African Religion Defined

A Systematic Study of Ancestor Worship Among the Akan

By (author) Anthony Ephirim-Donkor

Not available to order

Publication date:

15 November 2016

Length of book:

266 pages

Publisher

Hamilton Books

ISBN-13: 9780761868453

This edition updates the scholarship on ancestor worship—with the addition of three new chapters. Beginning with Akan theology and ending with sacrifices, the study examines Akan conception of God, the abosom (gods and goddesses) relative to creation, centrality of the ancestors’ stool as the ultimate religious symbol housing the soul of the Akan, and organized annual propitiatory festivities carried out among the Akan in honor of the ancestors (Nananom Nsamanfo) and abosom. The book, therefore, serves as an invaluable resource for those interested in the phenomenon of African religion, because it provides real insight into ancestor worship in ways that are meaningful, practical, systematic, and as a way of life by an Akan Traditional ruler (Ↄdikro) and a professor of Africana studies.

Guide to Pronunciation
Preface
Chapter 1: Akan Theology
Chapter 2: The Abosom
Chapter 3: Cosmology
Chapter 4: Ancestor Worship
Chapter 5: Annual Festivals
Chapter 6: Ancestors’ Stool
Chapter 7: Becoming a Living Ancestor
Chapter 8: Witchcraft
Chapter 9: Sacrifices
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

Challenging the nation in some quarters that equate African religions with animism, Ephirim-Donkor examines the religious and cultural practices of the Akan…and argues that ancestor worship as practiced by the people is quite similar to other world religions. Influenced by the works of Clifford Geertz and Wallis Budge, Ephirim-Donkor maintains that the souls of the Akan dead are symbolically housed in the ancestors’ stool, the very seat and embodiment of temporal and spiritual power among the Akan….This exciting volume, which includes three new chapters, is a must have for those interested in African religions.