SUPERNATURAL BELIEFS SHARED BY THE PEOPLE OF AHANTA
The most fundamental belief shared by the people of Ahanta is that they strongly acknowledge the sovereignty and omnipotence of God. God is strictly regarded by the Ahantas as male. Therefore, they address and refer to him as “Mizi Nyaminli”, literally meaning “my father God”. HE is believed to take a close personal interest in the everyday activities of the people. This particular recognition is amplified in their responses to greetings, especially when the one greeting wants to know how one is faring. It is often responded “NYAME ADOM”.
Naming of Children is also one useful medium through which the sovereignty of God is also expressed. Names such as “Nyame bakyere (God will provide), Nyame Adomi (God’s grace) are common among the people of Ahanta.
Traditionally, the people of Ahanta do not really worship God directly, they believe that the greatness of God requires that He is worshipped through lesser gods, deities, ancestors and what have you. They also believe that the acts of worship should also not be direct. As a result, the offering of libation by a native priest is highly emphasized any time a member of the community wants to have communication with the spirit world.
The belief in life after death is also prominent among the people of Ahanta. Ahantas, like other Africans believe strongly that death do not bring annihilation upon a person but rather a medium through which the deceased is transitioned into the next world inhabited by the gods, deities and ancestors. It is as a result of this a deceased is symbolically given some monies and cloth to be used as he/she journeys into the next world.
Indeed, the belief and the reliance on supernatural powers in the life of an Ahanta cannot be written off. They find these supernatural forces very pivotal in their daily affairs. This is often used to either achieve a positive or a negative goal. On the positive note, they believe and rely on the supernatural powers for protection against their enemies. On the other hand, they are equally employed to cause madness, sickness, poverty, barrenness, embarrassment, death and other malevolent effects on people.
As a result, the Ahantas usually resort to the “traditional healing” over the orthodox. Paradoxically, the number of Ahanta indigenes who rely on the traditional form of healing far outweighs the fraction who rely on the diagnosis and medication by the medical professionals. They are of the firm belief that most illnesses have spiritual undertones and can be cured absolutely with the help of the fetish priest, Maame Sofo at the shrine and garden respectively. And this offers the explanation regarding the proliferation of traditional healing gardens across the length and breadth in the land of Ahanta
CENTRE FOR NATIONAL CULTURE
AHANTA WEST MUNICIPAL.
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