Mujua

The Imprint
Founder
Koman, the Shaman
Regions with significant populations
Bahia
Scriptures
Book of Nuru-Giza
Languages
Awanji (liturgical)

Mujua is a monotheistic pantheist Bahian religion that is most prominent in Umoja, the birthplace of the faith. Mujua asserts that there is only one true god, Ibila, and that it is a genderless, duel pantheistic force that permeates through all things. Typically, the dichotomy of Ibila is viewed as Nuru(Light - Birth) vs Giza(Dark - Death). It is believed that without such destruction, there could be no rebirth, as all things in the past live on through passing on their Roho(Spirit) in death.

Ancestor worship is a large element of Mujuan practice, as believers view that their ancestors and them are interwoven through Roho, and Roho is a connection to Ibila. Spirits of the prominent and most impactful dead are considered to have evolved into local deities, because they have ascended to godhood to be remembered; deities subservient to Ibila. Each locality and Mujuan ethnic group will likely have their own deity with this understanding.

The religion was first introduced by the Awanji people, who had migrated from the west. It is told that the Awanji people had become greedy and prosperous in their distant homeland, causing death and destruction in their conquest for riches. Ibila enlightened a Shaman, Koman, who would become a prophet for Ibila’s plea. Ibila pleaded that the Empire must bring peace and balance, as their rule had scourged the land, and created too much suffering. Koman was eventually forced into exile for preaching such reform and he led his faithful followers to Ardam. The former empire was destroyed with Ibila’s wrathful floods, fires and famine, while Koman established the Ardamite Kingdom as its Priest-King. Koman is an example of one ancestor which has ascended to deification as the chief of all Mujuan spiritual deities.

The core tenants of Mujua are outlined in the Book of Nuru-Giza, which Koman is chronicled to have written under a baobab tree. This book mostly touches on the nature of Ibila and lays out the values one must pursue to create good Roho. This is where the religion begins to split beyond its assimilative and henotheistic qualities into differing denominations however. The Kamba branch believes strong will and perseverance will lead one along a good path to honor their ancestors, a sect delving more into the ceremonial and traditional practices of the religion. The Tembo branch has a more intellectual and academic approach to understanding the text of Nuru-Giza, advocating for a more unified Mujuan ethnic than traditional syncretism. Kamba also revolves around good action and bad action, while Tembo centrally focuses on good thought and bad thought, regarding which is above one another. Tembo will believe thought(spirit) affects action, Kamba says action reflects thought, the two argue over which comes first. The Usawa branch tries to balance these two, more orthodox yet ambiguous in its interpretation that spirit and physical connection are equally interwoven.