Mami Wata is the generic name for a group of water-spirit possession cults in which the spirit takes the form of a mermaid-like being, half fish and half woman. Drewal (1988), as cited by the Horniman Museum, describes an ambivalent aquatic female spirit associated with snakes, seductive and dangerous, who can bring riches, health and fertility or ruin, illness and sterility. Much of her imagery derives from a European chromolithograph of a snake charmer that circulated in West Africa.
Mami Wata shrines often display mirrors, perfume and imported goods as offerings.