African Tribe Culture

When you think of Africa, ancient and modern alike, you probably think of tribes. African tribe culture is characterized by a diverse set of social values and traditions. Some of these traditions center around a set of religious ideals, others are as old as the land itself. Whatever the case, Africa is certainly a complex place which is sometimes hard to understand. Let us help you get to know the area a little more.

African tribe culture includes a wide variety of religious values and ideals. While paganism was essentially the earliest religion of Africa with the focus on ancestor worship and spirituality, many modern religions have made their way into individual tribes over the last couple of thousand years. These religions include Christianity and Judaism. Islam has taken root as well, especially in the country of Egypt. The religions adopted by each area and tribe help define different tribes throughout Africa even today.

African tribe culture has a vast variety of art forms as well. The music of Africa is especially well-known and beautiful and varies from tribe to tribe. In addition to the popular choral singing of Africa, the rhythms adopted by early African tribal life through ceremonial and celebratory music and dance helped to influence modern day samba, blues, jazz, rap, rock and roll, and reggae. As people from other countries have moved into Africa through the years, they have also influenced the highly eclectic art of the continent.

African tribe culture is full of a wide variety of languages as well. In the early days of tribal life, simple, native languages were spoken. Zulu and Swahili are just a couple of the languages that survived into modern times. These languages are still spoken today by many tribes, especially by more isolated tribes. In recent years, however, European, Middle Eastern, and South American languages have become more common in many parts of Africa. In many countries, English has become the most-used language.

We can learn a lot from African tribe culture. The dynamic within each individual tribe is something to be admired. People living together and helping out other members of the tribe made for a more efficient society. One can only wonder what incorporating some of these techniques would mean to our own western culture today. We may not need these methods for survival, but perhaps it would benefit us in a more spiritual way to be connected to and truly invested in the lives of our neighbors.

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