They have created a strong economy through farming, trading, and art production. Their outstanding and unique artistic traditions include woodcarving, sculpture, metal work, textiles, and beadwork. Although I’m Nigerian there is much that I have to learn myself when it comes to the culture. I will be taking an in-depth look on the Yoruba’s history, cultural values, some important rituals and practices, religion and belief’s, and the role of gender. In the 4th century BC, Yoruba people we not initially known as Yoruba although they have common sentiments and share a common ethnicity and language group.
As well as many other religions/likewise, traditional religions belong to those, whom practicing and celebrating life-cycle rituals play an essential role throughout the one’s life. In Africa; for example, the most popular yet well-known rituals such as, birth, coming of age, marriage, and death in general concepts are reasonably extensive between each other. First, the native African civilizations and their pattern of performing life-cycle practices are frequently initiated as some type of contributions to the familial/ancestral spirits. These offered gifts are a combination of food such as pumpkins, honey, and yams, with different beverages; for example, water or something stronger left at the worship places “… taken out and poured over the ancestral, burial ground” (Sinaiko, xli). Therefore, birth as a first ritual plays an important part, and shortly after birth, it is crucial to name a newborn baby.
Music, dance and story telling are among the forms of art that have been kept century after century in Africa. Everyday life activities in traditional Africa included music and many other cultural experiences. Music and dance were traditions that characterized an African musical expression and played an important role in the lives of the people.The traditional music of Africa possessed a distinguishing feature of rhythmic complexity like no other continent. Music was highly functional in ethnic life, accompanying birth, marriage, hunting and even political activities.Before the 20th century, music was very different when compared to the 21st century music. Special occasions owned a distinctive type of African music.
Africa: The Motherland Since the early years of civilization, Africa has been looked down upon. Little do others know, Africa is the originator of everything that exists today. Africa has framed the way the world works. Many have taken away from Africa without giving credit to where it is due. Africa is the motherland of all civilization because it is the originator of the human race, it has taught other civilizations, and it is home to the first religions.
In conclusion, The development of early african societies has been based off of commonalities as well differences in their functions. Due to their similar aspects, their cultures have been able to blend and build off of one another, helping completely different cultural groups to resemble one another on several levels. Apart from this, their differences have helped to distinct each from the other and have in return, caused an increase of development in some communities/ cultures more than
In class, we talked about many Latin American countries. Many of these countries have similar experiences, including what they think of when they of race. Most of these countries were colonialize and many of them have slaves. This includes the United States of America. But one thing we have learned throughout the duration in the class is that every country has different experience than one another when it comes to race relation.
Culture is defined by the famous anthropologists Bates and Plog as a “system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of society use to deal cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generation through learning”(1976, p6 ). Culture affects everything a person does, including food choices, preparation, and beliefs. Considered a distinct cultural group in the United States, African Americans have kept a strong sense of their culture. This culture is reflected in the cuisine of African Americans. PGPH 1 The roots of African-American cuisine may be traced back to 1619, when the first African slaves were sold in the New World.
Africans were forced into new modernization of agricultural technique which was introduced by Europeans. In essence, native Africans had to produce what they don’t consume and what they don’t produce in order to enrich the home country. Food produced by Africans was transported to the home country for profit. Meanwhile, non native whites profited richly from this economic system and native black populations remain in poverty (Korieh & Njoku, P.339-342). Underdevelopment There was several immediately obvious aspect of that underdevelopment that we need to elaborate.
Week 2 Comparative Religions W01 Dr. Tim Davis Question 1: While the Native Americans and the Africans inhabited two different continents, their belief system has a plethora of similarities pertaining to their core values. The basis of their religion also, in some ways, epitomizes modern day religion such as rites of passage. Their differences are shallow in context when it comes to what they view as sacred and holy and including religious rituals that are performed for a specific reason or transformation. Both Native American and African mythologies center around the ideology of harmony, balance, and cyclical nature of all beings through animistic symbolization. To a certain degree, all outsiders or nonnatives who study the belief
The African tradition of decorating the body both enhances one’s beauty and gives a person a higher status in their tribe” (African). Although African body art and scarification fuels many prejudices about the African people from the outside world, body art has existed as an important aspect of African history that allows self-expression in various tribes because forms of body decoration have existed for over five thousand years. Body art has existed as an important aspect of African history because of the many styles of body decoration that exist. Africans use scarification, body paint, mud coloring, body piercing, and lip disks to embellish their bodies. Scarification, also known as “The Proud Mark”, describes the art where a person marks his or her skin in decorative patterns.