"We speak to a wise man in proverbs, not in plain language. One can imagine the behavior of spiders leading to its association with the "weaving" of tales and being a supreme observer of human behavior from its vantage point of a ceiling corner, but it is as a speaker that the Ashanti recognize the spider's abilities. Morag Gunn is a writer in her mid-forties who lives in a riverside farm in East Ontario. The Zulu were originally a major clan in what is today Northern KwaZulu-Natal, founded ca. He has published extensively on African visual and verbal arts and divination systems and currently is researching the lower Niger Bronzes of southern Nigeria. All rights reserved. Thus, procedures became mixed and nomadic populations who were living between regions trans-ported various forms of knowledge: En ce qui concerne le The full list is shown in the table below, with current population and subregion (based on the United Nations official statistics). HARVARD DIVINITY SCHOOL45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138   617.495.5761. my.hds | Harvard University | Privacy | Accessibility | Digital Accessibility | Trademark Notice | Reporting Copyright InfringementsCopyright © 2021 President and Fellows of Harvard College. Jean Margaret Laurence CC (née Wemyss; 1926–1987) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer, and is one of the major figures in Canadian literature.She was also a founder of the Writers' Trust of Canada, a non-profit literary organization that seeks to … The Isoko provide a wonderful example of how a "speechless" creature aids human speech: they use snails to cure stuttering. Of the ten bones, the five on the left represent living human types, while the five to the right stand for ancestors and various dangers. Diviners (14 Occurrences) Diviners (14 Occurrences).... 1 Samuel 6:2 The Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, "What shall we do with the ark of Yahweh? The Isoko provide a wonderful example of how a "speechless" creature aids human speech: they use snails to cure stuttering. Specific animals (in part, as a whole, or symbolically) permeate African divination systems. Partial answers are perceived; then the whole procedure is repeated until the diviner is satisfied with the revelations made by the crab.16. Divining processes are diverse, but all follow set routines by which otherwise inaccessible information is obtained. WHO has supported clinical trials, leading 14 countries to issue marketing authorization for 89 traditional medicine products which have met international and national requirements for registration. Moreover, the religions developed in the Americas impact Africa in that devotees of the African diaspora have significant influence on practices in Africa. Cultures the world over note its ability to change its skin color and its independently rotating eyes. For diviners this is even more critical. I think this description perfectly expresses the critical dynamics of divination in many African cultures, those esoteric processes that operate whether through diviners or through their devices. Copyright © 2021 The President and Fellows of Harvard College, Religious Resources for Living Through Crisis, Contact Development and External Relations, professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard Divinity School. Corn kernels are scattered in the dish and the top is replaced on the container. in a trance or by throwing bones) the causes of misfortune and to prescribe remedies. "–by Anthony Chiorazzi, MTS candidate. The diviners' images are always pairs of a male and a female. Additionally, I will not discourage, disparage, or try and convert those who practice their form of African indigenous religions. Years ago, Benneta Jules-Rosette17 discussed the similarities between anthropology and divination; both pursuits attempt to sort out foreign cultures, to determine meaningful utterances from background noise, and to translate from one system to another. While not absolutely without voice (it will hiss if disturbed), most reckon it to be silent. Out of the 17 million premature deaths (under the age of 70) due to noncommunicable diseases in 2015, 82% are in low- and middle-income countries, and 37% are caused by CVDs. (ii) They reveal secrets and expose wrong doers in the society. Africa - Africa - People: Africa is now widely recognized as the birthplace of the Hominidae, the taxonomic family to which modern humans belong. The Yoruba diviners, for example, draw on this extensive indigenous knowledge every day by consulting Ifa, an extensive literary corpus of information covering science, medicine, cosmology, and metaphysics. (iv) They predict on future occurrences. With such an array of divination systems, clearly one should be very cautious of any generalizations. Although these are not exactly the creatures which first come to mind when we think of oral communication (one cannot be much quieter than a spider), for the Ashanti, all these creatures are associated with wisdom. It is a way of life, and it can never be separated from the public sphere. When the lid is removed, the spider's alterations of the cards are "read" by the diviner. But for many Africans, religion can never be separated from all these. In fact, hares appear to be silent creatures, a quality which Karugu also associate with wisdom. "7 This brings me to a second thread from Ellen Suthers's research, that of "silent" communication. Mothers have held rare protests in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere, demanding to know the fate of their children who originally were sent to Eritrea for military training. The diviner draws out a large number of marked leaf "cards" from a container lying on the tail of a squirrel (who is also considered a messenger between worlds). For instance, the Yoruba religion has historically been centered in southwestern Nigeria, the Zulu religion in southern Africa, and the Igbo religion in southeastern Nigeria. Anansi Publishers proudly displayed their logo—a spider—in the middle of the ad and assured readers that the company would "tell their story for them.". He who knows how to be silent possesses true happiness, interior peace, and detachment.10. Divination is an incredibly rich area for anthropological research—in fact, I would argue that there is no richer ethnography of a culture than the study of its divination system. The person who speaks only occasionally, slowly and cautiously, is the one to listen to, not the fast talker "talking anyhow" (as Nigerians phrase it). The monitor [lizard] is like this too, and cannot be heard, but it is a powerful animal and it has a forked tongue, as well, which people feel is a bizarrerie. Comments Michael Regan/Getty Images . Read "The Diviners" by Margaret Laurence available from Rakuten Kobo. For example, followers can seek spiritual direction and relief from healers, medicine men and women, charms [adornments often worn to incur good luck], amulets [adornments often used to ward off evil], and diviners [spiritual advisers].I should also state that there are signs of the revival of African indigenous practices in many parts of Africa. Copyright © 2021 The President and Fellows of Harvard College, Pilgrims: Progress and Regress in Three African Memoirs, An African Ecological Ethics of Invitation. Another frequently encountered assumption about divination is that the diviner is a totally "unique" individual, in the Western sense of a singular person. African spirituality is truly holistic. Since hearing is greater than sight for the pangolin, it reminds us that, universally, there are many blind "seers" or diviners, but few, if any, deaf diviners. Just as the measured, deliberate speech of the elders should be carefully attended, so, too, should the "words" carried by "silent" creatures. They were thoroughly outclassed against Algeria, failed to breakdown Tunisia, and then were held in both legs of their Africa Cup of Nations double-header against Sierra Leone in the Autumn. Our work touches lives around the world every day – often in invisible ways. From the Kaguru of East Africa, T. O. Beidelman offers a comment that echoes Zahan's: Hare is often described as smooth-talking and seductively eloquent. Silence is not a "normal" condition for humans; we have to create silence by not doing what we usually do. How to use diviner in a sentence. Where did most of the slaves from Africa go? Here again, the chameleon acts as messenger, with another silent creature as an alternate. EVEN AFTER SEVERAL DECADES of research on African diviners and divination systems, the subject continues to fascinate me because of divination's importance in daily human lives, its centrality in cultural systems, its articulation of values and laws, and its breadth of artistry. While Islam and Christianity tend to be overtly resistant to adopting traditional African religious ideas or practices, indigenous African religions have always accommodated other beliefs. At that time, the area was occupied by many large Nguni communities and clans (also called the isizwe people or nation, or were called isibongo, referring to their clan or family name). Perhaps this is another reminder of the dangers of verbal communication and the importance of silence. Twins serve as a model because of their special rapport, their extraordinary ability to communicate, often without words. The solitary, nocturnal pangolin quietly moves through the undergrowth hunting for insects. The neighboring Yoruba kings still wear crowns with beaded veils so that one cannot see them speak—which, in any case, they seldom do. This feature has been adapted by Luba diviners, who wear beaded hats with pangolin patterns to protect their heads. There are 54 countries in Africa today, according to the United Nations. Yes, they are small and silent; but they are also very clever, if not wise. Examples of silent animals in divination abound. A number of African societies utilize insects in divination; the Azande of the Sudan use ants as well. The award allows Olupona a year of study and research in Germany; he is on leave this year (2015–16).Much of Olupona's work is an attempt to provide a fuller understanding of the complexity and richness of African indigenous thought and practice by viewing it not as a foil or as a useful comparative to better understand Western religions, but as a system of thought and belief that should be valued and understood for its own ideas and contribution to global religions.Harvard Gazette: How would you define indigenous African religions?JO: Indigenous African religions refer to the indigenous or native religious beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. These are serious choices and none are without meaning. That would be a serious loss not only for Africans, but also for academics, researchers, writers, and general seekers of wisdom the world over.Gazette: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African religions?JO: If we lose traditional African religions, we would also lose or continue to seriously undermine the African practice of rites of passage such as the much cherished age-grade initiations, which have for so long integrated and bought Africans together under a common understanding, or worldview. Among the Batammaliba of Togo, both client and diviner hold a stick, and its movements convey the oracular message.5. Of these deaths, an estimated 7.4 million were due to coronary heart disease and 6.7 million were due to stroke . Many of the creatures linked to divination are ambiguous, anomalous, seemingly "betwixt and between" cultural classifications. The mouse crawls up to the upper chamber and eats some corn, thereby rearranging the bones. The hunter's head replied, "Talking brought me here."18. Virtually all persons of status, certainly in West African societies, have those who speak for them. Who were Africa’s under-the-radar stars of 2020? Among the neighboring Yohure, it is said that mice lost their voices because they always run and hide; so they can only communicate through the bones. Suthers, "Perception, Knowledge, and Divination," 11ff. Through gestures, the diviner transforms his or her body to reflect the image of the client, and thus to reveal the client's problem in concrete terms.2. Throughout Africa, the talkative, verbose individual is considered neither wise nor knowledgeable. Archived. This knowledge may or may not be literally expressed during the interpretation of the oracular message. African spirituality has always been able to adapt to change and allow itself to absorb the wisdom and views of other religions, much more than, for example, Christianity and Islam. All cultures use animals to represent their values, and, just as animals "speak" for humans in folktales and so on, their "silence" is equally significant. When threatened, the pangolin rolls up into a ball, presenting only its large, hard scales to its enemies. A follower of African diaspora religions has many choices in terms of seeking spiritual help or succor. Sangoma, highly respected healer among the Zulu people of South Africa who diagnoses, prescribes, and often performs the rituals to heal a person physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.The sangoma may address all of these realms in the healing process, which usually involves divination, herbal medicine, and specific customized rituals to cure illness and restore well-being. Diviners—who go through a long educational and apprenticeship program—hold the history, culture, and spiritual traditions of the African people. Thus, diviners seek in their relations with other beings (and with clients) that "perfect knowledge of each other" which transcends usual human communication. When I visited W. E. B. Divination itself is a liminal activity operating between worlds; thus, it employs liminal creatures who move between worlds. "For starters, the word "religion" is problematic for many Africans, because it suggests that religion is separate from the other aspects of one's culture, society, or environment. Thus, akin to the Lobi thila, an otherwise mute but knowledgeable entity is only given voice through divination in order to aid humans. 334. Some say that the US is complicit in helping to prop up his 35-year rule. Most slaves in Africa were captured in wars or in surprise raids on villages. Maybe this is why I am not an Anglican priest.In the end, I believe that Africans can make room for a plurality of religious points of view without one religious point of view excluding or compromising the other. Here, as so often in divination, we find male and female pairing and the suggestion of androgyny. Ellen Suthers, "Perception, Knowledge, and Divination in Djimini Society, Ivory Coast" (PhD diss., University of Virginia, 1987), 11-12, 16. Snails are often used in medicinal preparations and are thought to "cool" heated individuals and conditions. Religion informs everything in traditional African society, including political art, marriage, health, diet, dress, economics, and death.This is not to say that indigenous African spirituality represents a form of theocracy or religious totalitarianism—not at all. Diviners strongboxes were a lot more fun when they weren't rarer than exalted orbs. Some Africans believe that the ancestors are equal in power to deities, while others believe they are not. 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