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Family Rites
Every African family is involved in one way or another in the rituals that sustain the community. In fact, without the accompanying rituals, a society cannot last long. This entry examines several rituals of ordinary African life.
Birth
The human cycle of birth, growing up, marriage, and death is marked all the way with religious observances in Africa. Birth is a time of huge rejoicing. In many cultures, there is a period of waiting before the celebrations begin, making sure first that the baby is healthy and strong enough to survive. The Akamba of West Africa wait 3 days before slaughtering a goat, at which point the child is named. The Gikuyu in Kenya have a period of 4 to 5 days of seclusion for both mother ...
- Ancestral Figures
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- Wepwawet
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- Yao
- Yemonja
- Zin
- Eternality
- Nature
- Personalities and Characters
- Possessors of Divine Energy
- Rituals and Ceremonies
- Adae
- Agricultural Rites
- Ceremonies
- Circumcision
- Clitorectomy
- Dance and Song
- Desounen
- Harvest
- Incense
- Initiation
- Invocations
- Lele
- Medicine
- Medicine Men and Women
- Mediums
- Mummification
- Music
- Naming
- Offering
- Ohum Festival
- Opening of the Mouth Ceremony
- Puberty
- Purification
- Rain Dance
- Rites of Passage
- Rites of Reclamation
- Rituals
- Seclusion
- Shawabti
- Shrines
- Societies of Secrets
- Yam
- Yanvalou
- Sacred Spaces and Objects
- Akhenaten
- Altars
- Amulet
- Asamando
- Bata Drums
- Boats
- Bois Caiman
- Cowrie Shells
- Crossroads
- Drum, The
- Flag and Flag Planting
- Govi
- Groves, Sacred
- Ikin
- Ilé-Ifè
- Incense
- Kisalian Graves
- Lakes
- Maroon Communities
- Mount Cameroon
- Mount Kenya
- Mountains and Hills
- Oumfò
- Potomitan
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- Rivers and Streams
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- Sarcophagus
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- Totem
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- Societies
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- Taboo and Ethics
- Texts
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- Baga
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- Bobo
- Candomblé
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- Chewa
- Chokwe
- Convince
- Dagu
- Dinka
- Diola
- Dioula
- Dogon
- Duala
- Efik
- Ekoi
- Ewe
- Fang
- Fon
- Fula (Fulbe)
- Ga
- Gamo Religion
- Gola
- Gurunsi
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- Hoodoo
- Hutu
- Ibibio
- Idoma
- Igbo
- Jola
- Kabre of Togo
- KalÛnga
- Kirdi
- Kumina
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- Lovedu
- Lugbara
- Luo
- Maasai
- Mende
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- North America, African Religion in
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- Obeah
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- Ovambo
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- Pedi
- Petwo
- Peul
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- Santeria
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- Saramacca
- Senufo
- Serer
- Shilluk
- Shona
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- Sotho
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- Swazi
- Tallensi
- Teke
- Tellem
- Temne
- Tiv
- Tsonga
- Tswana
- Tutsi
- Umbanda
- Vai
- Vodou and the Haitian Revolution
- Vodou in Benin
- Vodou in Haiti
- Vodunsi
- Wamala
- West African Religion
- Winti
- Wolof
- Xhosa
- Yao
- Yoruba
- Zarma
- Zulu
- Values
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