Mami Wata is a water spirit venerated in West, Central, and Southern Africa and in the Afro-American diaspora. Mami Wata spirits are usually female but are sometimes male.
Sculpture of the African water deity Mami Wata. Nigeria (Igbo). 1950s. Wood, pigment. Original in the Minneapolis Institute of Art
A figurine of Mami Wata from 20th-century Nigeria, on display at the Horniman Museum in London
A water spirit is a kind of supernatural being found in the folklore of many cultures:
Water Spirit mask from the Igbo people (Brooklyn Museum)