards the underlying consciousness that undergirds the visible world. As told to us by Malidoma Some in his work The healing wisdom of africa : finding Life Purpose Through Nature, Ritual and Community:
"Indigenous people see the physical world as a reflection of a more complex, subtler, and more lasting yet invisible entity called energy. It is as if we are the shadows of a vibrant and endlessly resourceful intelligence dynamically involved in a process of continuous self-creation. Nothing happens here that did not begin in that unseen world. If something in the physical world is experiencing instability.....Therefore, people go to that unseen energetic place to try and repair whatever damage or disturbances are being done there, knowing that if things are healed there, things will be healed here.
The people of the Kongo have a saying as it regards travelling to the land of spirit.
Kani ka bwe, kana ku lumoso-ku lubakala-ku n'twala-ku nima-mu zulu evo mu nsi ukwenda, vutukisa va didi I yand . ""No matter what, you may walk leftwards, rightwards, forwards, backwards, upwards or downwards, you must come back to the [didi] core/center" Kongo Proverb.
According to Bantu tradition, we are "Vertical- Horizontal" beings; we stand "upright", we think, reason and ponder before moving "horizontally" on the earth to meet the challenges of the instinctive world. The horizontal world is the main ground to all learning. Moving horizontally serves one purpose and that is to learn from one's environment. We are not born with knowledge. According to the Bantu, we explore and collect data from our experiences in the world. We shelve this information in our consciousness, like living computers, for future use at will. The muntu [person] has two planes of motion in this universe. On the horizontal plane he can move forwards, backwards, leftwards and rightwards. But for true self-knowing, he walks inwards [didi- inner world]. This is the location of his true self, the essence of his being, his connection to source and ancestors. The Bantu believe that muntu is nothing unless he discovers how to walk towards this 7 direction. The journey towards the didi makes us "thinking-acting-beings," doers, masters [nganga] to ourselves.
Also a connection with Maat I'll explain later.
