| Type: | Kongo |
| God Of: | God of Creation |
| Venerated In: | Bantu mythology |
| Symbols: | Sun |
| Ethnic Group: | Boloki • Bantu |
| Roman Equivalent: | Jupiter |
| Equivalent1: | Nzambi Mpungu |
| Equivalent1 Type: | Bakongo |
| Equivalent2: | Chukwu |
| Equivalent2 Type: | Igbo |
| Equivalent3: | Amun-Ra |
| Equivalent3 Type: | Egyptian |
| Equivalent4: | Nyambe |
| Equivalent4 Type: | Bantu |
| Equivalent5: | Nyame |
| Equivalent5 Type: | Akan |
Njambe is the supreme creator god figure in the traditional religion of the Loki or Boloki people, who are primarily based in the Democratic Republic of Congo.[1] According to anthropologist John H. Weeks, Njambe is also used to refer to a deity associated with sickness and death [2]. He is prominent in Boloki myths regarding the origin of death [1] [3].
According to Weeks, Njambe is one of the names used to refer to the supreme god-figure worshipped by the Boloki people. In total, Weeks found that there were four commonly used names to refer to a supreme god figure, which may be represented by different or same deities:[2]
The name Njambe is also used by the Kuba people of the Democratic Republic of Congo to describe their supreme creator figure.[3]
It is said that Njambe once took a form of a small man and appeared in front of a human. The human is a villager who was working in the forest. When Njambe encountered the villager, he offered two bundles that the villager can choose to take home. The first bundle is large and contained trinkets such as knives, beads, and mirrors. The second bundle is much smaller and had immortal life inside.[4]
The villager, who did not know who Njambe was, told him that he could not make the decision himself. So, he brought the two bundles home to his village and asked for the other villagers’ opinions. The female villagers saw and tried out the trinkets in the larger first bundle. Later, they chose to leave the second bundle. Thus, Njambe took the bundle carrying the immortal life away, and death became a state experienced by all humans.