Mami Wata

Mami Wata, Mammy Water, or similar is a mermaid, water spirit, and/or goddess in the folklore of parts of west, east, and south Africa. Historically, scholars trace her origins to early encounters between Europeans and West Africans in the 1400s, where Mami Wata developed from depictions of European mermaids. Mami Wata subsequently joined native pantheons of deities and spirits in parts of Africa.

Historically, Mami Wata is conceived of as an exotic female entity, often a white woman, from Europe or elsewhere with a particular interest with objects foreign to West African, items that can be found at her shrines. In the mid-1800s, Mami Wata’s iconography becomes particularly influenced by an image of snake charmer Nala Damajanti spreading from Europe. This snake charmer print soon overtook Mami Wata’s earlier mermaid iconography in popularity in some parts of Africa.

Additionally, Hindu imagery from Indian merchants have influenced depictions of Mamim Wata in some areas. Papi Wata, a male consort or reflection of Mami Wata sometimes depicted as modeled from the Hindu diety Hanuman, can be found in some Mami Wata traditions, sometimes under the influence of Hindu imagery.

Mami Wata is especially venerated in parts of Africa and in the Atlantic diaspora. She has been demonized in African Christian and Islamic communities. Mami Wata has appeared in a variety of media depictions and in literary works.