Libanza is a legendary figure in Boloki and
Upoto
Upoto was a village on the right bank of the Congo River, now a district of Lisala in the Mongala province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
History
Captain Hanssens of the International Association of the Congo founded the Upoto station, ...
mythologies. In
Boloki
Loki (Boloki), or Ruki, is a Bantu language spoken in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is very close to Lingala. The Boloki (Baloki) people are named after the Ruki River
The Ruki () is a river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ...
mythology, Libanza is a heroic character who is depicted as the first man, while in Upoto mythology, Libanza is a supreme god worshipped for creating the universe.
In Boloki mythology
Libanza was born from a mother figure who gave birth to all animals of the earth. Before his birth, Libanza's shield, spears, and chair left his mother's womb first. Libanza's father was already killed by this time by an unknown figure when he was stealing fruits for his wife. Libanza eventually found out about this and went on a journey to pursue his father's murderer with his sister, Nsongo. He later succeeded in avenging his father's death by killing his murderer. Libanza also had shape-shifting abilities, which he later used in his other adventures.
In Upoto mythology
As the
creator god
A creator deity or creator god is a deity responsible for the creation of the Earth, world, and universe in human religion and mythology. In monotheism, the single God is often also the creator. A number of monolatristic traditions separate a ...
in Upoto mythology, Libanza is also associated with an
origin-of-death myth involving two groups of people: the people of the earth and the people of the moon. It is said that when Libanza called upon these two groups, the people of the moon were the first to heed his call. As a reward for their obedience, Libanza gave the people of the moon eternal life, with one caveat, which was that they would die for two days every month. The people of the earth, who arrived later than Libanza's expectations, were punished with a fate of having to eventually die and can never be resurrected to life.
See also
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List of African mythological figures
This is a list of African spirits as well as deities found within the traditional African religions. It also covers spirits as well as deities found within the African religions—which is mostly derived from traditional African religions. Additi ...
References
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African deities