Female Lion Royal Ancestor-Spirit
Shona · demigod · founding ancestral era; mediums active into the 19th century · demigod
Classed as demigod (mhondoro royal ancestor-spirit), the female counterpart to Chaminuka; in some traditions a child of Mwari (parentIds). vitalStatus='spirit'. The mortal medium is recorded separately as shona_charwe.
Parentage
Domains
- national guardianship
- fertility and land
Powers
- descends into and speaks through a chosen female medium
- incites and blesses armed resistance against invaders
- promise that her bones will rise again
Epithets
- Mbuya Nehanda
- Nehanda Nyakasikana
Relations
- companion: Spirit-Medium of Nehanda
- sibling: Lion Royal Ancestor-Spirit
Sources
- Britannica, 'Nehanda'
- Encyclopedia of African Religion (SAGE), 'Nehanda'
- Beach, D.N., 'An Innocent Woman, Unjustly Accused?', History in Africa 25 (1998)