Sociopolitics in Art: Mami Wata

[minoanmiss]

I drew the goddess Mami Wata for the Mermay challenge at drawesome.

https://drawesome.dreamwidth.org/162038.html





So one aspect of this challenge I wanted to do was mermaids from
"other cultures". As a Black woman from the African diaspora living in the US, I'm pretty thoroughly soaked in the US version of Western Culture.

My explorations led me to a goddess from my own ancestral culture whom I had never heard of before. Mami Wata, mermaid water goddess of the African diaspora. I felt at once cheated and revivified to learn of Her, and I had to draw Her.

(I owe Her another drawing. I never got Her symbolic mirror into this one.)

Comments

[bikergeek]

Oooh! That's a nifty and interesting bit of culture. Thank you!

[minoanmiss]

And through posting this I learned She is gender fluid! I have a lot to learn here! I'm so excited!

[bikergeek]

Spiffy!

[just_ann_now]

That's beautiful! I love how the colors all work together.

[minoanmiss]

*beams so much* Thank you :D

[clevermanka]

Love her!

[minoanmiss]

*beams and beams*

[jesse_the_k]

That's my kind of spirit! Thanks for introducing me.

[minoanmiss]

Thank you for telling me so! I am smiling ear to ear!

[goss]

Awesome!! \o/

[minoanmiss]

Caribbean heritage!

[sabotabby]

I love her omg

[minoanmiss]

I feel like new vistas have opened before me.

[amaebi]

Oh, I LOVE this!

[minoanmiss]

*beams and beams and beams*

[sovay]

I drew the goddess Mami Wata for the Mermay challenge at drawesome.

YAY.

So one aspect of this challenge I wanted to do was mermaids from "other cultures".

One of my miscellaneous nonfiction publications was a review of The Penguin Book of Mermaids (2019). I highly recommend the book: it was international without being colonially collecting.

(I owe Her another drawing. I never got Her symbolic mirror into this one.)

I look forward.

The Penguin Book of Mermaids

[minoanmiss]

*saves this book rec*
*beams at you*

[darkmarcy]

Ooh, lovely and enlightening! Looking forward to more art of her!

(And nice shading on the mermaid tail!)

[minoanmiss]

*beams* Thank you, my friend. Little by little I am trying to learn shading.

[baranduin]

I love this, your drawing and the information.

[minoanmiss]

eeee, thank you so much!

[oracne]

That's excellent.

Her snek is snuggly - its facial expression looks like a satisfied cat to me, all in the eye and the tongue angle.

[minoanmiss]

He is a very snuggly snake! I drew the eye as a placeholder and then decided I liked it like that.

[dhampyresa]

Nice! Are you drawing on any specific depictions?

[minoanmiss]

Not so much as yet, but I do intend to do more research.

[readera]

Very cute! <3

[minoanmiss]

Thank you!

[readera]

Your welcome!

[lunabee34]

Lovely drawing; thanks for sharing about this goddess.

[minoanmiss]

*beams and beams* Thank you for telling me so!

[tjs_whatnot]

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

😍😍😍

[minoanmiss]

*hugs you tightly*

[acelightning]

She seems to have aspects in common with Yemaya and Erzuli-Freida, as well as Aida-Wedo. Beautiful snake lady - perhaps even Melusine! According to Wikipedia, she is a favorite loa of gay African women. And some people pray to her for healing. Hmm..