magic
nzambe ya mpungu / nzambe wa mpungu
The ancesters named their gods "
nzambe wa mpungu" (plural!),
the magical gods,
long before the arrival of the colonisers and the christian missionaries.
The missionaries were advised to continue using this name to more easily
introduce and assimilate the new God. In christian context it's usually translated as "
the almighty God"