Mami Wata

"The Mami Wata tradition consists of a huge pantheon of deities and spirits, not just the often portrayed mermaid." (Hounnon Behumbeza, high priest of the Mami Wata tradition in West Africa.)

 

Ancient Africa, it is believed, especially the coastal regions, had a number of water spirits. But none who remained quite so famous today as Mami Wata (also known as Mother Water), also sometimes known as La Sirene and a variety of other names, depending on which country you are in. Her religion began in Africa long before African nations had any contact with the European world. She is still today revered in West, Central and Southern regions of Africa, as well as in parts of Southern America. Mami Wata is an immortal water spirit who personifies polar opposites. She is beautiful, but deadly, can offer you wealth, but also destruction, can heal, but can also cause disease. She is a goddess who is both loved and feared and is considered one of the most powerful goddesses in the African religion of Voudon (not to be confused with Voodoo). Mami Wata is sexual, dangerous and able to destroy anything she wishes, and yet she is also able to bestow great wealth, fame and fertility upon humans she deems worthy.

 

Mami Wata is often depicted as a traditional mermaid, with the upper body of a human woman, and the lower half of a fish, but it is said she can also transform into a mostly-human body and walk the land. However, when she does, she is still very much the deity, with shining jewellery that no man could recreate, and a snake that coils itself around her. As such, she has also been depicted as a snake charmer, as well as a mermaid.

 

There have been many tales of encounters with Mami Wata and these tales are widespread throughout Africa. It is said that she will stalk the ocean shores, plucking both swimmers and sailors from her oceans. If she deems her captive as being worthy, she will return them, safe and dry, with a renewed sense of her religion and the ability to do great things in life.

Naturally, there are also more traditional sailor encounters. Mami Wata is oftentimes depicted as combing her long hair and looking at herself in a golden mirror. The encounters of sailors throughout the years suggest she leaves her comb and mirror in their presence and if they choose to keep them, Mami Wata will invade their dreams. In the dreams, she will offer sexual favours in exchange for the return of her belongings.

As a water deity, she is often given the blame for a lot of disasters at sea. Still today, it is believed by some in Cameroon that the swimmers who are dragged out to sea by the strong undercurrents are being whisked away by Mami Wata's wrath.

 

Mami Wata uses the colours red and white as the traditional colours for her religion. these colours symbolise beauty and death, purity and danger.  The followers of Mami Wata's religion wear her colours during their rituals and will provide offerings for her. These rituals came sometimes end with her followers going into a trance and it is believed that if this occurs, Mami Wata can speak to them and bestow health, prosperity and fertility.

 

The religion of Mami Wata did not remain in Africa and travelled the world along with the African people. When Europeans captured and enslaved people of the African nations, the tale of Mami Wata again was taken with them to the Americas. The new lands these people were taken to had new waters and naturally, they clung to their religion and their all-powerful deity. There is a mention of Mami Wata in the journal entry of a Dutch Colonist from the mid-18th century, in Guiana, where there were harsh swamp waters to contend with. The entry notes that some of the enslaved would see Mami Wata appear as an apparition and she would tell them not to work that day as that day was a holy day and they should spend it making offerings to her. The people who saw these apparitions were terribly afraid that if they did not do as Mami Wata had bid them, harm would befall their loved ones.

The enslaved people continued to worship Mami Wata, dancing and falling into trances, until the 1770's, when the Dutch outlawed their rituals. The Dutch saw the dancing and trances as being "devilish practices" (Governor of Dutch Guiana, J. Nepveu) and feared the spread of Mami Wata's religion to the non-African enslaved people.

The spirit of Mami Wata was merged with the water spirits in the religion of Native American people in the colony after they had adopted the water goddess from the Africans they met.

Similarly, by the 19th century, Mami Wata had been adopted by the Surinamese Winti religion in the Dutch colonies. This religion was outlawed in the 1970s and Mami Wata was ceased to be worshipped there.

 

With the Earth being made up of 70% water, and all creatures needing water to survive, it is no wonder that one of the most powerful deities in any religion is a water spirit. Mami Wata is an intriguing deity, as she is rife with endless possibilities. She is many things at once and this attests to her power as a goddess. She is a nurturer and a healer, but she is also dangerous and destructive. She is a sexual creature who will bestow riches on those who she deems worthy, but will haunt the dreams of those who she believes has stolen from her. It is unsurprising, then, that the religion of Mami Wata has lasted for as long as it has, being perhaps one of the oldest remaining religions in the world.