| Nyambe | |
|---|---|
God of Creation | |
 | |
| Venerated in | Bantu mythology |
| Symbols | Sun, Sky |
| Ethnic group | Bantu |
| Equivalents | |
| Roman | Jupiter |
| Bakongo | Nzambi Mpungu |
| Igbo | Chukwu |
| Egyptian | Amun-Ra |
Nyambe (alsoNyambi,Nyembi,Nzambe,Nzambi,Nzemi,Njambe andNjambi) is theSupreme God,Sky Father, andGod of the Sun across numerous traditionalBantu religions.
TheBakongo people of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo,Angola and theRepublic of the Congo believe in the Supreme GodNzambi Mpungu and his female counterpartNzambici. They are the only people who recognize Nzambi as both male and female, with Nzambi Mpungu symbolizing the Sun and Nzambici symbolizing theMoon andEarth.[1]
TheBassa people ofCameroon believe the Supreme beingNgambi/Nyombe is the revealer of secret truths, present and future. After the Bible was published in the Bassa language in 1922, Ngambi became seen as the Creator God. Due to their great respect of elders in their society, Ngambi is also seen as the greatest Elder.[1][2]
TheChokwe people of northeastAngola believe in the Supreme GodNzambi (similar to the Bakongo god,Nzambi Mpungu), who they also callKalûnga andSamatanga; the latter meaning "the creator." The king, orMwanangana, is said to be a representative of Nzambi. They have the ability to connect the physical world to the spiritual world of the ancestor and seek guidance from nature spirits.[1]
TheFang people ofCameroon andGabon believe in the Supreme GodNzeme, also calledMebere. In Fang cosmology, Nzeme created everything in the world and blew life into the Earth and the first ancestor, orZambe. Nzeme is also said to have created three spirits:Nzame with strength;Mbere with leadership, andNkwa with beauty.[1]
TheLele people of theDemocratic Republic of the Congo believe that the Supreme BeingNjambi created all things, including the forest, which supplies them with most of their needs from fish, salt, corn and medicinal plants to firewood, meat from animals, oil, etc. Njambi is said to have created water spirits calledmingehe, which are similar tobisimbi spirits inKongo religion.[1]
TheNyoro andToro people of Uganda referred to their Supreme God asNyamuhanga.[1]
TheHambukushu people ofBotswana, also known as the "Rainmakers of Okavango," believe in the Supreme GodNyambi, who is said to have created the universe, animals, and man, placing the Hambukushu in the hills of Tsodilo. This place is considered a sacred place to their people. Nyembi is also believed to bless those who do good by sending them to heaven, orDiwiru, when they die and punish those who do evil by sending them to his messenger of death,Shadapinyi.[3][4]
TheHerero people ofNamibia believe in the Supreme GodNjambi Kurunga, whom they also refer to asOmukuru. Like many of depictions in other cultures, Njambi creation the universe, spirits and humans, and then retreated into seclusion in the sky.[1]
TheLozi people ofZambia andZimbabwe believe that the Supreme BeingNyambe created all things, including his own mother, his wife and man. Because the sun is seen as a great force that powers everything in the universe, the Lozi also see Nyambe as the Sun God. Their oral traditions state that the first humans that Nyambe created were the Kamura people. After seeing how destructive his creation could be, he retreated to a mountaintop and never interacted directly with man again.[1]
TheAkan,Fante andAsante people ofGhana andBurkina Faso believeNyame (alsoOyame) created all things, including Heaven, orOsoro, and earth, orAsaase, and is continually adding to and redesigning the universe. His other nameOnyankopong means "the Supreme Being," whileOdomankoma means "Infinite beings whose Beginning and End are unknown to humans."[1]
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