power of their words, dominion over things,
which they can change and make work for their
purposes and command them. The Dogon believe
that to command things with words is to practice
magic. The power of the speaker determines how
fascinated the audience will be.
The African’s preference for words spoken over
the written language speaks to words being
viewed as a life force. Written words do not have
the transformative powers of spoken words. Only
words that are spoken can engage the human
being, putting him or her on the path of harmony.
Furthermore, written words cannot facilitate
human interaction and are therefore lifeless. Words
that are spoken permit us to experience life in the
most significant of ways.
Naming in African culture is also an area in
which the power of words is ever present. Naming
is an essential characteristic of African philosophy
and religion. Naming is a creative act. What we
cannot conceive does not exist because every
human thought expressed becomes reality. In
other words, it is spoken into being. Once we
name it, it moves into existence. The power of
Nommo through naming creates life. Additionally,
without naming, life would be static; there would
be no possibility of social development or growth
and no integration into human society. Naming,
for Africans, is significant because it identifies
whom they are and where they hope to ascend.
African naming ceremonies are sacred. Each time
parents name a child, they are commenting on the
life path of that child, how that child will see him-
or herself, and the hope of what the future
of African people will be. The name goes with
the child as a symbol as he or she navigates
through life.
Adisa A. AlkebulanSeealsoMaat; Nommo
Alkebulan, A. A. (2002).The Essence of Spoken Soul:
Language and Spirituality for Africans in the United
States. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Temple
University, Philadelphia.
Asante, M. K. (1998).The Afrocentric Idea:Revised and
Expanded Edition. Philadelphia: Temple University
Press.
Jahn, J. (1990).Muntu:African Culture and the Western
World. New York: Grove Press.
WOYENGI
The Ijaw people of the West African country of
Nigeria who practice traditional religion indige-
nous to their culture believe that the Earth was
created by a female deity named Woyengi, the
“Great Mother.” The creation story of Woyengi
testifies to her standing fiercely on the edge of the
universe and observing an Earth filled with ani-
mals and vegetation, but nothing else. In the void,
Woyengi descended to the Earth on a ray of light-
ning. At the end of her journey, the goddess stood
before a table, chair, and flat stone and, with the
mud of the Earth, created human dolls that were
neither male nor female. She then filled their lungs
with the breath of life. The dolls represented the
souls of humanity and went before Woyengi to
find their purpose. They were asked to choose
whether they wanted to be male or female, the
kind of blessings they wanted to receive (such as
money, talents, or children), and their selected
occupation. Depending on the destiny they chose
for themselves, some dolls were sent down a stream
with clear, calm waters and others down one with
torrent waves. However, once the dolls were sent
down a specific path, there was no turning back,
and Woyengi became known as the goddess of
destiny. This fixed fate proved disturbing to one of
those souls.
There were two women created by Woyengi on
that day. Both women are believed by some Ijaw
to be the daughters of Woyengi. The first woman
chose to give birth to many children, and the other
chose to wield magic over the world. These two
women grew up as sisters, and when they came of
age and married, they both fulfilled the destiny set
before them at creation. The first woman gave
birth to many children, and the other woman,
named Ogboinba, performed her magic. Yet
Ogboinba became discouraged with her choice
because, although she could heal and prophesy,
she could not enjoy the love of a child like her
sister. Her jealousy and sadness overcame her to
the extent that she journeyed back to the Great
Mother to see whether she could choose again
and be reborn as something else. Along the way,
Ogboinba met animals, humans, and other gods
whom she destroyed and whose powers she assim-
ilated into her own. Unfortunately, these powers726 Woyengi