Aku Kwabolu

Aku Kwabolu (Bosso: Akų Kwàbṑlu /ˈákʊ̃́ kwàˈbòːlú/ "traditional belief") are the polytheistic beliefs of the Bosso-descended peoples of eastern Nkungu. Aku Kwabolu was previously an ethnic religion practiced exclusively among the ancient Bosso people, but after the emergence of the Nyamu and Hlong peoples of modern Khobeh, seperate ethnoreligious sects eventually came about, with both Nyamu and Hlong people having their respective rituals and traditions according to their sect. By the 32nd century CY, several other offshoots arose from orthodoxical differences brought about by traditional philosophers such as Sakha Biakor, opposing the orthopractic ritualism of before. Although the number of sects and offshoots (referred to as ajų) branching from Aku Kwabolu are many, they all are still recognized as Aku Kwabolu due to their homogeneity in deities and cosmology. In the current era, Aku Kwabolu is the most predominant religion practiced in the eastern Nkungu area, including non-Bossoid adherents.

Deities and beliefs

Aku Kwabolu theology centers around the creator god Yajā Àṣìakɔ and the existence of seven different spiritual realms (mati):

• Yajāmati, a spacious and barren realm wherein Yajā Àṣìakɔ resides in solitude
• Kɔmati, the realm where all other gods below Yajā reside
• Fewimati, the realm of mortal beings
• Ṣuamati Ñąrų, the realm of dead human spirits, directly governed by twin death god Ɛ̀ri
• Ṣuamati Bų̄̀rų, the realm of dead animal spirits and other entities, directly governed by twin death god Òri
• Kɔ̀ndumati, the realm of evil spirits and demons
• Wāwāti, a realm of eternal darkness not overseen by Yajā Àṣìakɔ (the existence of which is debated among different ajų)

Entities from each realm are capable of influencing entities of any of the other realms either directly or indirectly. Each realm, except Yajāmati and Wāwāti, have respective hierarchies of the entities that exist within them, all of which constitute the Eternal Hierarchy. While in the spiritual realms like Kɔmati and the Ṣuamati realms, the Eternal Hierarchy exists in the form of spiritual tiers, in the Fewimati realm, the hierarchy exists in the form of religiously enforced castes.

Aku Kwabolu Deities

Bosso name	Nyamu name	Hlong name	Purpose & Association	Tier
Yajā Àṣàyąkɔ	Yaja Àṣìakɔ	Yajàṣìaku	Ultimate creator and overseer of the seven realms	Yajā
Nsangbą	Nsangba	Sangba, Saba	Guardian of Fewimati and creator of human life, often associated with light	Ìsi
Biṣà	Biṣà	Biṣà	Divine messenger of Kɔmati, often consulted in prayer to either request intercession, or to receive signs from a deity; patron god of speech and traditional poetry
Ɛ̀ri i Òri	Ɛ̀ri i Òri	Ɛ̀l i Òl	Twin gods of death, guardians of the Ṣuamati realms, with Ɛ̀ri governing Ṣuamati Ñąrų and Òri governing Ṣuamati Bų̄̀rų
Ɔ̀gbɛĺɛ	Ɔ̀gbɛṣɛ	Bɛĺɛ	Leader of all evil spirits (kɔ̀ndu), guardian of Kɔ̀ndumati
Yṑru	Yū̀ru	Yū̀l	Solar deity, firstborn son of Nsangba	Awu
Caya	Cia	Cay	Lunar deity, secondborn son of Nsangba
Ikhà	Ikhà	Ihà	Goddess of water and rain, mother of river spirits; thirdborn daughter of Nsangba
Fakoro	Fakoru	Fakul	God of land, vegetation, and guardian of humanity; fourthborn son of Nsangba. Some sects associate Fakoro with being the guardian of a certain ethnic group or Bossoid peoples instead of humanity at large.
Umɔ̀nɔ̀	Umɔ̀nɔ̀	Mun	Demigod associated with fire, war, and political power. Often consulted in traditional crowning ceremonies, the death of a leader, or during wartime.	Mbe-awu
Kàṣi Jufakoro	Kàṣi Jufakoro	Kàṣ Jufakul	Demigod of wisdom and oral tradition, son of Fakoro; also often associated with being the guardian of an ethnic group
Sunkudi	Sunkudi	Sunkuri	Demigod of healing and medicine

Sects and offshoots (Ajų)

Aku Biakor

Aku Biakor is the first independently founded ajų, founded in the 32nd century CY, seperate from the prominent ethnoreligious Nyamu and Hlong sects of the time period. The beliefs of the sect is based on the writings of Sakha Biakor, namely Guduri Jàŋųrų Mōkṑrų Kų̀la ("[the] explanations/teachings of his divine understandings"), which is a collection of the six books Aku Biakor wrote on his theories and realizations on Aku Kwabolu cosmology. The sect is noted for its pantheistic doctrine, teaching that the various Aku Kwabolu gods and spirits are all "faces" of Yajā Àṣìakɔ, and the entire Seven Realms and the Eternal Hierarchy in of themselves are manifestations of Yajā Àṣìakɔ. Though the sect is primarily based on Sakha Biakor's teachings, the sect itself was not founded by Sakha Biakor directly but rather Shuya Gburun Jubiakor, who was a close friend of Sakha Biakor. Within the sect, little is known about Sakha Biakor's life other than what is detailed in Shuya Jubiakor's own writings, though Shuya's writings are not sacred.

Aku Furkoyian

Aku Furkoyian arose after a schism among the Aku Biakor clergy circa 3857 CY, and was founded by former Aku Biakor priest Furkoyian of Kalankhor. The religion is very similar to Aku Biakor, as its doctrine is also based on Guduri Jàŋųrų Mōkṑrų Kų̀la, paired with Furkoyian's teachings as comprised in the Guduri Mōkṑwi Fùrkɔ̀yąla. The main doctrines of the religion include the belief that the traditional Bosso caste system is sacred as it is also a manifestation of Yajā Àṣìakɔ like the Seven Realms and the Eternal Hierarchy, and that the eternal fire kept within Aku Kwabolu temples is the direct presence of Yajā Àṣìakɔ as it assumes a visible form to commune with human beings. Due to the first Aku Furkoyian temple being built in Kalankhor (modern-day Lakkor, Afa), the ajų has a large presence in southern Afa especially among Nganka populations.

Aku Sakhakharun

Aku Sakhakharun is an ajų founded by Sakha Ndakari-Wodami in 4558 CY. The traditionalist ajų focuses on keeping true to the Aku Kwabolu practiced before the rise of sects during the 32nd and 38th centuries CY. Aku Sakhakharun centers around venerating the gods, local spirits, and ancestor spirits rather than Yajā Àṣìakɔ. In Aka Sakhakharun, Yajā Àṣìakɔ is a distant being that does not commune with beings outside of Yajāmati, but rather sends forth the gods (who are created by it, rather than being part of it) to act on its behalf, and Biṣà to interact with human beings on behalf of the gods. For this reason, prayer is exclusive to Biṣà as the ajų believes that Biṣà is the only deity that will intercede. Keeping true to traditionalist ideals, Aku Sakhakharun does not have any main religious texts, but rather bases its doctrine on oral tradition and ritual recitations. The ajų regards ritual recitation as a sacred act and detrimental to being in good standing with the gods.