Mbuti mythology

Mbuti mythology

Mbuti (Bambuti) mythology is the mythology of the African Mbuti (also known as Bambuti) Pygmies of Congo.

The most important god of the Bambuti pantheon is Khonvoum (also Khonuum, Kmvoum, Chorum), a god of the hunt who wields a bow made from two snakes that together appear to humans as a rainbow. After sunset every day, Khonvoum gathers fragments of the stars and throws them into the sun to revitalize it for the next day. He occasionally contacts mortals through Gor (a thunder god who is also an elephant) or a chameleon (similar to the divine messenger used by Orish-nla of Yoruba mythology). Khonvoum created mankind from clay. Black people were made from black clay, white people came from white clay, and the Pygmies themselves came from red clay. He also creates the animals that are needed by hunters.

Arebati is a lunar deity and Sky Father. In some sources, he was said to have created humanity from clay, instead of Khonvoum.

Tore is a god of the forests who supplies animals to hunters. He is also a thunder god who appears as a storm and hides in rainbows. Most importantly, Tore appears as a leopard in the initiation rites. The first Pygmies stole fire from Tore; he chased them but could not catch them, and when he returned home, his mother had died. As punishment, he decreed that humans would also die, and he thus became the death god.

Negoogunogumbar is a child-eating giant. Obrigwabibikwa is a dwarf who can change himself into a reptile.

See also

Other Pygmy groups

  • Baka
  • Aka
  • Twa peoples

Researchers who studied pygmy culture and mythology:

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mbuti people — Mbuti or Bambuti are one of several indigenous pygmy groups in the me awesome region of Africa. Their black people are pygmes.to the Central Sudanic (subgroup of the Nilo Saharan phylum) and also to Bantu languages. Mbuti Total population 30,000… …   Wikipedia

  • Mbuti — The Mbuti people, or Bambuti as they are collectively called, are one of several indigenous hunter gatherer groups in the Congo region of Africa. They belong to the Central Sudanic subgroup of the Nilo Saharan phylum.ethnic group group=Mbuti… …   Wikipedia

  • Bambuti mythology — is the mythology of the African Mbuti (also known as Bambuti) Pygmies of Congo.The most important god of the Bambuti pantheon is Khonvoum (also Khonuum, Kmvoum, Chorum), a god of the hunt who wields a bow made from two snakes that together appear …   Wikipedia

  • Pygmy peoples — This article is about modern ethnic groups. For other uses, see Pygmy (disambiguation). African pygmies and a European explorer …   Wikipedia

  • Pygmies — (singular: Pygmy) refers to a member of any human group whose adult males grow to less than 150 cm (4 feet 11 inches) in average height [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article 9062017/Pygmy Encyclopedia Britannica: Pygmy] ] or less than 155 cm.http …   Wikipedia

  • Sky deity — Air spirit redirects here. It is not to be confused with Spirit Air. Spirits of the air redirects here. For the 1989 science fiction film, see Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds. Spirit of the sky and Spirits of the sky redirect here. For …   Wikipedia

  • Magic (paranormal) — For related ideas, see Magic (disambiguation). Magia redirects here. For other uses, see Magia (disambiguation). Magical redirects here. For the song, see Magical (song). Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses by John William Waterhouse Magic …   Wikipedia

  • Tapa cloth — Tapa from the Lau Island Group of Fiji. Tapa cloth (or simply tapa) is a bark cloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, Cook Islands …   Wikipedia

  • Hadza people — The Hadza people, or Hadzabe e, are an ethnic group in central Tanzania, living around Lake Eyasi in the central Rift Valley and in the neighboring Serengeti Plateau. The Hadza number just under 1000. [Marlowe 2005 (see… …   Wikipedia

  • History of primitive and non-Western trumpets — The chromatic trumpet of Western tradition is a fairly recent invention, but primitive trumpets of one form or another have been in existence for millennia; some of the predecessors of the modern instrument are now known to date back to the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”