of males and females, and males sometimes fulfill
“female” roles just as females may take on “male”
roles. The individual’s performance in a particular
role is the determining factor as to which role that
individual may play.
Deonte James HollowellSeealsoAkan
FurtherReadings
Mbiti, J. (1969).African Religion and Philosophers.
New York: Anchor.
Parrinder, G. (1967).African Mythology. New York:
Bedrick.
KALÛNGA
In Bakongo cosmology, Kalûnga is the fire force.
It emerges complete from within mbûngi, the
empty circle in existence before creation. The
Kalûnga fires up and releases a storm of projec-
tiles, overrunning the mbûngi. Because life would
emerge from this event, Kalûnga is the source
and origin of life and potential, the force that
continually generates. Kalûnga is also the symbol
for force and vitality and a principle of change.
Because Kalûnga occurred on a cosmic scale,
Kalûnga is the idea of immensity and the princi-
ple god of change. Kalûnga is life. Because
Kalûnga was the first activity within mbûngi, it is
force in motion. Therefore, all living things are in
perpetual motion.
Kalûnga also divides the Bakongo circular cos-
mos in half. The upper half is the world of the
great spirit, Nzambi, whereas the lower half is the
world of ancestors, Bakulu, spirits, and beings
preparing for a material body. The upper world is
physicalku nseke, whereas the lower is spiritual
ku mpèmba. The Kalûnga line is a line on which
all living things dwell. Although material beings
live along Kalûnga, it is an invisible barrier
between the two realms. It is sometimes likened
to a river. Because the Bakongo have a circular
worldview, a person crosses the Kalûnga line at
birth and death and repeats the process again
when he or she is reborn.
The point at which a person crosses the
Kalûnga line and is physically born is called
kala. This is called the sun of all births and
equates with sunrise and physical beginnings.
For the person, kala is distinguished by speech.
The person will learn to hear and use words
along with their power. The color of kala is
black. The other point isLuvemba, the point at
which one leaves the physical world and reen-
ters the world of living energy and the ancestors.
This sun of death is linked to the sunset, end-
ings, and is represented by white.
The person moves along the horizontal plane of
the Kalûnga meeting challenges and collecting
experiences. Movement along the Kalûnga can be
forward, backward, or sideways. The purpose for
themuntuis to acquire knowledge. If the muntu
does not learn along the Kalûnga, he or she
becomes powerless. The community also exists
along the Kalûnga, therefore Kalûnga connects all
community relationships and supports the learn-
ing of the muntu.Denise Martin
SeealsoFireFurtherReadings
Fu-Kiau, K. K. B. (1991).Self Healing Power and
Therapy:Old Teachings From Africa. Baltimore:
Imprint Editions/Black Classics Press.
Fu-Kiau, K. K. B. (1994). Ntangu-Tandu-Kolo: The
Bantu-Kongo Concepts of Time. In J. Adjaye (Ed.),
Time in the Black Experience(pp. 17–34). Westport,
CT: Greenwood Press.
Fu-Kiau, K. K. B. (2001).Tying the Spiritual Knot:African
Cosmology of the Bantu Kongo.Principles of Life and
Living. Brooklyn, NY: Athelia Henrietta Press.KHNUM
Khnum, whose name means unite, join, or build,
was the ancient Egyptian god of fertility. He was
depicted in semi-anthropomorphic form as a
ram-headed god wearing a short kilt and a long
tripartite wig. He was depicted with the horizon-
tal, undulating horns of Ovis Longipes, the first
species of sheep to be raised in Egypt. However,
as time passed, he was also depicted with theKhnum 361