Memphite theological system, one sees Ptah “on the
great seat” as the one from whom all gods are cre-
ated, including Tefnut. In any case, regardless of
which of the Egyptian theological systems is being
addressed, the Memphite system where Ptah’s identi-
fication with Nun/Nunet was anterior to Atum or
the Iunu Ennead where Atum was at the origin of
all creation, the Supreme Deity as Ptah or Atum
brought Tefnut and all other deities into existence.
What is consensus among authors who have studied
the Egyptian religious systems is that, in the Egyptian
ontogeny, Nun/Nunet, the androgynous concept, is
the primary originator, the cosmic substratum, the
potential creative power, or the primeval procreator
of all gods who created the universe and all things in
it. The androgynous Nun/Nunet begot Atum.
Atum’s Ennead came into being through his own
semen and fingers, and also through the teeth and
the lips in his mouth, which pronounced the names
of all things and from which Shu and Tefnut
emanated, who gave birth to the Ennead. In
Egyptian cosmogony, where Nun is conceived as the
primordial matter or the pretemporal absolute
moisture or water, the possibility of life manifested
itself by the principle of transformation, Khepera, in
the form of sun, Ra or Atum-Ra. This materializa-
tion of Nun into Ra by virtue of Khepera, actualiza-
tion or calling of an essence into an existing form, is
at the core of the Kemetic sense of Unity of Being,
which is replicated when the sun god, Atum-Ra,
conceives of himself with Shu and Tefnut, the prin-
ciples of air and water, as one.
Tefnut, therefore, contains the divine principle
of Nun. Tefnut is at the beginning of the Kemetic
concept of divine order and creation, one among
the nine primeval gods and goddesses. The
Pyramid Textssuggests that Tefnut was the female
form of Shu and that they both were conceived by
Atum to start the sexual, creative cycle as the
origin of human beings. According to this myth,
Tefnut was the mother of mothers.
Ana Monteiro-FerreiraSeealsoWater
Further Readings
Faulkner, R. O. (1938, June). The Bremner-Rhind
Papyrus: IV.The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology,
24 (1), 41–53.
Finnestad, R. B. (1976, August). Ptah, Creator of the
Gods: Reconsideration of the Ptah Section of the
Denkmal.Numen, 23 (2), 81–113.
Karenga, M. (2006).Maat:The Moral Ideal in Ancient
Egypt. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press.
Verharen, C. (1997, March). The New World and the
Dreams to Which It May Give Rise: An African and
American Response to Hegel’s Challenge.Journal of
Black Studies, 27 (4), 456–493.TEKE
The Teke, or Bateke, people are found in the
Congo Republics and Gabon areas of Africa. They
are well known as traders. The nameTekemeans
“to buy.” The Teke live along the banks of the
Congo River, where they have an established
commercial reputation.
It is in the area of energetic African art in the
form of small figurines and masks that the Teke
are most significant in a religious way. The Teke
are generally known for their sculptured ances-
tral figures, calledbuttiandnkir, which serve in
the use of a wide range of supernatural forces
sent from the ancestral realm. They can be made
in the form of shells, boxes, or small figures cre-
ated out of stone or wood. Neither the butti nor
the nkir are worshipped, but rather they are used
to represent the energy, vitality, and power of the
ancestors when they are remembered and hon-
ored by those who are living. Each figure has its
own specific purpose not related directly to its
appearance. The nkir refer to spirits that are
known; they are calledbankir. In contrast, the
butti represent thebapfu, the spirits that are the
anonymous Dead.
The function of the masks among the Teke is
like that in other African communities. They rep-
resent the communion between the community of
the living and the ancestral world. The ritual of
wearing a mask and dancing among the Teke is a
genuine expression of the most relevant part of
the traditional religion of the Teke.
In the African world, masks are prominent in
religious practices. For example, the Teke create
masks to honor their great ancestral men and
women and encourage them to use their special
powers to maintain stability and harmonyTeke 651