Caribbean Indigenous Religions

Caribbean Indigenous Religions
Religions of the Caribbean: Rastafarianism, Santeria, Revivalism, Orisha, Spiritual Baptist, Vodun
Caribbean Indigenous Religions
The many distinct religions in the Caribbean can be divided into Christianity, Afro-Caribbean Creolized religions (with Rastafarianism taking a bit from each of these groups) and East Indian religions. Although some may be better known than others, Christianity is by far the dominant religion, although the popularity of specific denominations varies across the region.

Indigenous Religions

The word indigenous refers to anything that is native to a particular geographical region. This includes people, cultures, languages, or species of plants or animals.

People continue to practice those religions, often in combination with more dominant religions such as Christianity, but they are not indigenous to their new homes. These religions are formed from a synthesis, or combination, of indigenous and nonindigenous beliefs.

Examples of synthetic religions can be found in the Caribbean

During the time of the slave trade, Africans were transported to these regions, bringing their religious beliefs with them. At the same time, Spanish colonists and slave merchants carried Catholicism to the New World, where it became the dominant religion.
The interaction between African religions and Christianity gave rise to at least two new religions: Vodou, which is dominant in Haiti, and Santería, which is widely practiced in Cuba. Strictly speaking, these religions are not "indigenous" to either Cuba or Haiti, but they have many of the characteristics of an indigenous religion and are based on indigenous practices in Africa.

WORDS TO KNOW

Animism: The worship of trees, rocks, mountains, and such, which are believed to have supernatural power.

Bon: An indigenous religion of Tibet.

Candomblé: A South American religion with many similarities to Santería, often used synonymously with Santería.

Ha-ne-go-ate-geh: The "Evil-Minded," the evil spirit of the Iroquois nation.

Santería: The "way of the saints"; an African-based religion practiced primarily in Cuba and other Central and South American countries.

Santero: A practitioner of Santería.

Shaman: A priestlike person in an indigenous religion who is thought to have special powers to communicate with the spirit world; often used as a synonym for a traditional healer.

Characteristics of indigenous religions

While the world's indigenous religions show remarkable variety, they also tend to show important similarities. These similarities appear not in the specifics of the belief system but rather in its overall nature. Some features that characterize indigenous religions include the following: geographic location, the use of ritual and artifacts, community participation, a fluid structure, and belief in a supreme God or other divinities (gods).

An indigenous religious group tends to live within a specific bioregion, or a region with a relatively uniform environment and ecology (mountain, desert, rainforest, or plains). Because of characteristics of this environment (for example, a short growing season in mountainous regions, drought in a desert, heavy rains in a rainforest region, and so on), indigenous religions develop explanations of the world and its origins based on the characteristics of their region.

Indigenous religions rarely have written sacred texts. Rather, their beliefs focus on dances, costumes, masks, ritual traditions, and sacred artifacts (material objects). These practices are part of a people's cultural identity and help them forge a sense of connection with their world. Indigenous religions transmit wisdom, cultural values, and history, not through formal education but through myths, storytelling, drama, and art.

They tend not to rely on silent meditation or individualized experiences but on ritual activities that bind people to the community. Many of these rituals mark important occasions, such as planting or gathering a harvest. Yet in many indigenous religious traditions, people seek wisdom of their own through vision quests and similar private rituals. Some religions rely on hallucinogenic substances (mind-altering drugs), as well as chanting and ritual, to create a trancelike state in which they can experience the spiritual.

Indigenous religions are not bound by formal theologies. They tend to evolve and change as the conditions of life change. Sometimes the term traditional is used to refer to these religions. Many modern religious scholars, however, avoid this word because it suggests something old and unchanging rather than something living and adaptable.
Most indigenous religions believe in some sort of great spirit, a god, whether male or female, who created the world and is responsible for the way the world works. Some believe in multiple gods.

Such religions also tend to believe that the natural world is full of spirits who control such things as the weather, the harvest, the success of a hunt, and illness. Shamans and diviners are believed to be able to read the signs of the natural order, communicate with the spirits, and understand the future and the will of the god or gods.

Shamans are priests or priestesses who have strong connections to the spiritual world and use that connection to help others. Diviners are people who can read signs in nature to determine things such as the location of scarce water or future events.

African indigenous religions

In many fundamental ways, African indigenous religions are little different from many of the world's more dominant religions. They believe in the concept of God and the supernatural. The supernatural is anything that is beyond what is observable, including things relating to God or spirits. This belief is part of their everyday lived experience.

The supernatural world

Most African indigenous religions believe in a supreme God. The names of the supreme God are many and differ with the many language groups of Africa. To cite just a few examples, in the Congo, the supreme God is variously called Akongo, Arebati, and Nzambi etc... In Kenya, it has the names Akuj, Asis, Mulungu, Mungu, etc... In Nigeria, the supreme God is called Ondo, Chuku, Hinegba, Olódùmarè, Olorun, Osowo, Owo, and Shoko.

The supreme God shares many characteristics with the God of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. God is seen as the creator of all things who sustains (maintains), provides for, and protects creation with both justice and mercy. God rules over the universe. He (or She) is all-knowing and all-powerful. African indigenous religions believe that it is not possible for human beings to know God directly. God is often seen as a parent: in some instances, a father; in others, a mother.