Le dieu créateur des Bongo, peuple de la région de Bahr el-Ghazal au Soudan du Sud, conçu comme une force spirituelle omniprésente qui imprègne toute chose.

Quels sont ses domaines?

La guérison, la maîtrise de la pluie et l'accompagnement des morts vers l'au-delà. Lors des funérailles, on récite les mérites du défunt pour qu'il l'évalue.

Quel est son lien avec les poteaux funéraires bongo?

Les grands poteaux sculptés appelés ngya sont dressés sur les tombes et orientés vers l'est, vers le domaine de Loma, le dieu créateur.

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LOMA

ally

God

☥ SpiritBongo →Bongo — BongoElder

Gender: MasculineSign: suprême

Loma is the creator god of the Bongo, a people of the Bahr el-Ghazal region, in the south-west of South Sudan, settled to the south and east of Wau. In the traditional Bongo religion, Loma is conceived as an omnipresent spiritual force that permeates all things. He is associated with healing, with mastery of the rain and with the accompanying of the dead towards the beyond. The cult grants a great place to the veneration of the ancestors, who serve as intermediaries between the living and the higher powers. The Bongo are known above all for their great carved funerary posts, called ngya, raised on the graves of important persons and oriented towards the east, towards the domain of Loma. During the funerals, relatives and guests recite the great deeds and the genealogy of the deceased so that Loma, the creator god, may judge them. These sculptures, documented since the nineteenth century, count among the most remarkable funerary statuary of this region.

Powers & Attributes

supreme

Role in the ROHO universe

Founding presence. LOMA stands at the root of the world and sustains the weave since before the beginning. Bound to the Bongo pantheon.

Sacred Mask

An ancient ritual mask of sacred wood, old metal and black stone, engraved with symbols of supreme, embodiment of the power of Loma

Era

Ancient cycle

Frequently asked questions

Who is Loma?

The creator god of the Bongo, a people of the Bahr el-Ghazal region in South Sudan, conceived as an omnipresent spiritual force that permeates all things.

What are his domains?

Healing, mastery of the rain and the accompanying of the dead towards the beyond. During the funerals, the merits of the deceased are recited so that he may weigh them.

What is his link with the Bongo funerary posts?

The great carved posts called ngya are raised on the graves and oriented towards the east, towards the domain of Loma, the creator god.

Related spirits

RUWA TAMIKUJEN WAAQ / NGAI WELE

Sources and references

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, notice de l'œuvre Ngya (commemorative post), Bongo, Soudan du Sud, catalogue en ligne.
Bernard de Grunne, Bongo: Monumental Statuary from Southern Sudan, TEFAF, 2011.