Mul - unesdoc - Unesco

The earth has many natural abjects and
phenomena. Earthquakes common in the Great
Rift Valley are thought to have been caused by
God walking in them. Many tribes along the
entire stretch of the Valley hold earthquake
divinities responsible for causing the earth to
tremble. Myths across the continent surround the
Nile, Niger, Zambezi, Congo and many other
drainage basins. Divinities or major spirits are
attributed to them. Oceans, lakes and permanent
ponds are thought to be inhabited by spirits or
divinities who must be appeased with offerings
when using the water.
Rocks are held as manifestation of God who left
his footprints on certain rocks which cari be seen
today. The Akamba tell that the first men were
brought by God out of a rock, while other societies
believe that God used clay to form human
beings. Sacred stones and rocks are used for
religious rites and observances and rainmaking
ceremonies. Rocks and boulders are considered
to be the dwelling places of the spirits and of the
living dead.
Outstanding mountains and hills have great
symbolic spiritual and ritual significance to their
inhabitants. The Bavenda (South Africa) and
Shona (Zimbabwe) consider the Matopo
Mountains to be the place of God’s special
manifestation. The Kikuyu take Mount Kenya to
be sacred as the dwelling place of God when He
visits the earth. The Muhavura and Mgahinga in
Uganda are believed to have erupted by powers
of spirits, and a huge snake is believed to be
lying on precious minerals and household
properties located at the mountain peak.
Mountains and hills across the continent have
significant spiritual status, perceived by the
people around them as the home of their gods.
They must be avoided except those which are
used for pilgrimage. Certain holes, caves and
craters are given spiritual attachments.
Evil spirits are also believed to live in the
mountains. Children are therefore not allowed to
wander in mountain forests. Some birds, snakes,
and other animals are not supposed to be hunted
or trapped. They are strongly revered.
The foregoing examples speak for other
mountains and other landscapes in that they
play an integral part in the cultural, social and
spiritual lives of the agro-pastoral peoples living
within and around them. The beliefs are symbols
of socio-cultural and economic cohesion. Due to
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Authenticitv and Intearitv in an African Context
these beliefs the cultural landscapes are central
places of worship especially during periods of
calamities like drought, disease outbreaks,
death, barrenness and landslides. Sacrifices are
taken to the gods to solve such problems. The
peoples use the spiritual beliefs, fears and
taboos to reinforce norms of civility and to
restrain access and serve to regulate use of the
resources.
Traditional Mechanisms for Sustainable
Management of the Natural Resources
The traditional African considers himself as part
and parce1 of nature within which he lives and
from which he obtains his livelihood. He views
this biological resource with bewilderment and
compassion. His rituals are designed to maintain
the natural properties and cultural landscapes.
Throughout history he visited sacred sites. He
sang songs of the ancestors in praise of the
rocks, rivers, forests, the wildlife and other
features of the landscapes.
From time immemorial the African obtained his
food, shelter, clothing, health tare, hiding, and
escape from resources of the land. He also
attached special values to the landscape as an
aesthetic abject for appreciating the environment
through his perception attributes: vision, smell,
taste, touch, and hearing. The indigenous
African possessed considerable physical prowess
as well as wits that enabled him to develop an
ability to acquire and process large amounts of
information about his environment. He adapted
to different environments and modified and
managed the landscape with fire for hunting and
gathering food, facilitating travel, and for clearing
the surrounding hideouts of dangerous animals,
evil spirits and human enemies, for increasing
the usable biomass of the land, and for
encouraging Savannah-like biomes. He replaced
much of the lowland rainforests with habitats to
support agro-pastoral activities. He avoided
deserts and thick forests and remained close to
aquatic bodies for fresh water supply.
How did the indigenous African make a success
on the landscape? With all the variety of flora
and fauna around, these richly cultured Africans
generated, learned and acquired locally and
traditionally indigenous technical knowledge
(ITK) and practices that have sustained both
their livelihood and that of natural resource
management. The knowledge was not recorded
but verbally passed on for posterity. It is class