African & Afro-Caribbean Religions
Overview
Immense populations of African slaves arrived to various areas around the world as a direct result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade starting in the 16th Century. People of African descent were forced to start a new life in areas such as the United States, South America and the Caribbean.
Bringing with them the religious traditions of their homeland, old traditions were preserved and new syncretic religions were formed as a result of oppression and assimilation with domineering ideologies.
Polytheistic in nature with a form of hierarchy between “high gods,” intermediaries and human beings, several similarities exist between these different religions, all having their basis in the African roots of Yoruba and other West African cultures.
Belief in the supernatural, though heavily relied on in these traditions, has led to misconceptions and stereotypes regarding elements like witchcraft, zombies, and other mythical folk tales courtesy of oral history as opposed to written.
See slideshow African & Afro-Caribbean Religion in America by David Krueger for an overview of religious practices and traditions within American landscape.
Readings/Resources
Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel. Afro-Caribbean Religions: An Introduction to Their Historical, Cultural, and Sacred Traditions. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2010.
Olupona, Jacob K. and Terry Rey, eds. Orisha Devotion as World Religion. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2007.
