A living reference atlas

Atlas of Religious and Esoteric Lineages

Five thousand religious, mystical, Indigenous and esoteric lineages from around the world — what they are, where they came from, and where to read more.

Source-linked and transparently qualified. Editorial standards and correction criteria are public.

Created and maintained by Ayara and Kyle Jonathan B@KJB_and_AYARA

Start with a topic guide Short reading paths with context and sources.

Entries: 5,000
Geographic connections: 7,326
Countries and territories: 162

Explore the index

Search five thousand distinct lineages

Geographic connections are still under review.
How to read the location information

5,000 lineages

Page 28 of 209

Atlas 0649Community-bound / restricted

Ainu tuskur traditions

Central, North & Inner Asian Practice / discipline

Public geography: Broad regional context; no country assigned
Period / origin: Indigenous; documented in modern ethnography; contemporary revitalization contexts
Evidence status: Directly cited

Broader geographic contextBroad regional context; no country assigned

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Atlas 0650Community-bound / restricted

Nanai shamanic traditions

Central, North & Inner Asian Lineage / school

Public geography: China
Period / origin: Indigenous; extensively documented in 19th–21st-century ethnography
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewChina

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Atlas 0651Community-bound / restricted

Zangbeto Guardian Society and Masquerade

African & Afro-Diasporic Order / organization

Public geography: Benin, Togo
Period / origin: Precolonial–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewBenin, Togo

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Atlas 0652Community-bound / restricted

Kôrêdugaw Rite of Wisdom

African & Afro-Diasporic Order / organization

Public geography: Mali
Period / origin: Precolonial–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewMali

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Atlas 0653Community-bound / restricted

Bwami Society

African & Afro-Diasporic Order / organization

Public geography: Congo - Kinshasa
Period / origin: Precolonial–present, with major colonial disruption
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewCongo - Kinshasa

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Atlas 0654Community-bound / restricted

Mbudye Society and Lukasa Tradition

African & Afro-Diasporic Order / organization

Public geography: Congo - Kinshasa
Period / origin: Precolonial–20th/21st centuries
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewCongo - Kinshasa

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Atlas 0655Community-bound / restricted

Gule Wamkulu / Nyau

African & Afro-Diasporic Order / organization

Public geography: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia
Period / origin: Precolonial–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewMalawi, Mozambique, Zambia

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Atlas 0656Community-bound / restricted

Mukanda Initiation and Makishi Masquerade

African & Afro-Diasporic Rite / ceremony

Public geography: Angola, Congo - Kinshasa, Zambia
Period / origin: Precolonial–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewAngola, Congo - Kinshasa, Zambia

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Atlas 0657Community-bound / restricted

Ethiopian Däbtära Talismanic-Healing Tradition

African & Afro-Diasporic Practice / discipline

Public geography: Eritrea, Ethiopia
Period / origin: Medieval–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewEritrea, Ethiopia

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Atlas 0658Open / public

Malagasy Sikidy Divination

African & Afro-Diasporic Practice / discipline

Public geography: Madagascar
Period / origin: Precolonial–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewMadagascar

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Atlas 0659Community-bound / restricted

Maasai Iloibon Tradition

African & Afro-Diasporic Lineage / school

Public geography: Kenya, Tanzania
Period / origin: Precolonial–present
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewKenya, Tanzania

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Atlas 0660Community-bound / restricted

Cwezi-Kubandwa Religious Complex

African & Afro-Diasporic Practice / discipline

Public geography: Burundi, Congo - Kinshasa, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda
Period / origin: Second millennium CE–20th/21st centuries
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewBurundi, Congo - Kinshasa, Rwanda +2

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Atlas 0661Community-bound / restricted

Azande Benge Poison Oracle

African & Afro-Diasporic Practice / discipline

Public geography: Congo - Kinshasa, Central African Republic, South Sudan
Period / origin: Precolonial–present, now rare/changed in some areas
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewCongo - Kinshasa, Central African Republic, South Sudan

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Atlas 0662Community-bound / restricted

Bamana Komo Society

African & Afro-Diasporic Order / organization

Public geography: Mali
Period / origin: Precolonial–present/changed
Evidence status: Directly cited

Country links · under reviewMali

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Atlas 0663Community-bound / restricted

Lower Kongo Lemba Association

African & Afro-Diasporic Order / organization

Public geography: Country-level context could not be assessed from the available record
Period / origin: Seventeenth–early twentieth centuries chiefly
Evidence status: Directly cited

Broader geographic contextCountry-level context could not be assessed from the available record

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Atlas 0664Community-bound / restricted