Baluba mythology

Baluba mythology

The Baluba are one of the Bantu peoples of Central Africa. Their creation deity's name is Kabezya-Mpungu.

Creation myth of Kabezya-Mpungu

The Baluba creation story makes a connection between God's invisibility or unavailability, and the endowment of humans with a soul or divine component longing for God.

In the creation story, Kabezya-Mpungu decides to become invisible after creating the world and the first humans who did not yet have a heart. After balancing the rain, sun, moon, and darkness, he leaves. To replace the visible god, he sends the people Mutshima ("heart"), the life-giving or divine part of humans.

:"..I don't want that humans will see me any more. I return into myself and send Mutima...Then Kabeza-Mpungu disappeared. Thereafter, the heart appeared, in a small, hand-sized vessel. The heart cried and turned towards Sun, Moon, Darknes and Rain: "Kabezya-Mpungu, our father, where is he!" "Father is gone, we don't know the way he went". "Oh how much I am longing to see him" the heart replied, "to talk to him. Since I cannot find him, I will enter into this man. So I will wander from generation to generation".

:(Cited according to the German version [ German Version of the cited text from Carl Einstein's book: "Ich will nicht, daß Menschen mich länger sehen. Ich kehre in mich zurück und sende Mutima...Darauf verschwand Kabezya-Mpungu. Es erschien darauf das Herz, in einem kleinen, handgroßen Gefäß. Das Herz schrie und wandte sich gen Sonne, Mond, Finsternis und R
] of Carl Einstein, for the English version of Charlotte and Wolf Leslau see external link).

Since then all humans have been endowed with Mutshima, the heart.

References

References

* Carl Einstein (Ed.) 1925: Afrikanische Märchen und Legenden; Rowohlt, 1925. Neuausgabe (1980) MEDUSA Verlag Wölk + Schmid, Berlin. (in German language)
*Charlotte Leslau, Wolf Leslau (Ed.): African Folk Tales; Mount Vernon, 1963, N.Y. : Peter Pauper Press

External links

* [http://www.copyediting-l.info/ugandacreationmyth.html Creation Myth of Kabezya-Mpungu]


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