Hi there! Welcome to Stories That Made Us. This week, we traverse through the great African continent and bring you the creation myths of four tribes - the Dinka of South Sudan, the Dogon of Mali, and Burkina Faso, the Efe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Efik of Nigeria and Cameroon. 

African mythology is as beautiful as it is vast. The continent, after all, contains many languages, tribes, and cultures as diverse as the Nilotic peoples of Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, and more, to the San and Shona in southern Africa.  

The first tale is of the Dinka. They are the descendants of an ancient people who are native to South Sudan and had settled along the river Nile. This particular name "Dinka" has been given to them by the Europeans. They actually call themselves Muonjang or Jieng. 

They have traditionally engaged in agriculture and animal rearing and herding. Domesticating and rearing cattle constitutes a major part of their livelihood. The animal is of supreme importance to the Dinka, from a cultural as well as a practical point. The cattle form the basis of Dinka livelihood, religion, and social structure.

Their creator god is a divine force, Nhialic. He is the high god and the source of sustenance. The creation of humans is the centerpiece of their origin myth, and Nhialic, also known as Divinity or Supreme Being, rarely bothers itself with the affairs of mankind.

The next story is of the Dogon. 

The Dogon people of Africa live near and around the famous Bandiagara Cliffs in the central plateau region of present-day Mali and Burkina Faso in West Africa. Their creation story is one of the most elaborate and fascinating explanations of the origins of the world and of human culture.

The third story is of the Efe. The Efe are people of the Ituri forest region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The tribe, along with the Aka, Sua, and Mbuti, are collectively known as Bambuti, or more commonly, Pygmies. Theirs is a patrilineal culture and the people have flourished predominantly as hunter-gatherers. The Efe, like the other tribes, have lived in the Ituri Forest since as early as twenty-five hundred BC. Interestingly, the Pharoah Nefrikare of Egypt knew of them and called the people "the dancing dwarves" and "people of the trees". Their story is more of an origin of death rather than a fully developed creation myth.

The final story is of the Efik.

They are inhabitants of the Cross River state of Nigeria and Cameroon. They are a patriarchal tribe that is led by a king.

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The music used for the episodes are either free to use, or under creative commons license. Below are their links and attributions -

At The Shore - The Dark Contenent by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100770

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Six by Eight

Artist: Jimmy Fontanez/Media Right Productions

Source: YouTube Audio Library

Arid Foothills - The Dark Contenent by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100437

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Bumba Crossing by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1500031

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Consequence - Wonders by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100283

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Song For Michael

Artist: Magic In The Other

Source: YouTube Audio Library

Alone

Artist: Aakash Gandhi

Source: YouTube Audio Library

The Sea Captain & The Mermaid

Artist: Asher Fulero

Source: YouTube Audio Library

Parzival

Artist: William Rosati

Source: YouTube Audio Library

Prelude No. 18 by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/

Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/