Nyonyose Research Paper

The descendants of the conquered nyonyose (farmers) honor nature spirits that provide them with supernatural power to control the weather, disease, crop failure, and general well-being. These are the "invented spirits" that become important as the congregation faces a particular affliction and which decrease in influence as the problem is solved. These spirits are often represented by masks and figures that make them visible and concrete. The spirits themselves provide, through the diviner, the religious laws that govern the community and so provide a system of sacred rule.
The creator god Wennam is associated with the sun and with the nakomse (political hierarchy). The spiritual power of the nyonyose based on nature spirits is in direct opposition