Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family.
I have been asked by a lot of Family on some of the claims that we were originally Moors, Muslims and/or Hebrews, Alien, Atlantean (Atlantis), etc. prior to being brought to the Americas. Previously, I would shun away from these discussions because personally I could never see how any of it was practical and could empower me and my loved ones. I respect everyone’s beliefs and ideas, and if something works for you, so be it. But I have had trolls try their best to sabotage this Kemetic spiritual movement, by posting all sorts of unchecked facts and ridiculing the sacrifices that our ancestors have made for the liberties we have. It is sad, that these individuals prefer to waste the opportunities that our ancestors had sacrifice for us to have by standing on the corner and shouting out rhetoric or troll sites focused on true empowerment. So, here is what I have learned and really why I believe many of these people who claim to be conscious do not want us to know about the truth about Traditional African Culture.
The Moorish Christian War
Before we begin, the Moors is the term that was used to describe those African, Arabs and Europeans who converted to Islam. They were originally called Berbers which is an ancient Egyptian word meaning “outlander.” Initially the Berbers were called Mauri because they were inhabitants of the Roman colony Mauretania Caesariensis which later became Mauritius. This area consisted primarily of modern Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Tunisia and Mauritania, which is the reason the people were called Mauri. The Greek name for this Berber tribe was Maurusi. The Spaniards however referred to them as Morenos, the Portuguese said Mouros, while the English simply called them Moors.
Now, the Moors were the custodians of the Kemetic spiritual sciences after Kemet had fallen and they used this knowledge to build the Moorish Empire. The Moorish Empire included Spain, Portugal, and Sicily. The Moors ruled Spain from around 700 A.D. and were the ones responsible for bringing Europe, out of the “Dark Ages.”
But everyone was not happy with the Moors because unbeknownst to them. There was a plot by the Christian Europeans (Spaniards, Italians and the French) to rid Spain of them and around 1482, they succeeded. It is not exactly known why the Europeans wanted to rid themselves of the Moors because during this time Europeans were not color conscious as they are today, and the Moors were seen as their saviors. However, it is believed that it was due to the Moorish strict Islamic laws. Europe, you will recall was in poverty and the cheapest meat at that time was pork, but under Moorish law they could not consume it. So, it is possible that the coup d’état was driven by European hunger. Whatever the case, to celebrate the expulsion of the Moors, the people ate pork. To this day, Spain is known for its special breed of pork from Iberia. Another popular Spanish celebration to commemorate the expulsion of the Moors is the Running of the Bulls, thus indicating through symbolism that Moorish rule was most likely viewed by most Europeans as being cruel and tyrannical. This would also explain the reason why similar traditions were created in other Spanish controlled areas such as bull fighting in Mexico.
In fact, most (if not all) the carnival celebrations began to commemorate the expulsion of the Moors and the acceptance of Roman Catholicism, which is the reason these celebrations continue to this day in territories that have a high concentration of Spanish and Portuguese influences and are Catholic. In most of these carnivals, the antagonist was always portrayed as black in color to symbolize the Moors.
It wouldn’t be long after that other Europeans unfamiliar with the Moorish and Christian war would join in and see the black antagonist and assume it was about all black people. In fact, many of the blacks in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominica and even the Mardi Gras Indians who were aware of the racist undertone changed the carnival theme to celebrate their collaboration with the Amerindians to end of slavery.
Upon defeating the Moors, the Spaniards gave them two alternatives which was to either return to Islamic countries where they came from or denounce their faith, accept Christianity. While some stayed, most of the Moors settled in Morocco where they along with Arab traders participated in the Arab-Slave trade, which enslaved Africans throughout the Sahara and continues to this day.
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
After the Spaniards expelled the Moors, they took their sciences, maps and information about navigation to come to what they called the New World. Again, the question that we must ask is why? Historical records indicate that the Europeans began exploring because of the lack of food. Europe remember was in the “Dark Ages” and there was a severe food shortage because Europe was cut off from the Asian Silk Road. The Italian Christopher Columbus was bankrolled by the Spaniards and when he set sail, he was trying to reach Japan but landed in the Americas in 1492. Upon his arrival, Columbus called the people Indian because he was looking for Asia. Another interesting fact that should be remembered is that after the Europeans came to the Americas, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and beans, which are all foodstuff native to the Americas became widely available, thus verifying that it was a lack of resources.
As imagined, the Spaniards greatly profited from their exploration, which attracted the attention of the neighbors, the Portuguese who were also once under the Moorish influence. When the Portuguese set sail, they were initially just exploring and found their way to West Africa so that they could create trade to improve their country’s lot. Around 1483 the Portuguese encountered the BaKongo in the Kongo-Angolan region. Astonished by the European technology and culture, the ruling Kongo king converted to Christianity and declared the new faith the state religion. Later, he established a treaty with the Portuguese, which opened the doors for the transatlantic slave trade.
By 1494, the Portuguese had established a strong foothold in West Africa and were regularly trading Africans whom they had captured along the coast. However, Portuguese traders were enslaving every African they came across and totally breaking the treaty rules. Now, how did the Portuguese know to go to West Africa for slaves? They saw the Moors do it because it was a regular practice to enslave anyone who was not a Moslem, which included the Africans who were initially enslaved first by Arab traders. The Portuguese were attracted to this lucrative industry and their involvement turn it to a global trade.
With the Spanish dominating the Americas and the Portuguese controlling West Africa, an agreement was reached between the two countries. Consequently, the first Africans who were enslaved and taken to the Americas were obviously the people from the Kongo region, which is the reason the Kongo influence in Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica is so prevalent. The first Africans taken to North America were also from the Kongo-Angolan region. All of these people were captured and sold between the Portuguese and Spaniards.
By the time the other European countries got involved in the slave trade, the war between the Moors and Christians had been long forgotten. The Dutch, French and British simply saw the slave trade as a means to grow their respective country’s wealth. As a result, all the people with black and brown skinned were seen as primitive Africans and were treated as such. When these European countries entered the trade, they abducted entire communities, which is the reason we find an extensive number of Yoruba people in Brazil and Cuba, Dahomeans and Fons in Haiti, Akans in Jamaica and so on.
Therefore, it is a myth that most of the slaves brought to the Americas were Moslem. If this were the case, Islam would have been a thriving religion throughout the Americas but it was not. Another common myth that some people use to encourage us to join Islam (or some version of it), is based upon Alex Haley’s Roots, which claims that many of the Africans brought to North America were Moslems. Again, the late Bro. Dick Gregory stated that this story was completely fictional. Some will even state that Joseph Cinqué (c. 1814 – c. 1879) also known as Sengbe Pieh, which the film Amistad was based upon shows that most of the Africans were Moslems, but this is not the case. Also, it should be noted that according to some researchers, when Cinqué returned to Africa he engaged in the trade of slaves according to missionary letters that author William A. Owens, claimed to have.
For the record there were Jewish African who were captured and enslaved as well but they are catching worse hell. Again, were they all Hebrews? Not hardly and using the bible (especially that whole descendants of Ham theory) to justify our presence is a mute point. Considering the fact that Noah did not curse Ham/Kham or Kem but he cursed Canaan but it ridiculous to even debate this considering the fact that Noah was not even real. The whole Noah Ark story is a colorful metaphor that people have been interpreting literally for hundreds of years. Get real. I would rather embrace a story that verifies my divinity then, someone else’s servant as we have been reduced to by referring to us as Hebrews, Gentiles., etc. How about call us by the name our Kemetic ancestors called us, “NUK OSAR (I AM GOD).”
Now, lets be clear. Were there Muslim who were enslaved and taken to the Americas? Absolutely. Proof of this can be seen in American blues music when compared to Malian music. Another example of the Islamic influence can be seen in the Afro-Cuban religion Palo Mayombe, where the common greeting is Sala Melecum, Melecum Sala which is the Creolized As Salim Alikum. But the Palo Mayombe religion is not Islamic, it is very Kongo and is based upon the Kongo Cross (shown below).
The Kongo Cross
There is also an Islamic influence in the Creolized Caribbean Spiritism traditions as well, which verifies that were African Moslems but these traditions do not have a strong Islamic influence.
They have a strong Kongo and Yoruba influence, not Hebrew, not Muslim, etc. Even in North America, Kongo artifacts such as Kongo cosmogram used in the Underground Railroad have been found, not any Islamic or Jewish artifacts. It was based upon this understanding that led me to see how these Kongo concepts and principles have their roots in Kemet via the Maa Aankh, thus reclaiming our ancestral theology that was lost during slavery.
So, why are all of these people say that we were Muslims, Hebrew or some other fallen and forgotten people?
It is for two reasons:
First), many people say and repeat these myths because they have been succumbed by the erroneous belief that we lost our culture, when in fact. We did not lose our culture, we lost the philosophy and theology behind our culture. Many of our elders have been doing libations, setting plates and honoring our ancestors without even knowing why. If you go to any Black Church, you will see proof that our culture survived.
The Second reason people continue to repeat this myth is because in the minds of most, Africans were and are primitive people living in grass huts. Traditional African culture is viewed by many as backwards to the point that many are simply ashamed of it. It is for this reason, contemporary Africans migrating to the U.S. and Europe will not even claim to believe in ancestors or spirits. Simply put, it is more acceptable and reputable to say that we are Moslem, some distant Jewish people or some other group then, it is to say that we are Yoruba, Akan, Fon, Kongo, or other African people who practice a form of Vodun beliefs. These so-called “conscious men” do everything within their poser to distance themselves from traditional Africa, which is why you will hear they call Africa terms like Akubulan and Asia, thus claiming we are Asiatic or Afro-Asiatic. If the truth be told, the original names of Africa were Kemet, Kush and Aethiopia. This is what the Greeks called it when they encountered the people from this region but that’s besides the point. The point is that by claiming we are all of these other labels, we are simply embracing another form of self-hatred. Let me say it again, all of these labels are another form of SELF-HATRED, pure and simple.
I do not claim any of these labels. I do not even claim to be Kemetic. For record keeping purposes and for the sake of this discussion, I claim to be an Afrikan in America. All of these people claiming to be this or that are afraid to be God, so they settle for being a Child of God. Not me. My African ancestors created a culture to cultivate our divinity and it was dispersed throughout Sub-Sahara Africa among traditional African people. It was this slavery foolishness and all of these other foreign influences that disrupted our progress as a people. By embracing of the traditional African spirituality, we are able to pick up where we left off.
The question that we should ask is why these people do not want us to claim our traditional African heritage and why do they use the bible, koran or some other “holy” book to justify what they are saying?
It is because of two reasons:
First, they do not want to empower women, which are the critical factors to our spiritual and physical liberation.
Because we live in a male-dominant society, when it comes to Kemet or any other indigenous culture, we always hear about the great men warriors and priests. But, the first priests of Kemet were actually women, just like the early shamans around the world were women. If you go back and read Greek history you will find that they always talked about the great oracle of Apollo, Delphi, etc. but, what they do not tell you is that the oracles were usually women. Not only that, most of the slave revolts that occurred in the Americas were incited and initially led by women. Women were highly valued in traditional African societies because of their psychic skills, which allowed them to foresee the future. Hence the importance of Oset (Aset, Auset, Isis), who is honored as the Divine Mother who nurses and births the nation.
Oset and Hru
Understand. We all have psychic abilities, which for most people are in a latent state, but women psychic skills are a little bit more active then most. Most of these male-chauvinistic religions take advantage of women psychic abilities by using their psychic energies just to draw in more devotees and parishioners to make a select few money. Once you have money, you basically have power to do whatever you want. This is reason you do not see any women imans, women rabbis, etc. in these male-dominated religions because they do not want a woman in a position of power.
This is not the case in traditional Afro-Diaspora religions and traditions because women are recognized as a vital part of the whole. In traditional African women are the opposite of the male puzzle necessary for creating life both physically and spiritually. They are the Tefnut to Shu, the Yin to Yang. A woman with spiritual discipline was highly prized in Africa because through these women psychic abilities, African nations were able to change the course of war. Remember, the Zulu king, Shaka kaSenzangakhona also known as Shaka Zulu, was guided by an elderly woman, whom European writers said was a spooky witch doctor, but this was all a ploy to discourage the Zulus from embracing their spirituality.
The second reason they want us to forget it so that they can use it for themselves.
Anyone who has read and studied history knows that the “enemy” is big on culture appropriation. We have seen this with our music, artistic expression, religious beliefs and practices. Historically what happens is that as soon as we get tired of something because it has been demonized, we abandon it and the culture vultures claim it, flip it and use it to empower them and further oppress us. This attack on our ancestral spirituality has already began in Haiti where Vodun is the official religion where people are abandoning it and embracing Christianity to escape the stigma. The same attack is being waged throughout the Afro-Latin America such as in Brazil and Venezuela.
Basically, “they” know that traditional African religions (ATR) and traditional African derived systems/practices (ADS) work. They have known about this for years, which is the reason they continue to demonize them in order to discourage us from returning back to them. Claiming that we were ancient Jews, Muslims, Berbers, Moors, Aliens, people from Atlantis, whatever, are all distractions to discourage us from rediscovering that we are God. I have yet to see any of these holy books that were written tell me I am God because we as a race of people are older than all of these holy books that these people keep citing.
There is only one holy book that I know of, which they do not want us to read, that tells us “You are a God,” and it is the Pert em Hru (the so-called Egyptian Book of the Dead). This is the only holy book I am interested in so that I can remind my wife, “Babe, You are a God” and we can instill in our child, “Honey, you are a God.” So, that when we get into a bind, we can invoke our divine powers within and create change.
This is the purpose of spirituality. It is not get out of one religion and join another dogmatic religion. It is to remind yourself who you are, so when these people claim that we are this and that. Know that they are repeating the same rhetoric that was told them because they do not know who they are and are afraid to embrace their divinity.
Hetepu
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