Spirit work
Mami Wata devotion
Shrine rites for the water spirit Mami Wata, shown as a woman with a snake, who is said to bring wealth and ask for fidelity.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
Mami Wata, Mother Water, is a spirit or group of spirits honoured along the coasts of West and Central Africa and in the diaspora. She is often pictured as a woman with long hair and a snake, and is linked with water, wealth, beauty and healing. Devotees keep shrines, dress in her colours and hold that she calls her followers through dreams and illness.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- Shrine and altarSpaceOften by a river or in a home room.
- White cloth and red clothObjectThe colours of the spirit.
- Mirror and combObjectItems of beauty set before her.
- Perfume and sweetsOfferingGiven to the spirit.
- Songs and danceWordCall the spirit to the gathering.
- Space
- Object
- Offering
- Word
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Cleanse The shrine is swept and set in order. Step 2: Gather Cloth, mirrors, perfume and sweets are set out. Step 3: Speak The priestess greets the spirit and states the request. Step 4: Circle Songs and dance follow, and a devotee may enter trance. Step 5: Offer The gifts are left or shared at the end. Step 6: Close The shrine is closed with a final greeting.
A mixed image
The popular image owes something to a chromolithograph of a snake charmer sold in Europe and India in the nineteenth century and to older African water spirits. Scholars treat Mami Wata as a blend of these streams rather than a single ancient figure.
In practice
Priests and priestesses, called by her, keep a shrine with white and red cloth, mirrors, perfume and sweet foods. Rules about food or behaviour may follow. Worship is private to initiates in many places, and the public sees only festivals and dances.
Concerns
Some Christian churches describe her as demonic, and warnings about water spirits circulate in popular media. Devotees describe her as a source of healing and blessing.
What it is for
- Wealth and success
- Healing
- Answering a call
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: West African Vodun (The shared religious region.).
More on EveryJaadu
No entries here yet. New pages are added every day.
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Spirit possession: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Mami Wata: Daderot, Public domain, source