TSUI’GOAB

Thunder, healing

Tsui-Goab, whose name is often translated as "wounded knee", dominates the Khoikhoi pantheon as supreme being and first ancestor. Tradition attributes to him the creation of the world, of humanity and of the natural elements. A sky god, he dwells above the stars and manifests through the beneficent rain, the thunder and the clouds, which binds him to the vital function of rainmaker in a society of nomadic herders. His figure is inseparable from the cosmic duality that structures Nama mythology: Tsui-Goab is the principle of light and life, opposed to Gaunab, principle of darkness and death. The central myth tells of their repeated confrontation. In one battle, Gaunab, the stronger, strikes Tsui-Goab down several times, but each time he rises stronger, until he drives his adversary back toward his dark dwelling, the "Black Sky". In the struggle, Gaunab wounds Tsui-Goab's knee — whence the etymology of his name according to Theophilus Hahn. This battle is replayed every night: the victory of light over darkness explains the return of dawn, without ever being final, since darkness always returns. The Khoikhoi invoked Tsui-Goab at dawn and during ceremonies, asking for rain, health and prosperity. Depending on the group and the source, he is sometimes merged with the hero Heitsi-Eibib, sometimes held to be distinct.