Zin

Zin are generally known as Niger River deities, which are part of the Songhai mythology, as well as the myths of other peoples on the Niger River banks like the Djerma, Hauka, Sorko, and Hole, who are mainly connected to fishing populations in small towns and villages.

Songhai culture as well as other Western African cultures has been greatly influenced by the Islamic religion, which means that traditional religions have incorporated some of these Islamic influences. Several influences concur in the religious manifestations of the Niger River peoples, so it is often not clear what exactly is traditionally African. For example, it is clear that there are Islamic influences in the Songhai people. Apparently many of the current religious manifestations of the Songhai and other peoples of the Niger valley are Islamized. Allegedly, the African zin are often considered interchangeable with the Islamic djinn. Among those of the Islamic tradition, the djinn are more than human: A djinn represents a genius that never leaves the place it masters. The djinn are much more powerful than normal humans, in that they can fly and choose to become completely invisible or change into the shape of an animal, as well as have a great command of magical arts and power to create illusions, an ability learned originally from being part of the desert. In this sense, they used to be worshiped as gods or demigods. Of course, these ideas seem to correspond to certain mystical ideas among traditional African cultures.

Oral tradition narratives, however, tell us about an extremely rich mythological influence of the Mandingo religion built around the traditional and original concept of an all-governing sun. According to the Songhai system of beliefs, the sun was the central force of creation, and everything on Earth was influenced by deities that governed natural resources. Some of these deities mastered different places or natural elements. They were masters of the rivers, trees, and valleys, and they were called Zin. According to the Songhai people, everything on Earth is governed by a particular Zin, the deity of one particularly remarkable place or natural resource. They are invisible, but their essences live in special places.

Although we must undoubtedly realize that there is an extremely intricate pattern of religious fusions of African and Arab traditions by virtue of Islam's influence on the Songhai people, it is possible to acknowledge that the Songhai tradition is [Page 742]anchored in a common African spiritual heritage that can be traced back to the Kemetic religious and philosophical thought. Indeed, the idea of Ra, the almighty deity that was represented by the power of the sun, is an old, ancestral idea among Africans. Ancestral spirits who watch over daily activities, promote social harmony, and create a sense of accountability among a community's members to preserve a balanced and harmonious order of creation where spirit and matter are inseparable are anterior to any other influences among West Africans.

Therefore, human beings must pay tribute to these deities, honor them with rituals, and feed them with various symbols of veneration. Furthermore, humans cannot make use of any place protected by a Zin without asking permission by means of rituals performed by the local peoples. For a Zin will die for lack of honor, and praise is to a Zin is very much as it is to every human being.

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