The Goddess Ala -

Earth Mother Goddess of the Ibo tribe in Nigeria. Creator of the living and Queen of the dead. Provider of communal loyalty and Lawgiver of society. Ala is the Ibo (Nigeria) goddess of the earth. She is the daughter of the High God and is considered to be the mother of all things. She is both the goddess of fertility and the goddess of death. She gives birth in the beginning and welcomes the dead back to her womb. Divine Mother who gives life, provides all that is life sustaining, establishes laws, guides morality and finally claims her children in death. If her children live peacefully, there will be bountiful harvests from the earth and womb. A Nigerian goddess of fertility. She also rules the Underworld, and it is believed that the souls of the dead rest within her sacred womb. Thr cresent moon is her symbol and she is often depicted in works of art as a seated woman holding a small child in her arms. Each year her followers pay homage to her with an event known as the Yam Festival. In Nigeria, where she is still worshipped, she has temples situated in the center of the villages, where she has a statue surrounded by the images of other gods and animals. Amongst the Ibo people, she is one of the most popular divinities.