Don't Know Much About Mythology - Kenneth C. Davis [199]
In many traditions, a supreme god begins the work of making the cosmos but then leaves others in charge, or leaves earth altogether in annoyance with human behavior. In still other Creation tales, the world already exists, and it is only the creation of humanity that is of interest. Some of these stories reflect the influence of Christian missionaries as the old stories were merged with the biblical tradition. The Efe of Zaire, for instance, have a story in which the female moon helps the supreme Creator make the first man, Baatsi, from clay covered with skin and filled with blood. When the Creator makes a female companion for Baatsi, the couple are instructed to make children but are warned not to eat from the “Tahu tree.” They obey, and for many years everyone lives an idyllic existence until they get old and tired, and simply go straight to heaven without dying. But later on, when a pregnant woman has a craving for Tahu fruit and convinces her husband to pick some for her, the Creator decides that men and women must suffer the punishment of death.
Another Eve-like story, from the Dinka of southern Sudan, is about Abuk, the first woman. In the beginning, the High God allows the first man and woman to plant a grain of millet each day. When Abuk greedily decides to plant more, she accidentally whacks the High God on the toe with her tool, making him so angry he retreats to the sky and cuts the rope that links heaven and earth. Since then, humans have had to work hard to grow food, and suffer sickness and death.
Some of the other most prominent African Creation accounts, which also come down in fragments, are included in the first part of this “Who’s Who” directory, which lists the god’s principal tribal association and location. The second part of the list includes the other most significant group of African gods, the “tricksters,” who are responsible for a mixture of good things and amusement, but more often bring mischief, chaos, and disaster.
WHO’S WHO OF AFRICAN DEITIES
Creator Gods
Amma (the Dogon of Mali) In Mali (western Africa), the Dogon revere a single god, Amma, the chief creator of all things. In one of their Creation myths, Amma exists at the beginning of time as a great egg that contains all the elements of creation—fire, earth, water, and air. In a series of great explosions, these all combine to make life.
In another version, Amma is a divine potter who casts the sun, moon, and stars out of clay that he flings into the sky. When the heavens are complete, he forms a woman—earth—and produces a jackal monster and two serpentlike twins with her. The twins invent speech and cover the bare earth with vegetation. Amma then couples with the earth, producing another set of twins, who become the ancestors of the Dogon.
Bumba (the Bushongo of the Congo) The chief Creator god of the Bushongo (central Africa), Bumba vomits the earth, sun, moon, and stars into existence. These are followed by the animals, from which all life descends. Described in some traditions as “white,” Bumba gives fire to a man named Kerikeri, who charges a high price for embers to make fires for cooking. The king’s daughter entices Kerikeri into marrying her, so she can learn the secret of fire from him. One night, she pretends to be cold and watches as Kerikeri builds the fire. After learning his secret, she deserts him. It is another story underscoring the widely shared African distaste for selfishness.
A similar Creation story of the Kuba of the rain forests of Zaire (central Africa) is about Mbombo, a spirit who, during the dark hours of the first day of Creation, has sharp pains in his stomach and vomits, producing the sun, moon, and stars. As the sun shines, the primordial water recedes, and the hills and plains of the earth are