Ndembu

Directory

References

Discover

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

Saguaro cacti dot the Sonoran Desert landscape at Saguaro National Park, Arizona. Formerly Saguaro National Monument cactus

Can You Drink Water from a Cactus?

Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)

Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

Cleopatra hieroglyphic carving the Ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Wall of the Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt.

What Did Cleopatra Look Like?

Jackson (Wyoming, United States). Jackson Lake (also called Jackson Hole), southern end of the Teton Range (the Grand Tetons), Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA

7 Wonders of America

Happy, smiling, flying pig

7 Everyday English Idioms and Where They Come From

Black widow spider

9 of the World’s Deadliest Spiders

Ndembu

people

Also known as: Demba, Southern Lunda

Learn about this topic in these articles:

African religions

In African religions: Mythology
For the Ndembu of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, by contrast, twins represent an excess of fertility more characteristic of the animal world than the human, and rituals are undertaken to protect the community from this anomalous condition.
Read More

rites of passage

In rite of passage: Victor Turner and anti-structure
…of passage for newly elected Ndembu kings. The rite in which the crown-elect, en route to his elevation as king, assumes the role of a commoner includes ritual humiliation. He is stripped of his royal stature and given lowly status before he is exalted. Humiliation serves to remind the future…
Read More