58-593: In several Bantu mythologies , mokele-mbembe (also written as " mokèlé-mbèmbé ") is a mythical water-dwelling entity that is believed to exist in the Congo River Basin . Variously described as a living creature, a spirit, or an extinct lineage known as sauropods . In the early to mid 20th century, the entity would become a point of focus among adherents of cryptozoology and young Earth creationism , resulting in numerous expeditions led by cryptozoologists and/or funded by young Earth creationists and other groups with
116-418: A hippopotamus . It is said to have a long and very flexible neck and only one tooth but a very long one; some say it is a horn . A few spoke about a long, muscular tail like that of an alligator . Canoes coming near it are said to be doomed; the animal is said to attack the vessels at once and to kill the crews but without eating the bodies. The creature is said to live in the caves that have been washed out by
174-489: A lizard went to announce to men that they would die. Being much quicker than the chameleon, the lizard arrived first, thus establishing the mortal nature of man. The Baganda in central Uganda believe that Walumbe—one of the three sons of the god of heaven, who escaped heaven and was thrown into an abyss by his brother—still takes the souls of the Baganda. Traditional African religions generally believe in an afterlife seen in
232-469: A mixture of mythology and folk memory from a time when rhinoceroses were found in the area. In 2016, a travel documentary crew from South Africa made a documentary about searching for mokele-mbembe, which they later sold to Discovery Africa. The team spent roughly four weeks in the Likuoala swamp region visiting various Aka (pygmy) villages, collecting stories of the creature's existence. They pointed out
290-517: A person is reborn. Together, Kalûnga and the mbûngi circle form the Yowa or Dikenga Cross. The four corners of the cross are believed to represent the four moments of the sun: Musoni Time , when the Kalûnga begot the universe; Kala Time , when biological life began; Tukula Time , when animals were created on Earth; and Luvemba Time when Manhûga, the ancestor of all humans, lived on Earth. Relating to
348-516: A photograph he claimed was possibly mokele-mbembe, but which Prothero argues was more likely a floating log. In 2001, BBC broadcast in the TV series Congo a collective interview with a group of Biaka pygmies, who identified the mokele-mbembe as a rhinoceros while looking at an illustrated manual of wildlife. Neither species of African rhinoceros is common in the Congo Basin, and the mokele-mbembe may be
406-484: A supreme creator or force, belief in spirits, veneration of the dead , use of magic and traditional African medicine . Most religions can be described as animistic with various polytheistic and pantheistic aspects. Animism builds the core concept of the Bantu religious traditions, similar to other traditional African religions. This includes the worship of tutelary deities , nature worship , ancestor worship and
464-454: Is Luvemba, when a muntu physically dies and enters the spiritual world, or Nu Mpémba, with the ancestors, or bakulu . Because Bakongo people have a "dual soul-mind," or mwèla-ngindu , they are able to exist and live in both realms during the different moments of their lives. Even while in Nu Mpémba, a muntu still lives a full life as they prepare for Kala time once again. In some Bantu myths,
522-747: Is a high degree of homogeneity in Bantu cultures and customs, just as in Bantu languages . Many Bantu cultures traditionally believed in a supreme god whose name is a variation of Nyambe/Nzambe . The phrase "Bantu tradition" usually refers to the common, recurring themes that are found in all, or most, Bantu cultures across Africa . The traditional beliefs and practices of African people are highly diverse beliefs that include various ethnic religions . Generally, these traditions are oral rather than scriptural and passed down from one generation to another through folk tales, songs, and festivals, include belief in an amount of higher and lower gods, sometimes including
580-731: Is comparable to other traditional religions around the world. Among the Sawa ethnic groups of Cameroon, particularly the Duala , Bakweri , Malimba , Batanga, Bakoko , Oroko people and related Sawa peoples, jengu (plural miengu) is a water spirit, among the Bakweri, the name is liengu (plural: maengu). In Bakoko, they are referred to as Bisima. Miengu are similar to Mami Wata spirits. The miengu's appearance differs from people to people, but they are typically said to be beautiful, mermaid -like figures with long hair and beautiful gap-teeth. They live in rivers and
638-602: The first man was born from a plant : for example, he came from phragmites reeds in, and from a "Omumborombonga" tree in Herero mythology. Other traditions have the first men came out of a cave or a hole in the ground. It can be noted that, as is the case with many mythologies, Bantu mythologies about the creation of man are often limited to describing their own origins, rather than those of all of humanity. For example, most Bantu peoples that coexist with bushmen do not include these in their creation myths (i.e., bushmen, animals and
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#1732858284406696-513: The jago-nini , was described by Alfred Aloysius Smith , who had worked for a British trading company in what is now Gabon in the late 19th century, who briefly mentions it in his 1927 memoir. Reports of entities described to be dinosaur-like in Africa caused a minor sensation in the mass media , and newspapers in Europe and North America carried many articles on the subject in the early 1910s; some took
754-450: The umkovu of Zulu tradition and the ndondocha of the Yao people . The traditional culture of most Bantu peoples includes several fables about personified, talking animals. The prominent character of Bantu fables is the hare , a symbol of skill and cunning. Its main antagonist is the sneaky and deceptive hyena . Lion and elephant usually represent brute force. Even more clever than
812-518: The 20th Century to search for mokele-mbembe or interview claimed eyewitnesses. In 1980 and again in 1981, explorer Henry Powell and biologist Roy Mackal visited the Congo region and interviewed native residents. They did not find any direct physical evidence, but nonetheless argued consistent statements from claimed eyewitnesses tended to support the creature's existence. Mackal published a book in 1987 detailing his expeditions. Mackal admitted his investigation
870-650: The Bantu mythology to be part of the many traditional African traditions, which are complex animistic religious traditions and beliefs of the African people before the Christian and Islamic colonization of Africa. Ancestor veneration has always played a significant part in the traditional African cultures and may be considered as central to the African worldview. Ancestors (ancestral ghosts/spirits) are an integral part of reality. The ancestors are generally believed to reside in an ancestral realm (spiritworld), while some believe that
928-968: The Bantu supreme deity. The nature of the supreme and highest God of all gods and deities is often only vaguely defined or even lacking, although he may be associated with the Sun , or the oldest of all ancestors , or have other specifications. Most names of various deities include the Bantu particle ng ( nk ); some examples are Nyambe (Bantu), Nzambi Mpungu ( Bakongo ), Nzambici ( Bakongo ), Mulungu ( Wayao , Chewa , Akamba , Embu and others), uThixo or Qamata ( AmaXhosa ), Unkulunkulu ( AmaZulu ), Gulu ( Baganda ), Muluku ( Makua ), Mungu ( WaSwahili ), Mukuru ( OvaHerero and OvaHimba ), Kibumba ( Basoga ), Imana ( Banyarwanda and Barundi ), Modimo ( Basotho and Batswana ), Ruhanga ( Banyoro and Banyankole ), and Ngai (Akamba, Agikuyu, Aembu and other groups),( Umbundu ),( Kioko, Bajokwe, Chibokwe, Kibokwe, Ciokwe, Cokwe or Badjok ), (
986-580: The ancestors became equal in power to deities found in African traditions. The defining line between deities and ancestors is often contested, but overall, ancestors are believed to occupy a higher level of existence than living human beings and are believed to be able to bestow either blessings or illness upon their living descendants. Ancestors can offer advice and bestow good fortune and honor to their living dependents, but they can also make demands, such as insisting that their shrines be properly maintained and propitiated. A belief in ancestors also testifies to
1044-482: The belief in an afterlife . While some religions adopted a pantheistic worldview, most follow a polytheistic system with various gods, spirits and other supernatural beings . Traditional African religions also have elements of fetishism , shamanism and veneration of relics , and have a high complexity, comparable to Japanese Shinto or Hinduism . It is suggested that most ancient traditional African religions, like most other indigenous folk religions around
1102-483: The book The Lungfish and the Unicorn (1941). Von Stein was ordered to conduct a survey of German colonies in what is now Cameroon in 1913. He heard stories of an enormous reptile called "Mokele-mbembe" alleged to live in the jungles, and included a description in his official report. According to Ley, "von Stein worded his report with utmost caution," knowing it might be seen as unbelievable. Nonetheless, von Stein thought
1160-404: The circle in half. The top half represents the physical world, or Ku Nseke , while the bottom half represents the spiritual world of the ancestors, known as Ku Mpèmba . The Kalûnga Line separates these two worlds, and all living things exists on one side or another. After creation, the line became like a river, carrying people between the worlds at birth and death. Then the process repeats and
1218-474: The creation of a Bakongo person, or muntu , the four moments of the sun also play a role in their development. Musoni is the time when a muntu is conceived both in the spiritual realm and in the womb of a Bakongo woman. Kala is the time when a muntu is born into the physical world. This time is also seen as the rise of the sun. Tukula is the time of maturity, where a muntu learns to master all aspects of life from spirituality to purpose to personality. The last time
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#17328582844061276-475: The creature described was not an actual animal, but instead was nothing more than local folklore. According to German adventurer Lt. Paul Gratz's account from 1911: The crocodile is found only in very isolated specimens in Lake Bangweulu , except in the mouths of the large rivers at the north. In the swamp lives the nsanga , much feared by the natives, a degenerate saurian which one might well confuse with
1334-491: The crocodile were it not that its skin has no scales and its toes are armed with claws. I did not succeed in shooting a nsanga , but on the island of Mbawala I came by some strips of its skin. Tales of entities like mokele-mbembe, living saurians or large scientifically unidentified creatures walking around the African rain forest, are not rare; there have been multiple tales of large, smooth-skinned quadrupeds with long necks that fed on large prey still living in central Africa. It
1392-405: The cross is the most powerful point and where the person stands." The Bakongo believe that in the beginning, there was only a circular void, called mbûngi , with no life. Nzambi Mpungu summoned a spark of fire, or Kalûnga , that grew until it filled the mbûngi . When it grew too large, Kalûnga became a great force of energy and unleashed heated elements across space, forming the universe with
1450-405: The cryptid; however, they found a new species of green algae . The lack of physical evidence and the conflicting witnesses have made the existence of the entity doubted by the large majority of scientists and historians. The most reasonable and agreed upon explanation is that the mokele-mbembe is a legend based on the black rhinoceros , a species once common to central Africa, where the stories of
1508-705: The dead (for example, spirits of nature such as "Mwenembago", "the lord of the forest", in Zaramo mythology), these play a much lesser role. In many cases, they were originally the spirits of dead people. One finds here and there traces of belief in a race of Heaven dwellers distinct from ordinary mortals. For instance, they are sometimes said to have tails. Bantu mythologies often include monsters , referred to as amazimu in isiZulu and Chewa language and madimo , madimu , zimwi in other languages. In English translations of Bantu legends these words are often translated into " ogre " or most commonly "(Spirits)", as one of
1566-452: The dead in order to receive advice or ask for favours. If a spirit takes offence in something done by a living person, he may cause illness or misfortune to that person; in that case, a clairvoyant may help that person to amend his mistake and pacify the angry dead. Catastrophes , such as famine or war , may be the consequence of serious misbehavior of the whole community. As is the case with other mythologies, Bantu cultures often locate
1624-414: The difficulty of differentiating between a mokele-mbembe's metaphysical and physical existence. While they interviewed people who believed in its presence, others stated it died at least a decade ago. In 2018, Lensgreve of Knuthenborg , Adam Christoffer Knuth, along with a film crew from Danish Radio and a DNA scientist, traveled to Lake Tele in Congo, in search of the mokele-mbembe. They did not find
1682-464: The essential pattern for Bakongo religious culture. These "four moments of the sun" equate with the four stages of life: conception, birth, maturity, and death. For the Bakongo, everything transitions through these stages: planets, plants, animals, people, societies, and even ideas. This vital cycle is depicted by a circle with a cross inside. In this cosmogram or dikenga, the meeting point of the two lines of
1740-639: The hare is seen as stupid. Zulus have stories about hares, but in some cases the ferret takes on the role of the smart protagonist . Bantu religion, particularly religion practiced by the Bakongo people, was brought to the Americas via the Atlantic slave trade . The spiritual traditions and religions that have preserved Kongo traditions include Hoodoo , Palo Monte , Lumbalú , Kumina , Haitian Vodou , Umbanda , Candomblé Bantu , and Venezuelan Yuyu. Saurian Too Many Requests If you report this error to
1798-470: The hare is the turtle , who beats its enemies with its patience and strong will. This symbology is, of course, subject to local variations. In areas where the hare is unknown (for example, along the Congo River ), its role is often taken by the antelope . In Sotho culture the hare is replaced by a jackal , maybe due to the influence of Khoisan culture, where the jackal is also a symbol of astuteness while
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1856-432: The inclusive nature of traditional African spirituality by positing that deceased progenitors still play a role in the lives of their living descendants. Olupona rejects the western/Islamic definition of Monotheism and says that such concepts could not reflect the complex African traditions and are too simplistic. While some traditions have a supreme being (next to other deities), others have not. Monotheism does not reflect
1914-494: The influence of religions like Christianity and Islam. In most African cultures, including Bantu cultures, veneration of the dead plays a prominent role. The spirits of the dead are believed to linger around and influence the world of the living. This spiritual existence is usually not considered eternal; the spirits of the dead live on as long as there is someone who remembers them. As a consequence, kings and heroes, who are celebrated by oral tradition , live for centuries, while
1972-407: The modern cryptozoological legend of mokele-mbembe". They concluded that the reports of the monster were not result of hard evidence or genuine first-hand accounts of native encounters with the creature, but rather a "distillation of many creatively varied stories from widely separated regions. The absence of evidence supporting the creature's existence, despite several centuries of Western contact with
2030-497: The mokele-mbembe originated. According to skeptic Ben Radford , the origin of the creature can be traced back to a 1909 book by zoologist Carl Hagenbeck called Beasts and Men . Based on recently discovered dinosaur bones, Hagenbeck speculated that sauropods may still live in Africa. Although he offered no evidence other than legends, the claims were circulated by the press, including The Washington Post . Daniel Loxton and Donald Prothero claimed it "launched what would become
2088-540: The most distinctive traits of such monsters is that of being man-eaters . They can sometimes take on the appearance of men or animals (for example, the Chaga living by the Kilimanjaro have tales of a monster with leopard looks) and sometimes can cast spells on men and transform them into animals. A specific type of monsters is that of raised, mutilated dead (bearing a surface resemblance to western culture's zombies ) such as
2146-478: The multiplicity of ways that the traditional African spirituality has conceived of deities, gods, and spirit beings. He summarizes that traditional African religions are not only religions, but a worldview, a way of life. The traditional ways of Bantu belief systems has been modified, to various degrees and in various ways, by the advent of Christianity (or Islam ), as the God of Christians and Muslims has been equated to
2204-530: The objective to find evidence that invalidates or contradicts the scientific consensus regarding evolution . Paleontologist Donald Prothero remarks that "the quest for Mokele-Mbembe ... is part of the effort by creationists to overthrow the theory of evolution and teaching of science by any means possible". Additionally, Prothero noted that "the only people looking for mokele-mbembe are creationist ministers, not wildlife biologists." Most mainstream experts believe that mokele-mbembe, as reported by Congolese natives,
2262-456: The other groups are Kavango people, also known as the vaKavango or haKavango, are a Bantu ethnic group which is divided into five kingdoms (Kwangali, Mbunza, Shambyu, Gciriku and Mbukushu ). In many traditions the gods are supposed to live in the skies; there are also traditions that locate them on some high mountain, for example the Kirinyaga mountain - Mt. Kenya, for Kikuyu , Embu people, which
2320-415: The people. Ancient Bantu religious beliefs have been left to undeveloped or rural areas. In some countries medicine men, the priests of ancient Africa, are looked at with scorn. This is attributed to the influence of religions like Islam and Christianity that prohibit witchcraft. Ancestor worship is an important basic concept in most African religions. Some African religions adopted different views through
2378-496: The physical world. Polytheism was widespreaded in most of ancient African and other regions of the world, before the introduction of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism . High gods, along with other more specialized deities, ancestor spirits, territorial spirits, and beings, are a common theme among traditional African religions, highlighting the complex and advanced culture of ancient Africa. Jacob Olupona , professor of indigenous African religions at Harvard University , described
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2436-529: The possibility people might lie or exaggerate for financial gain, for attention, or to impress an American visitor. Furthermore, Mackal was dismissive of Africans who "denied knowledge of mokele-mbeme" or who asserted the creature did not exist. Zoologist Marcellin Agnagna said he took a film of mokele-mbeme in 1983 but the footage did not develop properly. Prothero describes the story as "suspicious", noting critical details of Agnagna's account have changed and none of it
2494-441: The region, numerous expeditions in search of the animal, and periodic aerial and satellite surveillance, all of which have detected elephants and other large animals - but no sauropods - all argue against the existence of mokele-mbembe. Bantu religion Bantu religion is the system of beliefs and legends of the Bantu people of Africa . Although Bantu peoples account for several hundred different ethnic groups , there
2552-504: The reports at face value, while others were more skeptical. It is notable that Western Europe and the Americas were going through a pop cultural interest in dinosaurs, of which the Brontosaurus was one of the most popular. This cultural trend could have contributed to both the reports as well as the tendency for newspapers to claim the reported beast was a sauropod . Several expeditions, of varying scientific credibility, were undertaken in
2610-407: The rest of humanity, to be a part of the eternal universe rather than a part of the specific group or people). Most Bantu cultures have legends and myths about the origin of death . According to one myth, a chameleon was sent to announce to men that they would never die. The chameleon went on his mission, but he walked slowly and stopped along the way to eat. Some time after the chameleon had left,
2668-524: The river in the clay of its shores at sharp bends. It is said to climb the shores even at daytime in search of food; its diet is said to be entirely vegetable. This feature disagrees with a possible explanation as a myth. The preferred plant was shown to me, it is a kind of liana with large white blossoms, with a milky sap and apple -like fruits. At the Ssombo River I was shown a path said to have been made by this animal in order to get at its food. The path
2726-460: The sea, and bring good fortune to those who worship them. They can also cure diseases and act as intermediaries between worshippers and the world of spirits. A Jengu cult is usually setup for worship of the Miengu. According to researcher Molefi Kete Asante , "Another important characteristic of Bakongo cosmology is the sun and its movements. The rising, peaking, setting, and absence of the sun provide
2784-410: The spirit of common people may vanish in the turn of a few generations. The dead communicate with the living in different ways; for example, they talk to them in dreams , send omens , or can be addressed by specially gifted seers . If they take any visible shape, it is often that of some animal (most likely a snake , a bird or a mantis ). The living, through clairvoyants and seers, may address
2842-516: The sun, stars, planets, etc. Because of this, kalûnga is seen as the origin of life and a force of motion. The Bakongo believe that life requires constant change and perpetual motion. Nzambi Mpunga is also referred to as Kalûnga, the God of change. Similarities between the Bakongo belief of Kalûnga and the Big Bang Theory have been studied. The nature of Kalûnga is also spiritual. As Kalûnga filled mbûngi, it created an invisible line that divided
2900-402: The tales were credible: trusted native guides had related the tales to him, and the stories were related to him by independent sources, yet featured many of the same details. Though von Stein's report was never formally published, Ley quoted von Stein as writing: The animal is said to be of a brownish-gray color with a smooth skin, its size is approximately that of an elephant ; at least that of
2958-430: The way most of the tribes conduct their burials. Practices like burying the dead at midday so they could make it to the other world before night were common but have been left majorly to the rural areas. Some tribes carried out ceremonies where they would send the dead with messages to the other world. Ancestors were believed to be in direct communication with the gods and sacrifices were made to them to plead on behalf of
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#17328582844063016-624: The world of the dead underground. Many Bantu cultures have myths and legends about living people that somehow manages to enter the world of the dead ( kuzimu in Swahili ); this may happen by chance to someone who is trying to hunt a porcupine or other animal inside its burrow . Some legends are about heroes who willingly enter the underground world in some kind of quest ; examples are Mpobe (in Baganda mythology) and Uncama (Zulu mythology). While Bantu cultures also believe in other spirits than those of
3074-426: The world, were strictly polytheistic and lacked the belief in monotheistic concepts, such as a single supreme creator god. Native African religions are centered on ancestor veneration , the belief in a spirit world , supernatural beings and free will (unlike the later developed concept of faith ). Deceased humans (and animals or important objects) still exist in the spirit world and can influence or interact with
3132-495: Was "tinged with some romanticism", but also insisted he had serious scientific intent. Prothero argues the Powell-Mackall expedition almost single-handedly popularized the modern concept of mokele-mbembe to Westerners, yet was seriously flawed. Mackal's training was in virology, which arguably did not qualify him to search for a large, exotic creature; and Mackal seemed to uncritically accept eyewitness statements without considering
3190-408: Was fresh and there were plants of the described type nearby. But since there were too many tracks of elephants, hippos, and other large mammals it was impossible to make out a particular spoor with any amount of certainty. However, according to Brian Dunning , in a 1929 German book by science author Wilhelm Bölsche called Dragons: Legend and Science , Bölsche wrote that von Stein clearly believed that
3248-416: Was only after the description of the mokele-mbembe surfaced that the rest of the world started interpreting those legends as possessing a dinosaur-like body structure. A notable example would be the emela-ntouka, an elephant-sized creature that shares a lot of similarities with the mokele-mbembe. It is described as having smooth skin, a strong and muscular tail, and a "horn" or "tooth". Another similar creature,
3306-498: Was probably inspired by the black rhinoceros , which once thrived in the region. Historian Edward Guimont has argued that the mokele-mbembe myth grows out of earlier pseudohistorical claims about Great Zimbabwe , and in turn influenced the later reptilian conspiracy theory . The first report of the mokele-mbembe comes from German Captain Ludwig Freiherr von Stein zu Lausnitz [ de ] , as described by Willy Ley in
3364-482: Was supported by other witnesses. Scottish explorer William "Billy" Gibbons led two expeditions in 1985 and 1992, though Prothero question his motives as a creationist and describes Gibbons as not following even basic scientific principles. Journalist Rory Nugent 's book Drums Along The Congo: On The Trail Of Mokele-Mbembe, the Last Living Dinosaur was published in 1993 by Houghton Mifflin. Nugent's book included
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