The sky legend Leza:
The Bantu speaking people believed in Leza the sky god. Leza tought them art and many other things and after he was done on Earth he went home up in the sky where he lived on a spiderweb.The Bantus followed him up in the sky but the spiderweb broke and they all fel down to Earth again.
On the way the bird got too curious that the bird the bird opened all of the three containers, in the the pagage. Leza told the bird not to open. There was death, sickness and pain. And since that the humans needed to protect themselves from that.
CREDITS
Nikoline (ICSA)
Picture from OathBoundSecrets 2011
http://oathboundsecrets.blogspot.com
/2012/02/out-of-africa.html
Journeying to the Goddess
http://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com
/tag/liza/
about the Universe
Mawu Lisa
In Dahomey mythology, Mawu, is a West African Mother Earth. She is the the goddess of bothe the sun and moon. "She is the Goddess of the night, of joy, and of motherhood as well as the ruler of the world’s wisdom and knowledge. She is the one who brings the cool nights to the hot African world." This is from Journeying to the Goddess
Yoruba of West Africa:
The Yoruba people
believed in the sky god named Lord of Heaven,
the sky god Olorun and the marshy water godess Olokun.
Olorun and Olokun was the first gods on Earth
in the beginning, untill Olorun lowered down a golden chain into the marshy water He purred then sand
on and then he dropped a chicken into the water;
the chicken started spretting
out the sand in all directions and there became land everywhere.
African Tradition is expressed through many different art forms, such as music, dance, art, sculpture and beadwork.
These
traditions are deeply ingrained into the whole African tradition. Many
African languages are “tone languages,” meaning that pitch level
determines meaning. Singing is very important to the African society
because the melody and rhythm follow the intonation of the song text. The songs are often sung in call-and-response form.
In West Africa, a griot is a praise singer or poet who keeps an oral tradition of the stories passed down from generation to generation. They must know the traditional songs and must also be able to improvise songs about current events and chance incidents.
Oral tradition is very important in African traditions because it is how culture is
passed from one generation to another. Listening is also very important skill. Many songs and dances have been transmitted by word of mouth.
Music is a form of communication and it plays an important role in African society. There are songs for marriage, birth, rites of passage, hunting and even political activities. Music is often used in different African cultures to keep away evil spirits and to pay respects to good spirits,
the dead and ancestors.
Although the musical styles and instruments vary from region to region, there are some common forms of musical expression. The most important instrument in African music is the African drum. It expresses the mood of the people and brings out people's feelings. The beat of the African drum is the “heartbeat of the community” and its rhythm is what keeps everyone united together.
Dance is also an important part of the African traditions. and it use symbolic gestures, masks, costumes, body painting and props to communicate. The dance movements can be simple or complex. Dance is used to express emotion, whether joyful or sorrowful and it is not limited to just the dancers. Often spectators will be encouraged to join in.
The African masks that are used in dances have religious, ceremonial and functional origins.
The artist who carves the mask has to be purified and offer prayers to his ancestors for guidance before he starts carving of the mask.
The African mask represents a spirit. They believe that the spirit possesses the dancer as they wear the mask. The chosen dancer goes into a trance-like state so they can get some guidance and wisdom from the ancestors. The dancer will say the messages that he got from the ancestors and a wise man, who is next to the dancer will translate the message.
In West Africa, a griot is a praise singer or poet who keeps an oral tradition of the stories passed down from generation to generation. They must know the traditional songs and must also be able to improvise songs about current events and chance incidents.
Oral tradition is very important in African traditions because it is how culture is
passed from one generation to another. Listening is also very important skill. Many songs and dances have been transmitted by word of mouth.
Music is a form of communication and it plays an important role in African society. There are songs for marriage, birth, rites of passage, hunting and even political activities. Music is often used in different African cultures to keep away evil spirits and to pay respects to good spirits,
the dead and ancestors.
Although the musical styles and instruments vary from region to region, there are some common forms of musical expression. The most important instrument in African music is the African drum. It expresses the mood of the people and brings out people's feelings. The beat of the African drum is the “heartbeat of the community” and its rhythm is what keeps everyone united together.
Dance is also an important part of the African traditions. and it use symbolic gestures, masks, costumes, body painting and props to communicate. The dance movements can be simple or complex. Dance is used to express emotion, whether joyful or sorrowful and it is not limited to just the dancers. Often spectators will be encouraged to join in.
The African masks that are used in dances have religious, ceremonial and functional origins.
The artist who carves the mask has to be purified and offer prayers to his ancestors for guidance before he starts carving of the mask.
The African mask represents a spirit. They believe that the spirit possesses the dancer as they wear the mask. The chosen dancer goes into a trance-like state so they can get some guidance and wisdom from the ancestors. The dancer will say the messages that he got from the ancestors and a wise man, who is next to the dancer will translate the message.