Yoruba Tradition
Nana Buruku
Also known as Nana Buluku, Nana Bukuu, Nananbouclou
- swamps
- ancestors
- primordial mud
- death
- elder wisdom
The ancient grandmother Orisha of swamps and primordial mud. Nana Buruku is older than even Olodumare in some traditions.
About Nana Buruku
The Primordial Grandmother
Nana Buruku is one of the most ancient Orishas, predating even some versions of the creation story. She represents the primordial mud from which humanity was formed and is considered the grandmother of all the Orishas.
Older Than Creation
Some traditions hold that Nana Buruku existed before Olodumare, representing the primordial void from which even the supreme creator emerged.
The Mud of Creation
When Obatala created humanity, he used clay or mud provided by Nana Buruku. This makes her the material source of human existence.
Enemy of Iron
Nana Buruku has an ancient enmity with Ogun and iron. Her worshippers may not use metal knives in her rituals, using only wooden or bamboo implements.
Origin story
Nana Buruku may predate creation itself, existing as primordial potential before Olodumare spoke the universe into being. She provided the mud from which humanity was shaped.
Across traditions
Parallel figures
Figures who play a role like Nana Buruku's in other traditions.
GreekGaiaIllustrationBoth are ancient earth mothers from whom later gods descended
Compare Nana Buruku and Gaia side by side
Worship and cult
Temples, festivals, and practices recorded for Nana Buruku
Grandparent of the pantheon in some lineages. Slow, old, and not for the impatient. Cult is respect for age more than a youth festival.
Sacred sites
- Elder-earth shrines in some West African and diaspora houses
Family
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Oriki Nana
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Parallels are editorial comparisons across traditions: a shared role does not, by itself, establish a shared origin.
Family relationships come from the atlas's kinship records. Ancient sources often disagree on divine genealogy.
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Genealogy
Family tree
Nana Buruku's parents, consorts, children and rivals, as recorded in the atlas.