Pantheons
Bambara
Other Pantheons
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Faro, the water spirit and organiser of the created world, Pemba, the earth power tied to the first tree and to the origin of agriculture, and Ndomadyiri, a guardian power of the Komo initiation society, among the central figures of Bamana, or Bambara, religion in Mali. Much of what is recorded comes from twentieth century French ethnography of Bamana cosmology and initiation societies, fieldwork that itself reached only what community elders chose to disclose, so the record is understood to be partial.
Facts
Attestation
Era of AttestationHeld from the beginning in the tradition's own terms; documented in the outside record from the early 20th century 1 Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 Structure
Divine HeadshipNo sovereign; the gods act as peers 1 Succession Between Divine GenerationsOne divine generation; no succession between generations is recorded 1 Cult
Principal Cult CentreNo single centre. Observance is held by the village and by the initiation societies 1 Organisation
Membership of the PantheonEvery place, clan and lineage adds its own 1 How Mortals Enter the PantheonAncestors and founders become objects of cult 1 Sources
Primary SourceOral tradition held by the initiation societies, with published ethnography. The Komo society material is closed and is not reproduced here 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Its own cited description places Bambara religion in Mali.
Sources
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