The relationship between the sacred and nature has lately received considerable attention in the study of indigenous traditions. Drawing upon my fieldwork, my own life situation as a twin in the Yoruba community of Nigeria, and several ethnographic sources, the article examines the religious and symbolic significance of animals in African society and culture. Animals feature prominently in cosmogonic myths by conveying the sacred power and messages with which the primordial chaos was transformed into the habitable cosmos. As shown in totemic ideas and practices, animals play key roles in identity construction of individuals, clans, and ethnic groups. The role of cattle in the religious thought and practices of pastoralists is examined. Cattle are seen as an extension of the human family and they represent several ideals that the human community espouses. The ideology and rituals of sacred kingship portray animal symbols. From the ancient Ashanti kingdom in Ghana to the Dande villages in Zimbabwe, animal metaphors convey the power of the king and royal ancestors. Animal images in artistic traditions, especially those that show aesthetic qualities of leadership and that relate to rituals, are also discussed.
This essay presents an overview of past and recent scholarship in Yoruba religion. The earliest studies of Yoruba religious traditions were carried out by missionaries, travellers and explorers who were concerned with writing about the so called "pagan" practices and "animist" beliefs of the African peoples. In the first quarter of the 20th century professional ethnologists committed to documenting the Yoruba religion and culture were, among other things, concerned with theories about cosmology, belief-systems, and organizations of Orisà cults. Indigenous authors, especially the Reverend gentlemen of the Church Missionary Society, responded to these early works by proposing the Egyptian origin of Yoruba religion and by conducting research into Ifá divination system as a preparatio evangelica. The paper also examines the contributions of scholars in the arts and the social sciences to the interpretation and analysis of Yoruba religion, especially those areas neglected in previous scholarship. This essay further explores the study of Yoruba religion in the Americas, as a way of providing useful comparison with the Nigerian situation. It demonstrates the strong influence of Yoruba religion and culture on world religions among African diaspora. In the past ten years, significant works on the phenomenology and history of religions have been produced by indigenous scholars trained in philosophy and Religionswissenschaft in Europe and America and more recently in Nigeria. Lastly, the essay examines some neglected aspects of Yoruba religious studies and suggests that future research should focus on developing new theories and uncovering existing ones in indigenous Yoruba discourses.
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