african american religion

definition of african american religion

practice of freedom, communal advancement, and a service that opens up spaces originally closed by white supremacy

African retentions debate

e franklin fasier vs Melville Herskovitz

Triangle trade route

europe, africa, and americas. used to kidnap and enslave africans and transport them

Forced Migration

people forced out of their land

Arawak (esp. Taíno)

indiginous group in south america

Gris-gris

voodoo talisman used for protection and luck

Yoruba orisha traditions

• mportance of saints

• 2 dif religounous formed between priests and common people

• white surpemacy - being as close to white as possible was best thus meaning adobting the white mans religion catholicism “having a white soul”

• underground clubs/orgs where african and indiginous slaves could share and practice their religion- women held high positions as well as men

• Cafradia and Cabildos

• orgs also faught for rights/equality and perchased members freedoms

• eventually banned from practicing/forming cabilidos

• yoruba corpus - proverbs

• escape of pain/ache

• orishas are forms of oludemere expression

• nature/natural forces

• candles,food,flowers, sacrifices, etc

• dead must be honored and ancestor worship

• ritual family and blood family

Orisa/orisha

spiritual entities

Ase/ashé/ache

key force in the universe, neutral energy, can be awaked in objects and people

• the ultimate of ache is gold, olodumare and the orishas are the numerous forms of his expression

Lucumí

yoruba regla de ocha

Regla de Ocha

the religion order, or rule of the orishas

Guanahatabey

inidigious people of cuba

3.Cuban War of Independence (Spanish-American War)

1895-1898 liberated cuba from colonization

U.S. neocolonialism in Cuba

Ebó

Olodumare

the creator ultimate god in yoruba tradtion

Yemayá

universal mother,maternity, the sea, and salt water, she gave birth to all orishas as well as sun and moon in catholosism she is La virgen de regla

Oyotunji African Village and retraditionalizing Yoruba

Oba Waja/Adefunmi

Espiritismo

mid 19th century spiritist practices made their way through carribean

peurto rico espiritismo

• the belief spirits can communicate through moving things, making sounds, and mediums

• french alternative formed after the spread of espitismo based on “science”

• moral philosophy

• the spirits book and the mediums book kardec

Ten-Years War for Independence

White Table Spiritism

participants gather around table with medium to form seance to commune with the dead 

Indigenous Espiritismo

Exclusivism in religion

only being able ot practice one religion and believe in that religion

Haitian Vodou

• slaves needed to reconnect with their culture, gods, spirits and to aid them during these times of violence and oppression from french catholocism

• the result of this clash was Haitian Vodou a term that encoupasses a variety of african derived religious traditions and practice

Legba

the Loa (spirit) of the crossroads, serving as the intermediary between humanity and the spirit world and the first spirit to be invoked in any ritual

Bawon Samdi (Baron Samedi)

lwa of the dead

American Vodou

incorporated french catholicism, creaole religion, african religions and some native americna influence

Code Noir

• french colony guided by Code Noir

• black code- established conditions and rules of enslavement

• enforced Catholicism, brutally repressed other religious practices

• done to prevent slaves from forming community/kinship with one another in fear of rebellion

Syncretism

catholic signs/symbols and elements served as a cover for a deeper religious practive that was prohibited- active trnasformation through reoganization and redefination of clashing belief systems

Creolization

mixing of different cultures, adapting practices, creativity, cultural flexibilty, spiritual potential

Rada lwas

most faithful to traditions, water, sweet tempered

Petro lwas

creole or haitian born lwa, born in plantation/rebellion, bitter/fire

Service

serving the lwa

Mutual exchange

lwa provide security and people serve lwa food 

Marie Laveau

voodoo practioner, herbalist, and healer

Literacy in Islam

key part of islam is being able to read the qur’an meaning everyone leaned to read and write. education was extremely important

Enslavement in Muslim areas of Africa

muslims could not be slaves, all muslims were literate, only war criminals and non muslims were slaves

. Five Pillars of Islam (Arabic not required)

• there is no other god but allah and muhammad is his messsagener 

• 5 prayers daily 

• fasting during ramadan 

• almsgiving

• hajj - pilgrimage to mecca 

Meaning of “Islam”

submission

Qur’an

book of islam

Conjure

conjure is a magical tradition win which spiritual power is invoked for various such as healing, protection and self defence

Magic vs. Religion dichotomy

not actually a dichotomy (false dichotomy) can actually be intertwined such as in conjure- each fill the others gaps - religion answered existential questions and magic answered immediate needs

Supernaturalism

• Supernaturalism”

-relationships with the invisible world- seeing it as a reality rather than an abstract

• as a bridge between worlds

Religion and race as intertwined categories

• colonizers often used religion as an explanation for colonialism and enslavement

• attempts to protect faith were also always to solidify economic standing

Baptism and freedom

1. baptism caused concern

• colonizers contrasted themselves with “heathens” and “pagans”

• and baptism is supposed to be a pathway to freedom in Christ

• in early 1700s, racial distinctions replaced religious distinctions in legal documents

1. 1700: White became non-slave identity

• now specifically about enslaved africans

• enslaved africans who were baptized scared enslavers because of the rhetoric of freedom through christ

5 pillars of islam

• Shahada: statment of belief- there is no god but allah and muhammad is the messager of allah, you become muslim when you say this and mean it

• Salat: 5 prayers daily

• Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan which is determined by the lunar calendar

• Zakat: almsgiving as religious obligation ( giving specific percentage of wealth each year)

• Developed engaging lesson plans to enhance student learning and creativity.

• Facilitated after-school activities, promoting teamwork and social skills among students.

• Supervised and mentored students during various educational programs, ensuring safety and engagement.

• Collaborated with parents and educators to address student needs and improve program effectiveness.

• Hajj: Pilgrimage to mecca

Shahada  in enslavment 

enslaved people used this affirmation to go against forced conversion 

Salat in enslavment

some would pray in secret or less than 5 times a day. other would pray out in the open to protest conversion

zakat in enslavement

give food, land, beads, anything they had to give

sawam in enslavment

they would fast during the day 

Hajj

draw mecca and prayers on the walls

e franklin frasier argues

• object cultural continouities

• violence of slavery stripped people of african cultural heritage

• black religion is based on modified white institutions
  

herskovits argued 

• for the survival of or retention of african cultural traditions in the us 

• african american culture has elements of west africa

to obtain ashe

ebo sacrifice and offering and spell

• honor deities

• shifting ashe from spiritual being to human