ANTHROPO-ONTOLOGY OF SACRIFICE IN TRADITIONAL AFRICAN RELIGION, ITS RELEVANCE AND CHALLENGES: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This is an anthropo-ontological study of traditional sacrifice and its challenges. The research is ethnographic using the Okun, a sub-Yoruba group as a case study. This methodology is adjudged as best for the study of traditional societies which have come under the onslaughts of foreign influence. It uses qualitative research in which Participant-as-Observer, In-Depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions were used in data gathering. The paper adopts ethnography as research orientation because it is capable of examining the underlining phenomena of culture and structures of traditional religions. The study reveals the anthropological and ontological relevance of sacrifice in traditional religion of the Okun. It also examines the dynamism, resilience and vulnerability of traditional religion. The report is presented in narrative and descriptive ethnographic format. The paper opines that it is apropos that anthropological enquiry be made into traditional religions before they are completely eroded or obliterated.