Cosmogony is a specific theory or model of the origin and evolution of the universe. Cosmogonic rituals often include the reenactment of primordial events. These rituals give information about, for example, the ethnic group's origin and genealogy. They help participants and audience alike to connect to a higher cosmic order. They also include mythological teachings, which help mold the individual's pattern of thinking to that of the communal consciousness.
Myth played an active part in the African's everyday life. They were a vital social force. They not only supplied accounts of the tribe's origin but, (…) related precedents to present-day beliefs, actions and codes of behavior. It was taken for granted that beliefs and practices had existed unchanged since their adoption. Thus the reference to a precedent codified and sanctified the beliefs and placed them beyond question or change. (Segy, 1969, 25)
Masks play a central part in many rituals and often represent supernatural forces that determine the destiny of the community.
