Pemba Tree God of The Bambara of West Africa
Name: Pemba the Tree
God
Pantheon: Bambara in
West Afrca
Gender: Female
Known Aliases: The Creator, Tree God
Associated: Life, Creation, Sex
Classification: Patron God
Period of Worship:
Bemba is the creator god of
the Bambara in West Africa.
According to legend, in the
beginning there was nothing but the emptiness of the void. The universe began
from a single point of sound—the sound Yo. Everything—including human consciousness—came
from this root sound. Yo—the primeval creative spirit—created the structure of
the heavens, the Earth, and all living and nonliving things
From this came Farom he water
spirit, Teliko the Air Spirit and Pemba the Creator Spirit. Pemba created the
Earth.
Yo lowered him down to Earth
and as he drew closer, a great Tree grew out of him.
The humans who lived on Earth
took refuge under that tree. This became their sanctuary.
But there were very few
humans, So the divine tree would couple with human women to infused them with
life to create more humans.
He was tireless in his work and
efforts.
In order to strength the tree
people sacrificed blood to it, and in some myths it is called the Blood Tree.
Pemba is still venerated for
his association with fertility, and those seeking his blessings should leave
Red Wine as offering.
