Tribal Religions

Common characteristics of tribal religions  Oral traditions- everything their ancestors learned is stored in their collective memory. They remember what is important and forget the rest.  Tied to place- tribal people tend to be tied to the land and these are their sacred sites. Stories passed down from ancestors are told about specific places within the tribes land.  Time is viewed differently- tribal peoples focus on causal rather than chronological sequence.  Religion is part of everyday life. It impacts what people eat (or cannot eat), the way they farm, do chores, hunt, make tools and clothes, arrange themselves in families, marry, divide work among family members, educate their children, treat illness, and bury the dead.

Australian Aboriginal Religion The earth is eternal, and so are the many ancestral figures/ beings who inhabit it. These beings are often associated with particular animals, for example Kangaroo-men, Emu-men, or Bowerbird women. As they journeyed across the face of the Earth these powerful beings created human, plant and animal life; and they left traces of their journeys in the natural features of the land. They also connected particular groups of people with particular regions and languages. Some groups held belief in a supreme beings. The Dreaming continues to control the natural world.

African traditions  First it is important to remember that there are similarities between African religions, there is no one African religion.  Some groups worship only one god, others have many gods.  Regardless if there is a belief in one or many gods the following is true:  Is creator of all things  Sustains creation  Provides and protects creation  Rules over the universe  Is omnipotent, and omniscient  Is viewed a parent  Supports justice