THY NAME IS VODUN: CONVERSATIONS WITH MAMIWATA PRIESTESS

THY NAME

IS

VODUN

CONVERSATIONS

WITH

MAMIWATA PRIESTESS

Copyright © 2015 MAMIWATAPRIESTESS

Published by BEHUMBEZA FOUNDATION

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, or other—without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passage in a review.

The material in this book is intended for educational purposes only. No expressed or implied guarantee as to the effects of the use of the recommendations can be given nor liability taken.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015932946

ISBN: 978-0-692-9327-1

First printed 2015, Second Edition Published 2017

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

COVER PHOTOS

Temple BEHUMBEZA background

Ouidah, Ceremonies in temple of the Supreme Chief of Vodun, circa July 1998

2001 January 10th Vodun Fete, Republic of Benin

Mami Wata Priestess and mother-in-law, Behumbeza, at the 2000 January 10th Vodun Fete, (Grand Popo) Republic of Benin

The Venerable Maman Edoh, High Priestess of Guin-Vodun and Mami Dan Divinities, The First BEHUMBEZA

Hounnon BEHUMBEZA, Supreme Chief of Mami Wata Dan, in temple

Hounnon BEHUMBEZA, Supreme Chief of Mami Wata Dan, in offering to GU

SPINE

Spotted Panther of Agassou

BACK COVER

Mami Wata Priestess

Hounnon BEHUMBEZA and Vodunsi at night ceremony

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the following: Hounnon Behumbeza, my husband and spiritual father, my ancestors, the divine spirits that gave me life; and, in particular, my mother (1940-1974) and my paternal grandfather (1912-2012).

EPIGRAPH: I would rather serve my God in the Benin* way; I would rather worship him in the Benin manner; I will sing songs of praises to him in the Benin custom; unless it can be proven to me that he does not understand the Benin language. Oba Akenzuwa / Akenzua N’iso N’orro II (1933 - 1979 CE)

*speaking of Benin, Nigeria

Contents

FORWARD

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INTRODUCTION

AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN ANCESTOR

DREAMS: VODUN’S ARCHETYPAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

IFA: THE WEST AFRICAN DIVINATION SYSTEM

AFRICAN VODUN AND IT’S MAJESTY

AFRICAN VODUN: INSTRUCTION

THE FABULOUS MAMI WATA DAN

AFRICAN-BASED SPIRITUALITY IN THE DIASPORA: ITS TRIUMPHS, IT’S CHALLENGES

WOMEN, VODUN AND RELATIONSHIPS

RACISM AND AMERICAN INJUSTICE: AFRICAN VODUN’S RESPONSE

EPILOGUE

FORWARD

It is with great honor that I write this forward. It is a privilege. I must say thank you to all that have come before that have patiently and with grace, put the hard work into making this book happen. I truly owe great gratitude to the hands of the unseen that have made sacrifices beyond imagining so that this voice may come to the people. It has been a long time coming, but now, the knowing that has been passed down for generations, of a change whose time has come, is here.

The challenges faced in learning about Traditional African Vodun, a religion and way of life whose foundation is most ancient, may seem to be insurmountable in the age of globalization. It is rare that an authentic voice of guidance that has undergone the rigors of initiation arises. It was when I first came across Mami’s writings that I knew, this was a voice rooted in the deep and rich relationships of ancient Africa.

The challenge to learning about Vodun is that one must have a guide who is ancestrally chosen, as ancient mysteries systems all over the world respond to the power invested in ordination. Thus, an introduction to Vodun that is on par with the perennial ancient order, in depth and nuance. Such an ordination cannot be faked and there are witnesses and accountability checks in place to ensure that only those sent may give justice to a subject that forms the foundation of humanity’s trust and devotion to the sacred.

In the modern world, where there are many who walk with titles, the correct one is difficult to discern. In the rush to find authentic spiritual information, many seeking to understand give up what the original archetypal guru, guide, and teacher should bring and how they should operate. Yet, in these essays, the caliber of spiritual, historical, and practical understanding is of the few that can be tested and accepted among the original standards of authentic spiritual guidance imprinted within each us.

The essays in this introductory volume are written in such a way as to speak to extraordinary depth and spiritual necessity. Learning from what they contain requires a well rooted desire to comprehend the vast amount of information presented. In authentic form of ancestral storytelling, these essays, when combined, tell a story whose breath spans centuries. Within that, a rich and fertile ground for academic research and personal transformation waits for those whose interests glean in that direction. For those that seek to know more from an authentic insider’s perspective of the ancient priesthood of Mami Wata Vodun, they can hear the voices of the ancients speaking in this volume, authenticating the legitimacy of this work, the legitimacy of Mami’s many initiations, and the legitimacy of the deep call from within them to learn of the Vodun, from the Vodun.

The techniques and anecdotes of discernment presented here are necessary in approaching a subject that is dense and sensitive. For those who trust the truth within them, these tools of discernment will help in understanding an arena of wisdom as majestic as the great oceans themselves. The information here is simply not available to the western researcher. It has taken a synthesis of approaches to articulate. the perspectives here in an accessible fashion.

Namely, Mami’s scope of mastery in historical and psychoanalytic research grounds her voice in accuracy. Moreover, her initiations, training, and ancestry takes common research approaches to the realm of lived experience, access to the ancient chambers of wisdom, and understanding of the scope of ancestral tenets for expressing knowledge. It is not an easy task and not something that is available to everyone, for to do so, one must meet the rigorous demands and tests of the ancestral review process many times over. Mami has done this, with each fact presented in this volume being able to checked by anyone who seeks to inquire. So now she can tell the story. It is a story that takes volumes, yet in seeking to understand its tenets, the larger purpose and scope of this introduction to Vodun may be approached.

There are some manuscripts that have a certain quality, a rare and ancient touch that speaks of destiny, that I immediately sensed in Mami’s work. Perhaps, there will be those whose spiritual and intellectual senses can engage to see the threads of destiny woven elegantly through each essay. I pray that those with ears to hear may receive what is destined for them to hear.

It is written. As it is written upon the walls of the heavens, so shall it be written upon the land, for the earth to clearly see and have say. Destiny requires a gust of the epic. To accomplish the mythological in this time, is the bring the words of the ancients alive into the open to dance. Each word, carefully designed, is part of a design most holy, befitting those who have not forgotten that majesty is real and that wholeness is encoded in all of creation. Thus, religion gives way to knowledge and mastery of knowledge systems gives way to the divine, and in that way the divine mysteries may speak unto the earth, as it has been ordained from the beginning of man.

Emenike La

CEO Water Oracle Publishing, LLC.

PREFACE

Since the winter of 2007 I have been writing about African vodun on the internet. While recuperating from a knee surgery I was surfing the internet in hopes of finding like-minded people who had no reservations about discussions on vodun. Thinking, immediately, of our Haitian cousins, and their well-known relationship with vodun, I found myself on a Haitian site for several years. Being a political junkie as well as someone who served the spirits I found many hearty discussions, on various subjects including vodun, during my sojourn there. However, the thing that struck me, the most, was many of its member’s preference for popular ‘bought in priestesses’ of Haitian vodou. After a number of years, while surfing the internet yet again, I came across a vodun group on a site carrying various tribes. Because it appeared that these folks had genuine interest in vodun I hung out with them, for a while, hoping to be helpful. However instead of accepting vodun, as per saith the voduns, many of them preferred to make vodun what they chose it to be rather than what it really was. There appeared to be a built-in resentment towards anyone who promoted African spirituality, it’s preeminence or dared to challenge their New Age beliefs of what they assumed African spirituality was to be. My insistence that one cleave to the tenets of traditional African vodun, above all else, appeared to be a personal affront or perceived notion that I was indulging in pure and overt racism towards them. These vodun enthusiasts were generally of non-African descent and felt that they were, somehow, on my spiritual level. They did not fully understand the rigorous initiation process, nor the training involved in someone who had become a servant of the spirits within the African priesthood. They did not accept me nor my spiritual authority. As a result, many, eventually, left the vodun thread to go and form their own thread so as not to be bothered with someone like me. When joining other diaspora spiritual threads such as the Orisa, on that same site, these were generally dominated by a Cuban element consisting of many who were either rude, disrespectful or suffering from extreme machismo. Some were choosing to perpetuate the myth, and downright fabrication, that vodun began in Cuba. As a result, much infighting occurred; and, a war torn, battered and bruised Mami Wata Priestess, after much encouragement from a very internet savvy spiritual child, joined facebook.

It has been within this setting that I, a woman who was once told that I had no writing abilities, began my written conversations on African vodun. Couched in my preferred genre of storytelling I began to share the journey of my life and reflections, to this point, in African vodun. Since my first writings on facebook, in September 2013, many on the internet have come to depend on these writings for understanding and guidance into the mysteries of African vodun. Many, of my facebook friends, have encouraged me to write a book. In fact, it was often pointed out that I already had a book that I simply needed to collect the writings and put the book together. So, due to the encouragement of many; and, after being approached by a very capable young man with his own publishing company which promotes true spirituality, this is what I have done. This book consists, primarily, of my earliest conversations with my facebook friends from September 2013 to December 2014. I hope you enjoy!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, how can I not thank my most beloved ancestors and the divine spirits who gave me life. It was you oh majestic ones, led by a mighty Dattatreya and a Da Zodji (Sakpata), that found a way that I might come to this earth and embark upon a spiritual mission that you yourselves designed and I contracted to. It was you oh mighty ancestors, that accepted me and made me your own by implanting your specific DNA in me and allowing me to dwell among the living and represent you, thus, giving me a grounding in this physical world in order to pursue this spiritual work. It was you oh honored ancestors, that touched me with your invisible hands; and, after hundreds of years led me, a descendant of African slaves and traditional priests, across a deep blue sea back to our African homeland. It was you; and, it has always been you, even when I did not know you, that have stood by me in the good times and the bad. I thank you my beloved ones with everything in me I thank you, because, without you this book would have never been.

And, secondly, how can I not thank or forget to acknowledge one of the greatest gifts that the spirits have ever given me, Hounnon Behumbeza, my husband. A man who is an example of the African priesthood personified. Behumbeza, a priest so beloved that he has been designated as A National Treasure in the Republic of Benin. Thank you, my love. I thank you for all that you have done, to make this book possible, and for all that you continue to do, for me, on a daily basis. I couldn’t ask the spirits for no greater gift of love than you!

Next, a young man that walked into our lives over seven years ago carrying the head spirit of Rama, Mami Wata Priest, I thank you. You are more than just our spiritual child you are the son that I never had. You have walked with me, learned from me, put up with my temper tantrums, encouraged me and let me bark at you. You have persevered a temperamental middle-aged woman. You have been invaluable to Behumbeza and me. You have nurtured us, encouraged us; and, at times even fed us. You are developing into a mighty priest. I am so very proud of you. You are a true testament to the divine spirit that lives within you...the great Lord Rama. You have been encouraging me to write a book for a very long time. Thank you, my son, thank you!

And, last, I would like to thank a young man that has entered my life in a more recent time. A young man who has followed my writings, unbeknownst to me, all over the internet, Shaman Emenike La, of Water Oracle Publishing, who was the first editor and publisher of this work. Thank you for your faith in me and your being the avenue that has made this endeavor possible. I salute you and the mighty Dattatreya that lives within you.

INTRODUCTION

I arrived in that place, (Cotonou) the Republic of Benin, in the middle of the night not understanding the language nor knowing a single soul. I was frightened out of my wits! Visions of zombies were filling my head! I had only a Lonely Planet, two bottles of high grade gin and a name...Daagbo Hounnon Houna. And, for eight continuous years (1998-2006), I laid in initiation chambers from Benin to Togo to Ghana, sometimes near death, with malaria, begging that the spirits allow me to return home. It was an experience that changed my entire life! It became more than a pilgrimage to the motherland it became, and still is, a journey towards the divine!

Vodun! The word alone puts the fear of God in most people. For it has been a combination of westernization, Hollywood, media, and the tenets of Christian thought that has promoted and perpetuated this fear. Guided by the deep-seated prejudices and intolerances toward the ‘other’ vodun has consistently bore the brunt of one of the world’s greatest misunderstandings towards the African continent. For even prior to the trans-Atlantic slave trade black Africa was considered a bastion of darkness, evil and a place where its inhabitants did not know God.

Christian missionaries, since their first visits there, have come with this incorrect assumption coupled with the notion that by converting Africa’s populace they would give them a chance to be saved from damnation, thus, affording them the opportunity to have access to the divine. Yet, it has turned out to be a very sad state of affairs, because, in reality Africans have not only been proven to be one of God’s first creations, from whence all mankind was derived; but, locked inside of Africa’s various cultures and traditional spiritual systems are the keys that unlock the spiritual mysteries, of the world, and the answers to life itself. Christianity, in hindsight, has done more damage to the African traditional way of life than anything that has come before it!

The word vodun means ‘spirit’ in the language of the Fon people. In the Republic of Benin, when we speak of the Orisa, we refer to it as Nigeria’s vodun. Togo and Ghana is also vodun. In fact, contrary to popular belief in the diaspora, the Akan tradition is vodun. But what we are referring to, when we speak of the African voduns, are spirits originating from a specific region peculiar to a specific group of people. The researchers do not understand this. Wherever traditional spiritual systems are practiced in Africa it is vodun. But because of vodun’s emphasis, on the spirits themselves, I refer to vodun as ‘that which is sacred’. And it is that sacredness, in the world of the spirits, which is the emphasis of this book. Vodun is not a series of spells and potions to which one throws a few dollars out to a priest or priestess to perform a specific work. African vodun, original traditional vodun, is a relationship between mankind and those ancestors and divinities, specific to each person, which has given them life. In essence, it is the relationship between God and his creations; and, Thy Name is Vodun.

What I am discussing, in this reading, is why the African ancestor is so important, not only for those of African descent but, for all humankind. And, in particular for those of African descent, why our reconnection to the African ancestor and our ancient traditional spiritual systems will bring about a better understanding of the self and thus promote psychological as well as spiritual healing for a people who have been stripped of so much as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But this can only happen if we cleave to the original tenants of African vodun. Due to the transatlantic slave trade much of the original tenants of these African traditional spiritual systems, brought over by the African slave, has either been lost or fell out of favor because of the rigorous demands of chattel slavery. Now that the overt and physical bondages of slavery are over it is the desire of the African ancestors and the divinities that vodun be restored, in the diaspora, to its former glory and power thus helping us to overcome the blight that slavery has left on both our psyches and our souls. In addition, it is our duty to reach back and help those loved ones who have come before us and died in these foreign lands to eat with their ancestors and rest in eternal peace. Vodun has the power to make all of this possible. Yet, contrary to popular belief, vodun in the diaspora is not a new and separate branch of African spirituality.

Vodun, in the diaspora, is African vodun as originally brought over by Africans who were enslaved, but damaged by the trauma of the slave experience, itself, yet folded over into it local spirits and experiences. One cannot separate a tree’s branches from its root or it will surely die. And the roots of African spirituality lay in Africa! The myth that vodun, in the diaspora, is separate from Africa is largely perpetuated by those who have ‘bought into’ these African-based spiritual systems and is used, by them, to cloak their desires to stamp on vodun their own unique brand, deny accountability for their unordained methodologies and justify their refusal to allow the authority of African vodun’s leadership to regulate them. These are the people who see vodun as a means of profit. And the ones who are legitimate in the faith who initiate these people are equally to blame. These counterfeit priests and priestesses are an internal cancer to the work of diaspora vodun and will see recompense from the spirits whenever their portion is due.

It has become apparent to many that know me that after my sojourns, in Africa, I am no longer the same as when I left. Since my return to the United States, in 2006, I have become the wife of a prominent African priest, Hounnon Behumbeza, and am part of a vibrant African Mami Dan temple...Temple Behumbeza. As I continue to travel back and forth, to the continent, The Republic of Benin is now home. In fact, it has always been my home. I simply didn’t know it before, that, my paternal ancestor hailed from this place...the great Agassou. Coming to know my ancestors and learning to serve the voduns is directly responsible for all of this. Yet, it is my contention that no one, in the diaspora, has seen authentic vodun...original traditional vodun… and its beauty, until you visit the continent of Africa! But, I am aware that with today’s economy, and life’s demands, many cannot simply pack up their belongings and travel. So, I invite you to take my hand, walk with me and let’s converse. Let me help you to understand what vodun really is...its tenants, its beauty, its majesty and its hope. I firmly believe that as the African continent is the birthplace of all of humankind my journey is your journey and my hope your hope.

CHAPTER 1

AFRICA AND THE AFRICAN ANCESTOR

Mami in Agassou Temple, her paternal Ancestral Temple

John Adams: ...the test ahead of us is an exceptionally difficult one.

Cinque: We won’t be going in there alone…

Adams: Indeed not, no, we will have right on our side, we will have righteousness at our side…

Cinque: I meant my ancestors. I will call into the past, far into the beginning of time, and beg them to help me at the judgment. I will reach back and draw them into me. And they must come…for at this moment I am the whole reason they have existed at all.

AMISTAD (1997)

REFLECTIONS

I do not believe that the divine spirits do anything by chance! Opportunities often befall us that give us the opportunity to learn and grow. In my isolation, I often forget what is around me. My mind is forever on the spirits, I spend much time on the phone, to Africa, speaking to my husband about the events there. The temple is large, ceremonies almost daily, and traveling, for the spirits immense. Most temples are like this whether in Africa or the diaspora, if one is out helping folk. But the thing I and the ancestors are adamant about is to understand that vodun came from Africa. And it is based and rooted in African culture, African ancestors and African traditions. This is not about racism but about giving a people their due. This is about respecting the African ancestor whose children suffered the trans-Atlantic slave trade. So, I do not care if folks brand me racist if I speak on these things. I could care less that many, due to their own inadequacies, try to turn our history on its head and say that somehow, we enslaved ourselves and whites have nothing to do with it. In reality history cannot be changed for convenience purposes. One has to accept the good, the bad and the ugly of life! When Africans had domestic slaves, we came back and now SERVE those very slaves...The Tchamba Voduns. So, this is not what it is about! Having racial pride IS NOT RACISM! Understanding one’s history and knowing WHO did what and WHO is responsible IS NOT RACISM! Only those suffering WHITE GUILT think this way. As an American I have got sense enough to understand that in that Black folks are only 13% of the population some very well meaning white folks stood shoulder to shoulder to help us fight for the freedoms we now have. But does that change the history of what happened to us? The fact that we were literally enslaved, castrated and/or hung on trees, denigrated, our names, our cultures taken away? No! YOU CANNOT ERASE THAT! But, you can say, my sister, my brother, it happened, I’m sorry, and let’s go on.... Some would say give a little RESTITUTION; but, this is still under debate!

As a vessel, for the spirits, I believe EVERYONE, no matter what race, gender, or sexuality has a right to know the spirits; and, if the spirits find fault let each man or woman take it up with their God. That is the way of the spirits.

For history buffs, out there Ana Lucia Araujo’s book, Public Memory of Slavery: Victims and Perpetrators in the South Atlantic, explains a lot as to why Benin, West Africa began a campaign on the Public memory of slavery. That, to me, is part of a healing process. And healing, both spiritually and psychologically, is what we need.

VODUN AND ONE’S CAPACITY TO FORGIVE

For about a week, or so, there had been a post, that came across my news feed, that made me ‘hot under the collar’. The post, obviously, was a good one because it was shared on several forums; and, at least on two occasions, I responded. The poster is a friend; and, has every right to give his opinion. But this thing simply will not leave me; so, I decided to write about it.

The subject was about Africans, who themselves, captured and sold slaves during the transatlantic slave era and the poster’s complaint that diasporans had to, now, go and pay for what was theirs in the first place...initiations/ceremonies and spiritual work in general. The historical facts are there. One cannot dispute them. My ancestors, the Dahomeans, for instance, were notorious in the slave trade. They made war on their neighbors, took captives, the women they would marry or keep and the men would be sold to the slaver for cannons, guns and anything else they sought of value. Normally these captives would have been killed annually; but, they were convinced, by those dealing in the slave trade, that selling them was much more economically advantageous.

My response to this post was that it was impossible for the Africans to have known what would happen to the slaves once they were sold. Domestic slavery, for the black Africans, was very different from that which happened in the diaspora. In many instances slaves were treated as family members. Those who were sold, in most instances, were war captives; and, whether the Africans understood what would happen, to them, or not these were the spoils of war in an era that we, today, cannot begin to understand. Many others, as was my ancestor, was captured while hunting or roaming in the forest or going about their everyday lives.

My first reaction, to this post, was visceral. Even though valid the post made me feel a sense of betrayal. I knew that if I was annoyed the ancestors were livid! As African Americans, we must develop the capacity for forgiveness. I am not saying that our history and our experiences with slavery, or racism in America for that matter, is to be forgotten. By no means should we forget or neglect to teach our children the good, the bad and the ugly of our history. But, if we do not develop a capacity to forgive we will never be able to go forward as a people. Stewing in the pain of past hurts, injustices and wrongs immobilizes us from the promises of a better future. We do not know the mind of the Creator when this forced migration was put in place. Because of it, those of African descent encase the entire globe; yet, we do not know, exactly, why these things happened the way that they did. Yes, it has been man’s inhumanity to man that underpins this great tragedy; but, what has been the underlying spiritual reasons if any? We simply do not know.

Those Africans, who lived during those very tumultuous times, have been long since dead. And, if they were wrong have been admonished, according to each man’s deeds, by the divine. So, who, now, are we to not see it (our history), acknowledge it, make peace with it and move on? These very Africans are our present-day ancestors; and, they have been interceding for us with the divinities for eons. Can we not, therefore, have the capacity to forgive their former transgressions? These ancestors who are our first line of defense when something goes wrong in our lives, who raise up mightily against our enemies, who beg the divinities on our behalf and do so much more. We want to point fingers? No, my friends this is not good. Dig into that history if you must, go read books on the African’s perspective if you must; but, do not sit around pointing fingers and making comments against the very ones who are trying, daily, to help you have a more prosperous and fulfilling life. They were human beings, they lived and they made mistakes as we do today. Have the capacity to forgive and move on.

Having to pay for services, rendered, for ceremonies and spiritual work in general. Really folks...really? For ceremonies, in Africa, those involved, the vodunsi, drummers, cooks, those who prep the animals for sacrifice, Priests, in attendance, and others take off from their jobs to serve the spirits and participate in these ceremonies. The sacrificial animals, alone, are expensive. A medium sized white bull was over $1,000 or more as of this writing. African vodun...original vodun...doesn’t deal in just chickens. Bulls, goats, large rams, forest animals, and fowls of all kinds are used. The sacrifice is particular to the vodun that the ceremony is for. These animals must be prepped, slaughtered and prepared for the voduns, as well as, the people in attendance. Drummers must be paid and the vodunsi must be tipped something for their services. Any invited Priests/Priestesses and their vodunsi fed as well as those already in attendance. Suffice it to say that these ceremonies are labor intensive, with drumming, dancing, spirits riding the vodunsi so as to communicate with the people and/or leave messages for the person sponsoring the ceremony. So, all of this is to be done for free because you happen to be of African descent? In what universe?

My prayer is that we understand that without the capacity for forgiveness we can become stagnant in our dislike or ‘hate’ for the ‘other’. The incapacity to forgive fosters disrespect, in some cases, racism and all manner of bad things. As a young girl the very first Bible verse I ever memorized was Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV), " 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Let’s get over it folks! Let’s get over the pains of the past and reach for the future.

THE AFRICAN ANCESTORS: WHY THEY ARE FIRST

People have asked me many things about our ancestors. Many African Americans, and others, are beginning to understand that our ancestors are an integral part of serving the spirits. Our spiritual journeys, in this life, begin with them...for it is an ancestor, that wants to be remembered, that molds the clay and makes the child then bargains with a divinity to give the child life; and, it is to them, the ancestor, that we return. But a particular question, from a young man, is what inspired this post. He wanted to know that if he served his African ancestors, then, what would become of his European ancestors, his interracial ancestors, his Native American ancestors and/or those ancestors who died upon diasporan soil? It was an excellent question!

My favorite movie, of all times, has to be La Amistad (1997). Steeped in actual historical events it is a movie depicting a mutiny, in 1839, by newly captured Mende slaves who took control of the ship La Amistad off the coast of Cuba, and the international legal battle that followed their capture by a U.S. revenue cutter. It became a United States Supreme Court case in 1841. Its main character is Cinque who was determined to see his people go free. John Quincy Adams, former President of the United States and Congressman, took the case to the Supreme Court and won! While discussing the difficulties, of the case in Adams’ greenhouse, this verbal exchange ensued between the two men:

John Adams: The test ahead of us is an exceptionally difficult one.

Cinque: We won’t be going in there alone…

Adams: Indeed not, no, we will have right on our side, we will have righteousness at our side…

Cinque: I meant my ancestors. I will call into the past, far into the beginning of time, and beg them to help me at the judgment. I will reach back and draw them into me. And they must come…for at this moment I am the whole reason they have existed at all.

Every time I have heard Cinque say those words, about his ancestors, tears, they don’t just roll, they wash down my face! He said that he would CALL INTO THE PAST, FAR INTO THE BEGINNING OF TIME AND BEG HIS ANCESTORS TO HELP HIM! REACH BACK, DRAW THEM INTO HIMSELF, FOR THEY ARE COMING PEOPLE!.THEY ARE THE WHOLE REASON WE HAVE EVER EXISTED AT ALL!

The African ancestors are the oldest of mankind’s ancestors. For Africa is the cradle of civilization no matter who you are. And when the African Priest stands, in the crossroads, and call the ancestors from the North, South, East and West they ALL come...from the oldest to the newest. EVERY ancestor knows his children and when that sacrifice is given, in that crossroads, they all come and partake because they see that their child has given it! In African vodun, therefore, we start with the oldest of your ancestors...the ones that started your clan and we pull FORWARD that ALL of them are included. That is the power of Ifa, he is hooked into the African ancestry and can find them for you!

When the African Priest begins his prayers, he shouts in Fon, Ago! Ago! Ago! Let me pass, let me pass, let me pass to the beginning of time itself! For he is asking to communicate with the very CREATORS of the universe! He is asking for an audience that the divinities might hear his prayers, on behalf, of his spiritual children. These divinities that were here long before the world ever existed! African vodun is that old! And our African ancestors were their first CREATIONS! So, as we approach another Black History Month, Feb. 2015, remember the ancestors, and remember that it is because of them that you are here!

The Victory!

The route de l’esclave (the route of the slave) was a long and arduous route in Benin. Deep in the interior of the country, leaving northward, the slaves would walk days and weeks on end, heading south towards the sea, after being captured. Chained one to another they would travel by night, sometimes in circles, to disorientate them so they could not find their way home. Tired, underfed, whipped and manhandled, snatched from a life, and loved ones, that lay deep in their hearts. Loved ones that they would never see again in life. The weak and less strong died on the road, bodies discarded like animal carcasses...no ceremony nor dignity. And those that would make it to that last village...that village in Ouidah...would be housed in a dwelling with no windows and no light, made to circle the tree of forgetfulness numerous times before being put on a boat. An act, that the enslaver thought, would erase the memories, of a people, attached to a land they called home.

Such scenes were happening all over Africa! Its west coast was depleting in population and its shores bleeding from the blood of our ancestors. But there is much that the enslaver did not understand! He did not understand the POWER of our ANCESTORS. He did not realize that those to whom he chose to enslave had a special relationship with the DIVINITIES, themselves, and would take those traditions with him/her! He did not know that, one day, when the ancestors decided...they would WAKE UP their children. That the BLOOD, running through their veins, had a MEMORY all of its own! He did not know that one day the children, of the ones he stole, would COME BACK...come back to the shores of their ancestors and forefathers claiming the powers that had been left there. It is a SPIRITUAL VICTORY! And, each time a descendant, of a slave, reclaims his heritage or crosses that great ocean, retracing the root of an ancestor, and re-connects to that ancestry claims that victory. For each one, of us, who walks into that African ancestral village for the first time...We Claim Victory! Victory, for our ancestors, Victory for every slave that died on that route, Victory for every slave that was hung on a tree, Victory, for every Black Man or Woman who was raped, castrated, humiliated, or whipped by a massa. When it comes to material things most of us ain’t got much! But for those of us who understand our plight and KNOW who we are as a people.... WE GOT THIS! And we can claim it...VICTORY! Claim it for yourselves, for your children and for your children’s children!

WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS TO KNOW THE ANCESTORS

I know my peeps* especially that Afrocentric bunch! Every brotha is a king, every sistah is a queen, we gone pour libations to the ancestors, grow our hair in dreadlocks and afros, ‘cause we be ‘natural’; and, we gone vacation in the motherland wearing our kente cloth. My queen is gone birth me some exceptionally beautiful babies, who of course, are royal ‘cause we are with no birth defects or issues, we gone live off the land with my king sitting on his throne with two great lions at his feet, being faithful until death, and everything gone be kum by yah! All hail to my naturally perfect Afrocentric life! Sounds familiar?

Look folks, even before we left the African continent things were not perfect. So, what makes you think our reconnection, to Africa, is going to be so? It is necessary, I feel for our wellbeing as a people, to reconnect and know self. But, just like anything else, one must see and accept the good, the bad and the ugly of who we are. My quest, in this writing, is to discuss what it really means to actually know the ancestor. African Americans, and anyone else for that matter, must be able to distinguish between that which is fantasy and that which is reality.

I have plenty of folks coming to me saying, I was born with gifts; so, I am in constant contact with my ancestors. They tell me what to do and guide my life! Well that’s wonderful my dear! But while they were speaking did they happen to explain, to you, that they were showing up because they wanted to be fed? Did they tell you where their village was and/or still is today? Did they happen to mention the name of the particular family they came from or tribe? Did they tell you what your head spirit was or about any of the other spirits that gave you life? How about what spiritual thrones or spirits you may have inherited from them? Did they talk about the day your ancestor was captured or how he or she may have ended up in the diaspora? Oh no, none of these? Well my dear, so sorry to inform you; but, if you cannot answer these questions, then, you still do not know the ancestor. For it is only Ifa/Fa/Afa that can tell you these things.

*People

Many of us were born with spiritual gifts; and, we are visited by ancestors and spirits of all kinds. This denotes a very spiritual people which we, most definitely, are! However, when spirits show up, they are doing so to deliver a message, Go to Bokono (or Babalawo) and find out what I want and need. Feed me that I might help you to have a more productive and prosperous life! This visiting from an ancestor, or spirit, is to attempt deep communication; and, I don’t care what you think you were born with, only an able and experienced diviner will be able to tell you what it is. These gifts are wonderful; but, they can only be truly activated by the ancestors and the divinities themselves. This happens during the initiation process. And, if you don’t take heed to these visitations and request to communicate, one day you will wake up and find that these gifts have disappeared!

Pouring libations on the ground and using the term ‘ancestor’ while calling out in prayer is not knowing or feeding the ancestor. Knowing his name, his tribe, his people, his village, his