Category Archives: Week 13: Mami Wati and African Mermaids

Week 13: Mami Wata: Hybridity, Sexuality, and Power

Posted on by
1

The hybridity of Mami Wata in Ti Jeanne creates an element of fear for those who believe in the tale. Not only is she a hybrid beast whose bottom half is a snake, but she also can assume the form of a woman, who is beautiful (unlike her snake form). One would not know that she is Mami Wata when she is in her human form. “In her mermaid form, be it piscine or reptilian, Mami Wata dwells in the waters of the forests she protects, but just as often, she might pass you by in her human form as she walks down the street in high heels, dressed to the nines and wearing stylish sunglasses. She takes seduction to a whole new level, using her beauty and promises of wealth to attract followers, and is not above sleeping with her devotees or taking them as spouses” (p.274). I found this passage to be interesting for many reasons. First off, her hybrid nature, that varies depending on where she is. On one hand, she is a protector, a guardian, but on the other she is a seductress, a symbol of sexuality. Not only does she take part in human activities (such as sex and marriage), but she also indulges in their vanity, by dressing to their standards (and seemingly separating herself from a more classic nature image). This is interesting because later in the story, she critiques Ti Jeanne for her vanity, and uses it as her reason for enchanting Ti Jeanne. I interpret this either as hypocrisy, or a belief that only river spirits are allowed vanity. Another part of the passage I found interesting was the description of Mami Wata’s seductive behavior. When we (those in the US, perhaps California) think of mother nature, we think of a mother figure, a safe place, nature. However, this representation of “mother water” is not a mother figure; rather she is a symbol of sexuality, seduction, and love. By saying she is not above sleeping with her followers, this myth goes against many beliefs of the value of sex, especially for women. Many women are looked down upon for engaging in sexual behavior, but Mami Wata’s choice to sleep with devotees changes power dynamics in female sexuality. I wonder if this reflects the culture or goes against their beliefs. 

African Water Spirits

Posted on by
1

It has always been fascinating to me how in traditional cultures respect and connect to the environment in such special ways. This has been relevant in many stories, but specifically stood out to me in Ti Jeanne when she says ” Maman Dlo, I didn’t mean to be rude, I didn’t hurt anything.” For the girl knew that punishment awaits the one who offends the forest creatures, the plants or the animals”(p. 276). It is almost as if these are meant to be warning signs for those who follow their generations. Their traditions and practices use natural resources scarcely to ensure that there is enough to consider others and their kind. Their teachings were ignored, just like their existence, and it is sad because they have a mindset that seems more beneficial to the environment that ours currently. These also is relevant in the strange story of Agannju and Yemaja as they are named after water, sky, and air. In these tales it is also evident that the gods are of nature, and should be respected at a higher level. This is another demonstration of the respect and knowledge that they had of the natural world. I am excited to talk more about the other aspects of these stories as I know there is a lot to uncover beyond the environmental points.

Ti Jeanne – Vanity

Posted on by
3

The story of Ti Jeanne brings us back to the ideas and beliefs around vanity. Ti Jeanne’s story serves as an exploration of the themes surrounding vanity and its consequences. The story revolves around Ti Jeanne, who in a moment of solitude indulges in the seemingly harmless act of admiring her reflection in the water. However, her actions attract the attention of Maman Dlo, who scolds Ti Jeanne for her vanity. “‘Vanity, vanity, my child,’ said Maman Dlo, who was now fully seven feet erect on her snakebody, swaying from side to side. ‘Looking at yourself in the water’s reflection. But beautiful you are, ssssssso beautiful! Mmh, mmh!” (Penguin, 276). Maman Dlo admires Ti Jeanne’s beauty but does not think she has the right to admire it herself. In many stories, mermaids are depicted as creatures obsessed with their beauty, spending amounts of time gazing at themselves in mirrors or water reflections. By transforming Ti Jeanne into a mermaid, the story draws a parallel between her actions and the archetype of the vain mermaid, suggesting that her preoccupation with her appearance aligns her with mermaids. This story also highlights the interconnectedness between human nature and merpeople. The connection of Ti Jeanne’s actions to a characteristic commonly associated with mermaids creates a blur of the boundary between humans and mythical creatures. This idea suggests that human behaviors and traits can take on those of mythical stories. Vanity is a trait that is often seen as a negative. It is often associated with not only mermaids but also women in general. Placing a negative connotation with looking at oneself should not only be told through the tales of women. This creates a negative narrative around women loving themselves and their appearance. Tales of men and mermen admiring themselves are not often told because they do not have the same connotations, similar to how in present-day society women are ridiculed for enjoying their appearance while men are not.

Ti Jeanne

Posted on by
Reply

In many of our previous readings about bodily transformations in Western societies, it’s usually the mermaid/aquatic creature that gets transformed into a human not the other way around. In the tale of Ti Jeanne, this assumption gets turned on its head when Ti Jeanne, a human, turns into an aquatic creature and leaves the human world behind. Ti Jeanne’s body adopts more monstrous qualities like a fishtail and serves as Maman Dlo’s servant for eternity as a punishment for her vanity (p.276). Even though she is not outright killed like other people would be for disrespecting the sanctity of the forest, she now can only reside in the aquatic domain, thereby cutting her contact with humanity. Although Ti Jeanne is punished for her vanity, Maman Dlo also acknowledges Ti Jeanne’s beauty which highlights the duality of gendered social expectations when it comes to beauty: it is something to be strived for but it’s also something to be rejected or controlled. As Maman Dlo’s eternal servant, her body and by extension her beauty are also in Maman Dlo’s possession and realm of control. 

Week 13: Ti Jeanne and Maman Dlo

Posted on by
Reply

One of this week’s reading was the story of Ti Jeanne and I wish the story was longer or that more stories like this would appear. I grew found of Maman Dlo in this story as I can relate her back to Mother Nature in a way, a mythical being who serves a purpose to teach humans lessons. My first read through I didn’t see anything wrong with what Ti Jeanne was doing but taking a moment to process what I was just and then reading it for a second time I can see how what she did was not okay. Maman Dlo was the “mother of the water” in Caribbean island folklore, and I think it is important to tell the story of her as the islands are surrounded by the Ocean so at some point there should be a better teaching for generations to come about the importance of not polluting the water as it is what surrounds the island people. The part I thought was interesting was when Ti Jeanne was realizing that doing laundry in the river pool was bad and is what caused her worry, “For the girl knew that punishment awaits the one who offends the forest creatures, the plants or the animals,..” (pg 275), but yet this was nothing that was thought of before she began washing. This story teaches the importance of smaller actions can and will still do harm to our environment, even if it’s unintentional or intentional but humans need to do better in realizing such. The story of Maman Dlo is one that should be told as it resonates with our current state of global warming and climate change, it advocates for the Ocean and Earth about the punishments that will be given to humans for the deconstruction of the natural environment.

Week 13: Nature is Violent

Posted on by
1

Good afternoon, everyone. For today’s blog post, I want to discuss a crucial theme I noticed reading Aganju and Yemaja, nature is violent.

Aganju and Yemaja is a perfect example of a creation myth. Aganju and Yemaja are the children of Odudua and Obatala. The story says, “The name Aganju means uninhabited tract of country, wilderness, plain, or forest, and Yemaja, “Mother of fish” (yeye, mother; eja, fish). The offspring of the union of Heaven and Earth, that is, of Obatala and Odudua, may thus be said to represent Land and Water.” (Penguin pg. 168). The siblings marry and have a child named Orungan (Air), who falls in love with Yemaja and assaults her, which causes the creation of 15 new Gods.

This is where I believe the theme that Nature is violent really shines through. After Orungan sexually assaults his mother, she attempts to flee from him. “Orungan, however, rapidly gained upon her and was just stretching out his hand to seize her when she fell backward to the ground. Then her body immediately began to swell in a fearful manner, two streams of water gushed from her breasts, and her abdomen burst open…” (Penguin pg. 168). These two sentences depict truly jarring body-horror. Yemaja explodes after her being savagely taken advantage of – and her annihilation birthed deities representing natural occurrences like vegatables and different African rivers – but also human ideas like wealth and war.

This made me ask myself why, like so many other creation myths I’ve read in the past, the myth of Aganju and Yemaja depicts the creation of the world as we know it as such a disturbing event. I’ve mentioned in blogs of the past that the natural world exists under an equal parts chaotic and serene state. The natural world lacks the order we crave in human civilization; the “wild” isn’t governed. I mean, there’s a reason why we call it “the wild” or “wildlife.”

I apologize because I don’t have a clear enough idea of the relationship between violence and nature to end the post on a clear and concise note, but I do believe that we should ask ourselves to make a distinction between human violence and the violence of the natural world. For centuries, Americans alone have been using terms like “beasts” and “animals” to describe their enemies or people “below” them. The violence that humans commit on other humans is different than the violence that occurs in the natural world – but the comparison has done nothing to help us understand the world better. If anything, this type of language only works to solidify the absurd ego imbalance we are all accustom to.