Biodiversity and culture in Liberia

Biodiversity has affected the culture in Liberia. For thousands of years

the relationship between people and the land strongly impacted the beliefs
common to traditional African religions. As it stands, traditional beliers include
belief in the protective power of certain spiritual people, the power of juju and
other sacred objects, the evil eye, witchcraft, evil spirits, the protective power of
sacrificial offerings to ancestors and reincarnation. Traditional religious
practices include visiting traditional healers, owning sacred objects,
participating in ceremonies to honor ancestors and participating in traditional
puberty rituals, (Pew Forum, 2015).
Although, it would be easy to assume that Liberia is a Christian Nation,
most citizens of the country still hold a strong tie with the practices and
traditional beliefs. There are a collection tribes that make up Liberias
traditional African religions and are named as followed: Belle, Bassa, Kpelle,
Gru, Gbandi, Vai, Kissi, Mandingo, Gio, Gola, Lorma, Mende, Mano, Dey,
Krahn, Grebo and Poro. There are many tribes but a common characteristic
among them is the belief of secret forces and predisposition toward secrets
illustrated in the concept of ifa mo- do not speak it, (Olukoju, 2006 ).

Biodiversity and culture in Liberia

Nature is a strong part of their belief systems. The Poro for example,
believe in bush and water spirits which have the ability to be evil or good and
take part in possession. Because anything has the ability to be possessed,
possessions such as healers, teachers, and witch doctors are common practice
(Olukoju, 2006).
Another practice that relates to the land is totemism. Totemism is the
belief that animals, most commonly crocodiles and leopards, are viewed as
having spiritual powers. The Kpelle people of Liberia for instance, possess
animal, plant and natural phenomena (wind, rain etc.) totems that are thought
to guide and protect their people. Their totems are also thought to be a form of
alter ego, or second self (Luna, 2014). Their belief of the spirit world is multidimensional. Spirits of animals and people can possess someones body as well
as humans being able to possess each other or take on an animals form.
Should cultural diversity be preserved in places like Liberia? I dont think
work should be done to preserve traditional life. More and more the indigenous
cultures are moving away from traditional practices especially after the 2 civil
wars that ravaged the countries. People lost faith in their traditional practices
when the war wouldnt stop (Olukoju, 2006). According to Marian Gonyor,
acting executive director of Women of Liberia Peace Network, they, have a
very good culture and very good traditions in Liberia, (Batha, 2014). I could

Biodiversity and culture in Liberia

agree with that. The connection to the land is beautiful in many aspects
however there is a bad side to many of these indigenous traditions; ignorance.
Traditions such as female mutilation are a side effect of ancient traditions and
practices and kill every year. Gonvor goes on to explain that harmful traditional
practices like forced marriages and female genital mutilation are also part of
our culture and need to be removed.

Works Cited: Batha, E. (2014, February 6). Secret societies make

Liberia one of the hardest places to end FGM. Retrieved November 16,
2015, from http://www.trust.org/item/20140205144950-niqxw/?
source=spotlight
Luna, A. (2014, February 3). The Origins Of The Spirit Animal, Totem
And Power Animal LonerWolf. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from
http://lonerwolf.com/spirit-animal-origin/
Olukoju, A. (2006). Culture and customs of Liberia. Westport, Conn.:
Greenwood Press.
Traditional African Religious Beliefs and Practices. (n.d.). Retrieved
November 16, 2015, from http://www.pewforum.org/files/2010/04/subsaharan-africa-chapter-3.pdf

Biodiversity and culture in Liberia