Tagamaŋttumi-nu Ubuuŋami

Tagamaŋttumi-nu Ubuuŋami (the Great Faith of Celestial Balance) is a civic religion officially headquartered in the Dama capital of Yàn. It is centered around the Dama monarchy, with the nation's King as the official head of the faith. Adherents engage in practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, and taking part in large public ceremonies.

Tagamaŋttumi-nu Ubuuŋami largely revolves around the reverence of dzui, ancestor spirits believed to inhabit the heavenly world and who observe the mortal one. Dzui are worshiped at household shrines as well as public ones. The latter are staffed by priests who oversee offerings of food and drink to the ancestral spirits who inhabit that area. This is done to cultivate favor and goodwill between living humans and the dzui and to solicit the blessings of the latter. Other common rituals include dances, rites of passage, and seasonal festivals. Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious items such as amulets to its adherents. Tagamaŋttumi-nu Ubuuŋami places a major emphasis on purity, largely through practices such as ritual washing, bathing, and burning of incense. Emphasis is also placed on the importance of living a morally upright life, so that individuals are accepted by their ancestors on death and are permitted to join the dzui.

Historians debate at what point it is suitable to refer to Tagamaŋttumi-nu Ubuuŋami as a distinct religion. Veneration of ancestors can be traced back to the shamanistic practices recorded in Asidama going back to the first millennium BCE. The earliest written tradition regarding the dzui was recorded in the 8th century BCE. In ensuing centuries, the practice was adopted by the nobility and altered, claiming that their descent from divine figures. With Asidama's unification in the 9th century CE, the royal family placed itself at the head of the developing faith, with its King as its high priest. During the reign of King Myamunu the Great, the faith was officially organized and standardized across the nation, which some regard as the origin of the faith as a distinct religion. Shrines came under growing state influence, and citizens were encouraged to regard the King as a living ancestor. Tagamaŋttumi-nu Ubuuŋami is primarily found in Asidama, where there are over 100,000 public shrines big and small. Numerically, it is Asidama's largest religion. Most of the country takes part in the religion's rites, especially festivals, reflecting a common view in Dama culture that its beliefs and practices are those of the Dama nation.