The world exists as a dwelling place for all. However, every society has its own perception about how the world came into being. Such understandings about creation lead to differing societal norms among which number religion is one. Whether or not the universe was created in one systematic procedure gives much cause to worry. The discourse of such sociocultural patterns has given birth to the subject of worldview. Thus, the subject of worldview is a complicated one that requires much in-depth analysis. No wonder numerous religions exist.
Worldview of a society is expressed in a systematic and consistent behaviour. It implies therefore that it is inherent in cosmological and religious practices. The World as expected to be created one great force, The Supreme Being, is expected to have a common account in all narratives. The accounts being given predominantly given suggest that creation of one part of the world differs from other parts. And that same entities are account to have been created through different procedure by the same Supreme Being who acts universally.
The subject of worldview makes it evident that its constituents - religion, culture, attitudes, beliefs and many more, intertwined, are set of artificial institutions that affect humans in all their endeavours. However, members of a particular worldview do condemn that of other members; a system and situation that is supposed not to exist.
Our discussions herein have to do with worldview of the Akans of Ghana; their understanding of the world is thoroughly discussed.
Akan | Destiny | Beliefs | Nkrabea
Destiny in Africa is the idea that a person’s path through life has been predetermined. The notion of destiny, among the Akan people is not fatalism. There is no sense that one’s destiny is bad or evil, but rather that one must work each day to work out the destiny that was designed before birth. African religion does not trivialize the idea of destiny to ideas like romance or the futility of working. One does not have to try to outmaneuver destiny, but one can embrace it because one can choose to accept destiny or fight against it. Rather than see destiny in Africa as a fixed sequence of events that is inexorable, one should view it as nkrabea, the Akan idea of destiny that takes its character from human uniqueness. Thus, nkrabea begins with the person.
Ananse
Ananse (Kwaku Ananse) is a mythological spider trickster of the Ashanti people of present-day Ghana. According to Ashanti myth Ananse is the son and intermediary of the sky god Nyame, on whose behalf Ananse brings rain and floods. Traditionally, Ananse is a cunning figure, living by his wits. He is credited by some with creating the first human; in some legends he is also responsible for creating the separation between day and night. Ananse was also seen as having taught people how to sow grain and to use a shovel in the fields, thus introducing agriculture. Although in Ashanti legends Ananse is rarely bested by any human, in at least one myth he is beaten after an encounter with a girl made out of wax. When the girl refuses to speak to him, Ananse hits her with his legs. Ananse is then stuck to her, allowing people to approach and attack him.
Akan | Ancestor Worship | Traditional Religion
Somewhat misleading term used to describe the practice, prevalent among West African peoples, of honoring ancestors. So-called ancestor worship centers on the belief that the deceased can intercede in the lives of their living relatives. Although supported by no universal set of beliefs, the practice is similar in most African societies. Believers hope that ancestors who are properly honored will bring good fortune to their relatives on earth. On the other hand, some ancestors may become evil spirits who haunt the living, cursing them with disease or natural disaster. In this case, the family must provide the appropriate sacrifices to appease the evil spirit. If the spirit continues to plague the living, his or her bones may be dug up and burned. Ancestors are usually recognized individually rather than collectively. A family or clan typically honor their relative in group ceremonies, calling upon that individual to bless them with a good harvest or protect them from a village plague. The living usually communicate with the deceased through prayer or sacrifice. While the deceased are believed to have the power to influence the living, they do not have unlimited powers and can only influence those who recognize them. In order to enter the ancestral realm properly, the deceased must be buried according to custom. When the head of a family dies, his eldest son often takes over his position of family authority. In most cases this first heir to the deceased must perform the burial ceremony for his father. With some peoples, a man who dies without a direct heir cannot be honored. Instead his soul is left to wander aimlessly as a ghost. Funeral rites may continue for years until the deceased has properly passed into the ancestral realm. Ceremonies, prayers, and ritual sacrifices may aid in the process. Not until funeral rites for the deceased are complete can the son officially lead the services for his departed father. Many peoples who honor their ancestors believe that the ancestral realm is organized hierarchically, parallel to the living world. Thus, the rank of the deceased increases only as the rank of his counterpart on earth increases. For instance, if the living son is heir to family authority, his father’s rank in the ancestral world will increase as his son’s rank rises in the family or among his people ancestry Founding members of families, groups, or nations identified through myths, shrines, and specific sites. In Africa one of the most important roles that ancestry plays is in defining life’s purpose and traditional values. For thousands of years, oral history has helped to accomplish this through myths. In some societies, myths detail heroic deeds or hardship that give meaningful personal or national histories to future generations. It should be kept in mind, however, that not all African societies share this view. Among the Pokot of western KENYA, for example, ancestral spirits traditionally are viewed as evil and are held responsible for great misfortune. In fact, it is believed that even speaking of the dead opens the way for bad luck Special symbols or shrines commemorated family ancestry in many ancient African societies. In the kingdom of Benin, in what is now NIGERIA, some royal families used a special altar under which founding male ancestors were buried. Carved wooden roosters were placed on the altars of female ancestors. Commemorative figures that honor the ancestors were also used by the Baoule of IVORY COAST. One of the most ancient symbols of ancestry in Africa, the ARK OF THE COVENANT was used to commemorate the national ancestry of ETHIOPIA, beginning with King Solomon and Queen MAKEDA (queen of Sheba). Similarly, among the Ashanti of GHANA, a unified national ancestry was achieved through the centuries-old tradition that maintained symbolic royal stools and a royal umbrella that “covers the nation.” Ancestry may also be linked to particular sites. For NUER groups in the present-day Republic of the SUDAN, a special tamarind tree in their homeland west of Bahr elJebel traditionally represented the place from which many claim to have originated. Similarly, the KIKUYU treated Mount Kenya as the House of Mumbi, the spiritual dwelling place from which they originated and to which they would return as ancestors. Traditional RELIGION continues to make a place for ancestor reverence and worship. For example, in the annual EGUNGUN festival of the YORUBA people, the roots of which lie thousands of years in the past, it is believed that the spirits of deceased and sometimes divinized ancestors are summoned to bring comfort and relief to the living
Akan | Africa | Child Bearing
In Africa, the raising of children involves not only a child’s immediate FAMILY but also the community at large and the child’s ancestors. Child rearing also involves a reinforcement of the cultural values and traditions most cherished by each particular society. In most African societies, community rites surrounding child rearing start at birth. The most ancient traditions of the KIKUYU, for example, call for them to bury the placenta of a recently born child in an uncultivated field. This is done because, to these pastoral people, open pastures symbolize all that is new, fertile, and strong. The Yansi, on the other hand, traditionally throw the physical remnants of birth into the river as a way of showing that the child belongs to the community. Both practices were meant to ensure that healthy children were born in the future. Other rites were specifically designed to strengthen the bonds between fathers and newborns. Since the earliest times, AKAN fathers, for example, traditionally were called upon to pour the child’s first libation, or tribute, to the ancestors. Akan fathers also were required to provide the child’s first pillow, which was a clean old cloth believed to carry the father’s spirit. African mothers, meanwhile, have been required since ancient times to perform special rites of purification. These rites usually begin during the earliest stages of pregnancy and might include carrying special charms and observing special taboos against the consumption of certain foods. Among the MBUTI, who have inhabited subSaharan Africa since the STONE AGE, women were long required to perform ritual offerings in the forest to ensure the safe delivery of their children. One of the most significant rites associated with child rearing is the assignment of a name. Traditionally, important ceremonies accompanied the various naming practices. Among the Wolof of West Africa, for example, a social event was organized in the mother’s home. Taking place a week after childbirth, the child was seated on the lap of an elder. Its name (and the meaning of that name) was then whispered into the child’s ear, along with a prayer, making the child the first to hear its own name. Only after this was the child’s name formally announced to the jubilant attendees. Among many African peoples, names were traditionally a sign of a strong belief in reincarnation, and children received the names of those ancestors they most resembled in physical features or behavior. A child might also have received the names of grandparents or significant community leaders. Descriptive names that might have been related to a special incident associated with the birth or the period of pregnancy might also have been given. In this way the child could acquire several names during his or her lifetime, each of which described, in some way, who he or she was. Breast-feeding, for many peoples, represented the most critical time for young children, and it generally lasted anywhere from 12 to 24 months. Although this long period of nursing offered a built-in immunity for most children, once they were weaned such dangers as malnutrition and disease claimed many lives. Those children who did survive beyond this period, however, eventually came to flourish under the watchful eyes of older siblings, members of the household, and the community at large. In this way children absorbed the social and cultural values of the society, as well as the community’s codes of acceptable social behavior. Part of this process also involved identity or marks. For some societies, this sometimes-meant physical markings, sometimes known as SCARIFICATION, on the face or body. In other societies, the piercing of ears or the wearing of particular kinds of JEWELRY or charms indicated that children had become full members of society
