Mawu is thought to be a Janus-like figure associ-
ated with the moon, and Lisa is associated with the
sun. Their dual nature represents the complemen-
tary forces in the universe: Mawu, the female, is
fertility, motherhood, gentleness, and forgiveness,
whereas Lisa, the male, is power, warlike strength,
and toughness. The idea of twin beings personifies
the equilibrium preserved between asymmetrical
complements, which are the nature of the world.
In the process of ordering the world, Mawu-Lisa
is said to have cooperated and been aided by the
deity Dã. Dã has the character of a force of life and
motion, rather than a divine being. Whereas Dã is
life, Mawu-Lisa is thought. Dã manifests itself in the
world in a number of ways, chief among them Dã
Ayido Hwεdo, most commonly seen as the rainbow.
The nameDãalso means “serpent” in Fon, and this
spiritual entity is always conceived as such.
After Nana Buluku created Mawu-Lisa, it with-
drew from the world. Mawu-Lisa went on to give
birth to all the Vodu. Each of the Vodu born of
Mawu-Lisa was given a domain of responsibility.
The Earth is assigned to the dual deity Sakpata,
atmospheric phenomena are assigned to the
androgynous Sogbo, the sea and the waters are
assigned to Agbe-Naetε, and uncultivated land
where no men live is the responsibility of Agε. In
fact, the last of the Vodu to be born of Mawu-Lisa
is Lεgba, whose responsibility is to be the inter-
preter between the Vodu. Another important
Vodu to be born of Mawu-Lisa is Gu, generally
referred to as the Vodu of iron and the deity of
the domestic hearth as well as of crafts.
Because many Yoruba and Fon men and
women were taken to the Americas where they
were enslaved, the veneration of Nana Buluku
continued in the religious practice of Santería
(Cuba), Oyotunji (United States), Candomblé
(Brazil), Umbanda (Brazil), Batuque (Brazil), and
Lukumí (Cuba). In Santería, Nana Buluku is an
Orisha (god) and is known as the essence of the
moon. Nana Buluku is also the mother of the
river, whereasOshunis known as the Queen of
the river. Indeed, the continuity from Fon cosmol-
ogy is apparent because Nana Buluku is also
referred to as the Grandmother of the Orishas.
Garvey F. LundySeealsoFon; God; Vodou in Benin
Further Readings
Argyle, W. (1966).The Fon of Dahomey:A History and
Ethnography of the Old Kingdom. Oxford, UK:
Clarendon Press.
Herskovits, M. J. (1967).Dahomey:An Ancient West
African Kingdom. Evanston, IL: Northwestern
University Press.
Mercier, P. (1954). The Fon of Dahomey.In D. Ford
(Ed.),African Worlds:Studies in the Cosmological
Ideas and Social Values of African Peoples(pp.
210–234). London: Oxford University Press.
Montilus, G. (1972).Vodou Fon dans le royaume
d’Allada(Bas-Dahomey):Ses images et ses symboles.
Cotonou, Benin: Author.NANNY
The African Jamaican heroine Nanny, also affec-
tionately known as “Granny Nanny,” is a symbol of
African agency, resistance, and freedom. In the
18th century, Nanny became the spiritual, cultural,
and military leader of the Windward or Eastern
Jamaican Maroon community. Nanny has been
excluded from much of the written literature on
Jamaican history, and much of what is known about
her has been passed down from generation to gen-
eration by way of oral tradition, in addition to sev-
eral written references. In some cases, many of the
historical accounts of Nanny come from second-
and third-hand sources, in many cases unreliable,
such as those provided by racist British writers of
the 18th and 19th centuries and Maroon captives
being held under duress by Europeans. Nanny’s
legacy has also been passed on from generation
to generation by way of song, storytelling, and cer-
emonies commemorating her leadership and accom-
plishments on behalf of African people in Jamaica.
Although these sources are sometimes contra-
dictory, there is some agreed-on knowledge with
regard to Nanny’s legacy. In 1975, the Jamaican
government inducted Nanny as a national hero,
and her portrait now appears on the Jamaican
500-dollar bill. Most important, her legacy of
unyielding resistance and freedom fighting lives
on in the hearts and minds of people of African
descent. Her legacy is perpetuated through stories,
sayings, language, ceremonies, rituals, symbols,
objects, and places named in her honor.Nanny 441