African Creation Myths
A Dogon Door
Delete:
Gift-giving
Ogo
Yo
Oral storytelling
Add:
Marcel Griaule
Ogotemmeli
Nana Boluku
Key terms:
Agadzagadza
Amma
Dogon people
Fon or Dahomey people
gift-giving
Kaikuzi
Kintu
Mugulu
Nambi
Ogo
oral storytelling
Pemba
testing the hero
trickster figure
Warumbe
Yo
Subsaharan Africa
Mali
Amma (Dogon)
Pemba (Bambara)
Benin (Dahomey)
Nana Boluku (Fon)
Uganda
Kintu
Mugulu /Mukulu
Nigeria
Agadzagadza (Bura)
For more African deities, see:
http://fullmoon_deities.tripod.com/
african.html
Dogon of Mali
Conversations
with Ogotemmeli
An account of the complex metaphysical
beliefs and cosmology of the Dogon
people of the upper Volta region. French
anthropologist Griaule spent 16 years
with his African hosts before they
revealed their philosophy to him in these
"conversations," originally published in
1948 as "Dieu d'Eau."
Amma
Egg-shaped creation god
Amma Creates the World
pottery analogy for creation of sun and moon and earth
Amma has intercourse with earth
Birth of two sets of twins
Twins are taught speech as function of organization
The earth is clothed with plants which are its speech.
Amma’s struggle with Ogo, one of her creations
Ogo becomes Yuguru, the Pale Fox
Bambara of Mali
Bambara Creation
Yo gives birth to Faro, Pemba, and Teliko.
Faro creates seven heavens
Pemba creates the earth
Teliko creates aquatic twins who parent fishermen.
These fishermen are the ancestors of the human race.
Fon or Dahomey of Benin
Androgynous deity Nana Boluku
Begins creation of the universe
Completed by twins
Daughter Mawu (the moon)
and Son Lisa (the sun)
Ganda of Uganda
Kintu the first man
Legendary King becomes Creator
Meets Nambi and her sister
Daughters of Mugulu, the sky god
Brother Warumbe
Kintu brings domestic animals (cow)
The Testing of
Kintu
The Testing of
Kintu
1st Test: Survive without his cow
2nd Test: Eat an enormous meal
3rd Test: Make fire from stones
4th Test: Fetch a bucket of dew
5th Test: Find his Cow in a herd
Nambi and Warumbe
Nambi
Daughter of Mugulu
Becomes wife of Kintu
Warumbe
Son of Mugulu
Steals (kills) son of Kintu and
Nambi
Aetiology of DISEASE and
DEATH
Contest with brother Kaikuzi
(The Digger)
Note human weakness as
cause of death
Bura of Nigeria
Agadzagadza
Aetiology of death
Lizard as Trickster
Contest with Worm
Human nature as lazy
African Creation Myths
A Dogon Door
Key terms:
Agadzagadza
Amma
Dogon people
Fon or Dahomey people
gift-giving
Kaikuzi
Kintu
Mugulu
Nambi
Ogo
oral storytelling
Pemba
testing the hero
trickster figure
Warumbe
Yo