Mami Wata, Mammy Water, or similar is a mermaid, water spirit, and/or

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 ...

in the

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

of parts of Western Africa, Eastern Africa, and

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. Historically, scholars trace her origins to early encounters between Europeans and West Africans in the 15th century, where Mami Wata developed from depictions of European mermaids. Mami Wata subsequently joined native pantheons of deities and spirits in parts of Africa. Historically, Mami Wata is conceived of as an exotic female entity from Europe or elsewhere, often a white woman with a particular interest in objects foreign to West Africans that her adherents place at her shrines. In the mid-19th century, Mami Wata's iconography becomes particularly influenced by an image of snake charmer Nala Damajanti spreading from Europe. This snake charmer print soon overtook Mami Wata's earlier mermaid iconography in popularity in some parts of Africa. Additionally,

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

imagery from Indian merchants have influenced depictions of Mami Wata in some areas. Papi Wata, a male consort or reflection of Mami Wata sometimes depicted as modeled from the Hindu deity

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

, can be found in some Mami Wata traditions, sometimes under the influence of Hindu imagery. Mami Wata is especially venerated in parts of Africa and in the Atlantic diaspora and has also been demonized in some African Christian and Islamic communities in the region. Mami Wata has appeared in a variety of media depictions and in literary works.

Etymology

The names ''Mami Wata'', ''Mami Wota'', or ''Mammy Wata'' derive from the English language nouns ''mammy'' and ''water''. The name is related to the Krio word ''mami wata'' that refers to mermaids in Krio folklore.Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “Mammy Water (n.), Etymology,” July 2023, . Krio is an

English-based creole language An English-based creole language (often shortened to English creole) is a creole language for which English was the '' lexifier'', meaning that at the time of its formation the vocabulary of English served as the basis for the majority of the cr ...

used in parts of West Africa. The ''Mami'' element derives from English ''mother''. However, Mami Wata has no children nor family of any kind. She is typically represented as free of any kind of social bonds and as a foreign entity, and "broadly identified with Europeans rather than any African ethnic group or ancestors".Drewal 2002: 198.

Associated spirits

Some scholars have posited that Mami Wata is related to similar water spirits found in the Caribbean and South America, including Lasirèn, Mae d’Agua, Maman de l’Eau, saint Marta la Dominadora, and Watra-mama (Guyana and Suriname). It is thought that these related spirits developed from beliefs in Mami Wata held by Africans who were enslaved and forcibly brought to these regions.Drewal 2013: 24.

Development

Scholars trace the origins of Mami Wata to encounters to depictions of European mermaids witnessed by West Africans as early as the 1400s and 1500s. As summarized by scholar and adherent Henry John Drewal: A second version of the mermaid from European folklore with two tails also likely influenced depictions of Mami Wata localized especially to the

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kingdom. Scholars trace this motif to the influence of Portuguese depictions of mermaids.Drewal 2013: 31. Mami_Wata_poster

Around the mid-1800s, a lithograph of the snake charmer Nala Damajanti from Europe became popular associated with imagery around Mami Wata, likely originating in Hamburg, Germany.Drewal 2002: 198. In the 1940s to the 1950s Hindu religious imagery from Indian merchants and films began to strongly influence Mami Wata imagery on particular the Ghana-Nigeria coast. Drewal records the following account from a male Yoruba Mami Wata devotee who sells Hindu prints in

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

(notations are that of Drewal):

Folk belief

Writing from research conducted from 1965 to 1966 at the Catherine Mills Rehabilitation Center in Liberia, at the time the only psychiatric center in Liberia, former director Ronald Wintrob recorded beliefs among individuals who venerated Mami Wata in the region. Wintrob records that "beliefs in Mammy Water are held by the vast majority of Liberians".Wintrob 1970: 143. Wintrob recorded that "confirmed that some ten per cent of male patients requiring in-patient treatment for psychotic disorders, revealed a system of delusions relating to possession by Mammy Water".Wintrob 1970: 144. Wintrob summarizes the conceptualization of Mammy Water in Liberia at the time as follows: Wintrob records that in Liberian Mammy Water folk belief, anyone who has contact with her will become wealthy and gained good luck. One of his informants, a man from the Vai people, provides the following account: Mammy Water was typically believed to visit people in their sleep at night. According to another informant, a man from the Kissi people, she grants wealth in exchange for sexual celibacy: Wintrob records that this was not always the case: in some instances folk belief dictated that Mammy Water's contact need not be celibate with her and could in fact have a large family. According to the findings of Barbara Frank of the University of Munich, Mami Wata’s gifts, wealth and power comes at a cost: the man must never have any sexual contact with another women, thus being unable to have children of any kid. In addition, if they become unfaithful and have such interactions, it is said Mami Wata will strip the man of his wealth, as well as make them fall ill or become insane. Mammy Water may also gift extra-sensory perception, including foresight and the ability to see that which others cannot, or especially swift travels. Some groups believe that Mammy Water does not contact everyone but rather that the ability to contact her is inherited. Mirrors are seen as a symbol for Mami Wata, primarily used within shrines dedicated to her as a way to get her attention towards her devotees. It is said her own vanity makes her fond of looking at herself in the mirror, making it a prime offering for her followers seeking her gaze.

Papi Wata

A secondary development of Mami Wata in some traditions is Papi Wata, a male entity associated with Mami Wata. In parts of West Africa, Hindu depictions of

, a divine figure or deity typically depicted with monkey features, is interpreted as Papi Wata.Drewal 2013: 37.

Demonization

Mami Wata has become demonized in some Christian and Muslim communities in Africa. The figure's popularity spread from the colonial period onward and over time her worship became increasingly syncretic with imagery and customs from Christianity with a heavy European influence. In 2012, Duwel writes that over the previous 20 to 30 years, Mami Wati has therefore become "a primary target of a widespread and growing religious movement led by evangelical (Pentacostal) Christians and fundamentalist Muslims who seek to denigrate and demonize indigenous African faiths." To these groups, Mami Wati personifies "immortality, sin, and damnation".Drewal 2013: 40.

References

External links

* Abarbanel, Stacey Ravel. 2008. �
Fowler Museum at UCLA to present Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas
��. Fowler Museum at UCLA. * Drewal, Henry John. 2008
“Exhibition Preview: Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and Its Diasporas”
''African Arts'', Summer 2008. * Gesila Uzukwu. 2023
"Crisis of Faith: Today's African Christians and Mami-Wata (Mother Water) Spirituality"
Center for World Catholicism & Intercultural Theology (CWCIT). DePaul University. YouTube. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wata, Mami Fictional characters introduced in the 15th century Caribbean mythology Female legendary creatures Fertility goddesses Fortune goddesses Health goddesses Love and lust goddesses Mother goddesses Sea and river goddesses Snake goddesses South American goddesses Voodoo goddesses Water goddesses West African Vodun Piscine and amphibian humanoids Kongo culture African mythology African goddesses Bantu religion Mermaids