African Spiritual Practices and Histories in the Diaspora

Research database documenting 21 African and African diaspora spiritual traditions. Covers West African, Central African, Southern African, Caribbean, North American, and South American traditions with scholarly research frameworks.

Traditions Covered

West Africa

• Ifá (Yoruba) — 256 Odù divination system
• Akan Religion / Akom — Nyame worship, Abosom spirits
• Vodun (Fon, Ewe, Aja) — Root tradition of Haitian Vodou

Central Africa

• Kongo Religion / Bukongo — Dikenga cosmogram, Nkisi power objects
• Luba Religion — Ancestral spirits, ethical living
• Bwiti (Fang, Mitsogo) — Iboga sacrament, ancestor veneration

Southern Africa

• Zulu Religion — Amadlozi ancestors, Isangoma diviners
• Shona Religion — Mhondoro territorial spirits, Bira ceremony
• Xhosa Religion — Ulwaluko initiation, Igqirha diviners

Caribbean Diaspora

• Haitian Vodou — Lwa spirits, Bondye, spirit possession
• Santería / Lucumí — Cuban Orisha worship
• Trinidad Orisha — Shango worship in Caribbean context
• Palo Mayombe — Kongo-derived Nganga practices

South American Diaspora

• Candomblé (Brazil) — Orixá worship, multiple nations
• Umbanda (Brazil) — Syncretic spiritual healing
• Quimbanda (Brazil) — Exú and Pombagira spirits
• Winti (Suriname) — Four spirit pantheons

North American Diaspora

• Hoodoo / Conjure — Rootwork and folk magic
• Louisiana Voodoo — New Orleans tradition
• Gullah Geechee Spirituality — Sea Islands preservation

European Diaspora

• European Diaspora Traditions — African practices adapted in Europe

Structure

african-diaspora/
  data/traditions.json           # Structured data for all 21 traditions
  research/traditions/           # Individual tradition research (21 files)
  docs/research_framework.md     # Research methodology
  docs/summary_report.md         # Cross-tradition analysis

Cross-References

• Geomancy connection: Ifá's 256 Odù signs parallel the Arabic 'ilm al-raml tradition documented in the Manāzil al-Qamar module
• Diaspora mapping: Traditions trace from African origins through the transatlantic slave trade to their New World forms

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