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Angola Indigenous Religious Systems
There were as many indigenous religious systems in
Angola as
there were ethnic groups or even sections of ethnic
groups. Two or
more ethnic groups might share specific elements of
belief, ritual,
and organizational principle, but the configuration of
these
elements would be different for each group or section.
Nevertheless, certain patterns were widespread.
Most traditional African religions claim the existence
of a
high god, but this deity's attributes vary. For example,
some
groups emphasize the high god's role as a creator, while
others do
not. Specific events in the human world are not usually
explained
by reference to this god, nor is a cult addressed to it.
The active entities in indigenous religious systems are
ancestral and nature spirits. Ancestral spirits are
considered
relevant to the welfare of a descent group or its members,
and
nature spirits are considered relevant to the welfare of a
community in a given location. However, specific
individuals may be
directly affected by one of the nature spirits resident in
rocks or
trees or in natural forces such as wind or lightning.
Ancestral spirits, especially those of recently
deceased kin,
must be honored with appropriate rituals if they are
expected to
look favorably on the enterprises of their descendants.
Only some
of these rituals are performed by the descent group as a
whole.
More frequently, they are performed by and on behalf of a
segment
of the group or an individual.
In theory, nature spirits are not generally considered
to have
led a human existence, but there are exceptions.
Occasionally, the
spirits of local rulers or others are detached from
specific
descent groups or are considered to have the
characteristics of
other nature spirits in that they are resident in features
of the
landscape.
The spirits of the ancestors of a kin group are looked
to for
assistance in economic and social matters, and some
misfortunes--
famine, poor crops, personal losses--are ascribed to
failure to
have performed the appropriate rituals or to having
misbehaved in
some other way. Not all misfortunes are attributed to
ancestral or
nature spirits, however. Many people believe that magical
powers
inhere in things and that these powers, though usually
neutral, may
be used malevolently to afflict others or to prevent
others to deal
with affliction, particularly illness and death. It is
further
thought that individuals, sometimes unconsciously and
without the
use of material or technical means, can bring illness or
other
affliction to human beings. Such persons, usually called
witches,
are thought to be marked by the presence of a substance in
the
stomach or other organ. The terms witch and
sorcerer
have been applied to those who use their power
malevolently, and
the distinction between the two is based in part on
whether the
power is inherited (witch) or acquired in exchange for
something of
value (sorcerer)--whether the power is mystical or
technical and
whether the power is used on one's (the witch's) own
behalf or on
behalf of others, at a price. In fact, this distinction is
made
only in some societies and may be linked to certain
features of
community social structures and associated with patterns
of
accusation--whether kin by blood or marriage or non-kin
are held to
be responsible.
Individual difficulties are attributed to witchcraft,
sorcery,
or the acts of ancestral or nature spirits. The
determination is
usually made by a diviner, a specialist whose personal
power and
use of material objects are held to be generally
benevolent
(although there are cases in which a diviner may be
accused of
sorcery) and whose sensitivity to patterns of stress and
strain in
the community help him or her arrive at a diagnosis. A
diviner--
widely called a kimbanda--may also have extensive
knowledge
of herbal medicine, and at least part of the work of the
kimbanda is devoted to the application of that
knowledge.
The kimbanda is said to have inherited or
acquired the
ability to communicate with spirits. In many cases, the
acquisition
of such power follows illness and possession by a specific
spirit.
The proficiency and degree of specialization of diviners
varies
widely. Some will deal only with particular symptoms;
others enjoy
broad repute and may include more than one village, or
even more
than one province, in their rounds. The greater the
reputation of
the kimbanda, the more he or she charges for
services. This
widespread term for diviner/healer has entered into local
Portuguese, and so central is the role of the
kimbanda to
the complex of beliefs and practices characterizing most
indigenous
religions that some sources, such as the Jornal de
Angola,
have applied the term kimbandism to indigenous
systems when
cataloging Angolan religions.
In general, the belief in spirits (ancestral or
natural),
witches, and sorcerers is associated with a worldview that
leaves
no room for the accidental. Whether events are favorable
or
adverse, responsibility for them can in principle be
attributed to
a causal agent. If things go well, the correct ritual has
been
performed to placate the spirits or invoke their help. If
things go
badly, the correct ritual has not been performed, or a
spirit has
been otherwise provoked, or malevolent individuals have
succeeded
in breaching whatever protective (magical) measures have
been taken
against them. This outlook often persisted in Angola among
individuals who had been influenced by Christianity or
secular
education. With some changes in particulars, it seemed to
pervade
urban areas, where a kimbanda rarely lacked
clients.
Data as of February 1989
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