AFAS 222 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Afro, Hantu Demon, West Africa Time
30 Aug 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Sunday, September 3, 2017
18
- Herbert Spencer speculated that the phrase ancestor worship drsircebed that “savage” peoples
associated with the spirits of the dead with certain objects, and made sacrifices to them
- wrong to interpret traditional religions simply in the terms of “worshiping the ancestors”
- magic is considered to be the mother of religion
- magic is a part of religious background
- religion is greater than magic
- African philosophy and religion has been subjected to a great deal of misinterpretation
- for temples the the key concept of African religion is “the vital force”
- J. Jahn - neo-African culture
- Mantu - philoisohy - force endowed with intelligence
- Kintu - includes “forces”, acting only under command of Mantu
- Hantu - time and space
- Kuntu - “modality” beauty laughter etc.
- -NTU = universal force
- Taylor - “primal world”
- three different approaches to african philosophy
- Nuer religion
- Dinka - personal encounter between God and men
- study of African philosophy began in West Africa
- time as key to reaching understanding of afro religion
Document Summary
Herbert spencer speculated that the phrase ancestor worship drsircebed that savage peoples associated with the spirits of the dead with certain objects, and made sacrifices to them. Wrong to interpret traditional religions simply in the terms of worshiping the ancestors . Magic is considered to be the mother of religion. Magic is a part of religious background. African philosophy and religion has been subjected to a great deal of misinterpretation. For temples the the key concept of african religion is the vital force . Mantu - philoisohy - force endowed with intelligence. Kintu - includes forces , acting only under command of mantu. Dinka - personal encounter between god and men. Study of african philosophy began in west africa. Time as key to reaching understanding of afro religion. Common features discernible in the cultures and thought systems of sub-saharan african peoples justify the existence of an african philosophy.
