Nommo, the amphibious twins of Amma's creation
By Ralf Ittermann · last reviewed on
Nommo is god of West African (Dogon) tradition.
Amphibious twin beings, bringers of water and language. Nommo are the amphibious twins of Amma’s creation, and this profile outlines how the pair is placed within that creation account.
The Nommo are amphibious primordial beings of Dogon cosmology in Mali, created by Amma from water and light. They complete creation and bring water, language and order; their veneration remains a living practice among the Dogon today.
Type: creation beings of the Dogon
Origin: Bandiagara Escarpment, Mali
Texts: ethnographic from 1930, above all Griaule
Period: living to this day
Appearance: amphibious, half human, half fish, androgynous
Source context
Period of the Texts
Documented ethnographically since the 1930s by Marcel Griaule.
Area of Diffusion
Bandiagara Escarpment, Mali, the Dogon heartland.
Sources
Rich but disputed: Griaule’s field method is regarded as suggestive.
Name and variants
Dogon: Nommo denotes the water twins created by Amma; the seventh Nommo is regarded as Lord of Speech.
Appearance and effect
Appearance
Amphibious, half human, half fish, androgynous; water is considered the basic substance of life and speech.
Effect
The Nommo complete creation, bringing rain, language and order, benevolent beings, not threatening.
Profile: Nommo
The key aspects of the water twins at a glance.
Central creation being of the Dogon, bringer of culture and order.
Water, language, weaving, cosmic order.
Amphibious twins, half human, half fish, androgynous.
Complete creation, bring rain, language, technology.
Sigui festival roughly every 60 years, altars, mask rituals.
Amma, the sacrificed twin and the Sirius debate
According to Ogotemmêli’s account in Griaule’s Dieu d’eau, Amma created the Nommo from water and light. A disruption led to the sacrifice of one Nommo, from whose body parts the world arose; revived, he brought humans knowledge, the seventh being Lord of Speech. Griaule’s Sirius-B thesis is not accepted as established.
From ethnography to the Sirius controversy
The Nommo are popularly known through Sirius-mystery literature and ancient-astronaut theories, while also being the subject of a methodologically critical debate about Griaule’s ethnography: creation and culture-hero beings with the symbolism of word, water and order.
Sigui festival and mask rites
Central are the Sigui festival, held roughly every 60 years, altars and mask rituals such as the Dama funeral rites; their purpose is veneration, not warding off. Signs used include Holy Water, Amulet, Smudging.
Water beings of West Africa compared
Frequently asked questions about the Nommo
Did the Dogon know about Sirius B?
Disputed: a claim from Griaule’s reports, later research found no confirmation.
Are the Nommo evil water monsters?
No, they are revered beings of creation and order.
Literature (selection)
Further standard works in the bibliography.
Anyone searching online for Nommo Dogon legends or water spirits Mali means the same figures: the amphibious twins whom Amma created from water and light to bring water, language and order.
