power is over darkness or night. Others are the
powers of light and warmth and the ability to
change seasons and spur growth. The sun is
frequently likened to God or seen as a manifesta-
tion of God because of its endless benevolence of
these life-giving attributes. Other attributes of the
sun that are associated with God are the
omnipresence of the sun’s rays, its endurance, and
its eternal nature. This close association between
God and the sun appears in cultures where the
name of God and the sun are the same:Ruwa
among the Chagga, We among the Ashanti,
Kazooba, among the Ankore, and, among the
Nandi,Asisfor God andAsistafor the sun.
A close association between God and the sun
was detailed in ancient Kemet with the sun
god, Ra, and his many manifestations: Atum-Ra,
Amen-Ra, and Ra-Horakhty. Atum-Ra was Ra at
sunset or “the all” at the completion of the sun’s
journey. Amen-Ra is the hidden sun. Ra-Horakhty
is the sun as Horus. The sun is also personified as
a child in the morning, a strong adult at midday,
an elder in the evening, and a dying old man at
night who will be reborn the next morning and
repeat the process.
Creation stories also reflect personifications of
the sun. Nut, the sky goddess, gives birth to the
sun every morning and swallows him at night.
Among the San, the sun is a man whose light was
only shown when he lifted his right armpit. He
became round and the sun as we know it when
children, after instruction from women in the vil-
lage, waited until he fell asleep and threw him into
the sky, commanding him to take the form of the
sun. Although the sun is usually considered mas-
culine, among the Dogon, the sun,nay, is female.
Nayalso means four and has the same derivation
as mother and cow, ancient mythotypes for fertil-
ity and other life-giving qualities. Perhaps the four
relates to the key positions of the sun throughout
the year: two solstices and two equinoxes, the lat-
ter of which are marked among the Dogon with
special rituals. The “middle of the south sun” is
the vernal and the “middle of the north sun” is the
autumnal equinox.
In addition to rituals to mark solar events,
Africans also use structures to mark solar events
such as the Temple at Karnak, which is aligned
with the setting sun at the summer solstice of 3700
BC, and the temple of Ramses at Abu Simbel,
which is built so the sun doesnotshine on Amen,
one of the four deities located within the holy of
holies.
The sun is not always seen as a life-giving force.
The Nuer believe that the devil lives in the sun.
This reasoning is based on the extreme heat,
thirst, and death caused by the intense equatorial
sun that can harm humans. This aspect of the sun
is Set, the neter from Kemet associated with the
desert and drought, whose name means burning,
fire, or rays of sun.Denise MartinSee alsoRaFurther Readings
Asante, M. K. (2003).The Egyptian Philosophers.
Chicago: AA Images.
Finch, C. S., III. (1998).Echoes of the Old Darkland.
Decatur, GA: Khenti.SUNSUM
The Akan universe is endowed with varying
degrees of force or power. This force or power is
referred to assunsum, which is also understood as
“spirit.” All things, animate and inanimate, con-
tain sunsum, which has the power to hurt and the
power to heal. It is for this reason that we consult
the Nsamanfo (community of ancestors) before
making and acting on many of our daily decisions.
On an individual basis, the sunsum originates
with the father and refers to an individual’s spirit,
the basis of one’s character and personality.
The Akan believe that each individual consists of
certain material and spiritual elements. The honam
(body) and mogya (blood, connection to matrilin-
eage) represent the material or physical compo-
nents, whereas the kra (life force/soul), honhom
(breath of Divine Life), and sunsum (spirit, connec-
tion to patrilineage) represent the spiritual or non-
physical components. Nyame (creator) bestows these
material and spiritual elements on us at conception
and birth; however, when we “die,” the honam and
mogya join Asase Yaa (Mother Earth) while the kra,
honhom, and sunsum return to Nyame. TheSunsum 637