6 th Grade UBD Unit 8 Religion and Culture in Africa Essential Question How did contact with other religions change life in Africa Preview Traditional Religion in Africa For thousands of years the nativeborn people of Africa have practiced traditional religions ID: 567061
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Slide1
Religion and Culture in Africa
6
th Grade UBD - Unit 8 - Religion and Culture in AfricaSlide2
Essential Question
How did contact with other religions change life in Africa?Slide3
Preview
Traditional Religion in Africa
-
For thousands of years, the native-born people of Africa have practiced traditional religions.
The Influence of Christianity and Islam
-
Christianity reached Egypt before 100 CE. Islam began to spread through northern Africa during the 600s CE.Slide4
Key Ideas- Traditional Religion in Africa
Most traditional religions are indigenous to Africa and are polytheistic.
The traditional religions all recognize the existence of a supreme god.
Most Africans who follow traditional religions seek guidance and help from lesser gods and dead ancestors.
Followers believe their ancestors act as go-betweens for the physical world and the spiritual world.
Africa’s traditional religions have not spread far beyond the specific regions where they arose.Slide5
Key Term
Indigenous
- Native to or coming from a particular region. Slide6
Religion and Rituals
Video- Religion and RitualsSlide7
Religion in Africa
Religion has always been central to people's lives in Africa.
Religion plays an important role in daily life in Africa,
marked by prayers of gratitude in times of plenty and prayers of
request
in times of need. Slide8
Traditional Religion in Africa
The traditional religions of Africa are polytheistic. Slide9
Key Term
Ancestor
-
One, such as a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, who precedes another in lineage.Slide10
Traditional Religion in Africa
The people in the villages in the ancient African kingdoms believed that
more than one
god ruled, because obviously, no one god could do everything by himself. Slide11
Traditional Religion in Africa
To catch the eye of a passing
god
African people would:
dance
and
sing
and
shake rattles
and beat drums and
carve
masks. Slide12
Africans
also believed
in magic. They believed the local witchdoctor could perform feats of magic. People would visit the witchdoctor to find help for their problems. The witchdoctor might give them something magical to wear, or bury, or give away. Witchdoctors knew a great deal about herbs and home made medicines. Their magic spells sometimes worked. Slide13
Traditional Religion in Africa
Africans often
use masks representing cultural heroes, gods, and ancestors in their worship ceremonies.Slide14
Talking to the Gods
In some traditions, dancing, chanting, or drumming are used to connect with gods or spirits.
This is very common in groups that practice
Vodun
.Slide15
Talking to the Gods
Vodun
followers believe that people who practice these rhythmic arts can become possessed.
Gods
or spirits are believed to take over their bodies.
The
spirits then communicate with the group through the possessed people. Slide16
Traditional Religion in Africa
In addition,
many African traditional religions use
statuettes.
Believers
think these
objects serve as mediators between
the human and spiritual worlds.Slide17
Traditional Religion in Africa
African traditional religions have not spread far outside of Africa.
Each
religion remains relatively limited to the specific region of the ethnic group practicing it.Slide18
Why Does It Matter?
Traditional
religions continue to be practiced throughout Africa today. In Africa, the Christian and Muslim religions often mix in some of the beliefs and rituals of the traditional religions.Slide19
Questions
What was traditional religion in Africa like
?
What practices and customs do traditional African religions use to communicate with the gods?Slide20
Key Ideas- The Influence of Christianity
and
Islam
Christians in Egypt formed the Coptic
Church. During
the early 300s, many people in Aksum began to convert to Christianity.
The
Muslims had a large impact on North African culture. This is seen especially in math, science, literature, and architecture.
During the 800s, Muslim merchants from North Africa began to convert people in West Africa.
The
pilgrimage of Mansa Musa spread news of the great wealth of Mali. As a result, many countries wanted to find the source of this wealth.Slide21
Key Term
Coptic Christianity
-
A branch of Christianity that developed in Egypt in the first century.Slide22
Coptic Christianity
Video- Coptic ChristianitySlide23
Christianity Enters Africa
Christians entered Egypt
around year
100 and developed a type of Christianity called Coptic Christianity
. Slide24
Christianity Enters Africa
Copts believed Jesus had one nature that combined the human and divine.
Many
Romans, though, claimed Jesus had two natures: one divine and the other human.Slide25
Mesquel
Festival
Video-
Mesquel FestivalSlide26
Islam Spreads to Africa
Muslim Arabs conquered Egypt during the
600s
bringing North Africa into the Muslim
empire.
The
Muslims encouraged people they conquered to convert to Islam but usually did not force them to convert. Slide27
Islam Spreads to Africa
Muslim Arabs formed the ruling class of the areas they conquered. Below them were non-Arabs—native Africans—who converted to
Islam
.
Non-Arabs
who decided to practice another religion formed the next social class, and the lowest class consisted of enslaved people.Slide28
Islam Spreads to Africa
Muslim Arabs brought Muslim culture and learning to North
Africa.
advances
in math, science, medicine, literature, and architecture. Slide29
Islam Spreads to Africa
Muslim
merchants began to trade on a regular basis with parts of West Africa.
Many
West African people
converted to Islam.Slide30
Mansa Musa
In West Africa, the Mali Empire formed around 1240 and gained considerable wealth and influence through the gold and salt trade.
-
In
1312, Mansa Musa became the emperor of Mali and converted to Islam.Slide31
Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa
established
Islam as the official religion of his empire.
Soon
Mansa Musa made an elaborate pilgrimage to Mecca via Egypt. Slide32
Key Term
Mecca
-
The holiest city in Islam. Slide33
Mansa Musa
Mansa
Musa’s pilgrimage
included about 60,000 of his followers carrying huge amounts of gold on camels
.
The pilgrimage spread news of the great wealth in Mali throughout all the Muslim lands and even into Europe. Because of this, many countries sought to find the source of this amazing wealth.Slide34
Mansa Musa
Mansa Musa established the city of
Timbuktu in
Mali
as an
important center of trade and learning.
He
made the mosque of
Sankore
a school for the teaching of history, law, and theology.Slide35
Why Does It Matter?
Christianity
continues to be practiced in Ethiopia (formerly Aksum). Also, European countries took control of most of Africa during the 1800s. During this time, a large number of Christian missionaries entered Africa. They converted many of the local people. Despite this, Islam remains the main religion in many African countries.Slide36
The People of Africa
Video- The People of Africa