Overview
Bumba Vomits Up the Universe
Quick Reference
(Bushongo/DRCongo)
Bumba was the creator.
At the beginning of time, there was only darkness and water, and Bumba, the creator, the first ancestor, was alone. Then he vomited up the sun, and there was light. The water dried up, and the outlines of landforms began to emerge. Bumba vomited up the moon and stars. Then he vomited again, and a leopard emerged, then a crested eagle, a crocodile, a fish, a tortoise, and the lightning, the heron, a beetle, and a goat. Finally, many men came out. Other animals were then created by those creatures: the heron created birds, the crocodile made serpents and iguana, the goat made horned beasts. The fish created the varieties of fish, the beetle created all other insects. The serpents made grasshoppers, and the iguana made creatures without horns. And the three sons of Bumba finished the world. Nyonye Ngana attempted to make white ants, but died in the effort. Chonganda, the second son, created a plant from which all trees and plants have sprung. The third son, Chedi Bumba, created the kite. Lightning became so troublesome that Bumba chased her into the sky, but she continued to strike at the earth. Bumba then showed the people how to draw fire out of trees, telling them that every tree contained fire. He showed them how to bring fire from the tree. When the creation was complete, Bumba gave these creations to the humans.
