pregnancy. It is also a common practice for an
African woman to return to her own family until
the birth of the child.
Many African societies participate in extended
ceremonies and activities to mark the birth of a
child. Furthermore, some societies have developed
complex rituals regarding the disposition of the
placenta because it is the physical manifestation
of the sacred link between mother and child. In
some African cultures, especially among African
Americans, at one time attention was given to the
birth membrane covering the amniotic fluid
known as acaul: When found intact after birth, it
was believed to portend special powers. Typically,
African ceremonies and rituals are dedicated to
praising God and to asking for the continued
protection of the newborn and mother.
A wide range of transformation rites are car-
ried out that involve the entire community. These
rites include naming the child as an initiation into
society/world and the continuation of rituals
throughout adult and elder hood (marriage, pas-
sage of youth, unity, education, death, etc.).
Another important feature in the study of birth in
African societies has to do with the transmigration
of ancestral souls through children, as reflected
in naming practices: In Yoruba, for example, names
like Babatunde, “the father comes again,” or
Yetunde, “the mother comes again,” are common.
The sacred rituals of indigenous African soci-
eties that mark the birth of a human being are
derived from the highly reflective beliefs about
God, the ancestors, and the whole of creation. In
general, African people embrace the ideas sur-
rounding the reentry of the child into the world
through the female body. Their cultural history
and mythology sustain focus on birth as associ-
ated with creation, reincarnation, womanhood,
regeneration, and promise. Most significantly,
birth is directly connected to common African
thinking about the Supreme Being.
There are perhaps thousands of names for God
within the African context. Among the Amazulu in
Zimbabwe, the god Unkulunkulu exists to orga-
nize the lives of humans. In doing so, she or he
gave men and women the ability to birth children.
Nyame, the God of the Twi nation in West Africa,
washes preborn children in a bath of gold and
gives the child’s soul its destiny in life. Nyame also
administers “the water of life” and infuses her or
his own essence. Therefore, this preparation allows
the child to be born into the world. Other gods,
such as Ngai of the Masai in Kenya, give each
spirit at the time of birth a protector who keeps the
person safe throughout their life and who, at the
time of their death, takes their soul back to God.
Hundreds of African gods are dedicated to the
process of birth. In ancient Egypt (Kmt), Heket
served as the goddess of creation and is noted for
birthing the gods. Also in ancient Egypt (Kmt), as
elsewhere in Africa, birth symbols become domi-
nant features of daily life. For example, the God
Khepra (the scarab beetle) symbolizes birth and
rebirth largely because its activities appeared to be
self-creating, thus signifying eternal life.
Although birth is the theme of many cere-
monies, African people have also produced divine
statuary, such as the wooden Akuaba/Akuabanini
doll, traditionally made by males. Other images
herald the birth of a child, such as male/female
ancestral figures, mother and child, and the
Bambara Chiwara (Mali) symbolizing fertility of
land and family. There are also a multitude of
images that signify the divinity of women for their
childbearing capabilities and phallic symbols
marking the primacy of masculine virility.
Other important topics with respect to birth in
the African religious context include the order of
births, the meaning of multiple births (twins),
supernatural births, virgin births, fertility, and
hero birth narratives. The history, actuality,
mythology, and symbolism of birth provide criti-
cal insight into African life, cosmology, spiritual-
ity, and philosophy, especially in the discussion of
human beings’ relationship to God.Katherine Olukemi BankoleSee alsoChildren; Fertility; Rites of Passage; RitualsFurther Readings
Antubam, K. (1963).Ghana’s Heritage of Culture.
Leipzig: Koehler and Amelang.
Ford, C. W. (2000).The Hero With an African Face:
Mythic Wisdom of Traditional Africa. New York:
Bantam Books.
Mbiti, J. S. (1975).Introduction to African Religion.
London: Heinemann Educational Books.
Somé, M. P. (1997).Ritual:Power,Healing,and
Community. New York: Penguin Putnam.Birth 125