The Igala traditional religious belief system: Between monotheism and polytheism

Abstract

Specialists on African Traditional Religion and culture hold the position that the concept of the Supreme God is embedded in the religious life of the African people long before their contact with the Western world. The Igala traditional culture is not left out in this search. There is an enduring problem of situating the religious worldview of the Igala people. This work stands as a blueprint into the nature of most of Africa’s religio-cultural belief systems. Using the Igala traditional concept of the supra-sensible in the light of the African Traditional Religion, we situate the belief system within either polytheistic or monotheistic structures, but not without some sense of hermeneutics and critical discourse. In the final analysis, we aver that the Igala traditional belief system falls within the category of inclusive monotheism.