Mama D'lo is a mythical character of Caribbean folklore, who, out of
pure love, protects all creatures living in the waters. You mainly hear
about her in Trinidad and Dominica. Her name comes from Maman de
l’eau which loosely translates to “mother of water” in French. The word
Mama is pronounced just as it sounds. D’lo rhymes with glow but with a
‘d’ at the beginning instead of a ‘g.’ Some people actually call her
Mama Glow.
She is described as a beautiful woman with long hair. She is human from
the waist up and she owns a golden comb which she uses to comb her
long hair. From the waist down, she has the body of a green anaconda, a
large and dangerous snake. She lives in rivers deep within forests and
hides this part of her body under water.
Like her husband, Papa Bois (“father of the woods”), she protects the
animals in her care, namely the living creatures in the water. She
protects them from humans who poach, who pollute the water, and who
needlessly kill animals. Unlike her husband, she protects the animals
under her care by luring hunters with her beautiful face and her singing,
then capturing and sometimes killing them with the strength of her
anaconda tail.
Like Mama D’lo and Papa Bois, we humans, out of love and wisdom,
need to ferociously protect our natural environment.