http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gJQT_Q8yTI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gJQT_Q8yTI)
QuoteObadele Kambon;225222 wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gJQT_Q8yTI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gJQT_Q8yTI)
You mentioned a past experience that led you to really start reading Akan and Yoruba philosophy. I had a similar type of experience that I can say led me to want to learn more about Kmtyw Spirituality, Akan specifically. It took me a while to see the sign but once I saw it, it was a strong draw to want to learn more.
Back in 1997 me yere and I lost a child to miscarriage and I took her to the doctor to figure out what happened and to get an understanding. The doctor determined that me yere had fibroid tumors and this could have caused her to lose the child. Long story short they recommended her to have a full hysterectomy and said she would not be able to have anymore children. It was tough for me to accept. For some reason I went to a local store and a sister sold me an Akan fertility doll/statuein the picture. She told me what to do with it but I forget. The book store was called Know Thyself in Tacoma WA. At the time I had no knowledge of any Kmtyw system at all. But I did respect the sister's knowledge, but I knew enough not to trust the krakkas. (https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170317/7babcde4f867a2b1ef1359f43c2c68f3.jpg)I placed that doll in our room...and a little Magic lol we had two more children since 1997. My yere thought I was crazy at the time....but that really sparked the interest in learning more about that doll/statue and the culture...since then Akan has been always something I wanted to study. I still have that statue to this day....it's just not in the bedroom anymore lol.
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The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines, are fearful of freedom.
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Wow! Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry to hear about your loss. You've reminded me of Ama being an akuaba (fertility doll) child. I'm glad you didn't listen to the past, current and future enemies of Kmtyw people. What did the magic consist of? And why don't you keep it in the bedroom anymore?
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QuoteObadele Kambon;225307 wrote: Wow! Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry to hear about your loss. You've reminded me of Ama being an akuaba (fertility doll) child. I'm glad you didn't listen to the past, current and future enemies of Kmtyw people. What did the magic consist of? And why don't you keep it in the bedroom anymore?
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No doubt..........that story when told to family members get some interesting looks. The fertility doll is now downstairs in my office.....I guess you could say it is now in my altar. the magic.......well I will leave that one alone.
https://newKmtyw77.wordpress.com/2017/03/19/ewe-people-explanation-of-the-four-elements-ancient-origins-of-the-solar-system-mama-zogbe/ (https://newkmtyw77.wordpress.com/2017/03/19/ewe-people-explanation-of-the-four-elements-ancient-origins-of-the-solar-system-mama-zogbe/)
Explanation of How the Four Elements Were Formed
According to the legends inherited from the Ewe Tro (Trowo pl.), (ancient ancestors), the universe is equated with the sacred calabash. It is described as an enormous calabash, in which the top is the heavens, covered by the sky, and the bottom is the earth, thus, splitting the world into opposite polarities. The sky is viewed as the masculine aspect of the universe, whereas the earth is viewed as the feminine aspect, because of its association with fertility, nurturing and nourishment.
The Ewe understood that all life is born from the active "insemination" of the sky, because it fertilizes the earth via the issuance of rain. The earth, acting as the receptor for the rain, gladly receives the water and nourishes the seeds, which germinates the plants, which creates a process of metamorphoses of both animals and men.
The ancient Ewe also believed that the world itself was a huge, feminine organic body, made up of the four very basic, but extremely important elements: Earth, Fire, Sky, and Water. They further believed that Water was generated from the interplay of the spirits of the sky, and that the Fire gushed from the Earth. But for them, the absolute essential impulse central to the release of these dynamic elements was Lightening. It was theorized that the contact of these two polarities (Earth and Sky) provoked the Lightning, and thus triggers the basic impulse of all cosmic and earthly transformations, including the process of copulation, and birth.
Additionally, the Fire, that the Ewe ancestors learned to make from rock and dry wood, is viewed as merely an extension of this divine force manifested from Thunder." With the knowledge of Fire, the ancestors were able to transform laterite into iron, and thus master this element in order to forge tools for agriculture, weapons, hunting and war.
These cosmological concepts were often traditionally expressed in the traditional design of the royal bench, constructed from a single block of wood, in which it is cut into two base parts, supported by five legs/columns. One base representing the Earth, the other representing the Sky, the two front columns representing Fire, and Water, and the central columns representing Lightening. This same cosmological theme plays itself out in understanding the concept behind the Ewe's belief that it is the major force that also regulates fertility, the Seasons and even Time itself.
Ancient Origins of the Solar System
According to the ancient Ewe ancestors, the cosmic concentration point for each year is situated in the sky. It consist of sixteen stars grouped (like twins) to form the constellation of Pleiades.
During the time of year when this constellation is not visible to the human eye (timed for a period of sixteen days, after which the birth of the first ancestors happened), all of nature losses it vigor.
It is considered unless to plant, to gather medicinal leaves, or to perform any vodou ceremonial rites. Most Ewe withdraw from the world, and all of life rests in what is considered a suspended lethargy, up until the constellation reappears to commence the New Year. However, this New Year is not immediately celebrated, for the Pleiades still remains relatively hidden from physical view. Back then according to legend, it was very difficult to see the Pleiades with the physical eye in the mornings, due to the heavy humidity and monsoon rains during this period.
Though the ancient Ewe would dutifully go about tending to the daily chores of the day, they worked with much vigor and anticipation of this joyful event, when it would manifest itself fully during the winter solstice. There this celestial phenomenon would rise majestically in the eastern horizon at midnight, traversing the entire sky before the early dawn. It was at this point when all would joyously celebrate the New Year!
http://mamiwata.com/cosmo.html (http://mamiwata.com/cosmo.html) ref and Source
Haki Kweli Shakur – August Third Collective NAPLA NAIM
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The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines, are fearful of freedom.
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
I appreciate these videos.
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The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines, are fearful of freedom.
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Quotekevlew;226374 wrote: I appreciate these videos.
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The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines, are fearful of freedom.
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
These videos appreciate you too!
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No class last Thursday? Also I am still working on getting the contributors of Listen to Ourselves to a discussion here. Difficult with schedules. I might have to do one at a time for their chapters.
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The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines, are fearful of freedom.
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
@Obadele Kambon (https://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/member.php?u=1) The discussion you two have about eyesight and clear skies in Mali in one of the videos from this set reminds me of something I heard Robert Duval say in a video. He was talking about the movement of Kmtw progenitors from the fertile Sahara towards the Nile valley, and how if you go far enough into the western desert outside present-day Egypt, archeological remnants of ancient 'proto-Kmtw' supersize sundials could be found. Duval asserted a connection between that early astronomical mapping and pyramid building and obsession with joining the stars in the early Kmt dynasties, which seems reasonable enough. Duval and the interviewer got into a discussion about how ancient peoples like the residents of Nabta Playa were able to conceive and produce work of such fine quality and on such a grand scale. Duval said that for ancient peoples, some such things came fairly naturally, because in a pre-fabricated world (without lights and electricity like you all discussed, and also without masses of buildings everywhere), observing astronomical movements became easier. Your point about feeling like you could reach out to grab stars in Mali and seeing shooting stars every so often really drove this home for me. I haven't begun seriously learning or practicing any Kmtyw religion yet (I look forward to soliciting your advice about how best to proceed when I'm ready to begin), but in youtube videos, I've heard both James Smalls and a Hoodoo Priest Chief Amachi define Kmtyw spiritual systems as, in part, methods for learning (or knowing) the relationship between humanity and nature for the ultimate purpose of coming to know oneself. That says to me in part that these spiritual systems are about reality rather than mysticism in the Eureurasian sense. The implications for a society ordered around and on such a spiritual system strikes me as staggering in terms of the capacity for such thinking to encourage and yield mastery of the sciences, philosophy, reason, the arts, and on and on. On the flip side, your point cross referenced with Duval's also got me wondering to what degree if any the presumably steady construction of increasingly larger monuments, temples, shrines, and other buildings in Kmt over time reduced Kmtws' abilities to see the stars and 'know nature' (ala Smalls and Amachi) and how that might have contributed in any way to the slow decline of that society. The Kmtw did become less obsessed with 'joining the stars' as time moved further away from the 4th Dynasty and Djoser's pyramid, if I remember my reading correctly. It also makes me wonder to what degree non-Kmt Kmtyw societies' persistent preferences for wood, mud brick, and other more perishable materials instead of stone might have been for the deliberate purpose of ensuring the buildings perished over time.
I can't say enough what an amazing feat you've done with this course and what a great service you're doing by making your synthases and comparative overview of these practices and philosophies available freely. These videos are constantly expanding my interest in and enriching my understanding of these topics (for instance, I've been obsessed lately with re-reading that post here on AK about the initiate who was trained in some ridiculously high number of different Kmtyw spiritual systems). And your splicing this run of the course into smaller parts makes it much easier to digest all the dense material.
QuoteFarafina diɲɛ;230028 wrote: @Obadele Kambon (https://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/member.php?u=1) The discussion you two have about eyesight and clear skies in Mali in one of the videos from this set reminds me of something I heard Robert Duval say in a video. He was talking about the movement of Kmtw progenitors from the fertile Sahara towards the Nile valley, and how if you go far enough into the western desert outside present-day Egypt, archeological remnants of ancient 'proto-Kmtw' supersize sundials could be found. Duval asserted a connection between that early astronomical mapping and pyramid building and obsession with joining the stars in the early Kmt dynasties, which seems reasonable enough. Duval and the interviewer got into a discussion about how ancient peoples like the residents of Nabta Playa were able to conceive and produce work of such fine quality and on such a grand scale. Duval said that for ancient peoples, some such things came fairly naturally, because in a pre-fabricated world (without lights and electricity like you all discussed, and also without masses of buildings everywhere), observing astronomical movements became easier. Your point about feeling like you could reach out to grab stars in Mali and seeing shooting stars every so often really drove this home for me. I haven't begun seriously learning or practicing any Kmtyw religion yet (I look forward to soliciting your advice about how best to proceed when I'm ready to begin), but in youtube videos, I've heard both James Smalls and a Hoodoo Priest Chief Amachi define Kmtyw spiritual systems as, in part, methods for learning (or knowing) the relationship between humanity and nature for the ultimate purpose of coming to know oneself. That says to me in part that these spiritual systems are about reality rather than mysticism in the Eureurasian sense. The implications for a society ordered around and on such a spiritual system strikes me as staggering in terms of the capacity for such thinking to encourage and yield mastery of the sciences, philosophy, reason, the arts, and on and on. On the flip side, your point cross referenced with Duval's also got me wondering to what degree if any the presumably steady construction of increasingly larger monuments, temples, shrines, and other buildings in Kmt over time reduced Kmtws' abilities to see the stars and 'know nature' (ala Smalls and Amachi) and how that might have contributed in any way to the slow decline of that society. The Kmtw did become less obsessed with 'joining the stars' as time moved further away from the 4th Dynasty and Djoser's pyramid, if I remember my reading correctly. It also makes me wonder to what degree non-Kmt Kmtyw societies' persistent preferences for wood, mud brick, and other more perishable materials instead of stone might have been for the deliberate purpose of ensuring the buildings perished over time.
I can't say enough what an amazing feat you've done with this course and what a great service you're doing by making your synthases and comparative overview of these practices and philosophies available freely. These videos are constantly expanding my interest in and enriching my understanding of these topics (for instance, I've been obsessed lately with re-reading that post here on AK about the initiate who was trained in some ridiculously high number of different Kmtyw spiritual systems). And your splicing this run of the course into smaller parts makes it much easier to digest all the dense material.
Great testimony! The information shared has also helped me further my understanding and has given me a necessary "compass" as Dr. Clarke would say to guide my thinking.
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Power is the ability to define reality and to have other people respond to your definition as if it were their own. - Dr. Wade Nobles
QuoteFarafina diɲɛ;230028 wrote: @Obadele Kambon (https://www.abibitumikasa.com/forums/member.php?u=1) The discussion you two have about eyesight and clear skies in Mali in one of the videos from this set reminds me of something I heard Robert Duval say in a video. He was talking about the movement of Kmtw progenitors from the fertile Sahara towards the Nile valley, and how if you go far enough into the western desert outside present-day Egypt, archeological remnants of ancient 'proto-Kmtw' supersize sundials could be found. Duval asserted a connection between that early astronomical mapping and pyramid building and obsession with joining the stars in the early Kmt dynasties, which seems reasonable enough. Duval and the interviewer got into a discussion about how ancient peoples like the residents of Nabta Playa were able to conceive and produce work of such fine quality and on such a grand scale. Duval said that for ancient peoples, some such things came fairly naturally, because in a pre-fabricated world (without lights and electricity like you all discussed, and also without masses of buildings everywhere), observing astronomical movements became easier. Your point about feeling like you could reach out to grab stars in Mali and seeing shooting stars every so often really drove this home for me. I haven't begun seriously learning or practicing any Kmtyw religion yet (I look forward to soliciting your advice about how best to proceed when I'm ready to begin), but in youtube videos, I've heard both James Smalls and a Hoodoo Priest Chief Amachi define Kmtyw spiritual systems as, in part, methods for learning (or knowing) the relationship between humanity and nature for the ultimate purpose of coming to know oneself. That says to me in part that these spiritual systems are about reality rather than mysticism in the Eureurasian sense. The implications for a society ordered around and on such a spiritual system strikes me as staggering in terms of the capacity for such thinking to encourage and yield mastery of the sciences, philosophy, reason, the arts, and on and on. On the flip side, your point cross referenced with Duval's also got me wondering to what degree if any the presumably steady construction of increasingly larger monuments, temples, shrines, and other buildings in Kmt over time reduced Kmtws' abilities to see the stars and 'know nature' (ala Smalls and Amachi) and how that might have contributed in any way to the slow decline of that society. The Kmtw did become less obsessed with 'joining the stars' as time moved further away from the 4th Dynasty and Djoser's pyramid, if I remember my reading correctly. It also makes me wonder to what degree non-Kmt Kmtyw societies' persistent preferences for wood, mud brick, and other more perishable materials instead of stone might have been for the deliberate purpose of ensuring the buildings perished over time.
I can't say enough what an amazing feat you've done with this course and what a great service you're doing by making your synthases and comparative overview of these practices and philosophies available freely. These videos are constantly expanding my interest in and enriching my understanding of these topics (for instance, I've been obsessed lately with re-reading that post here on AK about the initiate who was trained in some ridiculously high number of different Kmtyw spiritual systems). And your splicing this run of the course into smaller parts makes it much easier to digest all the dense material.
Is it Robert Bauval that you are speaking of? Understanding the stars and their movements is very practical from a self-preservation perspective. It helps you to understand when to move your herd and when to plant crops. When you look at the crook and flail as symbols of power in ancient Kemet, these are the tools of herdsmen and pastoralists. And they give the clearest indication that the founders of Kemet, before they settled down to become agriculturalists, were dealing with herds of animals, which is also tied to self-preservation. The idea that instead of having to hunt, which is not the most secure source of food supply for coming generations, they decided to raise those animals themselves. If you look at the cattle on the top of the Narmer palette, it also speaks to this, which ultimately speaks to the very practical need to understand charting the movements of the stars.
Given that the temples and monuments were constructed to be in alignment with the sun and constellations, I don't think that temple and monument construction is moving away from this celestial understanding, but rather evidence of an increasingly higher and higher degree of alignment. For example, solar temples were aligned to solar phenomena including the winter and summer solstices as well as the equinoxes. Temples constructed to specific divinities were aligned to constellations associated with them. Look at this, if you haven't already, and let me know any thoughts on it.
https://youtu.be/jlgRqRYEpYY (https://youtu.be/jlgRqRYEpYY)
Also, you may be interested and looking up any scholarly papers that you can find on the field of archeoastronomy.
I appreciate the appreciation. Our new director mentioned an interest in making this Kmtyw thinkers program one of the flagship programs at the Institute of Kmtyw studies. I'm thinking about compiling your testimony and that of other students as we present this to the University.
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Quotekevlew;226414 wrote: No class last Thursday? Also I am still working on getting the contributors of Listen to Ourselves to a discussion here. Difficult with schedules. I might have to do one at a time for their chapters.
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The oppressed, having internalized the image of the oppressor and adopted his guidelines, are fearful of freedom.
Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Yes, we're having to cancel. The MA student switched to auditing and the registered PhD student has been traveling and never made it to class. Thus, we had a class full of community auditors. We'll try again next year.
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That's the "Akuaba" doll. Represents Nkwa, Vitality, Life, Fertility, Male+Female+Child. Just like the Ankh of Kemet.
This is one of the connections between Ghana and Kemet.
KNOWing is better than beLIEving.
@kevlew any progress on getting the authors of Listening to Ourselves?
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QuoteObadele Kambon;230182 wrote: @kevlew any progress on getting the authors of Listening to Ourselves?
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I am still trying to coordinate with them. Most of the issues are working around college exams and work and other obligations. My goal was to have a round table but it's looking like it may have to be individual discussions to accommodate schedules. Still trying though.
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Power is the ability to define reality and to have other people respond to your definition as if it were their own. - Dr. Wade Nobles
QuoteObadele Kambon;230150 wrote: Yes, we're having to cancel. The MA student switched to auditing and the registered PhD student has been traveling and never made it to class. Thus, we had a class full of community auditors. We'll try again next year.
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Wow!!! That is something. They may have to make this an online course!
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Power is the ability to define reality and to have other people respond to your definition as if it were their own. - Dr. Wade Nobles
QuoteObadele Kambon;230103 wrote: Is it Robert Bauval that you are speaking of?
That's the one.
QuoteObadele Kambon;230103 wrote: When you look at the crook and flail as symbols of power in ancient Kemet, these are the tools of herdsmen and pastoralists.
Yeah, I've wondered for years if that's where the Judeans got the shepherd and sheep allusions throughout judeo-christian literature from.
QuoteObadele Kambon;230103 wrote: Look at this, if you haven't already, and let me know any thoughts on it.
https://youtu.be/jlgRqRYEpYY (https://youtu.be/jlgRqRYEpYY)
Will do.
QuoteObadele Kambon;230103 wrote: Also, you may be interested and looking up any scholarly papers that you can find on the field of archeoastronomy.
Never heard of that field, thanks for the tip.
QuoteObadele Kambon;230103 wrote: I'm thinking about compiling your testimony and that of other students as we present this to the University.
Cool.
QuoteObadele Kambon;230182 wrote: @kevlew any progress on getting the authors of Listening to Ourselves?
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This lecture was fast, yet great. They should have given you more time to elaborate. Thank you for the information.
KNOWing is better than beLIEving.