Ndoki bueno ndoki malo: Historic and contemporary Kongo religion in the African diaspora
Abstract
This dissertation is a study of Congo religion in the American diaspora. The documentation of religion and religious change in the Kingdom of Kongo and its neighboring states from the earliest times to the present is examined and related to African religious developments in the Americas. The religious traditions of Central Africans have been less a focus of attention than those from West Africa. Despite being often more widespread in the American diaspora, these traditions are often overlooked by academic studies or characterized as witchcraft rather than religion. ^ The critical appraisal of Congo religions by scholars has often been affected by the view that they represent degenerate traditions. This is largely due to the mixture of Spanish and Congo in the religious liturgy, which has been perceived as a corruption of a “purer” linguistic form. Congo religious traditions, whether in Brazil, Cuba or the United States tend to lack well-defined and detailed pantheons and mythologies. The presence of these within West African traditions in the Americas led scholars to assume that their absence from Congo traditions represent a sign of social decay rather than of different cultural models. ^ Scholars studying African religions among African American diasporic cultures have been familiar with West African culture and relatively untutored in the cultures of Central Africa. Bantu religious forms and traditions, including the West Central African cultures such as the Kongo and their neighbors, the Mbundu and Chokwe do not conform to the same models as those of West African societies. To gain a better appreciation of the importance of Congo religious traditions in the Americas it is recommended that those who study these cultures, be they Cuban, Brazilian, or those of the United States, begin with a foundation in West Bantu studies. Previous efforts to address Congo influences at times demonstrate a lack of familiarity with Bantu metaphysics and spiritual traditions. This weakness is only now beginning to be addressed, but it has not previously be applied to any extent in relation to contemporary religious practice. ^
Subject Area
Religion, General|Folklore
Recommended Citation
Eoghan C Ballard,
"Ndoki bueno ndoki malo: Historic and contemporary Kongo religion in the African diaspora"
(January 1, 2005).
Dissertations available from ProQuest.
Paper AAI3165638.
http://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI3165638
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