Nyami Nyami
Nyami Nyami , also known as the god of the Zambezi River or the Zambezi snake spirit , is one of the most important deities of the Tonga people , most of whom live on the north side of the Zambezi , in Zambia , but also on the south side of the river in Zimbabwe .
meaning
Nyami Nyami is usually depicted as a male figure who protects the Tonga people and gives them support in difficult times. Its outer shape is a snake that has the head of a fish. According to his story, the god made sure that for centuries the Tonga, cut off from the world, could lead a good life on the banks of the Zambezi. He made sure that there was enough water to irrigate the fields and enough fish in the river. A connection to the god and his wife, who both lived in the underworld in the Kariba Gorge , took place through the tribal elders.
This idyll only changed when the old spiritual relationships were disrupted with the planning and construction of the Kariba Dam in the 1950s. Locals attributed the flooding of their land and the deaths on the construction sites to the influence of the water spirit. Today the Tonga believe that Nyami Nyami has withdrawn from the human world.
Today's meaning
The Tonga were driven by the rising waters of the reservoir and now settle in higher areas near the water. Some of them hope that Nyami Nyami will one day lead them back to their old homes. Representations of the water god as a pendant, made of various materials, and walking sticks with knobs in the shape of a snake with a fish head are now a way of getting some cash by selling it to tourists.
music
In the 1980s, a band in Zimbabwe became known that wore the Naymen Nyami Nyami Sounds and consisted of members of the Shona Nation .