Among the Zulu,Mbaba Mwana Waresa(Lady
of the Rainbow) has a story of searching for her
divine spouse. The Zulu also revere Inkosazana,
who introduced corn and beer. African goddesses
tell important stories about human possibility by
offering information about the supernatural realm.
In the DiasporaAfrican goddesses survived and developed in the
Black Diaspora as a result of the holocaust of
enslavement (Middle Passage) and the subse-
quent migration of African people. Some African
goddesses brought their ingenious names with
them, whereas others took new names and new
forms. They consistently brought their God
attributes.
They include, among many others, Yemoja
(Yemaya), Oya, Oshun, Anansi, Isis, and Maat.
They exist within African women’s rites of pas-
sage ceremonies. In terms of women’s rituals,
some scholars believe that female circumcision is a
mock form of masculine castration in order to
achieve a greater alignment with the feminine god-
dess. In the African Diaspora, as on the continent
of Africa, goddesses perform a variety of specific
functions in support of humanity and the cosmos.
Their responsibilities include
- creating the universe;
- protecting humanity, especially women;
- exemplifying the role of great wife and
mother; - serving as oracles in the divination process;
- bringing wealth, abundance, and prosperity;
- controlling nature (water, wind, fire, etc.);
- giving life and taking it away;
- healing the sick;
- mediating between good and evil, as well as
dispensing law, wisdom, and hidden truths; - providing sustenance to the people; and
- balancing and bringing order to the universe.
Katherine Olukemi BankoleSee alsoAuset
Further Readings
Idowu, E. B. (1994).Olodumare:God in Yoruba Belief.
New York: A&B Books.
Karenga, M. (2006).Maat:The Moral Ideal in Ancient
Egypt. Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press.
Mbiti, J. (1970).Concepts of God in Africa. New York:
Praeger.
Monges, M. M. K. R. (1997).Kush the Jewel of Nubia.
Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
Walker, S. (1980, November). African Gods in the
Americas: The Black Religious Continuum.Black
Scholar, 11 (8), 25–36.
Zahan, D. (1979).The Religion,Spirituality,and
Thought of Traditional Africa. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.GOLA
The Gola people live primarily in the western part
of Liberia, West Africa. Furthermore, a sizable
Gola community resides in the neighboring coun-
try of Sierra Leone. Their language is called Gola
as well. Many scholars have suggested that the
name Gullah, a people living in the Georgia and
North Carolina regions of the United States, may
well originate from the wordGolabecause many
Gola people were captured and sent against their
will to be enslaved in the United States, among
other places, during the European slave trade and
enslavement of African people.
The Gola’s original home was mostly in the coun-
try known today as the Ivory Coast, which they
started leaving around 1300 AD to settle in their
present locations. Much Gola life is centered around
farming. Indeed, the Gola farmers are reputed for
their great agricultural skills and knowledge. Rice is
the main crop that they cultivate.
The Gola people believe in a supreme God who,
once the world was created, withdrew, leaving its
governance in the hands of divinities and ancestral
spirits. Thus, the Gola venerate their ancestors
because they know them to be an intricate part of
their daily lives. They take much care in expressing
their reverence and need for their protection by reg-
ularly performing rituals, such as offerings and sacri-
fices to them. The Gola believe in reincarnation, that
is, in the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
Thus, a newborn child is believed to be a returning
ancestor from the family lineage. As a result, theGola 295