Sunday, October 10, 2010

THE 4 NUBIAN PRINCIPLES AND DESCENDANTS OF NUBIA

According to a conversation, Professor Brown who teaches anatomy at Medgar Evers College in NYC; She states that ancient Nubian's, as other African cultures, operated through an uplifting and positive law.


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The 4 (four) Nubian Principles
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1- PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

2 - LAW OF FREEDOM

3- LAW OF OWNERSHIP

4- NOTHING CAN CHANGE, WHO TIME HAS COME,
IT'S OUR TIME!

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The History of Nubian civilization extends back to about 17,000 years (See Van Sertima: Egypt Revisited)

This history included a strong connection with a great Black Civilization that existed in the Sahara and consisted of a number of Black Nations, including some of the ancestors of people who live in the South Pacific/Melasia, who had been sailing to Asia earlier than 100,000 years B.C.



The Nubians created the world's first civilization and that civilization was much older than Egypt. In fact, in 2000, archeologists discovered many facinating artefacts, including glasswork of great beauty and excellent craftsmanship.


These were found in Sudan and according to Time Magazine, some artefacts were dated to about 8000 years B.C. Astronomy was also well organized in Nubia during the period and an astronomical observatory dating back to about 7000 B.C. was found in Sudan as well. It is also in Sudan that a large number of ancient cities exist.


The Nubians also built a large number of small pyramids later on in their history but they used a very sophisticated system of tombs to bury their kings. Many were similar in style to the early Egyptian Mastabas.


Those of later centuries were small pyramids with chapels built on top and the tombs and beneath the ground.


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WHO ARE THE DESCENDANTS OF THE ANCIENT NUBIANS TODAY
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The birth of Nubianism or the return of the Nubian consciousness, study of Nubian history, reverence for Nubian culture and the recognition of the Nubian blood and lineage started in Nubia, right there in the South of Egypt, where to be Nubian is to belong to the world's longest lasting civilization and the belonging to a people with the longest lasting kingship on earth.

It may be surprising to note that the Nubian monarchy continues to exist today and Nubians continue to have their king, although the land of Nubia is occupied by invaders (and their culture, religions and laws) who originally migrated from the northern Semitic lands, and who have mixed in with some Sudanese to create a new type of people similar to South.


Today, the Nubas of the Nuba Mountains are direct descendants of the ancient Nubians.


The Nuer People of Sudan, the Dinkas and a number of "Nilotic" peoples as well as many people in East Africa of Bantu linguistic origins are also of Nubian origins.


In fact, although it is said that the Bantu ( Ba-Ntu ) migrated from Nigeria to populate the rest of Southern Africa about five thousand years ago, there is a significant of what appears to be close linguistic similarities between some Nilotic and ancient Egyptian and Cushite languages with the Bantu Languages, both of which originated in the Sahara.


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These similarities include the "Ba" prefix to name nationalities, such as "Ba-luba" "Ba-kongo," or the "N' to denote persons and groups, such as "Ntu" (probably nation or people) or Ndabaningi (a person's name) or "N-g-r" (God in ancient Egyptian) or the word "N-t-y-r" (Nature, God, sacred in ancient Egyptian).

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Hence, these tall and medium height peoples of Africa who are spread from Ethiopia and Somalia to West Africa and south to Zululand are all connected.

They were once spread as far as Turkey and Southern Europe in Preshitoric times and as far as Fiji and ancient Mexico. One of the most important migrations of Africans to the Americas occurred about 600 B.C., when groups of people from West Africa who worshipped Shngo the Thunder Element and who used the axe, migrated to Mexico about 600's B.C. and introduced their religions.

According to Sitchin......

Blacks with Egyptian connections migrated to Mexico about 3113 B.C. and on that date, introduced the first calendar to Mexico. Others have pointed out that the Olmecs were a combination of West Africans and Nubians (see "A History of the African-Olmecs pub by 1st Books Library.


The distances between the two cultures are thousands of miles apart, however, both the Carthaginians and Pharaoh Nikau sent people to West Africa to trade between 600 B.C. and 450 B.C. respectively. The West Africans and Nubians most likely collaborated with each other and had cultural contact.


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NUBIANS IN SUDAN AND SOUTHERN EGYPT RISE
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Nubian consciousness is one that is extremely strong regardless of the present state of the Nubians. In fact, the Nubians suffered a sever blow when they were removed from their sacred lands in Southern Egypt for the building of the Aswan Dam some decades ago. Many ancient Nubian sites, ruins and valuable lands are now covered with water, in what many Blacks see as a swift wiping out of the evidence of Nubia's greatness.

Still, the Nubians continue to maintain their pride and their culture. They continue to maintain their history and to make sure that their contributions to world civilizations is not stolen. During a conversation with Nubians, Professor Gates (who made a documentary on African history about two years ago) found out first hand that Nubians in Nubia continue to maintain the great pride in self that was part of the spiritual consciousness that made Nubian civilization great and long-lasting.


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THE RISE OF NUBIANISM IN AMERICA

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One fact must be realized by Blacks in the Americas. That fact is that Blacks West Africa who are not of the Pygmy tribes (where there are few if any) are of the same origins as Africans in Sudan.

In fact, among many Yorubas and others, there is the belief that Nubians migrated from Egypt during the Exodus and settled in Mali, then moved southward into Nigeria and the region.

There are other sources that point to the coming of groups from Egypt and sudan about 1100 to 1500 B.C. from the Nubia region of Sudan and Southern Egypt.

The identification with Nubian Civilization and culture by African Americans is only natural, since many African-Americans, if not most are related and directly connected to Africans who came in from West Africa, the Congo-Angola region, Sudan/Ethiopia region and an area from Central Africa to Mozambique.


The Spaniards and Portugese got captives from West Africa but they also got many from Southern and Eastern Africa as well. The British and French got captives from West and Central Africa.

So, considering the ancient linguistic connections with Sudan and the fact that many of our ancestors actually came from this region, then the Black glorification with Nubian civilization is only proper.

It is even more accurate that English connection with Greek civilization, which had begun by the ancient Khemites who inhabited the Greek Islands and Crete before the "Aryan" migrations from Central Asia into Greece, Southern and Western Europe.

Hotep!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Educational Importance to Fundraise for Sankofa Academy

Ollie McClean has Incorporated within her school.....



"CULTURE AS A WEAPON
EDUCATION AS A TOOL FOR LIBERATION
THEREFORE, GIVING ALTERNATIVES
IMPLANTING THE AFROCENTRIC SEED OF PRIDE!"
Quote - C. Barron
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Spirit of Sankofa*.......
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Ms. Ollie McClean is the founder of Sankofa Preparatory School Int'l.
I have much respect for this woman of Afrocentric Culture.
She envisioned a school, that would teach, the importance of African cultural awareness, taught to "Children of African Descent".


There is a genuine need for our children to learn about self.
Her philosophy is.....as she was taught by her mother....

We are originally Ethiopians....we built the pyramids, created languages and religion, there is no way you can't do simple math.

Every school day she reinerates daily to the students of Sankofa...
You are born "Geniuses", it is born in you!


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Snapshot:
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Ms. McClean also feels our Black youth today feel they have no hope. They too, also have been brainwashed through negative messages through media and music. An example of this, is a rapper who is in jail, that puts out a song called "I AM NOT HUMAN". Demonizing us to a point they don't deserve to feel, learn and to achieve.

The fear is how long before our youth would pick this negative message and really believe this?

There is also a fear in our society, that if Blacks were taught their history, that they would no longer want to be American?

We have a great need to learn and love ourselves. We can't deceive ourselves any longer ,by believing we will attain the American dream, as it's portrayed by the familiar path of today.


Schools like Sankofa desperately need our support. schools that incorporate as part of their curriculum for our children....learning of all the African countries in Africa. etc....

Sankofa needs the community to step forth and see the importance of this non funding school. There should be more like this in the Black communities. Taking the example of this great sister, who didn't have much money to fund a project like this.

She sought out retired family members who worked with the Bd. of Ed. and others to help this school. She also explains how Sankofa was started in a vacant church then later held classes in an occupied church edifice.


Jitu Weusi

Activist and educator Jitu Weusi has worked to uplift and develop the cultural and social awareness of the African American community of Central Brooklyn...

Has supported the Sankofa School as well as Charles Barron. Inez Barron educator and the wife of C. Barron, stated, that principles need a business manage, so they can focus more on the curriculum of educating.



SPIRIT OF SANKOFA*
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Activists and artists fundraise for Sankofa Academy
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Statistics on the state of Black education often remind us of despair. Sankofa International Academy reminds us that there is hope. Sankofa's roadmap reminds us that it is our collective responsibility, as an entire community, to ensure that no child is left behind educationally, socially or culturally. Together, we have a role in creating the kind of world we want for generations to come.

Rome Neal and friends demonstrated why it is time to shift the conversation from talking about our pain to talking about our plan. On the evening of March 14, Rome teamed up with Franz Mettelus, owner of Rustic Tavern at 471 DeKaIb Avenue in Brooklyn; John Smith; and Jitu Weusi and held a fundraiser to showcase their plan of action in addressing the primary financial concerns of Sankofa.






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City Councilwoman Leticia James reminded everyone that independent education plays a very important role in the educational discourse, especially when it comes to meeting the needs of the African child. She stressed that the reason for supporting Sankofa's students is so that they can continue to become geniuses in their own rights, achieving the status of scientist, astronaut or even president.
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The sea of artists who brought their collective talent to support this exceptional school was comprised of jazz vocalist Patsy Grant, Lou Vega on guitar, Eric Frazer on congas, Gene Torres on bass, and Al Husband and Larry Williams on drums. They all kept the guests entertained with their riveting melodies.

The supporters were from all walks of life and included Councilman Charles Barron; the Rev. Herbert Oliver of the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Dr. James Mcintosh, CEMOTAP; attorney Colin Moore and his wife; Michael Hooper, Roots Revisited; Min.Clemson Brown, historian; Brenda Brunson-Bey, Tribal Truth Collection; and Malchijah Hats.

Ollie McClean, founder and director of Sankofa, summed up the event in her remarks by stating that the essence of education is the practice of freedom and that many politicaUy motivated educational plans have failed because the authors designed them according to their own personal views of reality, never once taking into account the children of African ancestry, to whom their program is ostensibly directed. However, Sankofa offers a course of study rich in cultural history and academics, thus addressing the "whole" child.

For more information, contact Sankofa International Academy, Post Office Box 330-505, Brooklyn, NY or call the school at (347) 365-9989.



New York Amsterdam News,
Mar 25-Mar 31, 2010

HOTEP*

Mambukal Mudpack Festival

June 6, 2010


Held at the height of monsoon season, the Mambukal Mudpack Festival in Murcia, Negros Occidental, celebrates the harmony of man and nature and encourages environmentalism among young people.

To get in the spirit, participants cover themselves with the rich soil known as Mambukal clay.

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Source: National Geographic
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/mambukal-mudpack-festival/

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Descendants of 1st Black US Doctor mark NYC grave

NEW YORK (AP) -- White descendants of the nation's first professionally trained African-American doctor gathered in a cemetery on Sunday to dedicate a tombstone at the unmarked grave where he was buried in 1865.

"Right now I feel so connected in a new way, to actually be here," said Antoinette Martignoni, the 91-year-old great-granddaughter of James McCune Smith. "I take a deep breath, and I thank God, I really do. I am so glad to have lived this long."

Smith, born in New York City in 1813, wanted to be a doctor but was denied entry to medical schools in the United States. He earned a degree from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, then returned to New York to practice. Besides being a doctor, he was celebrated in his lifetime as a writer and an anti-slavery leader.

Although scholars have written books about Smith, who set up a medical practice in lower Manhattan and became the resident physician at an orphanage, his descendants knew nothing about him until recently.

The story of why Smith was nearly overlooked by history and buried in an unmarked grave is in part due to the centuries-old practice of light-skinned blacks passing as white to escape racial prejudice. Smith's mother had been a slave; his father was white. Three of his children lived to adulthood, and they all apparently passed as white, scholars say.

Greta Blau, Smith's great-great-great-granddaughter, made the connection after she took a course at Hunter College on the history of blacks in New York. She did some research and realized that James McCune Smith the trailblazing black doctor was the same James McCune Smith whose name was inscribed in a family Bible belonging to Martignoni, her grandmother.

Her first response was, "But he was black. I'm white."

Blau, of New Haven, Conn., concluded that after Smith's death, his surviving children must have passed as white, and their children and grandchildren never knew they had a black forbear, let alone such an illustrious one.

Blau contacted all the Smith descendants she could find and invited them to join her Sunday for a ceremony dedicating a handsome tombstone at Smith's grave at Brooklyn's Cypress Hills Cemetery.

Eleven of Smith's descendants went to lay flowers at the cemetery, the final resting place of other notables including baseball player Jackie Robinson and actress Mae West.

Blau's aunt Elizabeth Strazar said she had grown up believing her ethnic heritage was English, Irish, Scottish and French.

"Now I can say I'm English, Irish, African-American and French, which I feel very proud of," she said.

Joanne Edey-Rhodes, the professor whose course led Blau to discover her ancestor, said Blau had written about Smith in her paper for the course.

"She was writing about this person and didn't realize that that was her very own ancestor," Edey-Rhodes said.

Edey-Rhodes, who's black, said that to be black in America in Smith's time "was a horrible condition."

"Black people were a despised group, and to many we still are a despised group in the world," she said. "I think that it is so important that at this time in history, that a family that is classified as white can say, 'I have this African-American ancestor,' and be able to do it without any shame, without having to hide it."

The tombstone dedication was followed by a panel discussion at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Harlem. Smith was an active member of the church, which was at another location in his lifetime.

The Rev. Craig Townsend, an Episcopal priest and scholar, said Smith's faith in God bolstered his belief that human beings are equal. Townsend passed out copies of an 1850 letter Smith had written to a friend after the death of his 5-year-old daughter.

"After a year of ailment, at times painful and distressing, always obscure, and which she bore with childlike patience, it pleased God to take her home to the Company of Cherubs who continually do Praise Him," Smith wrote.

"This is beautiful," Townsend said.

Dr. Vanessa Northington Gamble, a medical doctor and historian at George Washington University who has championed equal medical treatment for blacks, noted that Smith wrote articles in medical journals and the popular press debunking notions of black inferiority that were mainstream in his time.

"As early as 1859, Dr. McCune Smith said that race was not biological but was a social category," Gamble said. "I feel that I am standing on the shoulders of Dr. James McCune Smith."



Source - AP