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MAWEJA

MAWEJA

ally

God

SpiritCongoCongoCongoElder
Gender: MasculineSign: suprême

Maweja, an abbreviated form of Maweja Nangila, designates the supreme, creator Being in the Luba tradition, notably among the Luba-Kasai of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The term belongs to the Luba religious vocabulary, where it names God, the source of all life. Like many figures of the supreme Being in Central Africa, Maweja is perceived as a distant creator, at the origin of the world, whose action often passes through intermediaries and the ancestors rather than through a direct cult. Detailed narratives about him are scarce in the accessible sources, the essential attestation bearing on his name and his function as creator god.

Powers & Attributes

supreme

Role in the ROHO universe

Founding presence. MAWEJA stands at the root of the world and sustains the weave since before the beginning. Bound to the Congo 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 Maweja

Era

Ancient cycle

Frequently asked questions

Who is Maweja?

It is the name of the creator god and supreme Being in the Luba tradition, notably Luba-Kasai, in the Congo. Maweja Nangila there designates God, the source of all life.

Is Maweja the object of a direct cult?

As is often the case in Central Africa, he is seen as a distant creator. The link with him passes above all through the ancestors and intermediary spirits rather than through a direct cult.

Are there detailed mythological narratives about him?

Few. The accessible sources confirm above all his name and his function as creator god, without an abundant narrative corpus.

Related spirits

Sources and references

  • Wiktionnaire (EN): Maweja-Nangila (luba-kasai)
  • William Frederick Padwick Burton, Luba Religion and Magic in Custom and Belief (Annales du Musée Royal de l'Afrique Centrale, Sciences Humaines, 35) (1961)
  • Pierre Colle, Les Baluba (Congo Belge) (1913)