all night long and, like most Vodu ceremonies, will
involve intense drumming, singing, and dancing.
The purpose of reclaiming the gwobonanj is sim-
ply to separate it from the world of the living dead,
thus allowing it to become again an active member
of the community of the living, with the govi, the
receptacle of the gwobonanj, acting as a substitute
for the now decayed physical body. In other words,
the govi can be thought of as a vessel that allows the
deceased to resume their active involvement in the
affairs of their original community.
As such, the govi is quite precious to the living
because, when called on, the spirit will be able to
dispense advice, guidance, warnings, protection,
wisdom, and so on, to the living from the govi.
The gwobonanj in the govi is regarded as most
sacred, and its power is only beneath that of the
Lwa and Gwanmèt (God). Govis are regularly fed,
that is, they receive food offerings and sacrifices
from the living. At some point, several generations
later, when the direct descendants of the person
whose gwobonanj is in the govi have themselves
made their transition into the spiritual realm, then
the spirit is returned, through immolation, to the
world of the ancestors, Ginen.
The importance and significance of the govi
can hardly be overstressed because it enables as
well as brings to light the Voduists’ reverence for
their ancestors, a ubiquitous and fundamental
feature of African religion in general.
Ama MazamaSee alsoVodou in Haiti
Further Readings
Deren, M. (1972).The Divine Horsemen:The Voodoo
Gods of Haiti. New York: Delta.
Desmangles, L. (1994).Faces of the Gods.Vodou and
Roman Catholicism in Haiti. Chapel Hill: University
of North Carolina Press.
Métraux, A. (1958).Le Vaudou Haitien. Paris: Gallimard.
GROVES, SACRED
Groves are sacred in African religion. They contain
the spirits of the ancestors. The ancestors do not
die, according to African worldview. They join the
environment and live as one with nature. Founders
of nations and heads of families and dynasties
identify with hills and mountains as symbols of
their deep roots, solid high moral standards, and
principles. Some identify with trees such as the
baobab and iroko as symbols of royalty and status.
Some identify with rivers, lakes, springs, pools,
and waterfalls as ideal resorts for their spirits.
Warrior spirits identify with animals such as the
rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, or hippo as
symbols of power, strength, and aggression.Sanctity and Sanctuary
The spirits of elders and wise men find kinship
with birds such as the hawk, falcon, and eagle as
symbols of sagacity, far-reaching wisdom, and
vision. Healing spirits associate with bushes,
plants, and shrubberies as their resorts. Spirits of
beauty or vanity associate with colorful flowers
and rare butterflies such as the Mother of Pearl
and the Eared Commodore found in the forests of
the Zambezi, where the spirit of Nyami-Nyami,
the snake deity, is guardian of Mosi-oa-Tunya.
The sanctity of the falls of Mosi-oa-Tunya was
defiled by David Livingstone, the Scottish adven-
turer and explorer, who named them Victoria
Falls in honor of Queen Victoria. The sacred name
for the falls in Nambiya is Chinotimba, which
means The Spirit of Thunder. The classical name
for the falls in Shona is Mapopoma, which means
The Great Deluge.
Major groves in Africa that have been declared
World Heritage Sites are sanctuaries, where phe-
nomena associated with the ancestors as deities
are found. The rivers, lakes, springs, and pools of
Matopo are spiritual resorts of deities as mer-
maids endowed with mystic powers of healing,
divination, and magic, which the ancestors reveal
to healers in dreams. The Njelele shrines of the
Matopo Hills are World Heritage Sites dedicated
to the worship of Mwari, the Shona God, and to
the honor of Murenga, the Shona ancestor and
founder of Zimbabwe.
The religious name for the Hills of Matopo in
Kalanga is Malindidzimu, which means Holy
Place for the Ancestors. The Shona name for the
Hills in their myths is Mabweadziva, which meansGroves, Sacred 297