556 Queens
common good. Calamities, riots, wars, pesti-
lence, disease, and bad fortune may descend on
a community where the queen or king is irra-
tional, violent, disobedient to the fundamental
values of the society, or disrespectful of the ances-
tors. This is particularly true in those areas that
are agrarian, where the weather and the resultant
harvest depend on the queens. In communal life,
the royal figure is the one gluon that holds every-
thing and everyone together. It is a large and
important responsibility for the royals to influence
the harvest and the fertility of families, and there-
fore they must engage in the protection of their
powers by ritual ceremonies to the ancestors.
The ruler in Africa is usually identified with
a divinity or may be a divinity herself. Sacred
queenship is related to the idea of the royal person
being the daughter of god. This was the case in the
earliest of African religions in the Nile Valley.
Indeed, each person who assumed the queenship
as per-aa was considered the “Sat Ra,” that is, the
“daughter of God.”Molefi Kete AsanteSeealsoDivinities; WomenFurtherReadings
Asante, M. K. (2007).The History of Africa. London:
Routledge.
Olson, S., & Wegner, J. (1992).Educational Guide:
Ancient Nubia. Philadelphia: University Museum
Education Department.
Simon, V. S. (1983). African King in Confederate
Capital.Negro History Bulletin, 46 (1), 9–10.
Wenig, S. (1978).Africa in Antiquity:The Essays.
New York: The Brooklyn Museum.