AFRICAN RELIGION AND LAND IN THE SERVICE OF HUMANITY Introduction African Religion and land work hand in hand

in the service of human beings. Indeed, many things in the physical world in which we live are controlled by God who also made man. All things we see is the visible world (plants, animals, rocks, the vegetation cover, water etc.) exist on land. God is believed in African Religion to be the creator of all things that exist. In African Religion, there is a network of relationships. A person does not live in isolation. A human being has to relate with God, the deities, spirits, ancestors, the tribe, animals, plants, water and with nature (i.e. land) if this relationship is raptured there would be trouble for both the person and the entire society. It is Gods design that the interaction between land and human beings should bring into perfection the purpose of creation, for beauty and peace in the universe. This chapter brings out the interaction and or interface between African Religion and land for the benefit of humanity. African Religion refers to the institutionalized patterns of beliefs and worship practiced by various African societies from time immemorial in response to the supernatural as manifested in their environment and experience (Metut 1987:5). African Religion is the religion founded by the Africans for the Africans and practiced by the Africans. It is not a religion of books. It is handed on from one generation to the other by word of mouth. African Religion can be summed up as the beliefs in the Supreme Being, deities, ancestors, magic charms and traditional Medicine. Land is a geographical area inhabited by a people. Although in strict terms land refers to the part of the world which is solid ground, rather than sea or air. In this chapter, land means the solid ground, water, animal and the vegetation cover. Humanity on the other hand, refers to all people living in the visible world. Both African Religion and Christianity believe that God is the creator of humanity. Indeed in Christianity, it is believed that humanity was

created in the image of God and given dominion over all living things upon the earth. (Gen. 1:27). IMPORTANCE OF LAND The importance of land in African Traditional Religion cannot be overemphasized. This is because land occupies a special place in African cosmological world. For instance, man the pride of Gods creation, (made in Gods own image and likeness) was created from the dust of the land (Gen. 1:27). Dzurgba (2011:19) collaborates that man is made up of the dust from the ground. This explains why when man, at the end of his earthly sojourn is eventually returned to the earth, using the phrase from dust you come, unto dust you return. Interestingly too is the fact that land is often referred to as motherearth. This is largely due to its connection with the origin of man and its fecundity to sustain life. Now, land is also used for magical purposes. For instance, contagious magic basically relies on sand. What happens in this instance is that when an individual matches a given place and lives his foot mark on sand, the marked sand is parked and subsequently used for magical purposes of harming the person. This practice is widespread in Africa. According to Shishima (2010:8) land is also used for agricultural purposes to produce for humanity. Without land, plants cannot grow, and without plants animals including man could not have been in existence. God right from creation gave to humanity as food every plant yielding seed upon the face of the earth, and every tree with seeds and its fruits (Gen. 1:27). This includes animals which man rears on land for meat. These animals are also used for sacrifice. Shishima (2010:8) argues that some of the animals are even venerated in some African societies. For instance, Ikyarem (green snake) in Tiv is seen as a friend and should not be killed by the Tiv, rather the snake is revered.

Udobatu (2010:2) presents a cycle of mans life that is entirely dependent on land. According to him, man builds his house on earth, gets his food from there, when he dies, he is buried in the earth and on reincarnation, he comes back to continue another course of sojourn on earth. The conclusion is therefore that man is a persistent earth-dweller. He is essentially earth-oriented and not heaven oriented as in other religions, especially Christianity. It is common knowledge most sacrifices are offered on land, as well as burial of the dead. This view is shared by Diara (n.d: 8), Shishima (2010:8) and Awolalu (1979:56) who also adds that land is the abode of ancestors and other tribal heroes/heroine. No wonder, the Igala do not dig deep the crust of the earth for fear of hurting one of their revered deities, inikpi. Owing to the central role of land in African cosmological world, different tribes have songs that emphasize the importance of land. For instance the Tiv funeral song has it that: Aondo hemba inya ciroo Hoo a hoo ayoo oh ku yo u hemba kpa Aondo hemba shawon chi-cha Iku a wua se kpa nyi ngi hegh oo. God is only seconded by land Oh death, if even if you take us, Land will arrest us to rest with it Even if we die, thanks to land, our abode Also Metuh (1981:94) says an Igbo funeral song sings: Ana nwe mmadu nine Ana mwe mmadu Earth mother owns men The earth owns everybody

This tells that the earth control man as man is helpless in controlling it when death comes knocking. Building on such importance that is attached to land Diara ( :8) says

that there is nothing else in this world that is as essential as land, especially as every other essentials of life is directly or indirectly dependent on it hence land must be God itself or at least a god. This is the basic religious thought of adherents of nature and Traditional Religions that have tended to glorify land to the status of a deity or divinity. To this extent Namh (2011:141) maintains that: for the Igbo, land or mother earth whose cult is regarded as ala is the greatest deity after Chukwu, the heavenly creator. According to him: she is as near to them as ancestors, for they are buried in her pocket or womb. Ala sends the dead back again in rebirth and she is the spirit of fertility both for the family and for the landala is a kind spirit and she helps her children if they are troubled by other deities. But if people offend her and disregard repeated warnings, she will punish them and a hardened evil doer may receive the final humiliation, refusal of burial in the earth. Land is generally regarded as the abode of ancestors in most African communities; and to show, the connection between the newly born and the ancestors, the umbilical cord as well as the naval are all buried in the land. One Agikuyu elder said land is a sign of identity in Agikuyu community. God gave it to the Gikuyu ancestor so that he may use it for his well-being and for the communitys well-being. That is why the placenta is buried into the soil to connect the new born with God and ancestors (1999:32). The Yandang of Taraba State believe that this connection enables the ancestors provide for, and protects the child till he/she gets to the age of 14 months. Ishaku, an odogenarian in an interview explained that it is the ancestors that

makes the child cry when he is hungry and uncomfortable and saves the child in terms of danger such as accident. Awolala (1979:114) states that there are as many shrines as divinities. Idowu (1996:129) collaborates that shrines abound all over the land. However, these shrines be they secluded places, streams, trees, rocks or any other thing are land based. The implication is that without land, these shrines would not have being. This is particularly fundamental, because it emphasizes that land is the reason dtat for shrines. Meantime, the relevance of shrines in African Religion needs no retelling, especially in this work. Still on land, Olayiwola (2003:94) in recognition of rituals, the Aladura Movement make pilgrimages to natural sites. Mountains, hills, and forest are used as prayer houses. On the mountains, annual ordination and consecration of members, apart from prayer activities takes place. Land whether understood as the earth surface or water is necessary for food production. It is indeed an indisputable fact that land and water are required for the cultivation and production of food for mans needs; be root crops as yam, cassava etc or even fruit and trees. For instance,Traditional Agikuyu regarded trees, shrubs, grass and forests as valuable gifts from God. They respected big tress especially mugumo (fig tree) as a place to meet God. Thus, sacrifices and offerings were done under the mugumo tree. Until today, it is a taboo to cut a mugumo tree because it is a sacred tree. The Chagga are not much different from the Agikuyu as far as respect to sacred trees is concerned. They associated extraordinary tree with God. They had much respect for these trees and no one was allowed to cut them nor to collect firewood from the dry branches of these trees. Under these trees, people worshipped and offered sacrifices. They called these place Kiungu or Kitasioni (places for offering sacrifices). For them, trees and the shrubs around the trees were regarded sacred.

The Africans did not attach much important to trees and herbs just for spiritual purposes, but also because trees, herbs and plants in general were useful in enhancing human life. Apart from being symbols of Gods presence among people, trees were seen as medicine to man and animals. Trees, leaves, roots and grasses provided herbal medicines to human beings and to wild as well as domestic animals. The Maasai have also strong respect and love for grass as a blessing from God for their animals, which they consider a valuable wealth. The community protects trees used for this purpose. The wood, bark and leaves of trees may be used in naipok, certain purification ceremonies, to avert supernatural misfortune. Trees and shrubs are thus good and their special ritual value is closely associated with certain notions of Maasai cosmology generations. The Chagga of Tanzania used trees in rituals and reconciliation ceremonies. A green leaf from Isale (dracaena tree) accompanies every sacrifice. Isale is a tree with green leaves, which are used even today in all rituals, ceremony blessings and on other occasions, which may involve forgiveness, requests and reconciliation. If one has a grudge with somebody, he/she can simply take Isale leaf to the offender and then he/she is immediately forgiven. Even today in Chagga land, Masaale trees are preserved and respected. They are used in ordination, marriage, birth, initiation and graduation ceremonies. Therefore, because of the importance of trees, shrubs and vegetation, as having religious, physical, cultural values, it was a moral obligation to preserve them in traditional African societies. Land is required also for textile production. In African Religion some of these items are required either for the purposes of offering sacrifice to the gods or an evidence of being favoured by the gods. For example a man who is favoured is the man who will have plenty of farm produce. Now, most of the textile e.g. Ager, Ivatyo etc among the Tiv are used for burying the dead. This

underscores the relevance of textile in the Tiv cosmological world. Shishsima (2008:201) states also that gbeleve, anger and tugudu are clothes used for burials. He adds that iviav-ityo, Agbende a kurugh and anger are clothes used for important ceremonies and for festivities As a God given gift, Traditional Africans attached great value to land. It had religious significance and therefore sacred. That is why the Agikuyu used rituals. Some traditional Agikuyu oaths were administered by the practice of people biting some soil and swearing to bind the terms of the oaths. Similarly, the Mau Mau fighters are said to have died while holding a fistful of soil. WATER AS HEALING As earlier stated, the definition of land in this work includes also water. It is against this background that water is discussed in relation to healing in the context of Religion and land in the service of humanity. It needs to be pointed out that the phenomenon of using water for religious purposes is universal. For instance, ritual washing is common in African religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam. Hindaism, etc. for appreciation of water in the religion context, water will be discussed as (i) source of healing (ii) warding off evil (iii) cleansing and rebirth (iv) sacred waters is worshipped The use of ritual washing is for different reasons. In Christianity, ritual bath (washing) connotes re-birth, which is usually celebrated as baptism through the use of water for immersion (or aspersion or effusion). This ritual is also observed by votaries of Judaism. (i) Source of cure and healing: In 2 Kings 5:1-25, Prophet Elisha asked Naaman the Syrian commander to go and wash seven times in River Jordan and he will wash seven times in River Jordan and he will be healed of his dreaded skin disease this happened as prophesized by Prophet Elisha. In ordinary day even, it is ascertained that ice water is used in curing scorpion sting, cold bath for strained veins, sprain, fever or severe headache. Hot bath is always recommended for cold feet and

rheumatism. Ritual bath in running water can cure impurities as well as physical and body infirmities. (ii) Warding off evil: Among the Bolori Fulani, ritual water is hung on the shoulder in a small jar for the purpose of warding off evil. A Bolori nomad in Bantaje of Wukari Local Government confirmed this and added that carrying water that will ward off evil is necessary considering that the Fulani are always in the bush where evil spirits abound. In Catholicism and other Christian denominations, holy water is also used for healing and warding off evil spirits. That is why it is an essential requirement whenever healing mass is to be conducted. In some other cultures such the Ichen in Donga and Bali Local Government of Taraba State one is advised to hold water in his mouth if he is travelling through a path considered to be evil. iii. Cleansing and re-birth: In Christianity, ritual bath connotes cleansing or rebirth. For instance Baptism washes away sin and gives the initiate a new identity of rebirth. This is done through immersion (or aspersion or effusion). In Tiv Religion, Wuhe Kuran (spiritual both) which requires cleansing with water by way of sprinkling, makes an individual clean and gives him/her a state of purity, negating bad luck, misfortune and the likes. In Traditional Tiv Society, one washes with water when in contact with corpse or even a fresh grave as means of cleansing. iv. Oath taking: This is usually done to express unflinching support to a course or renounce a course. In whatever case, oath taking in Tiv Religion requires the use of water. This could be a way of swearing and invoking spirits of ancestors to come and cure the sick. Other African cultures too use water for sake of oath taking.

v.

Sacred water are worshipped: Sacred waters such as Lourdes and River Jordan in Christianity, Zamzam well in Islam and River Ganges in Hindam are worshipped, during which some people could get cured. The sacred waters are believed to have extra ordinary powers; some have some deities attached to them. For instance, Ganges in Hinduisim personified a goddess, the Yoruba river, goddess is Oshun the Igbo lake goddess is Oguide (Uhammiri) or Idemili. All these water goddess also have powers to heal and cure one of his/her sickness.

HEALING AND MEDICINE It was Dr. Shelton who once said that "health," "whole and "holy" are all derived from the Anglo-Saxon word root: "hal." "Healing" is derived from the same word root and means... "to restore to a state of wholeness, soundness, or integrity." "Holy" comes from the same root and signifies... "wholeness" and "purity of mind and spirit." Taken in its fullness of meaning, therefore, "health" has come to mean... "completeness and perfection of organization, fitness of life, freedom of action, harmony of functions, vigor and freedom from all stain and unholy corruption." The etymology of the word "health" is thus fascinating! In a phrase, "health" is... "a sound mind and spirit in a sound body! The processes that bring about health are what is referred to as healing. The online Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the following definitions of healing: 1. to make sound or whole 2. to restore to health 3. to cause (an undesirable condition) to be overcome 4. to restore to original purity or integrity 5. to return to a sound state

Although it is clear from these definitions that the word healing can be used in very broad ways, it most often refers to healing of the physical body, as in the healing of a disease of injury. It is also frequently used to indicate healing of mental, psychological, and emotional conditions. For those who are spiritually inclined, to make sound or whole would have to include the spiritual dimension of life, as well. Our medical institutions and training, which once were more narrowly focused on the physical aspects of healing, are gradually broadening their scope. First, the emotional and psychological factors which contribute to physical illness started to be more recognized. More recently, consideration is being given to the impact of spirituality on healing as well. Other traditions of medicine, such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine, are inclusive of every level of human life, and are in fact based on world views which recognize individual life as a part of a larger whole. They are based on philosophies which are essentially spiritually-based, whereas allopathic medicine is based on the scientific model which, until recently, has been quite materially-based. As the understanding of the abstract basis of our seemingly concrete, material existence becomes apparent in the cutting edge of physics, the world view upon which our medical system is based must necessarily shift. The appearance of spiritual healers in operating rooms and research on such phenomena as remote or distance healing are an indication that the seemingly separate worlds of science and spirituality are beginning to shake hands. And this trend, after all, is a sign of healing as our medical system is made sound and whole! Healing is a spontaneous event that comes about through a kind of grace. It can happen anytime, and in any place. It may or may not happen in the context of a healing session. It may come about simply with a smile from a stranger, the breeze blowing through the trees, the song of a bird some reminder of our connectedness and wholeness the beauty of Life

just as it is at this moment for us. Healing can happen on many different levels. Sometimes our healing is not what we expect. We need to be open to the gifts which life is always ready to give us. It may be that a physical problem heals, but it may also stay awhile to teach us something. Sometimes a health challenge is a doorway to a deeper healing, a cry from deep within for attention to some part of us that has been unloved and feels separated from the Whole. Regardless of whether our focus in healing is on the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual level, all levels are invariably touched by the process, and none can be separated out from the rest. Mary Maddux. This quotation is indicative of the fact healing involves different levels. It needs to be mention that healing comes about through medicine. In our context and as defined by Onah (2004:139) medicine means any substance used in the treatment of diseases or illness. In a wider sense, it embodies any remedy or solution for some problems with particular reference to ill health, ill luck, undefined fortune, etc. in the African setting what is used in healing are basically herbs, roots and other concoctions obtained from what the environment provides. In another insight, a time honoured saying among the Yoruba is instructive. It says Ewe gbogbo kiki ogu Ogun ti aba sat i oje Ewe re loku kan (meaning that) All leaves are medicinal The medicine which is not efficacious Must have lacked one type of the herbs or the other ( as cited by Alayiwola 2003: 93)

Often than not, traditional treatment in Africa is under the toga of religion. No wonder, Shishima (1999:62) says that traditional medicine is tied to religion. Onah (2004:143) collaborates that in the traditional setting, medicine can hardly be isolated from religion. Onah(143) sites an example that a renowned herbalist , Onyeke Nwa Eze from Enugu said that his medicine with which he cures snake bites- which he calls Igbanagwu- has a shrine. He said that in order to strengthen the efficacy of the medicine, the Igbanagwu is worshipped once a year by sacrificing a male goat, a cook (of local species), and a female tortoise. Shishma (1999: 62) argues that for the African, the knowledge of medicinal herbs is bestowed on experts by God either directly through prophecy, intuition and revolution or indirectly through deities, or mediumistic dreams or mechanical/ medical divination. However, what is divination all about in relation to healing?

DIVINATION AND HEALING According to Daniels (1999.2) divination is the art of "telling the future", and also a tool for self-exploration. The word derives from two Latin words: divinare--"to foresee" and divinus--"divine or pertaining to the Gods". Daniels observes that the foreseeing part certainly fits with the telling the future. But divination can also be used to determine what may be happening at present or in the past. So just saying divination is telling the future is ignoring some important aspects. And sometimes it is more important to know what happened in the past to lead up to a present situation. You can also use divination to check up on people who might be out of touch or out of reach. Some people feel that when you do divination you are in some way receiving a message from God, whatever you perceive God to be. If you treat divination

reverently and with respect, you probably will get better results than if you just take it as a game. Sometimes you get your question answered. And sometimes you get an answer to something you didn't ask about, but which the Cosmos feels you need to know. That's the message from God. Be open to these Cosmic messages, and you just might find your life is more smooth and less upsetting than if you just ignore those off the wall readings. When the Cosmos speaks, it pays to listen. Divination is a tool. Some people think divination is an end in itself. If you are just fooling around, then it probably is. But used properly, with reverence and positive intent, divination is a tool which will enable you to do more. But you have to USE the information you are given. Just telling fortunes won't cut it. You have to take the information and use it to make things better for yourself, for your friends, for the world. You can use a focus for divination, like a crystal ball, or Tarot cards, or you can just use pure psychic talents. Most people use the focus. The focus just allows you to channel your psychic talents through the medium you use, and it makes it easier for you to get ideas and impressions. Because people are varied in their skills and interests, there are many divinatory systems which have been developed and used throughout history. Most every society had some mechanism for fortune telling. The need to be able to predict the future is universal. Some societies controlled and/or repressed divination. Some societies celebrated divination or even went so far as to make divination an industry. The ancient Oracles around the Mediterranean were an important source of revenue for the places which hosted them. In the ancient world there were two types of divination--direct or natural divination, consisting of dreams, necromancy (divination using information

channeled from spirits of those who have passed on, either known or unknown to the practitionermediumship and channeling are similar to this), oracles and prophets; and indirect or artificial divination which was divided into two categories; 1) the observation of animate phenomena, haruscipy (reading the entrails of sacrificed animals), augury (reading the flight patterns of birds), and taking notice of human birth marks or deformities; and 2) the observation of inanimate phenomena, such as casting of lots and dice, observation of weather phenomena, terrestrial events (like earthquakes), or celestial phenomena--from which arose astrology. The ancients felt women were better at natural divination and men better at artificial divination. Nowadays, people just choose whatever they feel most comfortable with. An online publication, African healing Journeys, AHJ, (2006: I) says that divination Across the African Continent begins with a depiction of a divination session shown in a painting from Senegal of a contemporary Wolof diviner and a client. The other objects exhibited in this section are used for divination and stem from a wide range of cultures across the continent, reflecting the widespread use of divination in connection with healing in Africa. This include the paraphernalia of divination in the Ifa tradition of the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria (an elaborately carved bowl with a lid to hold the shells or nuts that are used in the divination throw to elicit the verbal epithets of the insight; an Apo Ifa beaded bag to store the shells; an Opon Ifa divination tray onto which the shells are thrown, and the tapper that is used in rousing the spirit that guides the "reading" of the constellations of shells; a sculpted female figure used in Luba Mboko divination (Southern Savanna, Congo) with a bowl containing chalk, which is associated with the beneficence of the spirit world; a Kuba Itombwa wooden dog figure from the Kasai region of the Southern Savanna that is used in divination involving friction; a basket with about 40 symbolic figures from the Ovimbundu people of Eastern Angola of the

widespread Ngombo divination tradition that covers societies from the Atlantic coast to the Ndembu of northern Zambia (each symbol and constellations of symbols in the basket represent particular circumstances in individual and social life that the diviner "reads" to make an interpretation of a particular case). CONCLUSION In all religions, man occupies an important place. Therefore, whatever affects him will certainly be of importance in the religious arena by way of trying to understand and marshaling solutions. It needs to said that African Traditional Religion is not an exception to this general quest of finding solutions to mans unending challenges. This explains why the concept of land and all that happen on it could be examined with the lense of religion, moreso that of mans activities are land based. For instance, it on land that the African, like all others worships. It also on land that some rituals are performed. Plants and herbs are from the land. This makes the land occupy a central position in of African traditional Religion, since most religious activities are land related. Now, the land is not just a gift from God on which plants and crops grow for mans nourishment, it is also on it that most of the items for healing come from. This marks it out as a great resource second to none, and accounts for the attachment so-given to it.

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