and the one with the highest tone. These patterns
are almost identical in other contemporary mani-
festations of the African spiritual system.
In Vodu, the three Rada drums are calledbula
or petit, the smallest; seconde, the second or
middle drum; andmaman, which is the largest.
The trinity of drums also lives among the
Rastafari. Collectively called theakete, the drums
comprise the repeater, also called the kete, the
funde, and the bass.
In Santería, the three batá drums also vary in
size and sound, from the iya (iyain Yoruba means
mother); theitotele, or the middle one; and the
okonkolo(alsookonkiloororele), the smallest. In
Yorubaland, these drums are respectively known
asIyá Ilú,Omele, andKudi.
In other places such as Martinique, Guadeloupe,
and Guyane, three drums are also ubiquitous, with
each performing a different but complementary
function in the ensemble, hence one drum to
damme(to announce), another torefoule(to send
the rhythm back), and the third tocoupe(to cut).
In Guyana, this significance of the number 3 in
drums is preserved in two variations. The terms
rondel,tampalin, andsassi suzinarepresent Kongo
influences, whereas a Central African influence is
reported in the termstuta,ja, and bass.
Kimani S.K.NehusiFurther Readings
Denning, M., Phillips, O., & Rudolph, G. (1979).
Voudoun Fire:The Living Reality of Mystical
Religion. St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn.
Desmangles, L. (1992).The Faces of the Gods: Vodou
and Roman Catholicism in Haiti. Chapel Hill:
University of North Carolina Press.
Wilkinson, H. R. (1999).Symbol and Magic in Egyptian
Art. London: Thames & Hudson.
THUNDER
Thunder is the loud sound following a flash of
lightning. However, most Africans do not just
perceive it as such; they “see” beyond the light-
ing and “hear” beyond the loud sound. This is
because they consider the phenomenon as
representing either the feat of a supernatural
being, the symbol of divine power, or the
vengeance of an enraged deity. As such, thunder
never goes unnoticed, is always treated with awe
and caution, and may even become the object of
a cult.Thunder Cult in Africa
In fact, thunder cults are prominent among a
number of people in Africa. For example,
among the Yoruba,sangoisorisa ara(the god of
thunderbolt). The thunderbolt deity is called
kamaluby the Igbo andsokogbaby the Nupe
people of Nigeria. The Basoga Uganda assert
thatkidumais the divinity responsible for the
rain, wind, and thunderstorm, while Kyakais
the god of lightning.The Cult of Sango
The thunder cult seems to be exceptionally
renowned among the Yoruba. In the religion of
the Yoruba, Sango, the owner of lightning and
the wielder of the thunderbolt, represents the
manifestation of God’s wrath. For this reason,
Sango is called by his praise nameOba Jakuta,
meaning “the king who hurls or fights with
stones.” It is believed that Sango hauls thunder-
bolts at evil doers and strikes them down with
thunder. Any person who dies as a result of
Sango’s thunder must be buried ritually by the
priests of Sango. Despite his seemingly ruthless
nature, Sango is nevertheless one of the most
revered divinities because he is remembered as
standing for justice and fair play. Sango is the
minister of justice in God’s government; he is
known to punish wicked and evil people. The
Yoruba believe that Sango hates and forbids
stealing, lying, witchcraft, and society. It is
believed that only the heinous are struck by
lightning. Sango’s staff is represented by a dou-
ble-bladed axe. The axe is regarded as the sym-
bol of the thunderbolt hurled by Sango. This
symbol signifies that none, no matter how dis-
tant, were beyond the reach of his authority. On
Sango’s altars are placed wooden axes, stones,
and carved mortars because the pounding of
food in a mortar sounds like thunder. Smaller
stones and clay axes may also be found. It isThunder 663