Mami Wata

Descriptive Background

The name Mami Wata is thought to derive from the English word mommy or mammy and water, or “mother of the waters.” Devotees in this ancient tradition trace the origin of the name back to ancient Egypt: ma or mama, meaning “truth” or “wisdom,” and uati for “water.” Also, in many Sudanic languages, wat or waat is “woman.” The spread of the specific name Mami Wata has been attributed to the Kru of Liberia who, at the end of the 18th century, traveled extensively along the west coast of Africa on behalf of European traders and took Mami Wata with them.

Mami Wata deities are both male and female, but are nonhuman and have never been human. Mami Wata spirits are born of Nana Buluku, the great mother of the mountain, and head a sub-pantheon of deities known as Vodun. Other interpretations place Mami Wata deities below the rainbow serpent pair of Dan Aido Wedo. As part of a pantheon, each Mami Wata deity has a specific ceremony, food, drink, taboo, color, and sacred day. In addition, there are beads for each deity, called danmi, or “excrement of the rainbow serpent.” The color, order, and material of the bead indicate a specific deity. Those worn on the left hand represent a male spirit, and those on the right are a female spirit.

Mami Wata deities are the source of Earthly wisdom, human creativity, genius, divine inspiration, and sacred paths to enlightenment. Priestesses are mamisii, mamissi, mamaissii, or manimisi. Manimisi means “motherhood temple” in ancient Egypt and could indicate a relationship with Isis. People enter into a relationship with Mami Wata by having an encounter as described earlier or through Ifa divination or dreams. In recent times, future devotees often experience a crisis that requires the assistance of a mamisii. In the past, villages would initiate a young girl who would then be responsible for maintaining their shrine to Mami Wata.

As a specific deity, Mami Wata appears as a beautiful creature, half woman, half fish, with long hair and a light brown complexion, and she lives in an exquisite underwater world. She is often depicted with a snake around her waist or across her shoulders or with a comb and a mirror. The snake is the immortal messenger of deities and a symbol of divination, which is important to devotees and mamisii. The comb and mirror are symbols of her beauty or vanity. Mami Wata's colors are red and white, which reflect her dual nature as aggressive and yet healing and nurturing. She kidnaps people who are swimming, riding in boats, or walking along the shore and takes them to her underwater world. If a man walking along shore comes across, she will quickly return to the water leaving her comb and mirror behind. She will return to the man in his dreams demanding her items. If he returns them, promises to keep their encounter a secret, and swears to be a faithful lover, she will make him rich. If he does not, she will bring misfortune or death to him and his family. Mama Wata can also appear among humans disguised as a beautiful woman. Hence, her most popular associations are water and beautiful women.

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