The Role of African Indigenous Religion in Natural Resources Conservation among the Ngoni Speaking People of Mpezeni Chiefdom in Chipata District, Zambia

Phelire Zulu, Farrelli Hambulo and Innocent C. Chomba
Additional contact information
Phelire Zulu: Department of Religious Studies, School of Education, The University of Zambia P. O. Box 32379 Lusaka, Zambia.
Farrelli Hambulo: Department Educational Administration and Policy Studies, The University of Zambia P. O. Box 32379 Lusaka, Zambia.
Innocent C. Chomba: Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, The University of Zambia P. O. Box 32379 Lusaka, Zambia Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) Zambia Country Node Office, National Remote Sensing Center,15302 Airport Road, P. O. Box 310303, 10101 Lusaka, Zambia.

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2024, vol. 8, issue 8, 1208-1218

Abstract: Africa, Zambia in particular, is endowed with a rich and diverse natural resource base on which the livelihood of its people, especially rural constituents, depends. Over the years, traditional African societies have observed environmental religious ethics that have helped in regulating the interactions with the natural environment. However, rural parts of Zambia continue to experience indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources. The objectives of this study were threefold; (i) to investigate the African indigenous religious beliefs and practices used to conserve natural resources by the Ngoni people, (ii) to describe how natural resources are conserved through religious beliefs and practices among the Ngoni people and (iii) to explain how African Indigenous Religious (AIR) beliefs and practices contribute to natural resources conservation among the Ngoni people. The study was qualitative in approach and adopted a case design to address the research questions. The data was collected through guided interviews. The study has established that among the Ngoni, taboos and totems are common beliefs and practices that help in conserving natural resources. The study also revealed that among the Ngoni natural resources are conserved in the form of sacred places such as; graveyards, sacred forests, sacred streams, and sacred animal and plant species. Study findings further revealed that among the Ngoni, things such as; hunting and setting fires in sacred areas, cutting trees for timber, and gathering plants for medicine is strictly regulated and sometimes completely prohibited. The study concludes that, among the Ngoni, African religious beliefs and practices have contributed to the creation of a culture where communities are highly integrated with nature, valuing it, respecting it, and striving to live in harmony with it. The Ngoni AIR beliefs and practices promote conservation of some trees and animal species which would have otherwise been extinct.

Date: 2024
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