Bats have also been long associated with lore,
mysticism, and religion. In the Ivory Coast, bats
were seen as the spirits of the dead; in
Madagascar, they were known as the souls of
criminals or the buried dead. In the Cameroon,
bats were capable of blood sucking the life force
of a person while sleeping. Furthermore, consis-
tent with Ibibio tribe, bats were connected to
witchcraft. For instance, the Ibibio believe that if
a bat came into a home and touched someone,
that person was considered bewitched. Bats are
also often associated with nighttime or darkness,
when most rituals were performed.
The blood, heart, and other parts of bats were
often used by African healers for specific pur-
poses. In ritualistic ceremonies, a bat’s blood was
used for spell work directed toward discord, ten-
sion, and havoc; its eye is used against harm and
evil and works as protection. Despite their nega-
tive reputation, bats have played a vital role in the
cycle of life and have made a contribution to
African religious ceremonies.
Elizabeth AndradeSee alsoAnimals; Rituals
Further Readings
Andrews, T. (2004).Animal Speak:The Spiritual and
Magical Powers of Creatures Great and Small.
St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn.
Mbiti, J. (1975).Introduction to African Religion
(2nd ed.). Nigeria: Heinemann Education Books.
BATWA
The Batwa, also known as the Twa (sing.) people,
are one of the ethnic groups among the original
inhabitants of the equatorial forest of Central
Africa. The forest was granted to them by the
Creator as part of their right and responsibility to
preserve the Great Lakes region. When the Creator
had distributed all the land to other groups, he left
the high mountains and plains around Lake Kivu
in Congo (Kinshasa), Rwanda, Uganda, and
Burundi for the Batwa people to make their home.
Standing at a short stature with red skin and
prominent foreheads, eyes, and teeth, the Batwa
were endowed with the safekeeping of the forest,
which provided them with nourishments and med-
icines and a place for sacred grounds. In this
regard, the Batwa became the guardians of the for-
est and its primary benefactors. This made the
people unique beings in that they lived in harmony
with the forest region that enabled them to become
specialists in forest skills, such as hunting and
gathering and preparing herbal medicines. Because
of this harmonious relationship with their environ-
ment, the Batwa lifestyle was rich in song, dance,
and musical gatherings, which were influenced by
their surroundings. In general, the Batwa utilized
an equalized social system based on their under-
standing of collectivism. That is, they practiced a
communal relationship with one another, a rela-
tionship that allowed them to rely on each member
of the community to contribute to the overall well-
being of the group. Their collective work and
efforts, as well as their unique relationship with the
forest, entitled the Batwa to consider themselves as
supreme. As a result of their special sense of self,
and in an effort to protect it, they worshipped the
spirits in the forest to preserve their special rights.
Their responsibility and privilege as guardians of
the forest enabled them to have a unique connec-
tion to the resources of the lands, and this allowed
them to gain specialized knowledge of herbs and
other natural products. This knowledge gained is
transmitted in oral history through Rutwa, which is
the language of the Batwa people’s songs and sto-
ries. Moreover, the Batwa people have a special
relationship to the spirits of the land and to the
land itself. Their rituals and ceremonies exhibit the
felt necessity for the people to sanctify and legit-
imize rituals surrounding such events as the instal-
lations of the kings and the prosperity and
reproduction of their own societies. The Batwa
people are acknowledged as the original instructors
and leaders of the forest community, and they are
therefore enabled to guide and teach others about
the spiritual connection between the people and the
forest, as their rightful place to protect and pre-
serve, while utilizing the lands for the growth and
continuation of the Batwa society.Marquita PellerinSee alsoMedicine; Trees114 Batwa