African diaspora religions

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/african-diaspora-religions

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the geographic centers of development?Caribbean (Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica), Brazil, Southern United States
2. What is the primary african ethnic/religious influences?Yoruba, Fon, Kongo, Bantu spiritual traditions
3. Why did these religions grow in places like Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil?Those places had many enslaved Africans who brought their faiths and mixed them with European Christianity. The mix created unique religions like Santería and Vodou.
4. How did enslaved people keep their beliefs alive?They hid their practices, used Christian symbols to hide African gods, and changed names so they could keep their traditions secretly.

Diaspora: The dispersion of any people from their original homeland.
Syncretism: The amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought.
Orisha/Lwa/Nkisi: Deities or spirits that serve as intermediaries between humans and the supreme creator in various African diaspora religions.