"AFRICANTRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AMONG THE AKANS"

BY

CHRISTOPHERKWEKU RUTLEDGE

Introduction

I chose to do my research on African traditional religious beliefs of the Akans. The Akans is an ethnic group in Ghana, which I will talk about later. Some of the topics that I will discuss, in relation to African traditional religious beliefs, will be the Akan concept of the soul, the naming ceremony, the rites of passage, the Akan concept of God, the Akan’s spiritual significance of the Earth, the divinities (spirits), and the Ancestors.

Religion is atthe root of Akan culture and forms the basis of their life and thought. The term "religion" holds a very different definition in Africa than in most Western cultures. Traditional (indigenous) religious beliefs are a part of their culture, their customs, and part of everything they do. It follows individuals throughout their lives, and puts them in touch with the unseen powers.
Family in theAkan context doesn’t consist of only husband, wife, and children. Family lineage is traced back to God (Nyame), who is sometimes referred to as "The Greater Ancestor". The Akan family isan unbroken clan that includes not only the living, but also the deadand the unborn. The Akans make up about 65% of Ghana.

Soul
The Akan belief is that God is our creator. They believe that man has certain material and spiritual elements. He is made up of life soul(Kra), spirit (Sunsum), blood (Mogya) and family(Abusua). Every Akan belongs to a clan and is bound to tha tclan by blood relation. They believe that during the sexual act, anelement called Ntro or Sunsum (spirit) from the father mingles with the blood, Mogya, of the mother and this gives rise to conception. The third element in the composition of man is the Kra, life soul, which comes from God together with one’s destiny.
The Akanconcept of man’s dependence on God is further emphasized by the fact that God gives man the animating principle, the life soul called Kra, together with man’s destiny called Nkrabea. However, the destiny can be affected by their character. The giving of the Kra and Nkrabea by God is an acknowledgement of the limitation of human power as well as an affirmation of divine providence. The Kra (soul) is said to be the small bit of the Creator that lives in every person’s body, and returns to Him after death. It is supposed to act as the spiritual force of man’s conscience and influence all of his actions.
In earlier Akan traditional beliefs, the Kra was thought of as an ancestral spirit which left the Supreme Being in a farewell ceremony in heaven so that it might be reborn in a child of its mother’s family. The word Kra is believed to have been derived from the verb Nkra, meaning "to part or to leave".
Earlier traditional beliefs also held that the future child, who is already formed from the blood, Mogya, of it’s mother’s family and endowed with the Ntro, spirit of its father, is led by an akragya to Nyame. The akragya, or Kra progenitors, are seven planetary deities who assist the Supreme Being. A golden bath is brought in, which the akragya bathes the child by pouring water over it. Nyame then utters the Nkrabea, the message of destiny, then lets fall a sparkling drop of water from an adwera leaf into the child’s mouth, which is very similar to an African naming ceremony.
This is the"water of life", nkwan suo, which is believed to contain aliving image of Nyame, like the figure of a person in a mirror. The water then penetrates the whole body of the child until it is filled with Honhom (divine breath) and wakes up alive. Before the child leaves Nyame, it is given the Hybere or the command to perfect and complete its Kra. Because only a pure and unsullied Kra, consisting entirely of goodness, can become one again with the Supreme Being, otherwise it must be reincarnated.
The akragya as mentioned earlier, are seven planetary deities believed to assist the Supreme Being in dispensing the Kra’s (souls). The seven deities’ names are where we get our names for the seven days of the week, Sunday through Saturday. According to the day of the week that you are born on, you’re supposed to inherit the personality of the corresponding deity, which is why most Africans name their children (soul name) based on the day of the week they’re born on (natal day).

DEITY NAME
AFRICAN NAME

PLANET NAME
PERSONALITY
MALE FEMALE
AYISI KWASI AKOSUA (Sun) Sunday Pure, immaculate, and generous, like the Sun
AWO KWADWO
or

KUDWO (cood’-joe) ADWOA (Moon) Monday Calm, cool, peaceful, protective like the Moon
ABENA KWABENA ABENAA (Mars) Tuesday Fierce and warlike, like Mars
AKU KWAKU AKUA (Mercury) Wednesday Wise and learned, like Mercury
ABRAO YAW YAA (Jupiter) Thursday Greatness, like Jupiter
AFI KOFI AFUA (Venus) Friday Loving and full of generative force, like Venus
AMEN KWAME AMMA (Saturn) Saturday Experienced and mature, like Saturn

Names
The African names listed above are the names that most Africans, particularly Akans, name their children, sometimes referred to as their "Soul Name", based on the day of the week they were born on, the natal day. The naming of the child is usually done on the eighth day after birth in what is called a naming ceremony.
Names are very important and help to identify the Kra (soul) in the spirit world after death. Names are sometimes given to children from the names of prestigious ancestors. The naming ceremony is begun by pouring libation first. A leaf is then dipped in water, and the water is dropped onto the tongue of the child, and the words said are, "when you taste water, it shall be water". This is repeated three times. Another leaf is dipped in gin and the words said are, "when you taste gin, it shall be gin". This is repeated three times, and the child is then given a name. (This is a condensed explanation)

Ritesof Passage
The rites of passage are another aspect of African traditional religious beliefs that is practiced by the Akan. They believe that man’s life is a cycle of birth, puberty, marriage, death, and the hereafter. No one can stay in one state forever, but must move on to the next. The rites of passage are special rites that are performed to make the transitions smooth, harmonious, and peaceful.
The first rite of passage is performed at the birth of a child. After eight days the naming ceremony is performed as part of the birth rites of passage. The next rites of passage would be performed when the child reaches puberty or young adulthood. Rites are performed to initiate the child into society and make him or her into a fully developed person. The initiation rites acknowledge the child’s biological as well as social maturation. Society wants to instil in the children the ideals of manhood and womanhood.
Marriage is the next stage. There are two types of marriage laws in Ghana: "marriage ordinance" and "customary law". Colonialism provided the marriage ordinance, where the wife assumes the husband’s name and title of Mrs. This type of marriage is terminated by divorce or death. Under customary law, marriage is the union between two families, and not even divorce or death can terminate the relationship. In Ghana, customary law marriages are predominant over the marriage ordinance. The criteria for a valid customary marriage are: the agreement for the parties to live together, the consent of the families and the payment of the bride price. The bride retains her family name, and the husband is the head of the household. Under the customary law marriage, the entire family and community participate in the ceremony.
The final rite of passage is performed at death. Funerals are great social occasions in Ghanaian society and usually involve the whole community. The appropriate funerary rite of passage for the deceased helps to strengthen the deep bond between the living and the dead. After the death of a person, offerings are made to his Kra (soul) to ensure that it does not lose its identity, for if so it would be useless as an intermediary between his family and God. There is a general belief that unless the appropriate ceremonies and funeral rites are performed, the dead will not be able to join the other ancestors. The Kra (soul) of the deceased if proved to be worthy, becomes the guardian spirit of the family.

God
The Akans have a "high" reverence for God and He is commonly referred to as Nyame. Although God is considered omnipotent and omniscient, the Akans have several "praise names" which vary according to His innumerous attributes. God is also perceived as an active Being who manifests Himself through what He does. Some of the various names and attributes are listed below.
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• Odomankoma --- God is the author, owner and donor of an inexhaustible abundance of things.
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• Borebore --- Excavator, Hewer, Carver, and Architect, which suggests creation by imaginative construction or thought.
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• Ama Owia and Amasuo --- Giver of sunshine and Giver of rain, respectively. Sun and rain are two elements that sustain fertility and growth of vegetation for man and animals.
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• Nya Amenekose --- God is the one in whom you confide the troubles that come upon you.
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• Abommubuwafre --- The consoler or comforter who gives salvation.
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• Daasebre --- He who is beyond thanks.
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• Oteanankaduro --- He who knows the antidote for the poisonous serpent (used in healing).
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• Nana --- The Greater Ancestor
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• Nyame ne hene --- God is King.

Earth
The Earth is also revered by the Akans, and is believed to have a personality of her own. She is called Asaase Yaa among the Ashanti and Asaase Efua among the Fanti. Yaa and Efua being names given to children born on Thursdays and Fridays respectively. The Earth is personalized in the sense that like a mother, human beings depend on her for their sustenance. The Earth provides food, herbs and a home for man, and when death comes she makes available a resting-place for man. On her sacred day (Thursday for the Ashanti and Friday for the Fantis) no one is to go to the farm. A violation is believed to lead to fatal consequences.

SPIRITS
The Akans also recognize the divinities (spirits) as having major functional roles in God’s universe. They are usually associated with natural phenomena like the sea, lagoons, mountains, rivers, rocks and the Earth, which are thought to be their customary places of residence. There are also other categories of spirits such as tutelary gods, or clan gods who led the various Akan groups from their original home to their present settlement. The spirits’ duty is to also look after the welfare of human beings, giving them good harvest, children, etc…They also provide moral sanctions for society by rewarding or punishing where necessary.

ANCESTORS
This leads us to the ancestors. One of the most important aspects of Akan religionis the reverence of the ancestors. They are always held in deep reverence or even worshipped. The ancestors are the dead forbears oft he family. However, death does not necessarily confer ancestorship on a person. To be considered an ancestor, they must have lived an exemplary life, and have done much to enhance the prestige of the family, clan, or tribe. Ancestorship is also based on the assumption that those who held authority in life exercise the same authority after death; i.e. chief is a chief, priest is a priest, or police isa police.
The ancestors, the dead forefathers of the clan, have parental authority over their living descendants. They founded society, thus they still take active interest in the affairs of the living like providing them with children, giving good harvest and good health. They also provide the sanctions for the moral life of the group by laying down customs and taboos to govern the behavior of the group and to maintain its stability, as mentioned earlier.
It is believed that the ancestors are spiritual beings with the power to bring good fortune to the living, or if dissatisfied, show their displeasure by causing ill fortune, sickness etc… Prayers and sacrifices are most often offered to them to solicit their blessings and avert their curses. In addition, the ancestral spirits may manifest themselves inhuman form, in dreams, or by possession, and their spiritual presence may be invoked to assist the living. There is also the belief in the omnipresence of the ancestral spirits. This is made evident by daily acts such as the pouring of libation, and throwing on the ground the first morsel of food, as well as by periodic ceremonies like festivals, which are held mainly in their honor.
Throughout this research, I referred to the topic as African traditional religious beliefs, in relation to the Akans of Ghana. Although the traditional religious beliefs are not practiced exactly the same throughout Africa, there is an adequate amount of similarities among the various ethnic groups to safely use the term "African "traditional religious beliefs. This research has also been very interesting and extremely informative and is essential for African-Americans to read and comprehend in order to appreciate and better understand their culture. And I hope the reader will use the information accordingly. I would also like to note that this information would not be possible without the references cited, which follow.

*KNOWLEDGE IS POWER*


Bibliographicalreferences
Anti, K.K.1997. "Libation in the Old Testament and the Akan Life and Thought: ACritique".
� (http://cehd.ewu.edu/cehd/faculty/ntodd/GhanaUDLP/KKAnti/LibationIntro.html)
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Apeadu, Nana.1996. "An Akan Queen Speaks: Indigenous African Extended Clan CultureHolds Wisdom for the World".
� (http://www.hinduismtoday.kauai.hi.us/ashram/March96.html#gen204)

Gyekye, Kwame.1996. "African Cultural Values: An Introduction". Sankofa PublishingCo., Accra, Ghana.
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Meyerowitz,Eva. 1960. "The Divine Kingship in Ghana and Ancient Egypt". Faberand Faber Limited, London.
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Updated: 9 May 2001