Kianda

For the village in Iran, see Kianda, Iran. For the school in Kenya, see Kianda School.

Kianda
Water Goddess
Equivalents
Kongo	Simbi
Sawabantu	Jengu

Kianda (or Dandalunda) is a goddess of the sea, of the waters, and a protector of fishermen in traditional Angolan culture.[1]

Veneration

Kianda was traditionally worshipped by throwing offerings such as food and clothing into the sea.[2][3] Every year the Luanda Island Feast is held to honor the deity.[4] The mosasaur Prognathodon kianda, found in Angola, was named after her.[5]

Arts and Literature

The Angolan author Pepetela uses the Kianda as a central figure in his short story "Magias do Mar"[1] as well as his novel O Desejo de Kianda (lit. The Wish of Kianda, published in English as The Return of the Water Spirit).[6]

Reference

1. Melo, Anita (December 2020). "You Can't Kill a Kianda: A Reading of Pepetela's "Magias do Mar"". Journal of Lusophone Studies. 5 (2): 111–122. doi:10.21471/jls.v5i2.355 – via ResearchGate.
2. Onofre, Clara (2008-10-28). "Angola: On the mermaid Kianda and other mythical beings". Global Voices. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
3. "Culture". Angola Embassy. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
4. "Angola Holidays and Festivals". iExplore. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
5. Schulp, Anne; Polcyn, Michael; Mateus, Octávio; Jacobs, Louis; Morais, Maria (Jan 2008). "A new species of Prognathodon (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Maastrichtian of Angola, and the affinities of the mosasaur genus Liodon". Proceedings of the Second Mosasaur Meeting – via ResearchGate.
6. Link to external site, this link will open in a new tab (2020). "The Blue Cultural Fix: Water-Spirits and World-Ecology in Jorge Amado's Mar Morto and Pepetela's O Desejo de Kianda". Humanities. 9 (3): 72. doi:10.3390/h9030072. ProQuest 2431377206.