What is the Akan tradition?

What is the Akan tradition?

Akan culture is one of the traditional matrilineal cultures of Africa. Akan art is wide-ranging and renowned, especially for the tradition of crafting bronze gold weights, using the lost-wax casting method.

What are the three main worship in Ghana?

African Traditional Religion, Christianity and Islam are the three major religious groups in Ghana. They play a prominent and significant role in the holistic life of Ghanaians from the political, economical, educational, religious and the family.

How does the African culture view health?

Although African traditional religion is not against a Western medical way of treatment or healing process, its followers believe that there are some diseases that Western medicine cannot treat, and therefore need spiritual attention, as it is sometimes practiced in churches.

How were the sick Ghanaians treated before the coming of the European?

In precolonial Ghana, as in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, traditional priests were important in providing treatment for the sick. The role of village priests in the medical sphere reflected the belief that unexplained illness, misfortune, and premature death were caused by supernatural agents.

Is Akan a religion?

Akan religion is referred to as Akom (from the Twi word akom, meaning “prophecy”). Although most Akan people have identified as Christians since the early 20th century, Akan religion remains practiced by some and is often syncretized with Christianity.

What is medical spiritualism?

Within the experience of serious illness, empirical research reveals an indelible connection between medicine and spirituality—broadly defined as the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose, and experience connectedness to self, others, the significant or sacred.

What religion did ancient Ghana practice?

Ghana Empire

How does spirituality and religion affect health?

Religiousness, including formal religious affiliation and service attendance, is associated with better health habits, such as lower smoking rates and reduced alcohol consumption. Spirituality, including meditation and private prayer, helps regulate emotions, which aids physiological effects such as blood pressure.

How do we call God in Akan?

Danquah mentions three names of the Akan God and these are: Onyame (the Akan Deity), Onyamkopɔn Kwame (the God of Saturday) and Ɔdomankoma (the infinitely manifold God). He does not subscribe to the assertion that Onyame is derived from “nya” (to get) and “me” (satisfy).

How do Akans pray?

When Akan pour libation or chant prayers, they do not reach Nyame directly. Instead, they invoke the Nsamanfo to pass their messages along to Nyame because they are the spiritual representatives of living people and are in closer proximity to Nyame.

Which religion came to Ghana first?

Islam made its entry into the northern territories of modern Ghana around the 15th century. Traders and scholars from Mande or Wangara tribes carried the religion into the area. Some local scholars believe that Islam reached Ghana through daawa workers who came from the neighboring African countries.

Who do the Akan people worship?

The Akan people worship gods, deities and ancestors. Some include the high gods such as Onyame, Onyankopon. Another one is the creator otoise along with Asae Ya., the goddess of earth.

What is the meaning of Akan?

It is also used to describe the ethnic groups The Akyem make up between three to nine percent of Ghana’s population depending on one defines the group. The Akan people worship gods, deities and ancestors. Some include the high gods such as Onyame, Onyankopon.

Who is Ananse in the Akan religion?

A god who is perceived to have failed often is no longer worshiped. Among the minor Akan gods is Ananse (also spelled Anansi or Anyanse), who is often represented in myths as a spider and trickster—a mythological figure who is supposed to bridge the gap between God and humans through his divinatory and oracular wisdom.

How many cycles do the Akan celebrate?

(Ghana,pg. 86) They have nine cycles and forty day are in each cycle. In each cycle there are two days where they will pay their respects to their ancestors. They also take a day to honor the chief. During that day, (Ghana, pg. 87) Akwasidae is one of the festival the Akan celebrate. It is celebrated every Sunday.