One night he could not sleep and thought that
he should go to Asamando, the land of the dead,
to see the four young women whom he had mar-
ried. So he left his village and went to the forest
place called Nsamando where the dead are buried.
When he got there, he found no paths. There were
no lights. All was nothing but darkness. He kept
walking until he found a village with dim lights.
The place was strange. There were no sounds, no
voices, no birds, and no animals. He finally came
to a river. When he tried to ford the river, he could
not because the water was too high. He was sure
that this was the end of his journey.
Just as he was about to give up for good, he felt
a splash of water on his face and looked across the
river. Sitting on the opposite bank of the river, he
saw an old woman with a brass pan at her side. In
the pan were beads and amoasies for women.
Then it was clear to Kwasi Benefo: He knew that
the old woman was none other than Amokye, the
guardian who welcomed the souls of dead women
to Asamando and received from each of them
amoasie and beads. It was also clear that this was
the reason women were dressed for burial as they
were, so that they could use the amoasie and
beads at the river crossing.
Old Amokye asked Kwasi Benefo, “Why are
you here?” He answered, “I have come to see my
wives. I cannot live any longer because every
woman who stays in my house dies. I cannot sleep,
I cannot think, I cannot work, I cannot eat. I want
nothing that the living world has for living
people.” Amokye said to him, “You must be Kwasi
Benefo. Yes, I have heard of you. I have heard of
your troubles and your sadness. However, because
you are not a soul, but a living person, you cannot
cross over.” Kwasi said to Amokye, “Then I will
stay here until I die and become a soul.”
At length Amokye had compassion on Kwasi
Benefo and said to him, “Because of your tremendous
pain, grief, and suffering, I will let you come across.”
Amokye caused the river to run slowly. She caused it
to become shallow. She told Kwasi, “Go that way.
There you will find your wives. But they are like the
air; you will not be able to see them, though they will
know you have come. You will feel their presence and
they will know that you are in their presence.”
Molefi Kete AsanteSee alsoAkan
Further Readings
Scheub, H. (2000).A Dictionary of African Mythology.
New York: Oxford University Press.
Williams, J. (1936).Africa’s God:Gold Coast and Its
Hinterland. Chestnut Hill, MA: Boston College Press.AMULET
In Africa, many ethnic groups use objects that
have been set aside as sacred for the purpose of
protection. Thus, an amulet in this sense is any-
thing that can be used to bring safety to the car-
rier of the object. Among some African people,
such as the Tamaschek of Mali and Burkina Faso,
the amulet might be a tattoo on one’s body.
However, in most cases, it is a religious figure or
some symbol that represents an aspect of the
African religion that can be worn around the
neck, ankle, or wrist.
The amulet is not simply worn; it is accepted as
a living, vital symbol that acts as a protector of
the individual wearing it. Among some African
people, a stone, especially a gemstone, might be
considered a guarantor of fortune, welfare, and
prosperity. Indeed, the idea of the amulet is that it
brings the benefits of the sacred to the living.
Thus, all expressions of African religion on the
continent and in the Americas rely on some form
of amulets. Among the practitioners of Umbanda,
Myal, Shango, Quimbanda, Voodun, and
Santeria, one finds various forms of amulets. In
fact, some might think of the special drawings
called veves of Voodun as amulets or the various
colors of cloth or candles as representing certain
powers that repel evil or attract goodness. Among
Africans in the Americas, particularly in the
American South, it was common deep into the
20th century for children to have rabbits’ feet
around their necks or their ankles to ward off all
forms of danger. Indeed, the African belief is that
these items are endowed with special powers if the
proper religious officials have authorized them.
The amulet is one of the oldest traditions in
African religion. During the period of Pharaonic
Egypt, the people discovered remarkable vitality
in many of the arts and artifacts that were created
by the priests. Nothing was so popular as an
amulet as the ankh, which stood for the idea ofAmulet 43