Nkadi
Nkadi (also known as Mbumba) is the great rainbow serpent of Kongo mythology, a primordial being dwelling at the boundary between the world of the living and the dead. In Kongo cosmology, Nkadi is a cosmic serpent encircling the universe, its body forming the rainbow bridging the waters above and below. Nkadi is associated with nkisi power objects -- sacred bundles channeling spiritual energy. According to tradition, Nkadi was present at creation, witnessing Nzambi Mpungu's cosmic spark. Nkadi represents the continuity of life, death, and rebirth -- the cycle embodied in the Kongo cosmogram (d