Maasai religion
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The Maasai religion is the traditional beliefs of the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania.
Traditional beliefs
In Maasai culture, nature and its elements are important facets of their religion.[1] Enkai (also called Engai) is the androgynous Supreme Creator, possessing both masculine and feminine principles.[2] The Maasai refer to Ngai's primordial dwelling as "Ol Doinyo Lengai" which literally means "The Mountain of God" , which they believe is in Northern Tanzania.[2]
Ngai or Enkai's name is synonymous to "rain."[3]
In Maasai religion, the Laibon (plural: Laiboni) intercedes between the world of the living and the Creator. They are the Maasai's high priests and diviners. In addition to organizing and presiding over religious ceremonies—including sacrifice and libation, they also heal the living, physically and spiritually.[4]
- Traditional African religion portal
Kenya portal
References
- ISBN 9781441122780 (retrieved March 19, 2020) [1]
- ^ ISBN 9781412936361 (retrieved March 18, 2020) [2]
- ISBN 9783643100931 (retrieved March 18, 2020) [3]
- ISBN 9781412936361 (retrieved March 18, 2020) [4]
Further reading
- ISBN 0-19-512456-1
- Naomi Kipury, Oral Literature of the Maasai (1983: East African Educational Publishers Ltd., PO Box 45314 Nairobi, Kenya
- Spencer, Paul, (2003), "Providence and the cosmology of misfortune" and "Loonkidongi diviners and Prophets", in Spencer, P, Time, Space, and the Unknown: Maasai configurations of power and providence, Routledge, London (pp. 67–123).