Misplaced Pages

Mami Wata: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 00:01, 15 September 2006 editJHunterJ (talk | contribs)Administrators105,776 edits spelling deity using AWB← Previous edit Latest revision as of 01:07, 30 November 2024 edit undoBloodofox (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers33,872 edits - Do not add unsourced material, WP:PROVEITTag: Manual revert 
(828 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|African water spirit}}
{{NPOV}}
{{Redirect|Mamy-Wata|the Cameroonian satirical newspaper|L'Expression de Mamy-Wata}}
] in Münich, Germany.]]
'''Mami Wata''', '''Mammy Water''', or similar is a ], ], and/or ] in the ] of parts of ], ], and ]. Historically, scholars trace her origins to early encounters between Europeans and West Africans in the 15th century, where Mami Wata developed from depictions of European mermaids. Mami Wata subsequently joined native pantheons of deities and spirits in parts of Africa.


Historically, Mami Wata is conceived of as an exotic female entity from Europe or elsewhere, often a white woman with a particular interest in objects foreign to West Africans that her adherents place at her shrines. In the mid-19th century, Mami Wata’s iconography becomes particularly influenced by an image of ] ] spreading from Europe. This snake charmer print soon overtook Mami Wata’s earlier mermaid iconography in popularity in some parts of Africa.
{{otheruses}}


Additionally, ] imagery from Indian merchants have influenced depictions of Mami Wata in some areas. '''Papi Wata''', a male consort or reflection of Mami Wata sometimes depicted as modeled from the Hindu diety ], can be found in some Mami Wata traditions, sometimes under the influence of Hindu imagery.
]


Mami Wata is especially venerated in parts of Africa and in the Atlantic diaspora and has also been demonized in some African Christian and Islamic communities in the region. Mami Wata has appeared in a variety of media depictions and in literary works.
'''Mami Wata''' (also known by variant spellings and by many other names), is a ] or ] of the ] whose is worshiped in ], ], and ], and in the ] and parts of ] and ].
[[Image:Ancient_mermaid.png|thumb|left|282px| Precursor to mermaid/mermen in Egyptian and Afro-Babylonian
cosmology: ca. 1700 B.C.E. symbol of "''Dag-Aun/Dagon''" known as "''Nommos''" to the Dogon,and is claimed to have taught the African the art of civilization. British Museum, (Temple, 1998, p. 276,Brown 1872, p.111).]]


==Etymology==
----
The names ''Mami Wata'', ''Mami Wota'', or ''Mammy Wata'' derive from the English language nouns ''mammy'' and ''water''. The name is related to the ] word ''mami wata'' that refers to ]s in Krio folklore.<ref name="OED">Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “Mammy Water (n.), Etymology,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/4033380279.</ref> Krio is an ] used in parts of West Africa.
The mystical pantheon of Mami Wata deities are often pictured in their most ancient primordial aspects as a ], half-human or either half-fish or half-reptile. Mermaids are not a recent phenomena in African history. For example, according to the ]’s creation myth, they attribute the creation of the world to mermaid/mermen like creatures whom they call ''Nommos''. They claimed to have known about the existence of these mermaid-like divinities for more than 4000 years. Also according to Dogon mythology, the ancient home of these (originally crude) reptilian (half-woman/half-men/fish) pantheon of water spirits is believed to be the obscure and celebrated star system in the belt of Orion known as Sirius (or Sopdet, Sothis), more popularly known as the “Dog Star” of ]. When asked where their ancestors obtained these stories of mermaids and mermen, they quickly point to ancient Egypt (Griaule, 1997, Winters 1985, p. 50-64, Temple 1999, p.303-304). Mermaid/mermen "nymphs" worshiped as goddesses and gods born from the sea
are numerous in ancient African cultures history and spiritual mythology. Most were honored and respected as being "bringers of divine law" and for establishing the theological, moral, social, political, economic and,cultural foundation, to regulating the overflow of the Nile, and regulating the ecology i.e., establishing days for success at sailing and fishing, hunting, planting etc., to punishment by devastating floods when laws and taboos were violated. However, just as not all serpents were revered, not all mermaids/mermen were considered "good." In one story, the famed London, Naturalists Henry Lee (1883) recounts that "''in the sea of Angola mermaids are frequently caught which resemble the human species. They are taken in nets, and killed . . . and are heard to shriek and cry like women (p. 22)."''


The ''Mami'' element derives from English ''mother''. However, Mami Wata has no children nor family of any kind. She is typically represented as free of any kind of social bonds and as a foreign entity, and "broadly identified with Europeans rather than any African ethnic group or ancestors".<ref name="DREWAL-2002-198">Drewal 2002: 198.</ref>
] origin, meaning "''lady or mistress of the house''." Her worship and image
was brought to the Dominican Republic (Hispaniola )by enslaved Africans. ]]]
More contemporary stories and images show the deity as a human-like figure dressed in the latest fashions. Despite these manifestations being almost universally female in appearance, Mami Wata is actually a pantheon of water deities consisting of both male and female, such as the ancient ''Densu'' in the Togo Mami Wata pantheon, and ''Olokun'' of the ]. These deities are understood to be non-human, so those who are born and initiated to them consider questions of gender and race unimportant.<ref> This interpretation follows Mami Wata Priestess Mama Zogbé (Hunter-Hindrew), Henry Drewal, Jell-Bahlsen, Bastian and others. Following the sources used, the female pronouns are used here for convenience only.</ref> Today, the most frequently encountered image of Mami Wata is a long-haired woman with a snake circling her torso, based on a 19th century ] of a ]. This image created by an artist from ], ] named ], was actually inspired by the ancient imagery of Isis (rt) in her role as “Virgin (meaning unmarried) Mother” where she is sporting the young solar child ]. This iconography is considered the oldest manifestation of Mami (Isis). Just as the ancient African, Ishtar, Cybelle, and Hathor, Isis was originally portrayed with braided hair accompanied by two serpents draped around her neck. To the ]ians, she was known as RENN, meaning “born from the place of the fishes”, and her son Horus, was known as “RENNU,” meaning an “unnamed fish/serpent child.” (Massey 1994, p. 238).


==Development==
==Ancient origins of name "Mami Wata"==
Scholars trace the origins of Mami Wata to encounters to depictions of European mermaids witnessed by West Africans as early as the 1400s and 1500s. As summarized by scholar and adherent Henry John Drewal:
{{OR}}{{disputed}}
The name “Mami Wata,” was believed by Western scholars to be a derivative either directly from pidgin English, or is an anglicize version of the two words “mommy/mammy” and “water.” However, though phonetically similar to the English words, the name “Mami Wata” does not have its linguistic roots nor any cultural, mythological or historical origins in the West. Mami Wata are ancient, '''''African deities''''' whose primordial origins and name can be traced linguistically through the languages of Africa. According to some renowned scholars, the name “Mami Wata” was originally formulated in ancient Egypt and Mesoptamina, and is derived from a composite of two African words, “''Mami,”'' and ''“Wata''.” Both words are rooted in the ancient Egyptian and Ethiopian (Coptic), Galla and Demotic languages. “Mami” is derived from ''“Ma”'' or ''”Mama,”'' meaning ''“truth/wisdom,”'' and ''“Wata”'' is a corruption of not an English, but the ancient Egyptian word '''''“Uati,” ''''' (or '''"''Uat-ur''"''' meaning ''ocean water''), and the Khosian ("Hottentot") '''"''Ouata''"''' meaning ''“water.”'' Further, we discover from ]n myths that the first great water goddess in the story of the ''Creation Flood'' was known as "''Mami,''" ('''''Mami Aruru''''') as she was known in ancient Babylonian prayers as being the ''creator of human life'' (Dalley 2000, p. 51-16, Stone 1976, p. 7,219). ''“Uati”'' is perhaps the first of more than ten thousand appellations of Isis (logos/wisdom) in her oldest generative form as the Divine African Mother, or Sibyl (Mamissii/Amengansie) prophetess. Furthermore, Massey (1994, p. 248) informs us that the word ''“Wata, Watoa, Wat-Waat”'' which means “''woman'',” are all exact spellings in the ancient Sudanic languages spoken by the ''Baba, Peba and Keh-Doulan'' groups. In ancient Egypt, Uati was Isis’ oldest appellation, and was the first Mami goddess worshiped by the Egyptians as “the ''Holy Widow”, “the Genitrix,” the “Self-Creator”, “the one who reigned alone in the beginning”,'' ''“the one who brings forth the gods,” “she who was mateless”, and “the Virgin (meaning ‘unmarried’) Mother''.” Thus, we have Isis originally worshiped as ''“Mama Uati”'' in ancient Egypt, and as Mami (''Uati/Aruru'') in ancient Mesopotamia, where she is first addressed and immortalized in prose by the gods. (Massey 1992, p. 204, 227). ''Mami Uati,'' is an ancient and sacred name which remarkably, after thousands of years, has survived as ''“Mami Wata,”'' in West African Vodoun and other African religious systems, having changed little in its original phonetic form.


{{blockquote|Substantial evidence suggests that the concept of Mami Wata has its origins in the first encounters of Africans and Europeans in the fifteenth century. Her first representations were probably derived from European images of mermaids and marine sculptures. As an Afro-Portuguese ivory shows, an African sculptor (probably Sapi, on the coast of Sierra Leone) was commissioned to create a mermaid image for his patrons as early as 1490-1530. And an eighteenth- or nineteenth-century ship’s figurehead now in Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria, is called Mami Wata by its owners. <ref name=“DREWAL-2002-198”>Drewal 2002: 198.</ref>}}
In Togo, West Africa, and in the United States, the priestesses of Mami Wata are called '''''Mamisii'' (''Mamissi, Mamaissii, Mammisi'''''). Certain paths of high-priestesses who are called to open an Edge (spirit house) are known as "''Mamaissii-Hounons''" which translates as “''queen of the ship'',” or literally “''mother wisdom''” (Alapini 1955, Massey 1994, p. 227, Rosenthal 1998, p. 116-117). This is an ancient name probably having its etymological roots in ancient Egypt, where we find the name '''''Mammisi''''' meaning “''motherhood temple'',” as the sacred shrine where the queen/ priestesses gives birth to spirit. (Walker 1983, p. 572-573). In a political ploy probably designed to legitimize her reign, after inheriting her father's expanding colonial kingdoms at the age of 17, the Macedonian (Greek) ] '''IV''' and her 10 year old brother (Theos Philopator)-], installed as the new rulers of Egypt, in imitation of the African queen mothers, reputedly built herself a (now destroyed) '''''Mammisi shrine''''' at Erment (Upper Egypt), when giving birth to her first son. She even had inscribed in her shrine the traditional priestly attributes including depicting herself giving birth to Julius Caesar's son, being assisted by the seven Netjers (divine African ancestors, including Isis and Osiris);and tried desperately (without success) to obtain the sacred prophetic poems of the ''Eastern Masses'', authored by the great Sibylline (Mami) prophetesses'. Undeterred, she ordered her conquered African subjects to address her as the ''"New Isis."'' Ironically, she met her demised when she was fatally bitten by one of the sacred asp (serpents). (Walker 1983, p.573, Britannica 1974, Vol. 6, p.484, Vol 8, p. 386, Vol. I p. 261, VIII p.282, Nicholson, p.264,269,Lindsay 1971, p. 384).


A second version of the mermaid from European folklore with two tails also likely influenced depictions of Mami Wata localized especially to the ] kingdom. Scholars trace this motif to the influence of Portuguese depictions of mermaids.<ref name="DREWAL-2013-31">Drewal 2013: 31.</ref>
==Appearance==
Some have reported the Mami Wata deities to be characterized by their extraordinary beauty and capricious nature; in many traditions, they are as likely to harm their initiates if they are in violation of their taboos or divine law, as they are to help them. (Hunter-Hindrew) <ref name="Bastian">Bastian.</ref> The tradition of the Mami Wata priestesshood has strong associations with ], ], ], and ]. Worship practices for these deities vary, but in some branches of the tradition depending on the deity, may often involve wearing the colors red and white (sacred to some Mami Wata’s deities) and ] to until seized by the Mami Wata deity ].


]
One of the most ancient and premiere deities of Africa, Mami Wata is represented in many different African religious systems, such as the ] in Togo and Benin, and Southern Ghana, where there exists an actual consecrated body of lineal priests and priestesses of the Ewe, Anlo-Ewe, Mina, Kabye and other ethnic groups, whose worship of these ancient deities pre-dates their arrival in their present locations. (Keya 1988, p.15,Asamoa 1986, p. 2-8, Ajayi 1967, 160-161). In the ] tradition, the mother goddess ] is associated with Mami Wata in popular culture. Africans ]from what has been notorious known as the ], brought their water-spirit beliefs with them to the ], and traders in the 20th century carried similar beliefs with them from ] to as far as ], so that today the Mami Wata deities are currently known in at least 20 or more African nations. As the Mami Wata traditions continues to re-emerge, native water deities were subsumed into it. In addition, Africans may sometimes call non-Mami Wata figures by that name when speaking to foreigners, as they know that Mami Wata is better known than local spirits and deities.<ref name="Modernity">"Modernity".</ref> They are today one of the most popular themes in African and Caribbean ].
Around the mid-1800s, a lithograph of the snake charmer ] from Europe became popular associated with imagery around Mami Wata, likely originating in Hamburg, Germany.<ref name=“DREWAL-2002-198”>Drewal 2002: 198.</ref>


In the 1940s to the 1950s Hindu religious imagery from Indian merchants and films began to strongly influence Mami Wata imagery on particular the Ghana-Nigeria coast. Drewal records the following account from a male Yoruba Mami Wata devotee who sells Hindu prints in ] (notations are that of Drewal):
Some initiates and devotees have reported to anthropologists that Mami Wata is usually described in excesses. She possesses an inhuman beauty, unnaturally long hair, and a lighter-than-normal complexion. Some report that her hair is straight, either black or blonde, and combed straight back. Her lustrous eyes gaze enticingly, which only enhances her ethereal beauty.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 325">Van Stipriaan 325.</ref><ref name="Bastian"/> In many parts of West and Central Africa, "Mami Wata" thus serves as a slang term for a gorgeous woman. However, according to Mama Zogbé “this description is more contemporary and is often over emphasized as oppose to their inherent esoteric or divine nature.”


{{blockquote|formerly, during the colonial period, we had the pictures , but we didn't know their meaning. People just liked them to put them in their rooms. But then Africans started to study them too - about what is the meaning of these pictures that they are putting lights, candles, and incense there every time. I think they are using the power to collect our money away, or how? So we started to befriend the Indians to know their secret about the pictures. From there the Africans also tried to join some of their societies in India and all over the world to know much about the pictures. Reading some of their books, I could understand what they mean.<ref name=“DREWAL-2013-37”>Drewal 2013: 37.</ref>}}
More ancient text Mami Wata is often described in their most ancient form, as a mermaid-like figure, with a woman's upper body (often nude), and the hindquarters of a fish or serpent (Higgins 1836, p. 105-106,113, 117, Griaule 1997, Winters 1985 p. 50-64). In other tales, Mami Wata is fully humanoid (though never human). When reporting Mami Wata’s “human characteristics” some initiates reports their superlative nature extends to their clothing, which is more fashionable than anything created by a human ]. If female, she flaunts her unimaginable ] with jewelry that blinds those who view it.<ref name="Bastian"/> In both mermaid and humanoid form, she often carries enormously expensive baubles such as combs, mirrors, and watches. A large ] (symbol of ] and ] in many African cultures) frequently accompanies her, wrapping itself around her and laying its head between her breasts. Other times, she may try to pass as completely human, wandering busy markets or patronising bars.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 325"/> She may also manifest in a number of other forms, including as a man.<ref name="Bastian"/>


==Attributes== ==Folk belief==
Writing from research conducted from 1965-1966 at the Catherine Mills Rehabilitation Center in Liberia, at the time the only psychiatric center in Liberia, former director Ronald Wintrob recorded beliefs among individuals who venerated Mami Wata in the region. Wintrob records that "beliefs in Mammy Water are held by the vast majority of Liberians".<ref name="WINTROB-1970:143">Wintrob 1970: 143.</ref> Wintrob recorded that "confirmed that some ten per cent of male patients requiring in-patient treatment for psychotic disorders, revealed a system of delusions relating to possession by Mammy Water".<ref name="WINTROB-1970-144">Wintrob 1970: 144.</ref>
===Water===


Wintrob summarizes the conceptualization of Mammy Water in Liberia at the time as follows:
As their name would imply, the Mami Wata deities are closely associated with ]. Traditions on both sides of the Atlantic tell of the spirit abducting her followers or random people whilst they are swimming or boating.{{fact}} She brings them to her paradisiacal realm, which may be underwater, in the ], or both.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 325">Van Stipriaan 325.</ref> The captives' release often hinges on some sort of demand, ranging from sexual fidelity to the spirit to something as simple as a promise that they do not eat fish.{{fact}} Should she allow them to leave, the travellers usually returns in dry clothing and with a new spiritual understanding reflected in their gaze. These returnees often grow wealthier, more attractive, and more easygoing after the encounter.<ref name="Bastian"/>


{{blockquote|Mammy Water is believed to be a water spirit of extraordinary power, who is generally described as a beautiful light-skinned woman with very long, light-coloured hair. She is usually conceptualized as a white woman. Sometimes the description stipulates that her lower half resembles a fish, mermaid style. Her hair is thought to be her proudest attribute. People believe that she lives in a mansion under the water, from which she some times ventures on to the shore to comb out her long hair with a golden comb. This comb is thought to be her most valued possession.<ref name="WINTROB-1970-144">Wintrob 1970: 144.</ref>}}
Other tales describe river travellers (usually men) chancing upon the spirit. She is inevitably grooming herself, combing her hair, and peering at herself in a mirror. Upon noticing the intruder, she flees into the water and leaves her possessions behind. The traveller then takes the invaluable items.{{fact}} Later, Mami Wata appears to the thief in his dreams to demand the return of her things. Should he agree, she further demands a promise from him to be sexually faithful to her. Agreement grants the person riches; refusal to return the possessions or to be faithful brings the man ill fortune.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 325"/>


Wintrob records that in Liberian Mammy Water folk belief, anyone who has contact with her will become wealthy and gained good luck. One of his informants, a man from the ], provides the following account:
In parts of the Caribbean, in contrast, meeting with the water spirit prompts the mortal to flee, not the spirit. In the folklore of ], for example (where she is called Maman Dlo), one can escape the deity by removing his left shoe, laying it upside down on the ground, and then running home backwards.{{fact}}


{{blockquote|If you ever come across Mammy Water sitting down a rock combing her hair, you should yell at her. If you yell while she is combing her hair, she might drop her golden comb. You pick it up and take the golden comb home with you. Mammy Water will come after you for a bit but you must not give her the comb until you have gotten your wish. Even then you should keep on wishing for something more. When you ask her for money you will get rich.<ref name="WINTROB-1970-144-145">Wintrob 1970: 144-145.</ref>}}
==='''Primary Function'''===


]'', 1732]]
In the family, Mami Wata's primary role in the life of the devotee/initiate is "healing," by helping the initiate to achieve wholeness both spiritually, and materially in their lives. Mami is also responsible for
protection, emotional, and mental healing, spiritual growth/balance, and maintaining social order by assuring that sacred laws imposed on both the initiate and the family in which she/he lives is maintained. When these requirements are met, Mami often blesses the initiate (and family) with material wealth. "wealth" being relative to assuring that the family has the basic needs of survival, such as shelter, food, clothing, medicine and funds to maintain them. Or, wealth could mean achieving great riches through some profession or spiritual gifts the initiate might possess.


Mammy Water was typically believed to visit people in their sleep at night. According to another informant, a man from the ], she grants wealth in exchange for sexual celibacy:
===Sex===


{{blockquote|They say Mammy Water sits on top of rocks by the water side. If you see her and she has interest in you, you will see her every now and then. I f she has interest to really help you, to give you money, then you will see her in dreams and you and she will have to make a certain compact. If you are a man, you must not marry any woman. If you keep to this promise, she brings money every time she visits you. Sometimes she will enter the room in the form of a snake, then change herself into a beautiful white woman. They say sex must take place between you. Then you will become wealthy. People will say: 'This man used to be a poor man, now he's wealthy. The only thing is he will never marry. He may have women living in his house but none will ever sleep in his bedroom'.<ref name="WINTROB-1970-145">Wintrob 1970: 145.</ref>}}
Mami Wata's association with sex and lust is somewhat paradoxically linked to one with fidelity as well. According to a Nigerian tradition, male followers may encounter the spirit in the guise of a beautiful, sexually promiscuous woman, such as a prostitute. Should the man have sex with her, he often contracts ] (this leads to the African slang term ''mami wata'' for prostitutes). However, according to ]: ''Mami Wata does not inflict diseases. Male initiates in particular are considered special to Mami and very strict taboos of fidelity are often imposed. Especially against visiting houses of prostitution, engaging in extramarital affairs, and other sexual prohibitions are often required of him after initiation. In some cases, Mami might often test her devotee by luring him into one of these situations. If he is truly devoted to her, he will not succumb. If he is weak, he will succumb. Usually he is given a warning and must offer a sacrifice or offering to his Mami deity. If he continues, he might be lured to a woman who happens to have a STD (sexually transmitted disease), which would be his punishment for violating his taboos.''" In Nigerian popular stories, Mami Wata may seduce a favoured male devotee and then show herself to him following coitus. She then demands his complete sexual faithfulness and secrecy about the matter. Acceptance means wealth and fortune; rejection spells the ruin of his family, finances, and job.<ref name="Bastian"/> Nevertheless, Mami Wata has a strong ] nature{{fact}} . She is frequently depicted with snakes, for example. One female follower in Nigeria even reported feeling as if she had had sexual relations with the spirit on numerous occasions in her dreams.<ref name="Bastian"/> The fact that Mami Wata is not human allows this.


Wintrob records that this was not always the case: in some instances folk belief dictated that Mammy Water's contact need not be celibate with her and could in fact have a large family.<ref name="WINTROB-1970-145"/>
===Healing and fertility===


Mammy Water may also gift extra-sensory perception, including foresight and the ability to see that which others cannot, or especially swift travels. Some groups believe that Mammy Water does not contact everyone but rather that the ability to contact her is inherited.<ref name="WINTROB-1970-145"/>
Another prominent aspect of the deity is her connection to ]. If someone comes down with an incurable, languorous illness, Mami Wata often takes the blame. The illness is evidence that Mami Wata has taken an interest in the afflicted person and that only she can cure him or her. Similarly, several other ailments may be attributed to the water spirit. In ], for example, she takes the blame for everything from headaches to sterility.<ref name="Bastian"/>


==Papi Wata==
In fact, barren mothers often call upon the spirit to cure their affliction. However, many traditions hold that Mami Wata herself is barren, so if she gives a woman a child, that woman inherently becomes more distanced from the spirit's true nature. The woman will thus be less likely to become wealthy or attractive through her devotion to Mami Wata. Images of women with children often decorate shrines to the spirit.<ref name="Bastian"/>
A secondary development of Mami Wata in some traditions is Papi Wata, a male entity associated with Mami Wata. In parts of West Africa, Hindu depictions of ], a divine figure or deity typically depicted with monkey features, is interpreted as Papi Wata.<Ref name="DREWAL-2013-39-37">Drewal 2013: 37.</ref>


==Demonization==
==Religious tradition==
Mami Wata has become ] in some Christian and Muslim communities in Africa. The figure's popularity spread from the colonial period onward and over time her worship became increasingly syncretic with imagery and customs from Christianity with a heavy European influence. In 2012, Duwel writes that over the previous 20 to 30 years, Mami Wati has therefore become "a primary target of a widespread and growing religious movement led by evangelical (Pentacostal) Christians and fundamentalist Muslims who seek to denigrate and demonize indigenous African faiths." To these groups, Mami Wati personifies "immortality, sin, and damnation".<Ref name="DREWAL-2013-39-40">Drewal 2013: 40.</ref>
]
(1947-1995), a high priest of Mami Wata in Togo.]]'''Photo:''' (lft)'''''Togbui (grand) Hounon, "Papa" Akuété Durchbach'''''. An example of a male high priest of Mami Wata in Togo, West Africa. A medical doctor (ophthalmologist) by profession, Papa Akuété was born to Mami Wata. He was called from his medical residency in Tübigen, West Germany by his family’s (more than) '''300 year old Mami Wata''' Vodoun and Tchamba spirits. They were demanding that he serve them. He returned to Togo, and underwent extensive and expensive initiations establishing his shrines in Baguida, West Africa. Mami blessed him with enormous divinatory skills, and healing powers. His clients often came for healing as far away as West Germany. Far from being a “cult” of women, in Ewe Mami Wata cosmology and history, Mami Wata is an ancient deity, and is known to have been the sacred deity of most of the most powerful male diviners, healers, prophets and African kings. Certain women high-priestesses known as ''Mamissiis'' are called and appointed by the Mami deities to initiate. It is important to note that although it is popular to classify all water deities honored in African and Diaspora religions as "Mami Wata", not all are recognized as being part of the actual ancient pantheon of specialized water dieites known in Ewe cosmology as "Mami Wata."
----

Practitioners and adherents of traditional ]s, ], and ] comprise Mami Wata's devotees. Her worship is as diverse as her initiates, priesthood and worshippers,<ref name="Modernity"/> although some parallels may be drawn. Groups of people may gather in her name, but the deity is much more prone to interacting with followers on a one-on-one basis. She thus has many ]s and ] in both Africa, America and in the Caribbean who are specifically born and initiated to them.

In some traditional houses in Nigeria, devotees typically wear ] and ] clothing, as these colors represent that particular Mami’s dual nature. Especially in ] iconography, red represents such qualities as death, destruction, heat, maleness, physicality, and power. In contrast, white symbolises death, but also can symbolize beauty, creation, femaleness, new life, spirituality, translucence, water, and wealth.<ref name="Bastian"/> This regalia may also include a cloth snake wrapped about the waist.<ref name="Modernity"/> The Mami Wata ]s may also be decorated in these colors, and items such as bells, carvings, Christian or Indian prints, dolls, incense, spirits, and remnants of previous sacrifices often adorn such places.<ref name="Modernity"/><ref name="Bastian"/>

Intense ] accompanied by ]s such as African guitars or harmonicas often forms the core of Mami Wata worship. Followers dance to the point of entering a ]. At this point, Mami Wata ] the person and speaks to him or her.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 325"/> Offerings to the spirit are also important, and Mami Wata prefers gifts of delicious food and drink, alcohol, fragrant objects (such as pomade, incense, and soap), and expensive goods like jewelry.<ref name="Modernity"/> Modern worshippers usually leave her gifts of manufactured goods, such as Coca-Cola or designer jewelry.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 325"/>

Nevertheless, some initiates reports that their Mami Wata deity is unpredictable. She craves attention, and her followers must be prepared to be called to service without warning. She can give her devotees boons based on her attributes: beauty, an easy life, good luck, and material wealth.{{fact}} However, she can also takes these things away on a whim.{{fact}} Nevertheless, she largely wants her followers to be healthy and well off.<ref name="Bastian"/> More broadly, people blame the spirit for all sorts of misfortune. In ], for example, Mami Wata is ascribed with causing the strong ] that kills many swimmers each year along the coast.

----
] '''Right:''' Typical shrines consecrated to Mami Wata in Togo, and U.S. These shrines can vary from elaborate to quaint depending on the income of a Mamissii priestess. What remains constant is the sacredness of the shrines and the constant devotion attended to its care. Although the size and location of a Mami Wata shrine may vary, Mami's appreciation of perfumes, powders and fine statuary appears universal. According to Mami Wata Vodoun Priestess, Mama Zogbé: ''"In Togo, income is low, many shrines consecrated to Mami Wata are small and sparse. In the United States where access to monetary and material wealth is more abundant, shrines are typcially more elaborate."

----''

===Other associations===

As other deities become absorbed into the figure of Mami Wata, the spirit often takes on characteristics unique to a particular region or culture. In Trinidad and Tobago, for example, Maman Dlo plays the role of guardian of ], punishing overzealous hunters or woodcutters. She is the lover of ], a nature deity.

==Origins and development==

West Africa possessed a multitude of water-spirit traditions before the first contact with Europeans. Most of these were regarded as female, and dual natures of good and evil were not uncommon, reflecting the fact that water is both an important means of providing communication, food, drink, trade, and transportation, but at the same time, it can drown people, flood fields or villages, and provide passage to intruders.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 324">Van Stipriaan 324.</ref>

Scholars have proposed several theories for Mami Wata's light-skinned, mermaid-like appearance. Van Stipriaan suggests that she may be based on the ];<ref name="Van Stipriaan 324"/> in fact, "Mami Wata" is a common name for this animal in the region. Salmons argues that the mermaid image may have come into being after contact with Europeans. The ships of traders and slavers often had carvings of mermaid figures on their prows, for example, and tales of mermaids were popular among sailors of the time.<ref>Paraphrased in van Stipriaan 324.</ref> In addition, the spirit's light complexion and straight hair could be based on European features. On the other hand, white is traditionally associated with the spirit world in many cultures of Nigeria. The people of the ] area often whiten their skin with talcum or other substances for rituals and for cosmetic reasons, for example.<ref name="Bastian"/>

===Re-emergence through Africa and the New World===
<!-- If you add a name to this table, please be sure to create a redirect for that name, as well. -->
{| class="wikitable" align=right
|- bgcolor="#ff9999"
! State / Territory / Region!! Name used
|-
|{{BEN}}
|] (sometimes seen<br> as an aspect of Mami Wata)
|-
|{{BRA}}
|] (or ]; becoming <br> populary identified with the spirit)
|-
|{{COG}}
|Kuitikuiti, Mboze, Makanga, Bunzi, Kambizi
|-
|{{CUB}}
|] (or ]; becoming <br> popularly identified with the spirit)
|-
|{{DRC}}
|La Sirène, Madame Poisson, <br>Mamba Muntu
|-
|{{DMA}}
|Maman de l'Eau, Maman Dlo
|-
|{{GUF}}
|Mamadilo
|-
|{{GRN}}
|Mamadjo
|-
|{{GLP}}
|Maman de l'Eau, Maman Dlo
|-
|{{GUY}}
|Watramama
|-
|{{HAI}}
|], ] (both becoming <br>identified with the spirit)
|-
|{{JAM}}
|River Mama
|-
|{{MTQ}}
|Lamanté, Manman Dlo
|-
|{{ANT}}
|Maman de l'Eau, Maman Dlo
|-
|{{NGA}}
|Ezebelamiri, Ezenwaanyi, <br>Nnekwunwenyi, Nwaanyi mara mma, <br>Uhamiri
|-
|{{SUR}}
|Watermama, Watramama
|-
|{{TOG}}
|] (sometimes seen as <br>an aspect of Mami Wata)<br>
However, their main<br>
principle deities are the ancient <br>
Mami Awuzza/Awussa, Mami Iyensu, Mami Densu,Mami Ablô.<br>
|-
|{{TRI}}
|Maman de l'Eau, Maman Dglo, <br>Maman Dlo, Mama Glow
|-
|{{USA}}
|Mami Awuzza/Awussa, Mami Iyensu, Mami Densu,Mami Ablô
|-
|{{ZAI}}
|Mamba Muntu, <br>Madame Poisson, Sirene
|-
|}
]n traders of the ] ethnic group moved up and down the west coast of Africa from Liberia to Cameroon beginning in the 19th century. They may have spread their own water-spirit beliefs with them and helped to standardise conceptions in West Africa.{{fact}} Their ] name for the spirit, Mami Wata, became standard across the coast of West Africa, even in Francophone areas. {{fact}} Their perceived wealth also helped establish the spirit as one of good fortune.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 329">Van Stipriaan 329.</ref>

This period also introduced West Africa to what would become the definitive image Mami Wata. Circa 1887, a ] of a female ]n ]{{fact}} appeared in Nigeria. The poster, entitled ''Der Schlangenbandinger'' (''The Snake Charmer'') was originally created sometime between 1880 and 1887.{{fact}} It may have been intended to advertise a company of itinerate entertainers who were performing in Nigeria at the time, the girl depicted being one of the acts.{{fact}} Another proposed explanation is that the girl was the wife of a zookeeper from Hamburg. Alternately, ]n traders may have brought the image to Africa and then posted it in their shops.{{fact}} Whatever its source, the image—an enticing woman with long, black hair and a large snake slithering up between her breasts—caught the imagination of the Africans who saw it; it was the definitive image of the spirit. Before long, Mami Wata posters appeared in over a dozen countries. People began creating Mami Wata art of their own, much of it influenced by the lithograph.<ref>Van Stipriaan 329-30.</ref>

===Modern development===

During the 20th century, the various West African religions came to resemble one another, {{fact}} especially in urban areas. The homogenisation was largely the result of greater communication and mobility of individuals from town to town and country to country, though links between the spirit's nature and the perils of the urban environment have also been proposed.{{fact}} This led to a new level of standarisation of priests, initiations of new devotees, healing rituals, and temples.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 325"/>

The 20th century also led to Mami Wata's re-emergence in much of Central and Southern Africa. In the mid-1950s, traders imported copies of ''The Snake Charmer'' from ] and ] and sold them throughout Africa. West African traders moved her to ] in the ] (DRC) in that same decade. There the spirit became a popular subject of Congolese folk painters, who placed her on the walls of bars, stores, and marketplace stalls. ]ese traders and Congolese immigrants brought her cult to ] by the 1970s. Meanwhile, Congolese and Zambian artists spread Mami Wata images throughout public places in Zambia. Further diffusion occurred during the ] in Nigeria, which began in 1967. Refugees fled to all parts of West and Central Africa, bringing with them their belief in the water spirit.

Modern DRC, ], ], and Zambia today form the current boundary of the Mami Wata cult, albeit a blurred one. The pan-African water deity is assimilating native water spirits in this region, many of them serpent figures. Some examples are the Congolese-Zambian '']'' or '']'', the ]n '']'', and the ] '']'' or '']''. The most visible evidence of this absorption is that many of these creatures are today viewed as mermaids rather than snakes, their traditional form. These adoptions often lead to confusion when aspects of more than one being become amalgamated under the name "Mami Wata". In Southern Africa, for example, Mami Wata is sometimes said to be able to fly around in the form of a tornado, an adopted aspect from the '']'' water spirit.

===Across the Atlantic===

West African transported and enslaved in the New World, brought tales of Mami Wata with them. The new environment only served to emphasize the enslaved's connection to water. In ], for example, slaves had to fight back swamp waters on the plantations they worked.<ref name="Van Stipriaan 324"/> She was first mentioned in ] in the 1740s in the journal of an anonymous colonist: {{cquote|It sometimes happens that one or the other of the black slaves either imagines truthfully, or out of rascality pretends to have seen and heard an apparition or ghost which they call water mama, which ghost would have ordered them not to work on such or such a day, but to spend it as a holy day for offering with the blood of a white hen, to sprinkle this or that at the water-side and more of that monkey-business, adding in such cases that if they do not obey this order, shortly Watermama will make their child or husband etc. die or harm them otherwise.<ref>Anonymous. ''Ontwerp tot een beschryving van Surinaamen'', c. 1744. Quoted in van Stipriaan 327.</ref>}} Slaves worshipped the spirit by dancing and then falling into a trancelike state. In the 1770s, the Dutch rulers outlawed the ritual dances associated with the spirit. The governor, ], wrote that {{cquote|the Papa, Nago, Arada and other slaves who commonly are brought here under the name Fida slaves, have introduced certain devilish practices into their dancing, ''which they have transposed to all other slaves''; when a certain rhythm is played . . . they are possessed by their god, which is generally called Watramama.<ref>J. Nepveu (c. 1775). "Annotaties op het boek van J. D. Herlein 'Beschryvinge van de volkplantinge Zuriname'". Quoted in van Stipriaan 327-8. Emphasis in original.</ref>}} ]s of the colony adopted Watermama from the slaves and merged her with their own water spirits.

By the 19th century, an influx of enslaved Africans from other regions had relegated Watermama to a position in the pantheon of the deities of the Surinamese ] religion. When Winti was outlawed in the 1970s, her religious practices lost some of its importance in Suriname. Furthermore, a relative lack of freedom compared to their African brethren prevented the homgenisation that occurred with the Mami Wata cult across the Atlantic.<ref >Van Stipriaan 328.</ref>

==Mami Wata in popular culture==

Mami Wata is a popular subject in the art, fiction, poetry, music, and film of the Caribbean and West and Central Africa. Visual artists especially seem drawn to her image, and both wealthier Africans and tourists buy paintings and wooden sculptures of the spirit. She also figures prominently in the ] of Africa, with her image adorning walls of bars and living rooms, album covers, and other items.<ref>Van Stipriaan 331.</ref>

Mami Wata has also proved to be a popular theme in ] and ]. Authors who have featured her in their fiction include ], ], ] (]), ], and ] (Côte d'Ivoire). '']'' is also the title of a satirical Cameroonian newspaper.


==Notes== ==Notes==
{{reflist}}
<references/>


==References== ==References==
* Drewal, Henry John. 2002. “Mami Wata and Santa Marta” in Deborah D. Kaspin and Paul Landau. Editors. ''Images and Empires: Visuality in Colonial and Postcolonial Africa'', pp. 193-211. University of California Press.
*Bastian, Misty L. . Department of Anthropology, Franklin & Marshall College. Accessed ] ].
* Drewal, Henry John. 2013. "Local Transformations, Global Inspirations: The Visual Histories and Cultures of Mami Wata Arts in Africa" in Gitti Salami and Monica Blackmun Visonà. Editors. ''A Companion of Modern African Art'', pp. 23-49. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
*Hunter-Hindrew, Mamaissii V. . 2nd Edition." (New York: MWHS, 2005).
* Wintrob, Ronald M. 1970. "Mammy Water: Folk Beliefs and Psychotic Elaborations in Liberia" in '']'', vol. 15, no. 2. .
*Chesi, G."Voodoo: Africa's secret power" (Austria: Perlinger-Verlag, 1979).
*Drewal, H. J., Interpretation, Invention, and Re-presentation in the Worship of Mami Wata, Journal of Folklore Research, Vol. 25 (1988b) Nos. 1-2.
*---, Mermaids, Mirrors and Snake Charmers: Igbo Mami Wata Shrines, African Arts XXI (1988a) (2): 38-45.
*Jell-Bahlsen, Sabine. "Mammy Water: In search of the water spirits in Nigeria" (New York: Ogbuide Films, 1995).
*Jell-Bahlsen, S. Eze Mmiri Di Egwu. “The Water Monarch is Awesome: Reconsidering the Mammy Water Myths.” (Annals: New York Academy of Sciences, 1997), 103-134.
*Massey, Gerald. "A Book of the Beginnings" (New York: A & B Publishers, 1994).
*. ArcyArt Original Oil Paintings. Accessed ] ].
*van Stipriaan, Alex (2005). "Watramama/Mami Wata: Three centuries of creolization of a water spirit in West Africa, Suriname and Europe". ''Matatu: Journal for African Culture and Society'' '''27/28''', 323-337.
*Walker, B. G. "The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets" (New York: Harper &Row, 1983).
*Rosenthal, J. ‘Possession Ecstasy & Law in Ewe Voodoo" (Charlottesville: University of Virginia, 1998).
*Alapini, Julien “Le Petit Dahomâen: Garammaire-Vocabulaire. Lexique En Langue du Dahomey.” (Avignon: Les Presses Universelles, 1955).
*Ajayi, J.F. and Espie, I. ‘Thousand Years of West African History" (Ibadan: Ibadan University Press, 1967).
*Akyea, O.E. "Ewe" (New York: The Rosen Group, 1988).
*Asamoa, A.K. "The Ewe of South-Eastern Ghana and Togo: On the eve of colonialism," (Ghana: Tema Press. 1986).
*Higgins, Godfrey. "Anacalypsis: An Attempt to Draw Aside the Veil of the Saitic Isis or Inquiry into the origin of Languages, Nations and Religions," Vol. I,II, Montana: Kessinger Publishing
*Griaule, Marcel. 1997. Conversations With Ogotemmeli: An Introduction to Dogon Religious Ideas. reprint Dieu d'eau 1948. Oxford: University Press.
*Winters, Clyde A. Dr. The Proto-Saharan Religions. Winters. Journal of Tamil Studies 25 (1985).
*Winters, Clyde A "The Proto-Culture of the Dravidians,Manding and Sumerians", Tamil Civilization 3, no1 (March 1985a).
*Dalley, S. 2000. Myths From Mesoptotamia. Creation, The Flood,Gilgamesh, And Others. Oxford: University Press.
*Temple, Robert. "The Sirius Mystery" (United Kingdom: Arrow Pub., 1999).
*Stone, Merlin. "When God Was A Woman" (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1976).
*Nicholson, Paul, Shaw, Ian. "British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt." ( London: The Bristish Museum Company Ltd., 1995).
*Encyclopedia Britannica. 1974. Vol 6;484. Vol 8: 386. (Marcropedia), Vol. I:261, Vol. VIII:282).
*Bazin, Germain. “The History of World Sculpture.” Greenwich: New York Graphic Society Ltd, 1968).
*Brown, Robert, JNR. Poseidon. London: Longmans Green, and Co., 1872.
*Lindsay, Jack. "Origins of Astrology" (New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc, 1971).
*Lee, Henry. “Sea Fables Explained.” (London: William Clowns and Sons, Limited, 1883 reprinted Kessinger Publishings).


==External links== ==External links==
{{commons}}
* Abarbanel, Stacey Ravel. 2008. “”. Fowler Museum at UCLA.
* Drewal, Henry John. 2008. . ''African Arts'', Summer 2008.
* Gesila Uzukwu. 2023. . Center for World Catholicism & Intercultural Theology (CWCIT). DePaul University. YouTube.


{{Kongo religion footer|state=collapsed}}{{Bantu}}
*
{{Afro-American Religions}}
* Article on "Papa" Akuété Durchbach, --by Danny Slomoff, Ph.D.


{{Authority control}}
==See also==
*]

{{Afro-American Religions}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Wata, Mami}}
]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 01:07, 30 November 2024

African water spirit "Mamy-Wata" redirects here. For the Cameroonian satirical newspaper, see L'Expression de Mamy-Wata.
Depiction of Mami Wata from Nigeria on display at the Museum Five Continents in Münich, Germany.

Mami Wata, Mammy Water, or similar is a mermaid, water spirit, and/or goddess in the folklore of parts of Western Africa, Eastern Africa, and Southern Africa. Historically, scholars trace her origins to early encounters between Europeans and West Africans in the 15th century, where Mami Wata developed from depictions of European mermaids. Mami Wata subsequently joined native pantheons of deities and spirits in parts of Africa.

Historically, Mami Wata is conceived of as an exotic female entity from Europe or elsewhere, often a white woman with a particular interest in objects foreign to West Africans that her adherents place at her shrines. In the mid-19th century, Mami Wata’s iconography becomes particularly influenced by an image of snake charmer Nala Damajanti spreading from Europe. This snake charmer print soon overtook Mami Wata’s earlier mermaid iconography in popularity in some parts of Africa.

Additionally, Hindu imagery from Indian merchants have influenced depictions of Mami Wata in some areas. Papi Wata, a male consort or reflection of Mami Wata sometimes depicted as modeled from the Hindu diety Hanuman, can be found in some Mami Wata traditions, sometimes under the influence of Hindu imagery.

Mami Wata is especially venerated in parts of Africa and in the Atlantic diaspora and has also been demonized in some African Christian and Islamic communities in the region. Mami Wata has appeared in a variety of media depictions and in literary works.

Etymology

The names Mami Wata, Mami Wota, or Mammy Wata derive from the English language nouns mammy and water. The name is related to the Krio word mami wata that refers to mermaids in Krio folklore. Krio is an English-based creole language used in parts of West Africa.

The Mami element derives from English mother. However, Mami Wata has no children nor family of any kind. She is typically represented as free of any kind of social bonds and as a foreign entity, and "broadly identified with Europeans rather than any African ethnic group or ancestors".

Development

Scholars trace the origins of Mami Wata to encounters to depictions of European mermaids witnessed by West Africans as early as the 1400s and 1500s. As summarized by scholar and adherent Henry John Drewal:

Substantial evidence suggests that the concept of Mami Wata has its origins in the first encounters of Africans and Europeans in the fifteenth century. Her first representations were probably derived from European images of mermaids and marine sculptures. As an Afro-Portuguese ivory shows, an African sculptor (probably Sapi, on the coast of Sierra Leone) was commissioned to create a mermaid image for his patrons as early as 1490-1530. And an eighteenth- or nineteenth-century ship’s figurehead now in Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria, is called Mami Wata by its owners.

A second version of the mermaid from European folklore with two tails also likely influenced depictions of Mami Wata localized especially to the Benin kingdom. Scholars trace this motif to the influence of Portuguese depictions of mermaids.

Chromolithograph of a snake charmer, inspired by the performer Maladamatjaute (Nala Damajanti). Printed in the 1880s by the Adolph Friedlander Company in Hamburg, the poster gave rise to a common image of Mami Wata.

Around the mid-1800s, a lithograph of the snake charmer Nala Damajanti from Europe became popular associated with imagery around Mami Wata, likely originating in Hamburg, Germany.

In the 1940s to the 1950s Hindu religious imagery from Indian merchants and films began to strongly influence Mami Wata imagery on particular the Ghana-Nigeria coast. Drewal records the following account from a male Yoruba Mami Wata devotee who sells Hindu prints in Togo (notations are that of Drewal):

formerly, during the colonial period, we had the pictures , but we didn't know their meaning. People just liked them to put them in their rooms. But then Africans started to study them too - about what is the meaning of these pictures that they are putting lights, candles, and incense there every time. I think they are using the power to collect our money away, or how? So we started to befriend the Indians to know their secret about the pictures. From there the Africans also tried to join some of their societies in India and all over the world to know much about the pictures. Reading some of their books, I could understand what they mean.

Folk belief

Writing from research conducted from 1965-1966 at the Catherine Mills Rehabilitation Center in Liberia, at the time the only psychiatric center in Liberia, former director Ronald Wintrob recorded beliefs among individuals who venerated Mami Wata in the region. Wintrob records that "beliefs in Mammy Water are held by the vast majority of Liberians". Wintrob recorded that "confirmed that some ten per cent of male patients requiring in-patient treatment for psychotic disorders, revealed a system of delusions relating to possession by Mammy Water".

Wintrob summarizes the conceptualization of Mammy Water in Liberia at the time as follows:

Mammy Water is believed to be a water spirit of extraordinary power, who is generally described as a beautiful light-skinned woman with very long, light-coloured hair. She is usually conceptualized as a white woman. Sometimes the description stipulates that her lower half resembles a fish, mermaid style. Her hair is thought to be her proudest attribute. People believe that she lives in a mansion under the water, from which she some times ventures on to the shore to comb out her long hair with a golden comb. This comb is thought to be her most valued possession.

Wintrob records that in Liberian Mammy Water folk belief, anyone who has contact with her will become wealthy and gained good luck. One of his informants, a man from the Vai people, provides the following account:

If you ever come across Mammy Water sitting down a rock combing her hair, you should yell at her. If you yell while she is combing her hair, she might drop her golden comb. You pick it up and take the golden comb home with you. Mammy Water will come after you for a bit but you must not give her the comb until you have gotten your wish. Even then you should keep on wishing for something more. When you ask her for money you will get rich.

An English depiction of a European Mermaid by James Richards on Prince Frederick's Barge, 1732

Mammy Water was typically believed to visit people in their sleep at night. According to another informant, a man from the Kissi people, she grants wealth in exchange for sexual celibacy:

They say Mammy Water sits on top of rocks by the water side. If you see her and she has interest in you, you will see her every now and then. I f she has interest to really help you, to give you money, then you will see her in dreams and you and she will have to make a certain compact. If you are a man, you must not marry any woman. If you keep to this promise, she brings money every time she visits you. Sometimes she will enter the room in the form of a snake, then change herself into a beautiful white woman. They say sex must take place between you. Then you will become wealthy. People will say: 'This man used to be a poor man, now he's wealthy. The only thing is he will never marry. He may have women living in his house but none will ever sleep in his bedroom'.

Wintrob records that this was not always the case: in some instances folk belief dictated that Mammy Water's contact need not be celibate with her and could in fact have a large family.

Mammy Water may also gift extra-sensory perception, including foresight and the ability to see that which others cannot, or especially swift travels. Some groups believe that Mammy Water does not contact everyone but rather that the ability to contact her is inherited.

Papi Wata

A secondary development of Mami Wata in some traditions is Papi Wata, a male entity associated with Mami Wata. In parts of West Africa, Hindu depictions of Hanuman, a divine figure or deity typically depicted with monkey features, is interpreted as Papi Wata.

Demonization

Mami Wata has become demonized in some Christian and Muslim communities in Africa. The figure's popularity spread from the colonial period onward and over time her worship became increasingly syncretic with imagery and customs from Christianity with a heavy European influence. In 2012, Duwel writes that over the previous 20 to 30 years, Mami Wati has therefore become "a primary target of a widespread and growing religious movement led by evangelical (Pentacostal) Christians and fundamentalist Muslims who seek to denigrate and demonize indigenous African faiths." To these groups, Mami Wati personifies "immortality, sin, and damnation".

Notes

  1. Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “Mammy Water (n.), Etymology,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/4033380279.
  2. Drewal 2002: 198.
  3. ^ Drewal 2002: 198.
  4. Drewal 2013: 31.
  5. Drewal 2013: 37.
  6. Wintrob 1970: 143.
  7. ^ Wintrob 1970: 144.
  8. Wintrob 1970: 144-145.
  9. ^ Wintrob 1970: 145.
  10. Drewal 2013: 37.
  11. Drewal 2013: 40.

References

  • Drewal, Henry John. 2002. “Mami Wata and Santa Marta” in Deborah D. Kaspin and Paul Landau. Editors. Images and Empires: Visuality in Colonial and Postcolonial Africa, pp. 193-211. University of California Press.
  • Drewal, Henry John. 2013. "Local Transformations, Global Inspirations: The Visual Histories and Cultures of Mami Wata Arts in Africa" in Gitti Salami and Monica Blackmun Visonà. Editors. A Companion of Modern African Art, pp. 23-49. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  • Wintrob, Ronald M. 1970. "Mammy Water: Folk Beliefs and Psychotic Elaborations in Liberia" in Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal, vol. 15, no. 2. Viewable online.

External links

Kongo religion
Religions
Deities
Elements
Art
Diaspora
Hoodoo
Religions
Category
Bantu religion and folklore
Main topics
Religion
Religions
Deities
Spirits
Concepts
Culture
Legendary beings
Legendary creatures
Bantu diaspora
Religion
Culture
Category
African diaspora religions
Religions
Practices and concepts
Diverse roots
Categories: