Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Africa, covering an area of approximately 30.2 million square kilometers, is the second largest continent in the world and has the second highest population. It is also the only continent that stretches from the northern temperate zone through the tropics to the southern temperate zone.
The hot and humid climate, along with the dense jungle environment, makes Africa one of the regions with the highest biodiversity in the world.
Many giant species have been discovered and defined here, while locals have also recorded and described creatures they encounter but cannot understand, giving rise to various stories and legends of unconfirmed beings.
In the Gambia River basin, there is a saying that a gigantic water monster lives in the mangroves. It is said that every night it crawls out of the mud to devour anything in its path.
When children ignore the elders' warnings and play near the mangroves, they are said to be taken away and eaten by this creature.
The sound of bones being chewed echoes throughout the mangroves, and this being is known as Ninki Nanka in West African folklore.
Legends about Ninki Nanka are prevalent in Gambia, Guinea, and Senegal, particularly in the Kassamance River basin.
Descriptions of its form vary slightly by region, but the most common depiction describes it as a massive amphibious reptile resembling a crocodile, nearly 30 feet long, covered in reflective scales, with a head similar to that of a horse adorned with a mane on top, moving on four limbs.
Some descriptions from those living near rivers depict it as dragon-like.
Locals believe that seeing Ninki Nanka is an ominous sign, indicating unavoidable death. Even if one is not caught and eaten by it, they may die later from some unknown disease.
The only way to kill Ninki Nanka is to make it see its own reflection. Therefore, people who frequently walk along the riverbanks habitually carry a mirror for protection.
According to my research, while the legend of this creature has a wide reach, its transmission exists solely through oral tradition between individuals or tribes, with no reliable written or physical evidence remaining locally.
The earliest external written record of this creature comes from a 1944 article titled "The African Dragon" by British anthropologist Professor Jeffrey published in African Society magazine, which briefly mentioned the legend of such a creature in the Gambia River basin.
Another more detailed early description comes from British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke's The Chronicle of Strange and Mysterious Beasts published in 1987.
In the first chapter of his book, he mentions receiving a letter from colonial physician Thomas Dalrymple in Africa. In his letter, Dalrymple stated that during his tenure as a medical officer in Gambia in 1935, he noticed unusual chaos among locals one night.
It was only the next day that he learned they had encountered the legendary Ninki Nanka.
They described this creature as having a horse's face, a neck resembling that of a giraffe, and a body like that of a crocodile, dragging along a long tail and measuring about 30 feet in length.
Thomas entrusted the local chief with a request to alert him if the Ninki Nanka was spotted again.
One evening, months later, reports of a monster surfaced once more. However, when Thomas rushed out, aside from the swarms of mosquitoes around the swamp, he found nothing.
Later, Thomas took a boat to Nigeria, where the captain informed him that they had seen a massive creature resembling a sea serpent in the central region of the Niger Delta.
The captain had fired a shot at the creature, but it was too far away. Nevertheless, the creature was startled and quickly swam deeper into the mangrove swamp.
He described the creature as being about 30 to 40 feet long and resembling a dinosaur.
In fact, the legend of Ninki Nanka gained widespread attention only at the end of the 21st century in 2000.
British zoologist Chris Moiser, who frequently visited Gambia, began an investigation into Ninki Nanka. He asked many locals and discovered that their impressions of Ninki Nanka varied greatly.
Some believed that the so-called Ninki Nanka was derived from ethereal myths meant to scare children who refused to sleep, while a significant number firmly believed that this creature existed but had either gone extinct or was rarely seen now.
Moiser obtained a model of a stone pendant depicting Ninki Nanka from a silversmith, which looked like a small silver dragon.
At the same time, his driver friend told him that years ago, activities attributed to Ninki Nanka had caused a bridge upstream on the Gambia River to collapse, resulting in four deaths. At that time, someone claimed to have seen the creature as a giant snake with horns on its head.
In the latter part of Dr. Moiser's article, he even mentioned a severe water pollution incident that occurred in 1993 along the Gambia River. A foul-smelling black substance spread through the river water, severely damaging the ecological environment. Many locals fell ill after drinking contaminated river water and consuming fish.
It was said that The Gambia Daily summarized several possible causes for the incident at that time, one of which included the possibility that a decaying dragon's corpse had been washed into the river by heavy rains, leading to pollution. However, due to the passage of time and my limited capabilities, I have not been able to locate an original copy of that report.
In 2006, the British Futeng Zoological Center initiated an exploration specifically targeting Ninki Nanka.
This expedition was led by British zoologist Chris Moiser and included six members, including cryptozoologist Richard Freeman. They spent two weeks investigating areas where Ninki Nanka might appear.
In their investigation report, it was noted that along their journey they interviewed many locals who provided varying descriptions of Ninki Nanka's form. Most described it as a massive python capable of swallowing cattle or as a dragon-like creature with limbs.
Some descriptions even bordered on mythical, claiming it could breathe fire or had wings adorned with inscriptions from the Quran on its body.
Among these sightings, several incidents can be traced back to specific points in time.
The first piece of information came from a local named Hassan Kinda.
He said that his grandfather, Papakinda, worked at the water pump station in Abuko Town in 1943.
One night, he discovered that a water supply pipe had been damaged, and shortly after, he saw the legendary creature.
It was an enormous animal resembling a dragon. He could only see the upper half of the creature, covered in shimmering scales that sparkled like diamonds, with a fire pot on its head.
It moved slowly, pausing intermittently and looking around as if searching for something. Out of fear, Papakinda did not dare to approach for a closer look and let it leave.
Later, in 1947, he saw the dragon once again.
After this encounter, his legs began to ache, his hair fell out, and he passed away two weeks later.
Hassan attributed his grandfather's death to having seen Ninki Nanka because in the local belief, anyone who sees it is thought to be cursed or affected by a virus associated with Ninki Nanka, regardless of how long afterward they die.
Additionally, Hassan led them to an elder who reportedly found what appeared to be scales from Ninki Nanka in Abko during his youth.
Upon inspection by the team, it was determined that these scales likely did not belong to any creature but resembled some kind of gelatinous substance.
Afterward, they brought the scales back to England for testing, which revealed that it was merely a piece of moldy camera film.
Comment 0 Comment Count