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Mende, Sierra Leone
Mende, Sierra Leone
Population: 700,000
Religious Information: At the center of the Mende belief system is the creator god, Ngewo, who is the ruler of the universe. They believe that the spirits of the ancestors and other Nga-fa, or spiritual beings, surround them and Mende rituals are meant to please them. They pray for many earthly matters big and small and many of their ceremonies include masks, music, and dancing. The masks are created to please as well as embody the Nga-fa.
Below is an example of a Mask ceremony of the Mende people.
For the Living Dead
For the Living Dead
O good and innocent dead, hear us:
hear us, you guiding, all-knowing ancestors,
you are neither blind nor deaf to this life we live: you did yourselves once share it.
Helpt us therefore for the sake of our devotion, and for our good.
A Repentant Son
A Repentant Son
O God, this is my son;
he left me without any good fortune in the world because he knows I have cursed him;
he has now to beg me to pull the curse as I am pulling now.
Wherever he goes now may he prosper and have many children.
Images: Pan-African Revolution Movement, Black Unity Matters
Words Used to End a Prayer
Words Used to End a Prayer
...O God, let it reach to Kenei Momo,
Let it reach to Nduawo,
Let it reach to all our forefathers
Who are in your arms.
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