Festivals. West African communities marked many important occasions with elaborate religious or harvest rituals. Among ethnic groups of the forest and savanna regions each day of the year was set aside for the celebration of a particular god. The Yoruba had more than 365 gods, including one for each day of the year. In their cosmology there existed a universal god known as Olodumare, who created these 365 lesser gods and sent them to earth to bring love and peace to the earth's children. A family might choose to worship one or more of these lesser gods. During festivals devoted to them, animals such as goats and dogs were sacrificed to appease the gods. Dancing was also an important feature of these celebrations, which could last for several days. On rare occasions, when a medicine man considered it necessary for the general good of...