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African Healing

African Healing. Folk Healing. Objectives. Review the beliefs of the fusion religions Describe and discuss the core beliefs behind African Folk healing practices Identify common rituals and healing practices of African American heritage

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African Healing

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  1. African Healing Folk Healing

  2. Objectives • Review the beliefs of the fusion religions • Describe and discuss the core beliefs behind African Folk healing practices • Identify common rituals and healing practices of African American heritage • Explore the role the priests and healers play in health practices of African descendants

  3. African Civilization Is Over 60,000 Years Old.

  4. African Beliefs • All things in nature are related • Everything originated from the divine one • All creation is similar but each thing has a unique purpose • All matter was created for the define purpose • All persons must study them selves and find their divine purpose

  5. Religious Heritage • Traditional (Native) African tribal beliefs • Animism • Catholicism - protestant • Muslim • Fusion – Voodoo, Santeria, • Rastafarian (social/political)

  6. African Native Nature Belief • Commonalities with other Nature systems • Many gods • Cycles of season • Cycles of life • Ancestor worship • Death as passage • Trial and error • Experience, history, five senses • Sprit world

  7. Egyptian Nature Religion • Wholesome, nature bound. • According to the Heliopolitan tradition, the world began as a watery chaos called nun, from which the sun-god Atum emerged on a mound. By his own power he engendered the twin deities Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture), who in turn bore Geb (earth) and nut (sky). Geb and nut finally produced Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. The nine gods so created formed the divine ennead (i.E. Company of nine) which in later texts was often regarded as a single divine entity.

  8. Gods and Goddesses • Created to • Represent a quality or activity • Strength, Honesty, Compassion, Chastity, love • Protect an interest • City, family, • War, Health, Home, Weather • Different personalities, elements of the whole

  9. African Tribal Gods • Altars and idols very important • Ancestors, spirits, qualities • Contain the message, spirit of the god • http://www.nando.net/prof/caribe/Gods.html

  10. An altar to Oxala/ObatalaThe God of creativity and custom In the altar, multiple white cloths communicate Oxala's purity, honesty and peace. An immaculate altar conveys the glory and purity of Oxala/Obatala, god of creativity and custom. Clean white cloths, flowers metals, and ceramic tiles are evocations of his spotless reputation. Before the altar is a bed in white linen where devotees may knell and meditate before his inspiring presence. The tin staffs (opaxoro) by Clodomir Menezes da Silva signify the maturity and wisdom of Oxalufan, among the eldest of Obatala/Oxala's avatars. Source: The Museum of African Art593 Broadway, NY, NY 10012

  11. Ashanti – female Don- Warrior Mirth Masks – represent spirit/quality

  12. Religion-beliefs, worship • Unified system of beliefs relative to sacred things • There are forces more powerful than human • These higher powers must know and control • Intercession • Symbols establish moods and motivations for order

  13. Magic- behavior to transform • The attempt to manipulate the forces of nature to obtain a specific result, (Whiteford and fried, 1922). • Effects a supernatural presser on nature to change the course of observed events. • Behavior

  14. Magic vs. Superstition • Magic is based on the belief of unified connectedness of nature • Superstition is a false association with an event • It is found in animal models

  15. Magic Vs. Religion Magic does Religion asks

  16. Ritual Practice • Uses history, depends on correctness of ceremony • Elements • Symbols, colors, shapes

  17. Magic Vs. Sorcery • Magic, healing, white • Sorcery, causing illness, black • Laws • Similarity, symbol • Contact, once touched always apart • Relics, healing blood

  18. Egyptian Urban Religion • Imhotep Egyptian god of healing. • http://www.teleport.com/~spindel/Egypt/EgyptPAge.html#ebers. • Ebers papyrus – 877 remedies.

  19. African Healing Arts • Life's mysteries • Society is a part of nature • Society is separate from nature • All physical mental and spiritual phenomena are studied, understood and shared with the community/tribe • The group is often necessary to healing

  20. Illness Is the Result of a Break From God • Can be punishment • Suffering is part of life • Possession is evil • Exorcism • Prayer is a source of healing

  21. African Illness • Both personal and impersonal • Evil sprit/magic • Nature model • Disharmony with nature, life • Disrespect to elders • Disrespect to spirit world, ancestors • Mind, body, spirit, nature imbalance • Must treat all for healing

  22. Healing Practices • Return balance • Herbs, diet • Body work • Obtain results • Magic • Prayer

  23. Healing Rituals Heal All Three Levels • Music, sound to awaken, get the attention of the spirits, drumming • Music to move the body

  24. Prayer, chanting • Induce meditative state, harmonic • Give praise and thanks • Foods, herbs, potions • To return physical balance • As similar, red medicine = blood treatment

  25. A Miscellany of Healing Prescriptive's of the Ancient Egyptians • Cure for diarrhea: 1/8th cup figs and grapes, bread dough, pit corn, fresh earth, onion, and elderberry. • Cure for indigestion: crush a hog's tooth and put it inside of four sugar cakes. Eat for four days. • Cure for lesions of the skin:after the scab has fallen off put on it: scribe's excrement. Mix in fresh milk and apply as a poultice.

  26. Cure for Burns: • Create a mixture of milk of a woman who has borne a male child, gum, and, ram's hair. While administering this mixture say: “thy son Horus is burnt in the desert. Is there any water there?There is no water. I have water in my mouth and a Nile between my thighs. I have come to extinguish the fire.”

  27. Cure for Cataracts: • Mix brain-of-tortoise with honey. Place on the eye and say: “there is a shouting in the southern sky in darkness, there is an uproar in the northern sky, the hall of pillars falls into the waters. The crew of the sun god bent their oars so that the heads at his side fall into the water, who leads hither what he finds? I lead forth what I find. I lead forth your heads. I lift up your necks. I fasten what has been cut from you in its place. I lead you forth to drive away the god of fevers and all possible deadly arts.”Reference used:brier, bob. Ancient Egyptian magic. Quill press: new York, 1981.

  28. Practitioners, Healers • One who removes illness • Spiritual, priest, priestess • Physical, • Herbalists, surgeon • Mid wives

  29. Spiritual, Prayer Makers • Priests- trained,power in the title • Indirect healing of proximate cause • Pray for surgeons to have success in surgery • Shamans - born, power in the individual comes from god • Pray directly for healing • Act as a direct instrument of god

  30. Voodoo Fusion Religion • Combined African nature, old testament theology and catholic theologies • African nature deities and ancestors represented by catholic saints • Mother nature creative force = Mary mother of Jesus • Ritual practice, prayer, candles, smoke • Holy pilgrimage, possession

  31. Vodun - Haitian • Ceremonies are conducted by priests (hougun) and priestess (mambo). • Songs and drumming honor the lwa. • Become possessed by them. • Communication occurs during possession. • Lwa, intermediaries between spirit world and humans. • Represent major forces in the human world. • Earth,wind fire, air, water, as well as human values and sentiments. • http://www.religioustolerance.org/voodoo.htm.

  32. Symbols – • Rainbow and the Serpent • http://www.mamiwata.com/history1.html

  33. Legba vever • Cross. • Crossroads, balance of haven/hell, body/soul, good /evil. • Royal serpents. • Dam bala and cosmic wife are creation fertility and flexibility of matter. http://www.leperistylehaitiansanctuary.com/

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