Vidye Mukulu, the high creator, and the mikishi, ancestral and nature spirits invoked through carved figures and charms, honoured among the Luba peoples of the southern Congo basin in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Luba religious authority historically ran through the Mbudye, a society of royal historians and diviners who preserved the kingdom's sacred history on memory boards called lukasa, a mnemonic device rather than a written text. Much of what is documented comes from twentieth century study of Luba court art and oral history rather than from missionary record alone.
Facts
Structure
Structure of the PantheonA supreme creator above a working order of intermediary powers 1 Divine HeadshipA supreme creator who withdrew from active rule and receives little direct cult 1 Succession Between Divine GenerationsOne divine generation; no succession between generations is recorded 1 The Creator and the Ruling GodsThe creator withdrew after making the world and is seldom addressed in cult 1 Attestation
Era of AttestationHeld from the beginning in the tradition's own terms; documented in the outside record from the 19th century, with the royal history carried in the mbudye tradition from earlier 1 Veneration TodayActively venerated in a living tradition 1 Cult
Principal Cult CentreNo single centre. Observance is held by the lineage, and a spirit capital is kept for each deceased king 1 Organisation
Membership of the PantheonEvery place, clan and lineage adds its own 1 How Mortals Enter the PantheonAncestors and founders become objects of cult 1 Sources
Primary SourceOral tradition held by the mbudye society, whose lukasa memory boards carry the royal history, with published ethnography 1 Correspondences & Relations
Connections
Associated With
This source names Republic of the Congo directly: "basin in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
Source Encyclopedia of ReligionMircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.)
Sources
1. Encyclopedia of Religion
Mircea Eliade (ed.); Lindsay Jones (ed., 2nd ed.), Macmillan Reference, 2005View the Source Baluba religion (Wikipedia)
In Group: Central and Southern African Pantheons, Introduction, sentence 2Quote, In Group: Central and Southern African Pantheons, Introduction, sentence 2
Their creator deity's name is Kabezya-Mpungu.
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