Nganga
The Kongo ritual specialist who makes minkisi and heals; the same word in Bantu languages names the healer and the diviner.
Also: nganga, n'anga, nganga marinda, nganga ngombo
Nganga is a word in Kikongo and related Bantu languages for a specialist in healing and ritual. A nganga ngombo is a diviner, and a nganga marinda is thought of as protecting a community. Related terms, such as the Zimbabwean n'anga and the Zulu inyanga, are found across southern and central Africa. A nganga makes nkisi and is expected to use the power for the community; a nganga who is accused of using it for harm is feared. In Cuban Palo Mayombe, the iron pot kept by a practitioner is itself called a nganga, and the word has travelled from Kongo religion to the Caribbean. Training and initiation are private, and what is done at an actual ceremony is not published here.