RIVER TANO
SeeTANORIVER
ROCKS ANDSTONES
These humble, unassuming objects are a manifes-
tation of God, the source of creation, human life,
rain, and the dwelling place of spirits in African
religion. When they are combined to form massive
structures, such as the Great Pyramid of Giza and
the hill complex at Great Zimbabwe, they offer a
powerful testament to their sacred significance.
Among the Shona of Zimbabwe, the first man,
Musikavanhu, falls to Earth from the sky. Falling
with him is a stone. He points to the stone and it
stops. When his feet landed on part of the stone,
that section of the stone softened and changed
into water. This is known as the “stone of the
pool,” Matopos, and it is held sacred among
the Shona. Musikavanhu later falls asleep on the
stone and dreams creation into being. In
Madagascar, tradition holds that people
descended from stones. One day, a woman asked
Rasoalavavolo, who dwells underwater, for a
child. The woman provided two silver rings
and two round smooth stones as offerings.
Rasoalavavolo transformed the stones into two
male children who would become the ancestors of
the original inhabitants of Madagascar. The Bor
and Dinka of the Sudan also trace their ancestry
to a boy who emerged from a stone. This same
stone caused torrential rains in the middle of the
dry season and was said to fall from the sky, like
many other stones in days of old. Another link
between rain and stones is found in the Sudan,
where rain stones are said to come from Heaven.
Interestingly, the moon is likened to a shining
stone among the Ekoi of Nigeria.
This tradition of creating with stones is echoed
in Great Zimbabwe, which means “stone house.”
These structures date back to AD 1085 and
include more than 500 villages, with citadels and
conical towers. Millions of cut stones were laid
without mortar or cement. The architectural
styling appears to be local with no outside influ-
ences and is unique in the world. Examples of such
styling are the elliptical walls and curved lines that
follow the natural landscape, created during the
height of the classical period of construction. Select
buildings were oriented to positions of the sun and
stars, causing speculation that some of the struc-
tures may be temples, although little is known
about the symbolic significance of the structures.
In ancient Egypt, stone was used only to build
tombs, temples, and sacred buildings, not houses
for mortals—regardless of royal status. The most
visible of the stone structures is the Great
Pyramid, which is composed of roughly 2.3 to 2.8
million stones. The interior stones averaged 2½
tons, and the casing stones at the base weigh as
much as 16 tons. The entire structure was coated
with fine white limestone that gave the pyramid a
flawless appearance.
The rock shelters of the San of the Kalahari
Desert serve as a canvas as well as a “veil.” The
rock offers paintings and it serves as a mediator
between the material and spiritual worlds. The
rock is permeable, and shamans, in the proper
state of consciousness, are able to penetrate it and
communicate the experience via the images they
draw on the rocks.
Thus, it is undeniable that African people have
long established a clear connection between stones
and the spiritual world. This is most clearly seen in
the Santeria tradition, for example, which holds
stones in the highest esteem. Indeed, the Orishas are
embodied in sacred stones,otanes. Those spiritual
stones are kept in beautiful urns. They represent the
essence of the Orishas and, therefore, must be fed,
as prescribed by the African religious tradition.Denise MartinSeealsoLakes; Moon; Rivers and Streams; WaterFurther Readings
Brodoff, D. (1989).Spirit Stones. Wilmot, WI: Lotus Light.
Gonzales-Wippler, M. (2003).Santeria:The Religion.
New York: Harmony Books.
Somé, M. P. (1998).The Healing Wisdom of Africa:
Finding Life Purpose Through Nature,Ritual,and
Community. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam.Rocks and Stones 581