Encyclopedia of African Religion

Molefi KeteAsante; Ama Mazama

doi:10.4135/9781412964623

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Mambo

Edited by:
Molefi Kete Asante
&
Ama Mazama
In:Encyclopedia of African Religion
Chapter DOI:https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412964623
Subject:Black Studies
Keywords:initiation; vodu

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The term Mambo refers to a high priestess of the Vodu religion as it is practiced in the Republic of Haiti in the Eastern Caribbean. Along with Houngans, their male counterparts, Mambos thus occupy the highest position in the Vodu hierarchy, at least as far as humans are concerned. This entry looks at the initiation process, the role of the mambo, and her worship community.

Initiation Rites

How does one become a Mambo? This happens often through blood lineage, that is, as a spiritual family inheritance and charge passed from a mother or father to their daughter. However, one may also become a Mambo as result of having been called—that is, chosen by a Lwa, a Vodu divinity, to serve him or her. The Lwa typically makes ...

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  Asante, M. K., & Mazama, A. (2009). Mambo. In Encyclopedia of African Religion (pp. 402-403). SAGE Publications, Inc., https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412964623
  
  Asante, Molefi K., and Ama Mazama. "Mambo." In Encyclopedia of African Religion, edited by Asante, Molefi Kete., and Ama Mazama, 402-3. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2009. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412964623.
  
  Asante, M. K. and Mazama, A. 2009. Mambo. In: Encyclopedia of African Religion. Molefi K. Asante and Ama Mazama Editors, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. pp. 402-403 Available at: <https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412964623> [Accessed 4 Dec 2023].
  
  Asante, Molefi K. and Ama Mazama. "Mambo." Encyclopedia of African Religion. Edited by Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, Inc., 2009, pp. 402-3. Sage Knowledge, doi: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412964623.
  
  Asante, Molefi K., and Ama Mazama. Mambo. In Encyclopedia of African Religion. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.; 2009: 402-403. doi:10.4135/9781412964623
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