as “the food of Usondo.” Nothing in creation
can escape the idea of Usondo because it goes to
the heart of origin. All Zulu are essentially the
children who came after the breaking into exis-
tence by Usondo. They say that Usondo came by
Unthlanga and all Zulu ancestors came by
Usondo. The word Unthlanga means “Great
Father.” Obviously, this is a reference to the orig-
inal creation of the people. But Nkulunkulu is
thought to have gone beneath the world to live
once humans were created, and therefore he can-
not be seen. Because Nkulunkulu cannot be seen
there are no images, shrines, or priests for him;
there is no way to trace him, and hence his work
is done.
Among the Zulu, it is thought that evil origi-
nated when a human disobeyed Nkosi, the Lord of
the Sky, and Nkosi became so angry that his anger
literally ate him up. According to this story, the
Lord of the Sky became angry and expelled both
the man and his wife from the sky. This created
anger, and the anger created pain. The Zulu distin-
guish between moral and immoral anger. Good
anger is a response to violations of the moral order
and supports the community. Once the person has
offered reparations for the violation, it is erased
from Nkosi’s record. Immoral anger is like evil
incarnate and has the purpose of annihilation. The
problem of evil exists in relationship to the supreme
deity, but it is a human problem brought into exis-
tence by some action on the part of humanity.
Thus, the resolution of evil is achieved when
humans recognize their mistakes and reset the
universal harmony given by the supreme deity.
Nkulunkulu, although known to be the creator,
leaves it to the ancestors and spirits to order and
run the society. Highly venerated ancestors are
called on in times of trouble and are appealed to
for children, family, food, animals, and shelter.
Because the ancestral family is the first bond of
community, the Zulu look to the age sets and lin-
eage groups for assistance in the first instance.
They make sacrifices to the issitoota or amatongo.
These are the names of the venerated ancestors.
Anything that is detrimental can be attributed to
an ancestor who is not happy with something that
was done by the living.
It is thought that, from time to time,
Nkulunkulu has communicated with human
beings through myth. Nothing exists without
the intervention of the creator, but the creator
does not have to work constantly. Nkulunkulu
puts forth an idea and afterward it has a life
of its own. For example, death is explained
through a story in which Nkulunkulu sent
Chameleon to Earth with a message that
humans would not die. But before he reached
the people, Chameleon stopped to eat fruit.
Nkulunkulu became angry and sent Lizard with
a message to Humanity that said, “Humans will
die.” Lizard got to the Earth and humanity
before Chameleon and delivered the message
that Nkulunkulu had decreed death. Or, maybe,
that he had ordered that humans would be mor-
tal? This mythical story has many counterparts
in Zulu history, but the principal point is that
Nkulunkulu is the Zulu’s connection to cre-
ation. Other mythical concepts are developed
along the same line; the first use or the first
occasion becomes the pattern for all other cases.
Fundamentally, Nkulunkulu serves as the oldest
idea in the Zulu world because before
Nkulunkulu there was nothing.Molefi Kete AsanteSeealsoGod; ZuluFurther Readings
Asante, M. K., & Nwadiora, E. (2007).Spear Masters:
An Introduction to African Religion. Lanham, MD:
University Press of America.
Mbiti, J. S. (1969).African Religions and Philosophy.
London: Heinemann.NKWA
According to the Akan people of Ghana and
Côte d’Ivoire in West Africa,nkwais a concrete
reference to life. Nkwa does not refer to life in
the abstract sense, but to life in its most palpa-
ble form. Nkwa is commonly referred to as an
abundance or fullness of life. Beyond mere
existence, the full manifestation of nkwa
includes long life, fertility, vigor, health, wealth,Nkwa 453