Kianda (or Dandalunda) is a

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...

of the

sea A sea is a large body of salt water. There are particular seas and the sea. The sea commonly refers to the ocean, the interconnected body of seawaters that spans most of Earth. Particular seas are either marginal seas, second-order section ...

, of the waters, and a protector of fishermen in traditional

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

n culture.

Veneration

Kianda was traditionally worshipped by throwing offerings such as food and clothing into the sea. Every year the Luanda Island Feast is held to honor the deity. The mosasaur ''Prognathodon kianda'', found in Angola, was named after her.

Arts and Literature

The Angolan author

Pepetela Artur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos (born 1941) is a major Angolan writer of fiction. He writes under the name Pepetela. A Portuguese Angolan, Pepetela was born in Benguela, Portuguese Angola, and fought as a member of the MPLA in the l ...

uses the Kianda as a central figure in his short story "Magias do Mar" as well as his novel ''O Desejo de Kianda'' (lit. The Wish of Kianda, published in English as ''The Return of the Water Spirit'').

References

African deities African goddesses African mythology Culture of Angola Bantu deities Sea and river goddesses Tutelary deities Tutelary goddesses Water deities Water goddesses {{Deity-stub