myths, there is a principle oftwin birthsin the
universe. However, it is said that Amma’s first
attempt at intercourse with the Earth failed, ulti-
mately producing only a single creature—the
jackal. This failure is seen by the Dogon as a
breach of order in the universe, and therefore the
jackalcame to be associated with the concepts of
disorderandthe difficulties of Amma. Later, hav-
ing overcome the difficulty, Amma’s divine seed
successfully entered and fertilized the womb of
the Earth and eventually produced the perfect
twin pair, theNummo.
It has been noted by respected researchers of
Dogon myth—such as historian Nicolas Grimal in
his A History of Ancient Egypt—that there are
likely symbolic parallels between key Dogon
mythological characters and those of ancient
Egypt. For instance, it can be argued that Amma
is a likely counterpart to the Egyptian hidden god,
Amen, much as attributes of the jackal of the
Dogon myths present clear parallels to thejackal
godof the Egyptian Underworld. Likewise, com-
parisons can be made between the Egyptian canid
godSabwho acts as judge betweengood and evil
and thePale Fox(vulpes pallida) of Dogon tradi-
tion who is charged with the similar role of judg-
ing between oftruth and error.
Laird ScrantonSee alsoAmen
Further Readings
Calame-Griaule, G.Dictionnaire Dogon. Paris: Librarie
C. Klincksieck.
Clark, R. T. R. (1995).Myth and Symbol in Ancient
Egypt. London: Thames and Hudson.
Griaule, M. (1970).Conversations With Ogotemmeli.
London: Oxford University Press.
Griaule, M., & Germaine, D. (1954).The Dogon, an
essay fromAfrican Worlds:Studies in the
Cosmological Ideas and Social Values of African
Peoples. London: Oxford University Press.
Griaule, M., & Germaine, D. (1965).The Pale Fox.
Chino Valley, AZ: Continuum Foundation.
Grimal, N. (1994).A History of Ancient Egypt(I. Shaw,
Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
Hagan, H. (2000).The Shining Ones: An Entymological
Essay on the Amazigh Roots of Egyptian Civilization.
Philadelphia, PA: Xlibris.
AMOKYE
Amokye is the name that the Akan people give to
the guardian of the threshold of death. In fact,
among the Asantes, it is believed that Amokye can
be compassionate and kind or difficult and cruel.
There is a story told of Kwasi Benefo in illustra-
tion of this point.
It is said that Kwasi Benefo journeyed to
Asamando, the place the Asante refer to as the
world of departed souls. Of course, this is a story
that shows Amokye in her role as the guardian of
the threshold of death because Kwasi is a hero of
great compassion. Kwasi was a farmer and a cat-
tle raiser. He had many cattle and farmed on good
land, his fields bringing in rich harvests each year.
He did not have a wife, however, to give him
children or to care for his house. He was saddened
by this because he wanted to have a wife to mourn
for him when the time came. So one day he went
looking for a woman to marry and in a village he
discovered a beautiful woman who pleased him a
lot. They got married, and soon the woman took
ill and died. Kwasi Benefo grieved greatly about
this loss. He bought her an amoasie, a small piece
of silk cotton cloth to cover her genitals, and
beads to go around her waist. She was buried in
the amoasie and beads. Yet Kwasi could not for-
get her, and he went around looking for her in his
house, but obviously he did not find her. Soon he
was so obsessed with looking for her that his mind
was no longer with the real world; he was in the
land of make-believe.
Finally, his family tried to intervene. His uncle
and brothers spoke to him to bring him back to
reality. They said to him, “Kwasi, put it from
your mind. This is the way it is in the world.
People live and they die. You must find yourself
another wife.” Soon Kwasi seemed to gain com-
fort. He left his village and traveled to another
village, where he found another young woman.
He made arrangements for her to come home
with him. She was content to live with him and he
with her; she was a woman of good character and
took charge of the household. She wanted to
please Kwasi. He was happy and felt that life was
worthwhile. Soon his wife was pregnant, and he
was hopeful that she might give birth. She became
ill after a while and grew very weak. Soon sheAmokye 41