We Began in Africa

Traditional African Religion –The Beginning

Why do we begin with Africa?

• Around 200,000 years ago, a new species, Homo sapiens, appeared on the African landscape. Eastern Africa is considered the Garden of Eden.

• Modern human life began in Africa.

Traditional African Religion –The Beginning

• While scientists have imagined eastern Africa as a real-life Garden of Eden, the latest research suggests humans evolved in many places across the continent at the same time.

• DNA from a 19th-century African-American slave is forcing geneticists to re-think the origins of our species. The theory is that our ancestors met, mated and hybridized with other human types in Africa — creating ever greater diversity within our species.

• DNA from a Charleston, South Carolina male dates back 338,000 years ago.

• These early peoples had a connection to “God” in ways that are much different that we have today.

AFRICAN PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN GODIT IS A MATTER OF INTERPRETATION

Traditional Religions of Africa

Africa has at least 1000 different languages; and over 1000 different tribes or communities.

Africa has many, many religions dating back over hundreds of years before Christianity.

Although there are many religions, all of them have certain things in common.

All African religions have these things in common:

• Mostly all African religions believe in One Supreme Being that created everything.

• The Supreme Being has no human characteristics. It is a force or energy.

• The Supreme Beings holds all things in this world and all other worlds in balance.

• This Supreme Being is never worshipped because we can’t see it, nor can the mind know it.

All African religions have these things in common:

• We can only know and see the Supreme Being by looking at everything in nature including ourselves. All of creation is a reflection of the Supreme Being.

• African religion is passed from generation to generation through the oral (speaking) tradition of sacred stories, myths, legends, folklore, names, riddles, blessing or curses, oaths, spells, proverbs and divination (a reading about one’s life from moment to moment).

All African religions have

these things in common:

Respect for Ancestors (ancestors can help or harm individuals and communities).

Animism – All living things (us and everything else in nature) are filled with living spirit.

Ritual – (celebration and prayers) There is a ritual for everything because all life and all things are spiritual and sacred

(Rituals include dance, music, and sacrifice).

All African religions

have these

things in common:

• African Life is a spirit filled life. Spirituality is 24 hours a day.

• From Childhood to Adulthood all decisions, events and activities always acknowledge the Supreme Being.

• The Supreme Being is known by many faces and names depending on the language of each tribe.

Common Characteristics

• All of life is arranged like this:

• First, the Supreme Being

• Second, Nature divinities (comes from the Supreme One)

• Third, The Ancestors

• Four, Spiritual powers

• Fifth, Living life according to your Destiny


• Respect for the ancestors (they are not dead, they are living)

• Honor parents and relatives who show good character

• Be loyal and responsible to the community

• Fundamental African values: fertility and enhanced life

• One must avoid doing things that hurt self, others and the community


There are life rituals: A ritual for birth, naming ceremony, becoming a teen, marriage, fatherhood, advancement to a higher social class; occupational specialization; death.

The rituals help human beings on their path to their destiny and purpose in life.


ONE’S DESTINY IS TO BE AN ANCESTOR• The goal of everyone’s destiny is to become

an “ancestor.” To be an ancestor one must live a good life and have a “good” death so that they are remembered by their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and so on.

• An ancestor comes back to live through their descendants through DNA, characteristics, behaviors, likes and dislikes. For example, you might act just like your grandmother, grandfather, aunt or uncle who passed on a long time ago.


ONE’S DESTINY IS TO BE AN ANCESTOR

• Ancestors should never be forgotten. If they are forgotten ancestors can live alone in isolation completely cut off from the family/the lineage.

• African religion is concerned with the here and now or the present moment. That’s where the ancestors live and they live in us, too. To forget the ancestors is to forget the self.

IFA: One Traditional African Religion

• IFA is ONE religion practiced by the Yoruba of South-west, Nigeria, West Africa. Today they are:

• The Yoruba in Nigeria - 36 million • The Yoruba in Benin - 1.2 million • The Yoruba in Ghana – 0.4 million• The Yoruba in Togo - 0.1 million• The Yoruba on Ivory Coast - 0.1 million• The Yoruba in Europe - 0.2 million• The Yoruba in North America - 0.2

million

IFA: One Traditional

African Religion

The term “Yoruba” refers to:1) a language; 2) a race; 3) a cultureHow do the Yoruba people relate to African Americans today.


African Religion

Millions of Yoruba slaves were captured and held as slaves between 1400-1800. Their descendants can be found in the Caribbean, South America, and North America (African Americans).

Beginning in the 1960s, as new Yoruba immigrants began entering the United States, they brought their religion with them.


African Religion

• IFA (e-fa) is the one major religion practiced by the Yoruba people whose children came to America and the Caribbean as slaves

• In the IFA religion, the Supreme Being is called OLODUMARE (O-lo-du-ma-ray)

• Olodumare is called Supreme Being over all on earth and in heaven

• Olodumare is the First and Last. (In the Christian tradition Olodumare is called God, but unlike Christianity, Olodumare has no human features. It is Creative Force)

• Olodumare is transcendent, unseen, all-knowing, and all-powerful, BUT Olodumare has no temples, no priests (pastors), annual festivals, images or dedications because Olodumare is unknowable


African Religion

In IFA there are three things that make up all of creation:

Social World (World of humans)

Natural World (World of our environment)

Unseen World (World of Divine Forces)

IFA: One Traditional African Religion –Deities (Orishas)

• Oludumare has many faces and acts in many ways through nature including people. These faces/forces of action are called Orishas (O-ree-shas). Their names are as follows:

• Ogun (o-goon)• Ochosi (o-show-see)• Babalú-Ayé (Ba-ba-lu-i-

yay)• Oya (o-ya)• Olokun (o-lo-koon)• Orunmila (o-roon-me-la)

• Obatala (o-ba-ta-la)• Yemaja (Yay-ma-ya)• Esu (A-shoe)• Oshun (o-shoon, rhymes with

noon)• Shango (Shawn-go)

Images God is experienced through nature.

IFA: One Traditional African Religion –Deities (Orishas)

• Esu (A-shoe) the Divine Trickster (Not a “devil”)

• Esu is the face of Olodumare that rules over Communication and decision making. Esu is well-spoken and speaks all languages. Esu translates messages between humans and the Orishas. He is the gate to the unseen world.

• Without Esu our prayers would not be understood in heaven and we would be unable to understand the language of Orisha or our ancestors. Esu is the guardian of the crossroads (decisions), as such he opens and closes all doors and ceremonies. He is always kept behind the door of one’s home. His colors are red and black.

• Esu stands at the crossroads where we need to think about our decisions.

IFA: One Traditional African Religion – Deities (Orishas)

OBATALA (o-ba-ta-la)

• Obatala, is the chief of the White Cloth. He is the face (Orisha) of Olodumare who came from heaven to earth with the tools for making the earth livable for humans. Obatala is considered the father of all Orishas (faces of Olodumare) and is said to make the inner (brain) and outer heads of all humans.

•• Obatala is associated with wisdom, purity, ethics and

humility. Obatala is the Orisha of the elderly as well as the Orisa of those with physical disabilities. He carries the staff of truth. His color is white

• Obatala rules over the forest, air, wisdom, peace and elders.


• Yemaya (Yay-ma-ya)

• Yemaya is the face of Olodumare that lives in and rules over the seas and lakes.

• She is also known as the Mother Of All and thus controls maternity. All life began in the sea; the amniotic fluid inside the womb is a representation of the sea. She is the mother of Motherhood. Her color is light blue.


OSHUN (o-shoon, rhymes with noon)

Oshun is the face of Olodumare that rules over rivers, water, moisture, emotions, love and attraction, intimacy, beauty, wealth and diplomacy.

She is the force of harmony. Harmony which we see as beauty, feel as love, and experience as ecstasy. She loves to dance and laugh. Her colors are yellow and gold.


SHANGO (Shawn-go)

Shango is the face of Olodumare that is the warrior. He rules over and is thunder, fire, and is called sky father. He also represents male power and sexuality. His color is red.


Ogun (o-goon)

Ogun is also a warrior Orisha. He is assertive and aggressive. His energy rules over soldiers, police officers, politics, surgeons, railroad workers, welders, body builders, technology, anyone employed to work with iron and steel, and sacrifice. His colors are green and black.


OSCHOSI (o-show-see)

Ochosi is the face of Olodumare that rules over of all wildlife and of hunters. His symbol is a crossbow made of iron. He supports those who have problems with the law. He also rules over the magician, a seer and a fisherman, entrepreneurs, and travelers. His is color green.


Babalú-Ayé (Ba-ba-lu-i-yay)

Babalú-Ayé is the face of Oludumare that rules over infectious disease, and healing. His name means “Father, lord of the Earth.” He rules over the body, wealth, and physical possessions. In West Africa, he was strongly associated with epidemics of smallpox, but in the contemporary Americas, he is more commonly thought of as the patron of leprosy, influenza, and AIDS.

Although strongly associated with illness and disease, Babalú-Ayé is also the deity that cures these ailments. Both feared and loved, Babalú-Ayé is sometimes referred to as the “Wrath of the supreme god” because he punishes people for their transgressions . People hold Babalú-Ayé in great respect and avoid calling his actual name, because they do not wish to invoke epidemics. His color is Purple.


Oya (o-ya)

Oya is a powerful and volatile Orisha. Shango rules over lightning and thunder, but Oya is the face of Olodumare that rules over storms, tornados, hurricanes, and whirlwinds. She is a warrior Orisha who rides to do battle at the side of Shango. She is only Orisha who has power over the dead and graveyards. Her color is maroon and purple.


Olokun (o-lo-koon)

Olokun is imaged as either male or female depending on what region of West Africa He/She is worshipped. Olokun is the face of Olodumare that rules over patience, endurance, sternness, observation, meditation, appreciation for history, future visions, and royalty personified. He/Sheis owner of the deep oceans. His color is blue and white.


OrunmilaOrunmila is the spirit of wisdom, and the owner of one’s destiny. He knows your purpose for being here and he knew it before your birth. He is the owner of the IFA religion, its beliefs and practices. Orunmila is called the Prophet that developed and spread the Ifa divination system. Orunmila is both Olodumare and second only to Olodumare/Olorun. His colors are green and reddish brown or yellow.

Iyanifa or Babalawo

The role of the diviner (priest of Orunmila) is to help others to discover their “natural” identity.

Through a reading the Iyanifa or babalawo is able to tell you whose child you are (similar to your sun sign in astrology). For example, if you are very emotional or sensitive, you could be a child of Oshun or Yemaya or Olokun. If you are philosophical or ethical, you are said to be a child of Obatala.

Generally, parents take their child to a priest to determine their identity and their destiny. Due to slavery, this was lost to us, however this reading can be done for adults.

Rituals

Prayer is using power of speech to: deliver messages, express concerns, ask questions,

receive health, wealth, children, express gratitude prayer is a ritual technique used to help solve problems Sacrifice is giving up something of value when

there is a spiritual imbalance or problem manifested in the physical world. The Orisha or Ancestor is the one who receives the

offering. Offerings can be animals (chickens or pigeons) or non-animals (honey, candles). A sacrifice is called an ebo.

People who work in the IFA

religion

Babalawo (Ba-ba-la-wo) is a male Ifa Priest – He helps people on the journey of life. He is like a counselor.

Iyanifa (E-yan-ni-fa) is a female Ifa Priest – She also helps people on the journey of life. She is like a counselor. They both use the energy of Orunmila. The Babalawo and Iyanifa do dafa (da-fa) or give readings using the IFA divination system.

Apetebii (Ah-pe-te-be). is the wife of a Babalawo. She assists her husband in the worship and appeasement of his Ifa and help to teach children the fundaments of worshipping Ifa as a philosophy. Daughters of the Babalawo can also be an Apetebii.

Ifá is another name for Orunmila – the face of Olodumare that is wisdom and knowledge, and so during the ritual of divination a 'client' is said to “consult Ifà” if they are having problems. The go to the babalawo or Iyanifa for counseling.

Honor your Ori, Honor

your Orisha, Honor your

Ancestors

Ori (o-ree) – Is your highest self. The spirit in you that is connected to radiant light/life force (Oludumare). The job of your Ori is to guide you on your journey to your destiny to becoming a good, creative person.

Orisha – a face of Olodumare that influences or colors your Ori. (for example: Neptune rules Pisces in Astrology; Oshun rules your Ori in IFA).

A person can know their Orisha through IFA divination.

Your Ancestor is a person in your family who died BEFORE you were born and helps you throughout life from the spiritual realm.

Home altars dedicated to Ori, Orisha, Ancestors

Ori/Oshun altar


• Obatala altar


Ogun altar

Home altars dedicated to Ori, Orisha, Ancestors• Yemaya altar


Ancestors are those family members who have passed on.

Traditional African Religions –What You Have Learned

You have learned that:

Traditional African Religions are practiced in many ways, but they have commoncharacteristics.

Traditional African Religions believe in only One Supreme Being that is expressed in many ways in nature. Nature is a reflection of this Supreme Being.

Orishas are visible forces of nature including ourselves.

Ancestors are very important and must be honored.

Traditional African Religion is presently in daily life. Every action is spiritual.

Traditional African Religions or Pan-African Theology

God-talk through the lens of the Mother Land.

“I am a child of God, a servant of Allah, a child of Shango, a child of Oshun, no matter what anyone does to me.”

East Africans and the BibleThe Early Hebrews

Genesis 4:14-17

14 Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.”

15 Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.

SETTING THE STAGE

Day 1: “God said, “Let there be light.’” 4.5 billion years ago

Day 2: “God said, ‘Let there be firmament in the midst of the waters and let it separate the waters from the waters. 4.5 billion to 3.75 billion years ago

Day 3: “And God said, ‘Let the waters under the Heaven be gathered together in one place and let the dry land appear.

And God said, ‘Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed and fruit trees bearing fruit.’” 3.75 billion years ago

Day 4: “And God said. ‘Let there be light in the firmament of Heavens to separate the day from the night.’”

Day 5: “And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures. Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas... ’” “‘...and let the birds fly above the earth.’”3.5 billion years to 635 million years ago

Day 6: “And God said, ‘Let the Earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind; cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kind.’” 250 million to about 6000 years ago

The Bible and Science

MIGRATION OUT OF AFRICA

• Multiple migrations out of Africa began about 120,000 years ago.

• Earliest migration of beings were called the Neanderthals (modern Africans do have not traces of DNA from the Neanderthals (cave man) species.

• The modern humans who came out of Africa to originally settle Europe about 40,000 years are presumed to have had dark skin.

• 8500 years ago, early hunter-gatherers in Spain, Luxembourg, and Hungary also had darker skin. They lacked two genes needed for white skin.

• Archaeologists found seven people (bones) from Sweden in an area dating from the 7700 years ago that had the lighter skin, blue eyes and blonde hair genes. (This is called a genetic mutation)

• The people we call Hebrews appear about 3,400 years ago in what is called Iraq (Mesopotamia)

LIFE BEGAN IN AFRICA

EAST AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST

THE TWELVE SONS/TRIBES OF ISRAEL SETTLEMENT

The Bible does not mention places like England or Germany

Africa is mentioned many times: Ethiopia is mentioned over 40 times, Egypt is mentioned over 100 times.

Evidence that the earliest people were located in Africa

- The first two rivers of Eden were located in Cush (Ethiopia)

- Genesis 2:11-12 – Pishon River is connected to land of Havilah (a descendant of Cush)

- Genesis 2:13 – Gihon River surrounds Cush and Ethiopia Tigris/Euphrates River are in Mesopotamia

Canaan (4th son of Ham) figures significantly in Hebrew (cousins) history was anextension of African land mass

BLACK PRESENCE IN THE BIBLE

Afro-Asiatic Family of Languages

Other widely spoken Afroasiatic languages include:

Hausa (Chadic), the dominant language of northern Nigeria and southern Niger. Sahel.Oromo (Cushitic), spoken in Ethiopia and Kenya by around 34 million peopleAmharic (Semitic), spoken in Ethiopia, with over 25 million native speakers in addition to

millions of other Ethiopians speaking it as a second language.Somali (Cushitic), spoken by 15 million people in Somalia, Djibouti, eastern

Ethiopia and northeastern Kenya.Afar (Cushitic), spoken by around 7.5 million people in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Eritrea.Shilha (Berber), spoken by around 7 million people in Morocco.Tigrinya (Semitic), spoken by around 6.9 million people in Eritrea and Ethiopia.Kabyle (Berber), spoken by around 5.6 million people in Algeria.Hebrew (Semitic), spoken by around 5 million people native speakers and 4 million second

language speakers in Israel and worldwide; also the liturgical language of Jewish people.Central Atlas Tamazight (Berber), spoken by around 4.6 million people in Morocco.Riffian (Berber), spoken by around 4.2 million people in Morocco.Gurage languages (Semitic), a group of languages spoken by more than 2 million people in Ethiopia.

African – Edenic

-Refers to Africans called Hebrews who settled in area called Eden (EastAfrica/Sub-Saharan (Middle-East today).

Semitic languages

-Afroasiatic language family originating in the Middle East

Alkebulan

-Known by other names such as “Mother of humankind” or “Garden of Eden,” Alkebulan was the name known to the peoples of Africa (Moors, Nubians, Ethiopians, Libyans, etc.,) prior to the arrival of colonizers

The Hebrew people and the Hebrew world (Old Testament):

• Sub-Saharan Africa (Middle-East)• Egypt• Canaan• Ethiopia• Libya• Nubia (Sudan)

These are east African people. There are no Europeans.

Our DNA is linked to West Africa

• Early human settlers arrived in West Africa around 12,000 BCE or moreCharleston, SC (Y-chromosome dates back 338,000 years)

• First human settlement appear around 4,000 BCE

• The Dogon people of Mali, West Africa, 3,200 BCE

• The Fulani people, Nigeria and other places, 6,000 BCE

• The Yoruba people of Nigeria, 8,000 – 10,000 BCE

GENESIS 4:17

• Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.

• People were already living on the earth. The human species began migrating out of Africa 120,000 years ago.

• Modern humanity began migrating out of African 70,000 years ago.

• The Hebrew people first appear as nomads about 3,500 years ago. So, Cain was able to find a wife because other people were already in existence.

• What does the world of the Hebrews look like?

Archaeologists and Anthropologists (both religious and non-religious call Africa the birthplace of humanity.

Newer evidence suggest that humanity may have begun in the area that is now called Nigeria. (It was difficult to find bones in thick forestry and the rainforest until now).

However, at the moment, the cradle of civilization began in the areas of East Africa (and South Africa).

You will not read the terms black or African, but you will read the terms Ethiopians, Cushites, Canaanites, Egyptians, or Hebrews and tribes. We will not read about any tribes living in what is called Europe.

The Garden of Eden has four rivers surround it:

The rivers Pishon and Gihon (Blue and White Nile) which irrigates Egypt, the Sudan, and areas of Ethiopia and Uganda.

The river Tigris flows through southeast Turkey through Iraq and joins the Euphrates flowing to the Persian Gulf.

Before the Suez Canal was built between 1859 and 1869, the Middle East (Iraq (birthplace of Abraham), Iran, the Saudi Arabia and other countries) were part of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The original people of these areas and of the earth were either Africans or Afro-Asiatics.

Clues related to the Black Presence in the Bible

Genesis 6:14-15 – What materials went into making the ark?

Cubit – measurement system that was used by the Babylonians, Egyptians and Hebrews.

Pitch – asphalt used in Babylonia for building and in shipbuilding to make vessels leakproof.

Gopherwood – used in shipbuilding found in northeast Africa.

The survivors of the flood, Noah and his family were of African-Edenic descent.

Clues related to the Black Presence in the Bible

Noah’s Lineage

The curse (Genesis 9:24-27):

Ham saw his father naked

Noah curses Canaan (not Ham). The curse is that Canaan’s people will serve Shem’s people (Canaan’s decendants will serve their cousins).

Ham’s other sons (Mizraim, Phut, and Cush) were not cursed. Why?

Canaan saw his father naked To show a series of wars between the Hebrews/Israelites and

Canaanites (return to the promised land) after leaving Egypt.

The other sons settled in other parts of Africa and built great civilizations.

The Sons of Ham

Cush is connected with Ethiopia (Sudan)

Mizraim (Menes) is connected with Egypt (Land of Ham)

Phut is connected with Libya

Canaan is connected with Palestine/Israel

All of the descendants of Ham inhabited north and northeast Africa as the original people.

Cush – First son of Ham

A. The name “Cush” appears 4 times in the Bible:

• (Genesis 10:6,7,8) repeated again (I Chronicles 1:8,9,10).

• Father of King Nimrod

• Name of a Benjaminite who was a follower of Saul, the firstking of Israel (one of the twelve tribes of Israel)

B. The word, “Cushite” appears in the Bible:

• Numbers 12:1 and is the ethnicity of Moses’ wife (Ethiopian/Nubian).

• In Jeremiah 38: 7, 10, 12, the character, Ebed-Melech is an officer in KingJehoiakim’s court and he is described as an Ethiopian (Cushite in Hebrew orNubian).

• Cushite serves in David’s army (2 Samuel 18:21-32).

C. In the prophetical writings:

• Amos (chapter 9:7) says that the Ethiopians are equal to the Israelites. (760-750 BC)

• Isaiah (chapter 20) includes Ethiopia and Egypt together under the wrath of Yahweh. (742-682)

• Zephaniah (chapter 2:12) has two references about the destruction of Ethiopia. (626 BC)

• Jeremiah (13:23) states that Judah can’t change its sinful ways anymore than an Ethiopians can change the color of their skin. However, he blesses Ebed-Melech for trusting in God. (626-582 BC)

• Nahum (3:9) states that “Cush/Ethiopia were Nineveh’s boundless strength, and it was infinite. (612-600 BC)

• Ezekiel (chapter 38:5) mentions Ethiopia three times along with other nations that will be destroyed. (593- 570)

• Daniel (chapter 11:43) pronounces that Ethiopia will be conquered.

• Psalm 68:31 - Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.

D. Ethiopia is mention during conversations between Solomon, Israel’s 3rd King and the Queen of Sheba and references are made throughout II Chronicles. The Queen of Sheba is Queen of Ethiopia.

The ancient Kingdom of Cush/Ethiopia (2613-2181 BC) was called the “Land of the Bow,” due to the skill of the Cushite archers. These kingdoms were exporters of gold, ebony, incense, exotic animals, and ivory among other luxury items.

King Nimrod - Genesis 10: 6-10

Son of Cush, grandson of Ham, and great-grandson of Noah

Hunter and architect

African King of Shinar/Mesopotamia which rested between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. (modern-day Iraq)

Mesopotamia was known for inventing writing (Sumerians, the wheel), mathematics, advances in astronomy, medicine, and technology such as water irrigation for crops. Mesopotamia covered the areas of

Babylon Sumer Nineveh (Jonah) Ur (home of Abraham and Sarah)

Stories about Nimrod and Abraham cast light on Noah’s curse.

Also called, the land of Ham

• In the early southern kingdom of Egypt, the kings wore a red crown and their governing symbol was the lotus flower.

• The northern kings signified their rule by wearing the white crown and their governing symbol was a papyrus reed. The plant grew in abundance in the delta marshes and were used to make paper and medicine. Women made garments and linens by weaving flax.

• Mizraim was the patriarch of seven tribes (seven sons) who settled through the region and beyond.

• One tribe: The Philistines settled the cities of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath and Ekron (Joshua 13:2-3).

• The Philistines also settled in the land of Canaan (ancestral uncle) and were there when Abraham arrived.

Egypt (Kemet/Kahm, black land/soil)

When the Pharaoh Mizraim /Menes came to power, he conquered southern Egypt and unified both northern and southern Egypt in 3200 BC.

Egypt’s first mention in the Bible as a nation occurs in Genesis 12:10.

When the patriarch Abram and his wife Sarai arrived in Egypt, the civilization built by Mizraim and his descendants had been a thriving nation for almost a thousand years.

Egypt has had up to 31 dynasties with the first dynasty established by Noah’s grandson, Mizraim (Narmer, Menes) and Ham’s son in 32nd century BC.

Why do some people believe Egypt was ruled by people with white skin?

• Egypt’s many achievements

Egypt ruled by the Nubians (Sudan) - 25th dynasty.

Hezekiah and the King of Egypt

Taharqa was the son of Piye, the Nubian king of Napata who had first conquered Egypt (25th dynasty)

• King of Ethiopia in the 7th century

• Also King of Egypt in the 25th dynasty (Cushite Kings)

• Lived during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah

• Called “Tirhaka” in 2 Kings 19:9-37

• King Sennacherib attacked Jerusalem

• Assyrian sources say that Taharqa ran Sennacherib out Jerusalem on behalf of the Hebrews, the Hebrews say, an angel of the Lord.

Canaan

I'm on my way to Canaan LandI'm on my way to Canaan Land On my way Canaan Land On my way glory hallelujah I'm on my way Well on my way To Canaan Land I'm on my way, to Canaan Land On my way Canaan Land On my way glory hallelujah I'm on my way

Lyrics by Mahalia Jackson

Why is this “Negro Spiritual”, Canaan Land, important in African American History?

Canaan Land was the land promised to Abraham by Yahweh

Canaan is the younger son of Ham, grandson of Noah, cursed by Noah that his descendants would serve elder brother, Shem. Abraham is in the lineage of Shem.

The Canaanites were living on the land that had been promised to Abraham.

Abraham and Sarah settle in Canaan

Isaac and Rebekah

Jacob and Rachel (Leah and maidservants)

12 sons, 1 daughter

Joseph sold into slavery in Egypt

Rises to become Governor

Brings his tribes to Egypt

The grow and multiply

Enslaved in Egypt

Moses the Liberator

Joshua leads them back into Canaan

Descendants of Canaan

Sidonians

Hittites

Jebusites

Amorites

Girgashites

Hivites

Arkites

Sinites

Arvadites

Zemarites

Hamathites

Cushites, and later, black Phoenicians, and Carthaginians.

Canaanite culture and religion

• In the 400 years the tribes of Jacob (12 tribes of Israel) were in Egypt, Canaan was now a very different place.

• The Israelite tribes under Moses and Joshua faced many nomadic tribes. They war with them, but they don’t destroy all of the Canaanites. (some DNA has been found in the Lebanese people)

• The Canaanites were a sophisticated agricultural and urban people. The name Canaan means "Land of Purple" (a purple dye was extracted from a murex shellfish found near the shores of Palestine).

• The Canaanites invented a form of writing that became the alphabet, which, through the Greeks and Romans, was passed on to many cultures influenced by their successors--namely, the nations and peoples of Western civilization.

Not only did the Israelites not wipe out the entire population, but through contact with so many different groups, they adapted to the ways these other groups lived as a nomadic way of life, e.g., love for independence and freedom, agriculture and urban life.

Education, Social and Psychological Conditioning and Values

BLACK WOMEN IN THE BIBLEWHY WE CAN’T ACCEPT OURSELVES

• Nearly half of all of the enslaved Africans who came to the U.S. first arrived in the port of Charleston

• America slavery sought to dehumanize African people (different from other forms of slavery) through laws and socialization

• Race became a determining factor for enslaving Africans and stripping them of any freedoms afforded to indentured servants

• Between 1829 and 1834 Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, North and South Carolina and Virginia all passed anti-literacy laws

• White American values were administered through every aspect of society: law, medicine, media, religion, psychology, education and family structure.

IMAGES IN THE BIBLE

Bathsheba in Art Jesus in Hollywood


Hagar the Egyptian God in Stain Glass


Queen of Sheba and Solomon? Really?

Hagar the EgyptianQueen Bathsheba

Queen Sheba III - 4th generation of migrated Nubian-Kushites

We Began in Africa

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Transcript of We Began in Africa