Amma is an African tribal deity – the supreme creator god in the Dogon religion.[1] The Dogon story of the creation of the world relates that the sky god Amma mated with the earth goddess, and because Amma was prevented from joining the goddess's clitoris in the form of a giant termite mound, he produced only an imperfect offspring – a desert fox or jackal – and therefore eventually removed the termite mound. Leaving the earth, he instituted the religious ritual of female circumcision.[2] After removing the termite mound, the god Amma with the earth goddess continued procreating and begat humans. Duality is central to Dogon religion, the heavenly forces also have a dual character: the supreme god Amma has androgynous characteristics.[3] The birth of twins is celebrated among the Dogon with a special religious ritual, as twins refer to the original dual structure of creation and to the harmony between earthly and heavenly.[4]
- ^ Siedlak, Monique J. (2021). Vodun: West Africa´s Spiritual Life. Saint Augustine: Oshun Publications. pp. 11–23.
- ^ Havelka, Ondřej (2021). "Dogon Religion: Research Issues". Dingir. 24 (4): 112–115.
- ^ Doray, Shannon (2003). The Master of Speech: Dogon Mythology Reveals. Toronto: Trafford Publishing. pp. 21–29.
- ^ Wilmore, Gayraud S. (1989). African American Religious Studies: An Interdisciplinary Anthology. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 272.