THE NOMMO

The Nommo are primordial ancestral spirits in Dogon religion venerated by the Dogon people of Mali. The word Nommo is derived from a Dogon word meaning "to make one drink." Nommos are usually described as amphibious, hermaphroditic, fish-like creatures and their folk art depicts them with humanoid upper torsos, legs/feet, and a fish-like lower torso and tail. 

Nommos are also referred to as “Masters of the Water”, “the Monitors”, and "the Teachers”. The Dogon believed that the Nommo were inhabitants of a world circling the star Sirius who descended from the sky in a vessel accompanied by fire and thunder.