Transcript MERU, KENYA
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION
Ninkubukehia antu baria bakweja kiri mucemanio juju narua. Thaa iji nikaritana iguru ria antu ba Meru nuu bakaraga akui kirimana kia Kenya. Nkaritana iguru ria njira Ameru baturaga. Antu baba ni mugango jwa Meru.
AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION - ATR
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Why African Traditional Religion Title
Primitive carries negative and demeaning connotations Basic implies simple or low on evolutionary scale of religion Traditional refers to emerging from the cultural development Religion is rooted in tradition rather than scripture
CONTINENT OF AFRICA
AFRICA
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Size: 11,608,000 sq. miles; second largest continent
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% of Earth’s Land: 20.2%
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Population: 855,000,000
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Number of Countries: 53
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World’s Longest River: Nile
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World’s Largest Desert: Sahara
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4,900 people die daily of AIDS
Map of World Religions
ATR World Status
• ATR: 190 million • 3% of world population • Seventh largest group • Christianity: 2 billion • Islam: 1.3 billion • Hinduism: 900 million • Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 850 million • Buddhism: 360 million • Chinese traditional religion: 225 million
Traditional to Christian
Growth of Christianity in Sub-Sahara Africa
Population of Africa - 855,000,000 1900 1970 8,756,000 117,069,000 2003 360,059,000 It is estimated that by 2025 there will be 600,000,000 professing Christians
MERU COUNTRYSIDE
Mt. Kenya
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Height: 5,199 meters
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Meru: Along the east side north to the desert
Nyambene Hills
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The Nyambene Hills run from the eastern slope of Mt. Kenya northward about 20 miles
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The tops of certain hills are the traditional sites of sacred places of worship.
MERU COUNTRYSIDE
Looking out north from the Nyambene Hills to the open savannahs and desert
MERU COUNTRYSIDE
Meru at sunset and in the fog of the Nyambene Hills.
MERU COUNTRYSIDE
Among the Meru, Nyambene Hills where most of the people live on small farms
Crops
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The main food crops are corn, beans, potatoes, cabbage, and some fruits.
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The main cash crops for export are Tea, Coffee, and Miraa
TOWNS & MARKETS
Mutendwa (Meru Town) is the center of the Meru District and the largest town. Its population is around 40,000. The town has three main streets and a large market area.
Meru Town Market Today there is now cell phone service and even an Internet Café.
Downtown Meru Town
MERU HOMES & VILLAGES
Meru Mud & Dung Homes Meru Thatch Roof Huts
African Worldview - Meru
Supreme Being
Murungu – one God Worship God Distant
Spiritual Realm
-Evil spirits -Ancestral spirits
Religious Practitioners
-Agwe (Prophet Rulers) -Diviners/Medicine Men -Sorcerers
Physical World
-Elders/clans -Age sets/ceremonies -Sacrifices Ancestral Spirits
Spiritual/Physical
World/Nature
ELEMENTS OF ATR
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Recognition and worship of one High God Importance of good relationships with ancestral spirits
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Importance of rites of passage and age sets for an organized society
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This worldly concerns and present spiritual realities involved daily
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ATR POWERS
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God (Murungu – Meru; Ngai – Kikuyu & Maasai)
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Associate with the sky (Yaruba – Olorun, owner of sky)
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All-powerful
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All-knowing Eternal spirit A being Good but sometimes capricious and/or distant Creator of the world
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Provider Lesser gods in Yaruba and some others
ATR POWERS
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Ancestor spirits (living/dead)
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Assist living Need to keep happy by maintaining traditions and family values
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Sometimes shrines (Giriama) Mainly feared Nature spirits – could be evil ancestral spirits Evil spirits – could be evil ancestral spirits
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Kikuyu say an epidemic is caused by them
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Meru generally think God is behind epidemic
Meru Practitioners
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Medicine man Shaman or Diviner – medium for the spiritual powers
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Sorcerers
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Some ATR have good and evil magic
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Agwe – Prophet Rulers (no longer active)
Meru Medicine Man (
Muga
)
Terms & Traditional Religion
• • Taboo – something untouchable because of God’s holiness is present or untouchable because it is pervasively evil.
Totem – clan seeing themselves related to a particular animal or some other life form and enjoy the special traits of that animal or life form.
• Protect against inbreeding • Food distribution because cannot eat your totem • Some have totem feast where they do eat but rare
Meru Culture
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Historical Tradition
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Red cloths people The prophet and Exodus
Rights of Passage
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Birth
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Adulthood Marriage (bride price, polygamy, family unity, patrilocal) Death (strength to ancestors, unity of family
Social Structure
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Age Sets (circumcision group) Marriage (gukuraga) Meru leaders (warrior, marriage, jr. elder, sr. elder) Njuri Ncheke (council of elders)
Meru Physical Realm
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Age-sets
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Child
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Warrior or Marriage for women New Elder
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2 nd Level Elder High Level Elder Clans Organization (Elders) Sacrifices (Holy places and offerings)
Traditional Male Circumciser
Mutaani
Boys Circumcision Group At the
Gaaru
African Worldview
–
Batutsi, Bahutu, & Batwa
God Distant Ancestral Spirits
Spiritual/Physical
World/Nature
Missions, Africa, and the Unreached
Sub-Sahara Africa & the 10/40 Window
Africa/Asia North America Other Continents World Population 4,800,000,000 315,000,000 1,585,000,000 6,700,000,000
60% of all the people groups are in Africa & Asia
72% 5% 23% There are 12,000
ethno-linguistic
groups (nations) Most are in Africa and Asia.
10/40 Window
▶ The term “10/40 Window” describes a rectangular shaped geographical area that is 10 by 40 degrees north of the equator.
▶ It includes 60 countries with more than 2 billion people (over 1/3 of world) ▶ The majority of the unreached people live in this area (less than 2% evangelical) ▶ It is home to the world’s major non-Christian religions – Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism ▶ The poorest of the poor live within this window ▶ Only 8% of the missionary personnel work in this area
10/40 Window
Unreached Peoples for Which Jesus Also Died Brahman - India 55,000,000 Burmese - Myanmar 30,000,000 Chamar - India 48,000,000 Jat Muslim - Pakistan 28,000,000 Han - China 36,000,000 Japanese - Japan 122,000,000
Other Unreached Peoples
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Shaikh of Bangladesh – 130,000,000 Shaikh of India – 70,000,000 Yadava of India – 55,000,000 Turks of Turkey – 50,000,000 Rajput of Inda – 40,000,000 Hakka of China – 34,000,000
Unreached Areas
10/40 Window
Primary Locations of Muslims
Primary Location of Christians
Sub-Sahara Africa
Why Emphasize Sub-Sahara Africa Missions?
God is Giving the Growth in Sub-Sahara Africa
Sub-Sahara Africa
• • The number of churches and Christians continue to grow – 1,400,000 of a population 855,000,000 (1 to 600) U.S. Membership – 1,300,000 of a population of 300,000,000 (1 to 230)
Church of Christ Membership: Africa 1400000 1200000 1000000 800000 600000 400000 200000 0 1989 1992 1994 1997 2000 2009
Church of Christ: U.S.
1,800,000 1,600,000 1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 1980 1990 1994 1997 2000 2008 Members Adherents
Sub-Sahara Africa
Meru, Kenya Togo Tanzania
183 Missionaries Serving in Africa Population of almost 1 Billion in 55 countries & 2,010 languages
Sub-Sahara Africa
• Christians from Sub-Sahara Africa have the potential to become the evangelistic force for the future to the unreached areas of the world.
• Philip Ganta in the Middle East • Kenyan missionaries to Sudan
African Christians’ Advantages
Work in Sub-Sahara Africa
• • • • • • Continue to plant churches in other people groups Assist in the training of leaders Assist in church maturation Assist in providing self-supporting trades Provide opportunities for higher education Assist and partner for mission outreach
Purpose: Raise-up missionaries for unreached areas
COOKING
Meal Preparations Meals: Usually Corn, beans, potatoes, onions and greens boiled together Nkima – Millet cakes and greens