Patterns of traditional religious and cultural practices of the Idoma People of Nigeria

Author(s):  
Emmanuel C. Anizoba ◽  
Edache Monday Johnson

The research focuses on the patterns of traditional religious and cultural practices of the Idoma People of Nigeria. The study also seeks to investigate the cultural beliefs and practices of the Idoma traditional society which were affected by the advent of Christianity in the area. Some of the cultural beliefs and practices of the Idoma people before the advent of Christianity will be examined, as well as the people response to the new faith and the propelling factors behind the responses of the people. The study adopted qualitative phenomenological research design and descriptive method of data analysis. Personal interview forms a primary source of data collection while the secondary source includes library sources. The study reveals that the advent of Christianity in the Idoma traditional society had some impact and consequences on their traditional and cultural practices. Some of the Idoma beliefs and practices affected include ancestor veneration, polygamous marriage, burial rites, widowhood practices, naming ceremony among others which are no longer practiced the way it used to be practiced before the advent of Christianity. The study recommends among other things that, there should be a synergy between Idoma traditional beliefs and practices and Christianity for peaceful co-existence, progress and developments in the area.

2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel C. Anizoba ◽  
Edache M. Johnson

Some of the traditions and cultural beliefs and practices of the Idoma people of Nigeria have been influenced both positively and negatively as a result of the advent of Christianity in the area. The aim of this research is to investigate some of the cultural beliefs and practices of the Idoma people before the advent of Christianity, the people’s response to the new faith and the propelling factors behind the responses of the people. In doing so, a comparative study on these beliefs and practices after the advent of Christianity in Idoma traditional society was done. The study adopts a qualitative phenomenological research design and descriptive method for data analysis. Personal interviews form a primary source of data collection, while the secondary source includes library sources. This method of study was chosen to allow the data collected to speak for themselves without any interference from the researchers. The study unveils that the advent of Christianity in the Idoma traditional society had some impact and consequences on the traditional and cultural practices of the people, such as death and burial ceremonies, the Aje-alekwu festival and widowhood practices among others. The study recommends that there should be a synergy between Idoma traditional beliefs and practices and Christianity for peaceful co-existence, progress and development in the area.Contribution: It is erroneously believed that in the contemporary society, traditional religious practices are going to die and become a thing of the past. However, one would observe from this study that Idoma people still hold their traditional beliefs and practices in high esteem despite the influence of Christianity in the area.


2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel C. Anizoba

This study looks into the African belief about the mystical causes of diseases and the tenets of Western germ theory. Despite widespread Western medical practices, African people still strongly believe in the mystical causes of diseases. This reveals that as far as the African traditional belief is concerned, Western germ theory cannot satisfy the African belief in the causes of diseases. This is as a result of some of the diseases defying Western healing. The study adopts a qualitative phenomenological research design and descriptive method for data analysis. Personal interview forms a primary source of data collection while the secondary source includes library resources. The study observes that some mystical agents in African cosmology, such as witches and sorcerers, ogbanje, and breaking of taboos are responsible for untimely deaths, infliction of diseases to humankind and other related ailments which are believed to be traditional in nature.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The study recommends that hospitals and healthcare centres, within and outside Africa, should take into consideration the mystical agents as well as the pathogenic agents for good and efficient healing.


2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1887-1893
Author(s):  
Victoria Mensah Nyamadi ◽  
Gideon Atigetogum Affah ◽  
Russell Franklin Nyamadi

Gender equality is a very common mantra in gender studies but its importance can be undermined. Gender stereotypinghas characterised social value in many communities of the north. The focus of this study has been to examine how cultural practices and beliefs in the patrilineal family system dominated by male discriminate against women and female children.Through well-defined research objectives, the study unveiled how cultural practices and beliefs in the Kasena Nankana Municipality impact on gender equality and further marginalize the women in the communities.The study’s main finding was that; gender inequalities still pertains in the study area and this is due to cultural ascription of gender roles. The study further highlighted that, gender socialization perpetuates society’s expectations of what a woman supposed to do in the societies. The behaviours and attitudes of the women in the communities were also considered under the study to determine whether these behaviours contributed to gender inequality in the communities.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 211-220
Author(s):  
Veronica Akwenabuaye Undelikwo ◽  
Ebingha Erena Enang

Abstract One of the greatest challenges confronting the government in Nigeria today is the need to reduce infant and child morbidity and mortality in order to achieve the sustainable development goal 2030. Infant mortality is generally used to describe the death of infants or babies that were born alive but died before their first birthday. There is generally marked inequality in infant death between developed and developing nations but also within them. Culture has been found to influence the health of the people especially in developing countries where majority of the people are traditionally oriented and superstitious. Several cultural values, beliefs and practices have considerable influence on the health behaviour of Nigerians, which has been adopted by pregnant women, and carried over to their children resulting in infant mortality. These cultural beliefs and practices are some of the major reasons for the low patronage of antenatal health care and orthodox medicine. People have remained bound to cultural beliefs and values. People tend to view events of diseases and deaths from the cultural and supernatural perspective, thereby causing mothers to stick to traditional and cultural practices in health matters. The paper is purely theoretical and relied heavily on secondary data and relevant literature on the issue under consideration. The paper calls for adequate awareness and enlightenment especially in areas where cultural practices are very ingrained and where infant mortality is high due to these practices.


Author(s):  
Evelyn J. Grey

<div><p><em>The study was to determine the cultural beliefs and practices of the ethnic Filipinos. This is a qualitative study and the focus is the Aetas living in Central Philippines. The informants were the 9 prominent Aetas, 6 of them were Aeta women who have experienced pregnancy or pregnant during the time this study was conducted. The findings revealed that during pregnancy their most  beliefs and practices are observed by the Aetas.  Some of the traditional beliefs and practices of Aetas  have been influenced by many factors. They have also retained some of their traditional beliefs and practices on pregnancy, childbirth, marriage, death and burial despite the effects of the factors mentioned. All throughout the life stages of the Aetas in the rural communities, their old beliefs and practices had been influenced by modernization.  It simply shows that the Aetas , are also susceptible to accept changes that may affect their way of life. Their traditional cultural practices that deeply rooted in their beliefs were difficult to neglect since it has already been part of their tradition for years.</em></p></div>


Author(s):  
M. Venkateswarlu ◽  
M. A. Mushtaq Pasha ◽  
Afsar Fatima

Background: The postpartum period continues to be an important part of the tradition and culture among Indian women. But frequently the health of the postnatal women is neglected. So, the present study aimed to explore the beliefs and practices in the postpartum period regarding diet, rest, hygiene, confinement and assess association between cultural practices and socio demographic characteristics.Methods: A cross‐sectional descriptive study was conducted in the field practice area of urban SRMC Nandyal. The participants were women who had given births in the past three months. The data was collected using a pre‐tested semi‐structured questionnaire.Results: Among the 140 women, over 75% of women had increased their diet intake postpartum. Vegetables such as brinjal and fruits like papaya were avoided by 58.5% and 63.6% women respectively. Among the mothers 18.3% consumed less than 500 ml of water every day and 22% did not drink milk at all. Household work was avoided by 67% of the women while 79.6% avoided going outdoors. Many women didn’t maintain personal hygiene. Many women took home remedies for faster recuperation. These practices were influenced by the socioeconomic status and the woman’s educational status.Conclusions: Traditional postpartum practices are still popular among women in rural and slum areas in Andhra Pradesh. It is critical to identify the harmful practices and reinforce the positive healthy practices to make postpartum period a healthy and joyful period for the mother.


Mind-Society ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 201-227
Author(s):  
Paul Thagard

Descriptions of cultural practices can be enriched by understanding the cognitions and emotions occurring in the minds of the people enacting the practices. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is new enough that its historical developments and ongoing practices are well documented. To explain these developments and practices, this chapter describes the images, concepts, values, beliefs, rules, analogies, and emotions that are the most important mental representations operating in Mormon minds. These representations have a neural basis in semantic pointer processes of representation and binding, and they contribute to a variety of deductive, abductive, and emotional inferences. The social process by which Mormon beliefs and practices spread from one individual to another can best be understood as the results of semantic pointer communication carried out by interactions ranging from church rituals to missionary work.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-125
Author(s):  
Kuldip Kaur Kang ◽  
Nicola Moran

Purpose This paper aims to explore inpatient staff experiences of seeking to meet the religious and cultural needs of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) inpatients on mental health wards. Design/methodology/approach Nine semi-structured interviews were undertaken with inpatient staff in one NHS Trust in England to explore their views and experiences of supporting BAME inpatients to meet their religious and cultural needs. Anonymised transcripts were analysed thematically. Findings Inpatient staff reported lacking the confidence and knowledge to identify and meet BAME inpatients’ religious and cultural needs, especially inpatients from smaller ethnic groups and newly emerging communities. There was no specific assessment used to identify religious and cultural needs and not all inpatient staff received training on meeting these needs. Concerns were raised about difficulties for staff in differentiating whether unusual beliefs and practices were expressions of religiosity or delusions. Staff identified the potential role of inpatients’ family members in identifying and meeting needs, explaining religious and cultural beliefs and practices, and psychoeducation to encourage treatment or medication adherence. Practical implications Potential ways to address this gap in the knowledge and confidence of inpatient staff to meet the religious and cultural needs of BAME patients include training for inpatient staff; the production and updating of a directory of common religious and cultural practices and needs; local resources which can help to support those needs; and religious and cultural practices and needs being documented by mental health practitioners in community teams such that this information is readily available for inpatient staff if a service user is admitted. Originality/value This is the first study to consider inpatient staff views on meeting the religious and cultural needs of BAME informal patients and patients detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Maulingin-Gumbaketi ◽  
Sarah Larkins ◽  
Ronny Gunnarsson ◽  
Gun Rembeck ◽  
Maxine Whittaker ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Menarche, the first menstruation, is a significant developmental milestone for females. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), menarche is an important socio-cultural event marking transition from girlhood to womanhood. PNG is a culturally and linguistically diverse nation, with wide-ranging socio-cultural beliefs and practices around menarche. This study explored post-menarcheal women’s understanding about body changes and menarche, preparation for menarche, and related cultural beliefs and practices at menarche. Methods A constructivist grounded theory study was conducted with 98 female participants who originated from four PNG provinces: Eastern Highlands Province; East Sepik Province; Milne Bay Province; and National Capital District. The participants were purposively and theoretically sampled, with 10 focus group discussions and six individual interviews conducted using a semi-structured interview guide for data collection. Focus group discussions and interviews were voice recorded and transcribed. Data were inductively analyzed using initial, intermediate and advanced coding, memos and constant comparative methods to develop a theoretical model that explains women’s experiences at menarche. Interview participants also identified actions required to improve future experiences of girls at menarche in PNG. Results A grounded theory comprising the core category of ‘Making of a Strong Woman’ and four interconnecting categories (‘Having Baby Sense’; ‘Beginning of Learning’; ‘Intensifying Learning’; and ‘Achieving Womanhood’) was constructed. ‘Urban’ and ‘Rural’ represented both geographical and socio-cultural intervening conditions that influence the experiences of girls at menarche. Experiences of young women at menarche were rooted in socio-cultural beliefs and practices. Women reported being physically and emotionally distressed and unprepared at onset of menarche. Mothers were considered important support, however, their ability to adequately prepare their daughters is limited by shame and secrecy. Despite these limitations, cultural practices at menarche provided an opportunity for intensive preparation of girls for womanhood. Conclusion Limited pre-menarcheal awareness of the meaning of body changes and menarche of girls was linked to culture of shame and secrecy about open discussion on sexuality. However, traditional cultural practices provide an opportunity for collective support and focused learning for girls. Findings from this study have implications for broader sexual and reproductive health education programs in addressing menstrual health and hygiene in PNG, and the Pacific.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 20562-20573
Author(s):  
Idoko Peter

This research examined the relationship between democratic leadership and organizational performance of Dangote Cement Plc Gboko. The study was anchored on Trait Theory of Leadership. Both primary and secondary source of data and information were used. Questionnaire was used to obtained information from the primary source while journals and internet constituted secondary source of data collection. Two hundred and twenty nine questionnaires (229) were administered to the staff of Dangote Cement Plc Gboko and one hundred and eighty nine (189) were properly filled and returned. The technique used in analyzing the data was Pearson Product Moment Correlation analysis with the aid of SPSS version 23.0, while percentages was used to present descriptive data. The results of the Pearson Product Moment Correlation indicate that there is a positive or direct relationship between Organizational Performance and leadership measurement in Dangote Cement, Benue State. Hence, on the basis of p-value of the estimate, we reject the null hypothesis; that is, we accept that there is a significant relationship between leadership measurement and organizational performance. An inverse relationship exists between Organizational Performance and realistic timeframe in Dangote Cement, Benue State. Also, an inverse relationship exists between Organizational Performance in Dangote Cement, Benue State and achieving teambuilding. A positive or direct relationship between Organizational Performance in Dangote Cement, Benue State and Leadership Accuracy. It was concluded that democratic leadership positively relates to organizational performance> It was recommended among others that it is advisable to practice democratic leadership in an organization especially when the rules are followed this will boast the moral of the people and they will work harder for the organization to achieve its goals.


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