Ashanti creation myth

here is the myth of the Ashanti creation.

Ashanti creation myth

Ashanti Creation Myth

A long time ago, a man and a woman came down from the sky, while another man and another woman came out of the ground.

The "Lord of Heaven" also sent an African python (a non-venomous snake from Africa), which took up residence in a river.

At first, men and women had no children; they had no desire for each other and did not know the process of procreation and birth.

Python taught them. He asked the men and women if they had children, and when told they had none, the Python said he would make the women conceive. He told the couples to stand face to face, then he entered the river and came out with his mouth full of water.

Which he sprayed on their bellies while saying "Kus, kus" (words that are still used today in clan rituals).

Then the Python told the couples to go home and go to bed together, and the women conceived and gave birth.

The children and descendants took the Python ("the spirit of the river") as their "Clan Spirit".

Killing or injuring a python is a taboo, and if they find a python that is dead or has been killed by someone else, they put white clay on it and bury it the human way.