woman. She conducts rainmaking ceremonies,
leads the infected to the waterfall for cleansing
during epidemic disease, installs new chiefs, and
ritually prepares warriors for battle by having them
crawl through her legs. Leya culture is decentral-
ized, so although the Bedyango was an important
figure, other spiritual workers, including men, had
access to the falls for rituals and healing.
Denise MartinSee alsoWater
Further Readings
Asante, M. K. (2007).The History of Africa. London:
Routledge.
Kasule, S. (1998).The History Atlas of Africa.
New York: Macmillan.WEPWAWET
Wepwawet,Wp-w3-wt[Wep-wa-wet] (Webwawet,
Apuat, Ubuaut, Ubuat, Upuaut, Upwaut, Ophois),
became a funerary deity in Kemetic (Egyptian) cos-
mogony. Wepwawet, originally a war god whose
cult center was Asyut (Lycopolis, Cynopolis, city of
the wolves) in Upper Kemet, became a deity rep-
resentative of the winter solstice as Anubis (Jackal-
headed god who assisted Aset [Isis] in the resurrection
of Asar) and was a deity representative of the sum-
mer solstice. Wepwawet’s name means “opener of710 Wepwawet
Thousands of HaitianVodu practitioners bathe, July 17, 1995,in the sacred Saut d’Eau waterfall,northeast of Port-au-Prince,to
receive blessings in the coming year.
Source: AFP/Getty Images.