Afro-diasporic religions

E280516

Afro-descendant cultural practice religious tradition syncretic religion

Afro-diasporic religions are a diverse group of spiritual traditions that emerged among African-descended communities in the Americas and beyond, blending West and Central African beliefs with elements of Christianity, Indigenous practices, and local cultures.

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All labels observed (7)

Label	Occurrences
African diaspora religions	2
Afro-Atlantic religions	2
Afro-Latin American religions	2
African American folk religion	1
African diasporic religions	1
Afro-Latin folk Catholicism	1
Afro-diasporic religions canonical	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T2571262 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Afro-diasporic religions
Context triple: [African diaspora, hasReligion, Afro-diasporic religions]

A. Afro-Caribbean religions
Afro-Caribbean religions are a diverse group of syncretic spiritual traditions in the Caribbean that blend West and Central African beliefs with Christianity and Indigenous influences.
B. Afro-Brazilian religions
Afro-Brazilian religions are a group of syncretic spiritual traditions in Brazil, such as Candomblé and Umbanda, that blend West and Central African beliefs with Indigenous and Catholic elements.
C. African traditional religion
African traditional religion refers to the diverse indigenous spiritual beliefs and practices of African peoples, centered on ancestral veneration, nature spirits, and a supreme creator.
D. Yoruba religion
Yoruba religion is a traditional West African spiritual system centered on a supreme creator and a pantheon of orishas, emphasizing divination, ancestor veneration, and ritual practices that have also influenced Afro-diasporic faiths worldwide.
E. Haitian Vodou
Haitian Vodou is a syncretic Afro-Caribbean religion from Haiti that blends West and Central African spiritual traditions with Roman Catholicism and indigenous beliefs, centered on the worship of spirits called lwa.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: Afro-diasporic religions
Target entity description: Afro-diasporic religions are a diverse group of spiritual traditions that emerged among African-descended communities in the Americas and beyond, blending West and Central African beliefs with elements of Christianity, Indigenous practices, and local cultures.

A. Afro-Caribbean religions
Afro-Caribbean religions are a diverse group of syncretic spiritual traditions in the Caribbean that blend West and Central African beliefs with Christianity and Indigenous influences.
B. Afro-Brazilian religions
Afro-Brazilian religions are a group of syncretic spiritual traditions in Brazil, such as Candomblé and Umbanda, that blend West and Central African beliefs with Indigenous and Catholic elements.
C. African traditional religion
African traditional religion refers to the diverse indigenous spiritual beliefs and practices of African peoples, centered on ancestral veneration, nature spirits, and a supreme creator.
D. Yoruba religion
Yoruba religion is a traditional West African spiritual system centered on a supreme creator and a pantheon of orishas, emphasizing divination, ancestor veneration, and ritual practices that have also influenced Afro-diasporic faiths worldwide.
E. Haitian Vodou
Haitian Vodou is a syncretic Afro-Caribbean religion from Haiti that blends West and Central African spiritual traditions with Roman Catholicism and indigenous beliefs, centered on the worship of spirits called lwa.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (67)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Afro-descendant cultural practice ⓘ religious tradition ⓘ syncretic religion ⓘ
developedAmong	African-descended communities in the Americas ⓘ Afro-Brazilian communities ⓘ Afro-Caribbean communities ⓘ Afro-Latin American communities ⓘ Afro-North American communities ⓘ
emergedDuring	Atlantic slave trade ⓘ
emphasizes	ancestor veneration ⓘ divination ⓘ healing and protection ⓘ ritual drumming and dance ⓘ spirit possession ⓘ
hasCulturalRoot	Central African religions ⓘ linked to: African traditional religion West African religions ⓘ
hasGeographicDistribution	Brazil ⓘ Caribbean ⓘ Europe ⓘ Latin America ⓘ North America ⓘ West Africa (re-diasporic movements) ⓘ linked to: West Africa
hasInfluenceFrom	Christianity ⓘ Indigenous American spiritualities ⓘ Roman Catholicism ⓘ local folk practices ⓘ
hasOrigin	African diaspora ⓘ
hasSocialFunction	community cohesion ⓘ preservation of African cultural heritage ⓘ resistance to slavery and racism ⓘ
includesTradition	Batuque ⓘ Candomblé ⓘ Candomblé Angola ⓘ linked to: Candomblé Candomblé Jeje ⓘ linked to: Candomblé Candomblé Ketu ⓘ linked to: Candomblé Garifuna spirituality ⓘ Haitian Vodou ⓘ Kumina ⓘ Louisiana Voodoo ⓘ Myal ⓘ Obeah ⓘ Palo Monte ⓘ Quimbanda ⓘ Rastafari ⓘ linked to: Rastafari movement Regla de Ocha ⓘ Regla de Palo ⓘ Santería ⓘ Shango Baptist ⓘ Umbanda ⓘ Vodou ⓘ linked to: Haitian Vodou Winti ⓘ
isCharacterizedBy	initiation-based membership ⓘ oral transmission of knowledge ⓘ religious syncretism ⓘ ritual secrecy ⓘ
isStudiedInField	African diaspora studies ⓘ Afro-Latin American studies ⓘ anthropology ⓘ religious studies ⓘ
sharesDeityType	lwa ⓘ nkisi ⓘ orishas ⓘ spirits of the dead ⓘ
usesRitualObject	altars ⓘ candles ⓘ herbal preparations ⓘ sacred drums ⓘ

How these facts were elicited