[krand]

[ch7864] Kaal[ch7865] o

This is my first post and brief introduction. *I'm originally from the West Coast (Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area). *However, i'm currently a resident of Houston, Texas (for nine years). *I was initiated in a traditional Ifa House to Sango. * However, I DO NOT claim the accolade of full priesthood until, at least, my seventh year of "hard training". *So, strickly speaking, i'm an Awo in TRAINING. *That being the case, naturally i have an interest in the Yoruba Language. *More than that, though, it's also personal since my great, great grandfather Alani B William was of direct Yoruba ancestry. He was brought to this country (South Carolina USA) during enslavement via Jamaica via the Bight of Benin. *The family oral history goes such that he and seven siblings were sold into enslavement and shipped to Jamaica. *At some point, great, great gran was resold away from his brothers and sisters on the Island to South Carolina where became a Gullah or Geechee. *There he taried in Charleston District until about the 1850s, where he was eventually sold to another plantation in Greenville, South Carolina. *Shortly after, he was sold again to a plantation in Dallas County, Alabama, along with other Geechees from Carolina, near a place called McDonald's Switch...so, learning Yoruba is both a personal and spiritual quest. *Even so, i also have a deep affinity for Akan as well. *

Well, i think that's enough about me. *Thanks for reading.

Karim aka Orisagbemi