Winti

thumb|Dutch Royal Tropical Institute, Objectnumber 10019264, Portrait after a Winti-dance in a Bushinengue|Maroon village, [[Suriname, 1948. The dance is called Wintidansi or wentipee in the Ndyuka language. The dancers prepared their bodies with herbs and are therefore able to dance through the fire. While making music (striking the Apinti, singing and dancing) it is possible for the dancer to go into a trance. The Winti-dance is performed only on special occasions.]] Winti is an Afro-Surinamese traditional religion that originated in Suriname. It is a syncretization of the different African religious beliefs and practices brought in mainly by enslaved Akan, Fon and Kongo people during the Dutch slave trade. The religion has no written sources, nor a central authority. The term is also used for all supernatural beings or spirits (Wintis) created by Anana, the creator of the universe. Winti bear similarities to other African diaspora religions like Haitian Vodou and Candomblé.

== Beliefs == Winti is based on three principles: the belief in the supreme creator called Anana Kedyaman Kedyanpon; the belief in a pantheon of spirits called Winti; and the veneration of the ancestors. There is also a belief in Ampuku (also known as Apuku) which are anthropomorphic forest spirits. An Ampuku can possess people (both men and women) and can also pass itself off as another spirit. Ampuku can also be water spirits, and are known in such cases as Watra Ampuku.