Zin

Ana Monteiro-Ferreira

Zin are generally known as Niger River deities, which are part of the Songhai mythology, as well as the myths of other peoples on the Niger River banks like the Djerma, Hauka, Sorko, and Hole, who are mainly connected to fishing populations in small towns and villages. Songhai culture as well as other Western African cultures has been greatly influenced by the Islamic religion, which means that traditional religions have incorporated some of these Islamic influences. Several influences concur in the religious manifestations of the Niger River peoples, so it is often not clear what exactly is traditionally African. For example, it is clear that there are Islamic influences in the Songhai people. Apparently many of the current religious manifestations of the Songhai and other peoples of the Niger valley are Islamized. Allegedly, the African zin are often considered interchangeable with the Islamic djinn. Among those of the Islamic tradition, ...

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