NGEKETO
allyHero
Ngeketo is a cultural hero of the Ngonde, a Bantu-speaking people related to the Nyakyusa, in the region of Lake Nyasa in East Africa. His narrative is reported by the folklorist Alice Werner in Myths and Legends of the Bantu (1933). Ngeketo is presented as the first to have cultivated a nourishing cereal in the land, maize according to the versions collected, more probably in origin millet or an indigenous grain, maize being a late introduction. His elders, Lyambilo and Mbasi, jealous of this benefaction, agree with the elders to put him to death. But three days later, Ngeketo returns to life in the form of a serpent. When he is cut into pieces, they knit together again and he rises once more, before making his way to the coast. Werner considers that he is probably not a supreme god but a heroised human ancestor, whose cult faded over time.
Powers & Attributes
Role in the ROHO universe
Totem spirit-animal. NGEKETO carries the wisdom of its kind and guards the threshold between human and beast. Bound to the Bantu pantheon.
Sacred Mask
An ancient ritual mask of sacred wood, old metal and black stone, engraved with symbols of culture, embodiment of the power of Ngeketo
Era
Ancient cycle
Frequently asked questions
Who is Ngeketo?
A cultural hero of the Ngonde, a Bantu people of the Lake Nyasa region, reputed to have introduced the cultivation of a nourishing cereal such as millet.
Why is he reborn in the form of a serpent?
Killed by the jealousy of his elders and the old men, he returns to life three days later as a serpent, and his pieces knit together again when he is cut up, a motif of resurrection.
Is he a god?
Alice Werner considers that he was probably not a supreme god but a heroised human ancestor, whose memory gradually faded.
Related spirits
Sources and references
- Alice Werner, Myths and Legends of the Bantu, Londres, George G. Harrap, 1933, chapitre VIII (Heroes and Ancestors).
- Duncan R. Mackenzie, The Spirit-Ridden Konde (1925)