Nala Damajanti was the stage name of a late 19th-century snake charmer who toured with P.T. Barnum's circus and performed at the famed Folies Bergère in Paris. French sources identify her as Emilie Poupon (1861–1944), born in Nantey, Jura Department, France. Promotional posters of Nala Damajanti have been widely reproduced and are thought to have inspired one of the popular folk images of the African water spirit Mami Wata. Similar acts performing under slightly variant names such as Mala Damajaute, Nata Damajaute, and Nala Damajante are thought to have been the same person.[1]
- ^ Garcia Catalyud, Carmen (2013). "Miss Damajaute". Comentarios de Chapito (in Spanish). 18. Union de Profesionales y Amigos de las Artes Circenses: 32–33. Retrieved 8 March 2014.