Meanings of the Number 3Red, black, and green are the three traditional
African colors. The Samake collect themselves in
three groups, each one related to one of the colors.
Girls of the Laila people receive three scars: The
first during infancy is placed on the abdomen, the
second on the arms and behind the neck in
puberty, and the third on the buttocks and thighs
a year later. Senufo initiations take 7 years and are
done in three phases. The first occurs before
puberty, the second takes place during adoles-
cence, and the third is received in adulthood.
In West Africa, the number 3 is masculine and
is associated with the moon. The number 4 is
associated with the sun and is feminine. Among
the Dogon, the drum has an important role in
agricultural rituals. First, it symbolizes the sacri-
fice of the Monitor that allows the world to be
reorganized. It also represents the millet seed used
in planting and the circumcision blood of young
boys that was reclaimed. There is a special mask
that describes the composition of the world. The
symbol at the top of the mask represents the sky.
The middle symbol, ether, represents the arms fol-
lowed by the legs, which represent the ground.
The Akan people have a three-pointed axe sym-
bol, and their new king is seated three times on his
stool as part of the coronation ceremony. Shango,
a Yoruba god, has three wives. In some East
African areas, the teeth are altered to show three
points; for the Bogouini, their cosmic tree is
composed of a triple serpent.
Mende naming ceremonies take place 3 days
after the birth of a daughter and after 4 days for
a son. Naming ceremony gifts require three for a
girl and four for a boy. On the second day of
marriage, the new husband offers three kola nuts
wrapped in white cloth to his mother-in-law in
appreciation of his wife’s purity. In polygamous
families, wives take turns of three nights sleeping
with their husband. It is the custom that a
woman be bathed three times and a man four in
purification rituals. When it is necessary to mas-
sage medicinal salves on the body, it is done three
times for women and four times for men. Death
rituals are performed 3 days after a woman
succumbs and after 4 days for a man. At sacred
forest ceremonies of initiation, markings on the
back of a boy are placed on the fourth day and
on the third day for a girl. For the Kolokuma Ljo
of the Niger Delta, odd numbers are masculine
and even numbers are feminine. They have a 4-
day week, with days 1 and 3 regarded as good
days for men and days 2 and 4 for women. The
Dogons use four strips of cloth to make clothing
for women and three sets of three strips for a
man’s trousers.Meanings of the Number 4
The number 4 often stands for the four cardinal
points. Among the Ngulus, many gestures are
done four times, and there is the requirement
when using certain objects to use them four
times. There are several peoples for whom the
number 4 has religious significance. The Bazibas
worship a god that has four sons. Typically the
sons are masters of natural phenomena. One son
is described as a mythic hero, and the other three
are gods of water, sun, moon, and cattle. For the
Mosi, their heavenly god created four brothers
who became heirs to the kingdom of the Earth.
Similarly, the Songhay have a master of the wind,
a master of thunder, a master of rain, and a mas-
ter of the beam. As part of ritual, the Shiluk king
is confined for 4 days, and one important cele-
bration lasts 4 days. Sky, land, lightning, and the
sea are the domains of the four Fon gods. Bozo
people have sacred objects that represent the
four elements. Fali husbands are served by four
wives in a 4-day rotation.
The Balubas and Luluas separate the world
into four planes. The planes crisscross, and their
creator lives in the intersection. Husbands have a
house in the center of an X pattern, and their
wives live on the outer points. A similar situation
holds for the king’s residence, where he is in the
center and his dignitaries are on the four points.
The gods of the Ashanti have four sons, whereas
the Yoruba have constructed a four-part universe
with four cardinal points that are connected to
four gods and a 4-day week. Also, the Yoruba
governing body is made up of four chiefs.
There are four ceremonies of initiation for
Uhavenda boys and two for girls. The UhavendaNumber Symbolism 463