African Traditional Religious Practices as Social Regulatory Mechanism

Abstract This research interrogates how ulo ubu functioned, both as a trado-religious activity and simultaneously/presently as a social regulatory mechanism for the Amasiri people. It explores the religious underpinning and cultural practices in ulo ubu, as well as how it performs a regulatory function in relation to the marriage, justice, religious, economic, and education sectors of the Amasiri community. The qualitative research methodology was of great importance in this study, aiding in the discursive analysis, interpretation, and presentation of discoveries of the nuances of Amasiri ATR beliefs (ulo ubu), and how ulo ubu has informed and shaped the social practices of the community both in the past and the present. The pressure of modernization may have pushed the practice of ulo ubu away from the public space, but this research demonstrates that its imprints still thrive as a social regulatory mechanism The study concludes that ulo ubu performed a regulatory function through the age grade system that it birthed, an informal education process featuring women’s groups, an economic process through gifting during marriage celebrations, and others. This paper strongly recommends religio-cultural value education consistent with the realities of the present age to assuage the effects of the generational gap prompted by various factors.