Forgotten Kongo Entities and Spirits

In the Kongo cosmology is a hierarchy of important spiritual entities that

most of us are unaware, forgotten or simply not been teach about them by
our elders. In our kongo cosmology is a lot more spiritual entities beyond
Nsasi, Zarabanda, Chola, Centella, Lucero etc, In the bakongo they also give
homage to the Simbi spirits (singular}, (Bisimbi plural), each of them help
the people with specific issues, the bisimbi are manifestations of the
Universal power.
In Angola, Zaire and other Province. bisimbi are associated in every aspect
of our lives and are everywhere and in everything. They are described by
Fu-Kiau as spiritual and physical beings, they are intelligent and powerful
forces to protect us and our environment. Bisimbi are dynamic, adaptive
forces that control equilibrium.
According to the bakongo, the bisimbi power is found in everything in
nature, in every river, plant, animal, human beings, and stones, thats the
reason that through ceremonies, and bantu prayers we are able settle those
energies every fragment in our mataris to consecrate our ngangas or
fundamentos as its widely known, as we invoke each spirit or energies
incrusted into those mataris to manifest either spiritually or physically.
This bisimbi each individual simbi and spirit are invoked to access the
power or energies they represent. The following are just a few of the many
simbi spirits:
Simbi-mamba nkwa-mandoto: spirit of the water or ancestors world
Vata diakondwa simbi difukidi: the simbi of the village (Fu-Kiau)
Kandi ngangas ko: the simbi of someone who will be a lider, prepare
that person for future duty
Simbi Nzonzi: the simbi of philosophy and politics
Simbi Nsi Yafuka: the simbi of determination and knowledge
Simbi Mbogi Mahehula/buna yakoma: the simbi of dynamic leadership
Simbi ka nkisi wanganga ko: simbi of divination and direction
Simbi Lunsanpu: the simbi of ancestral force

 Simbi malu ku maza: the simbi that serve the community, that
embraces knowledge about the history and politics of the society
Simbi nkama ntangu ye dunga: the simbi that controls the course of
events in space and time
Simbi Nkodia: the simbi of death, of resting
Simbi Nkangi Mayamba: represents the land, Mbanza Kongo
Simbi dia Maza: the water that is the closest to humans and represents
the power of human life
Simbi Makinsola: the simbi of love
Simbi Makaya: spirit of the rain forest, the way to find the perfect
combination of medicine. Simbi Makaya is subdivided into other
specific Simbi, including the following:
- Matiti ma meso or Makaya ma meso: medicinal leaves that cure
the eyes
- Makaya bititi: leaves that are used as fertilizer
- Makaya Nkasa: leaves that can be eaten, legumes or leaves of a
manioc plant
Simbi Nzundi Muana Nkangi: the Simbi that represents family
members specifically nephews
Simbi ne Kongo Ngudia: the Simbi that represents family members,
specifically paternal uncles
Simbi Mpangu Lusunsi: an upright stone stuck deep into the land or a
rock with four corners, or even as a real trunk of tree
Simbi Mbanba: a large sea-shell
Many of this Kongo, bantu, carabali, lemba, yombe, zundi, luwangu, etc,
tribes as time passed, many of this bantu lore were silent or forgotten this
magnificent bantu spirits and entities. For the kongo descendants in Cuba
Kalunga represents the Ocean but also the first cemetery the resting place of
thousands of slaves that died in the journey to the new world. One of the
main reasons I bring this information forward, there are many debates on
Zarabanda, Madre Agua, Kalunga, Chola are inventions or made up, im not
here to say who is right or wrong, I bring facts. I personally disagree due to
the facts that once you do serious and deep research you find out that within
all those kongo nations taken as slaves to the new world, had many deities
besides Nsasi which is widely known in the manikongo and others parts of

the kongo and around, case in point Kalunga also known as Simbi dia Maza,
Chola known in the bakongo as another Simbi spirit or entity, that represent
not only the rivers, but the motion of the current, pools of waters inside
caves, waterfalls.
Another ancestral entity we mention all the time in every ceremony, but
most of us have the slightest idea of what we saying, is Mambe. We often
say at the beginning or end, we say Jura yo Mambe!!! or Jura Dio
Mambe!!!, and I sure you that must of the new and old initiate do not have
the idea what they are saying or what it means. Mambe represent the birth
of the first Nfumbe or ancestral spirit (a kongo ancestor who lives inside a
prenda and Matari and talks through it) used to mount the first Nganga in
luwango in the Simbiriko cave. It is said that in our initiation we become
the spirit of Mambe, a transformation that represents lifes first change, the
sacrifice of Mambe represents the first ancestral worship as we say in every
ceremony calling him Yo Mambe and the Npangui answer Yo, we
saying I am Mambe

Info put together Macho

Sources used to help me in this paper:
Gerald Kubik
Robert Farris Thompson
Kimbwandende Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau
Barbaro Martinez
Karl Laman
Wyatt MacGaffey