African Indigenous Ecological Knowledge Systems

Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu

Description

The perspectives in this book reveal how in African anthroposophy, earth-based spiritual traditions and innovative spiritual practices are already emerging in response to the painful realities of climate change, mass extinction, biodiversity loss, and the disruption of local and global ecosystems which have for long not received the attention that it duly deserves. This piece, therefore, will become one of the greatest ornaments and lights in the world of African eco-spirituality as it responds to questions that are long overdue.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Philosophy

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse UK
• Date de parution: 14 juillet 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781665599597
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

AFRICAN INDIGENOUS ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS
RELIGION, PHILOSOPHY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Ikechukwu Anthony KANU



AuthorHouse™ UK
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© 2022 Ikechukwu Anthony KANU. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse 06/20/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-6655-9958-0 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6655-9959-7 (e)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS
Dedication
Introduction
 
1 Sacred Animals And Igbo-African Ecological Knowledge System
Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA, PhD
2 Igbo Tale-Song And The Eco-System: Anthropolinguistic Inquiry
Nwagbo, Osita Gerald
3 Igbo-African Market Days And The Conservation Of The Eco-System
Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA, PhD
4 Ikenga In African Belief System And Eco-Spirituality
Jude I. Onebunne, PhD
5 Sacred Trees/Plants: The Greening Of Igbo-African Religion
Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA, PhD
6 Sacred Objects And Igbo Ecospirituality
Nwanchor Otubo Edwin, PhD
7 African Myths And The Environment: A Look At Some Myths And Totems Among The Tiv Of Central Nigeria
Terngu S. Nomishan
8 Totemism In Igbo-African Society And The Preservation Of The Ecosystem
Ejikemeuwa J. O. NDUBISI, PhD
9 Earth Goddess (Ala) As The Paragon Of Equity In The Land Of The Living And The Dead
Anyanwu Princewill Uzochukwu
10 African Traditional Medicine And Orthodox Medicine: Trends, Challenges And Finding A Synthesis
Osawu Tunde
11 African Ecosystem And Taboos
Jude I. Onebunne, PhD
12 Ali Deity Among The Evo People: Towards An Indigenous Ecological Knowledge System
Tasie Onyedikachi Henry, PhD
13 Agbo Olode: The History And Phenominology Of A Religious Festival And Fertility Deity Of Ogidi – Ijumu In Kogi State
OJO, Paul Olarewaju, PhD
14 Tiv Traditional Medicine And Need For The Preservation Of The Eco-System
Dorothy Nguemo Afaor
15 Herbbal Potency, Ecological Threats And Changes In Medico-Spiritual Healing Of Patients In The Kom Chiefdom Of Cameroon
Nixon Kahjum Takor & Nkwain Clovis Ankiandalibesa
16 Man, Spiritual Forces And Environmental Sustainability In Igala Religion
Israel Yunisa Akoh, Ph.D
17 Education And The African Environment: A Critical Analysis
Adamu James NANBAK
18 The Concept Of Afroecosolidarity And Its Implications For The African Environment
Mark Omorovie Ikeke, PhD
19 Igbo Beliefs In Taboos And Oaths Taking: An Environmental Perspective
Emmanuel C. Anizoba, PhD
20 Rethinking Traditional Edification And The Interconnectedness Of The African Environment
Vincent Stephen KABUK, PhD
About the Author

Dedication
Celebrating Professor Ikechukwu Anthony KANU, OSA
@40
“…now the text ends, and the commentary and fascination begins”

INTRODUCTION
Indigenous Knowledge Systems and the Environment
The naturalist and materialistic worldviews, which are basically atheistic, secular and humanist, have been at the base of the mentality that drives the wheel of the degradation of the environment both in Africa and beyond. The naturalists hold a philosophical perspective that unspiritualizes the world and understands everything that exists or events in the world as a response to particular laws of nature that have been designed to govern the structure and behavior of the natural universe. Taking from their name: naturalists, the proponents of this perspective are of the view that there is nothing spiritual about the universe or about the human person. Thus, the universe is all that there is; there is no soul and there are no supernatural powers. Naturalists in the history of thought include: Charles Darwin, Steve Irwin, David Attenborough, Rousseau, Pestalozzi, and Montessori, among others.
Alongside the naturalists are the materialists who hold that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws, thus denying the supernatural or metaphysical laws. They believe that the only thing that exists is matter and that all that there is reducible to matter. One thing that the materialists have in common with the naturalists is the denial of the creative power of a Supernatural Being. It is logical that they hold this position because the affirmation of the existence of God as creator will water down or question the substance of their position and imply the existence of a spiritual reality other than matter. While there are some who admit the existence of God, they, however, hold that He is not the creator of the world and that nature evolved to its present state over time. They naturalists also hold that there is an energy in the universe which is uncreated, unlimited and indestructible. Since there is no God for most materialists and naturalists, they fall back to science as the solution to all human problems.
The naturalists and materialists disbelieve the existence of God or the creative act of God is the basis for their assertion that there is no divine imperative on a particular order for the use of the universe and its resources. Therefore, the usage of the universe and its component parts are to be carried out at the whims and caprices of the human person. And since energy is unlimited, and can never be exhausted, they hold that the resources of the earth recycles itself, and therefore, the human person will not run out of the resources for his or her use. This perspective is at the base of the mismanagement, exploitation, abuse and misuse of the environment and her resources.
The emergence of the naturalist and materialist perspectives and its taking the center stage in the historical development of thought in the 19 th and 20 th centuries led to the massive exploitation of the environment in an industrial scale which saw the extraction and processing of raw materials in the mining of the resources of the earth, steam power, machinery and wood work. This exploitation and degradation was reinforced with massive consumption of energy which was sustained by the extraction of fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas. The consequences of this mismanagement of nature or the environment include the degradation of forests in terrestrial ecosystem and the pollution of aquatic ecosystem.
While the mismanagement of the earth’s resources were driven by the consumerist and hedonist philosophy of the modern world, the whole world now faces the consequences of these exploitative activities which hoped to assure a better life and brighter future for humanity. It is becoming more obvious that the human person can no longer achieve his or her full potential when the environment is degraded and unsafe and must ensure the preservation of the environment that hosts him or her (Agbo 2010; Gaudalli 2017; Nnamani 2013). To achieve this, there is the need for a re-evaluation of human activity or relationship with nature, knowing fully well that whatever he or she does in relation to nature will have consequences for the present and future occupants of the earth.
Contrary to the naturalist and materialist perspectives, Francis (2020) strongly holds that the only way towards the sustenance of the human environment is through a healthy and integral human social fraternity and relationship, not just between human persons but also between human persons and the environment, which he refers to as ‘our common home’. He teaches that: “to care for the world in which we live means to care for ourselves. Yet we need to think of ourselves more and more as a single family dwelling in a common home” (no. 17). He, therefore, points to the importance of thinking of our humanity in relation to other existent realities that also affect our own existence. He adds that: “such care does not interest those economic powers that demand quick profits. Often the voices raised in defense of the environment are silenced or ridiculed, using apparently reasonable arguments that are merely a screen for special interests” (no. 17). He strongly believes that the continuous exploitation of the environment will lead to even more serious crisis in the future: “In this shallow, short-sighted culture that we have created, bereft of a shared vision, it is foreseeable that, once certain resources have been depleted, the scene will be set for new wars, albeit under the guise of noble claims” (no. 17).
Given the several human efforts to grapple with the challenges of ecological crisis in the last twenty years and more by environmental experts and International Organizations or Conferences on Environmental Protection as a way forward or in view of solving the frightening global ecological crisis, shows that there is need for alternative perspectives or approaches to the issue bordering on the environment. These proposals include: the United Nations Millennium Project’s Task Force on Environmental Sustainability that recommended investment in cost-effective and sustainable energy technologies, elimination of distorting subsidies fa