Kianda

For the village in Iran, see Kianda, Iran. For the school in Kenya, see Kianda School.
Kianda
Water Goddess
Equivalents
Kongo equivalent Simbi
Sawabantu equivalent Jengu

Kianda (or Dandalunda) is a goddess of the sea, of the waters, and a protector of fishermen in traditional Angolan culture.

Veneration

Kianda was traditionally worshipped by throwing offerings such as food and clothing into the sea. Every year the Luanda Island Feast is held to honor the deity. The mosasaur Prognathodon kianda, found in Angola, was named after her.

Arts and Literature

The Angolan author Pepetela uses the Kianda as a central figure in his short story "Magias do Mar" as well as his novel O Desejo de Kianda (lit. The Wish of Kianda, published in English as The Return of the Water Spirit).

Reference

  1. Melo, Anita. (2020). "You Can’t Kill a Kianda: A Reading of Pepetela’s “Magias do Mar”. Journal of Lusophone Studies. 5. 111-122. 10.21471/jls.v5i2.355.
  2. "Angola: On the mermaid Kianda and other mythical beings". Global Voices. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  3. "Culture – Angola Embassy". Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  4. "Angola Holidays and Festivals". www.iexplore.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  5. Schulp, Anne & Polcyn, Michael & Mateus, Octávio & Jacobs, Louis & Morais, Maria. (2008). "A new species of Prognathodon (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Maastrichtian of Angola, and the affinities of the mosasaur genus Liodon." Proceedings of the Second Mosasaur Meeting. 3.
  6. Link to external site, this link will open in a new tab (2020). "The Blue Cultural Fix: Water-Spirits and World-Ecology in Jorge Amado's Mar Morto and Pepetela's O Desejo de Kianda". Humanities. 9 (3): 72. doi:10.3390/h9030072. ProQuest 2431377206.