Born to be King Sankofa Oyafunmike Nigeria Word to the Wise Poetry Exchange Advertisements

Sankofa: A New Afrikan Retrieval of the Ancestral Birthright

by Awotunde Ifaseyin Yao Zannu Karade

© 2004, 2003, 2002

Ifa divination was performed for Oyeepolu
Offspring of those who perform the ancestral rites of Ife
One whose mother left him all alone when he was very young
Thus, when Oyeepolu grew up he did not know the rites of his Ancestors
His life became chaotic. He sought a wife to marry but could not find one
And he did not have even a place he could call home.
Then he took his situation under consideration and went to a Babalawo for advice.
He was advised that it was because of his Ancestral Rites which he had neglected that he was in such confusion
He was told to go to the graves of his Ancestors, pay homage, and ask for guidance. After he had done so, He started to enjoy his life.

Ase

I thought it only befitting that since we are talking about returning to the traditions of our Ancestors that I draw inspiration from some of the sacred scriptures of our West Afrikan Ancestors. The opening scripture to this article is taken from the Odù Ifá, or sacred chapters of the Ifá/Vodùn religious ontology of West Afrika, which are pre-Biblical by at least 6ooo years. In this one, which is Òtùrùpón-méjí, the wisdom of the ancients is clear in explaining the consequences of neglecting one's own Ancestral culture. Oyeepolu was a descendant of greatness; great priests, priestesses, medicine men/women, and prophets. But some dire circumstances took his mother away from him at an early age. His connection to his Ancestors had been disintegrated, and his life was not in balance. The sacred Odù even states that he could find no home!

This Odù is a very befitting metaphor that actually addresses the state of Afrikan people here in America, and throughout the Yepete (a Twi word in the Akan dialect meaning "diaspora"). During the Ntam Kese (a Twi word in the Akan language meaning "Great Disaster" or "holocaust") we were cut off from "all the rites of our Ancestors" due to the advent of European enslavement. We were given substitute rites and beliefs. Being out of our natural environment we tried to make the best of these alien rites and religions, but it only produced other forms of chaos in the New Afrikan can being.

Our spirits have been "bottled up" by the alien rites given to us, thus retarding the full potential of the Afrikan soul. It is likened unto a caged lion. They tell us that lions are supposedly naturally vicious animals. Further observation tells us something else. Of course, a lion in a cage is going to seem vicious because he is out of his natural environment. These regal animals were not meant to be caged by the Creator’s natural laws. But when caged the lion is constantly trying to break free and reach out for his natural environment - his natural self. When he cannot get that he becomes chaotic. But look at the lion as he roams the plains of the Serengeti and the Savannah. He roams as the royalty of the animal kingdom that he is. He is calm and quite, and he is only "violent" when attacked or when it is time to eat in such an environment.

The caged lion is likened unto the "bottled up" spirit of New Afrikans, especially here in America. We see examples of this especially in the more spirited Black denominations such as the Baptists, Holiness, and Church of God. We see people get "happy" and jump around. They call it the "Holy Ghost" simply because the European slavers told them to call it that (Ironically, the term ghost will usually have a more negative connotation by itself!). But why is "catching the Holy Ghost" not a common occurrence in the white churches? The answer is simple enough. This is the attempt of the Afrikan spirit to retrieve its original nature - its expression inherent from birthright. The Afrikan spirit in the Yepete is continually reaching out for its original vehicle of spiritual expression, which is at the heart of Afrikan spirituality.

Many in the New World have chosen West Afrikan spiritual traditions as the vehicle of Afrikan spiritual and cultural expression. I mention this in relation to the cultural heritage that attempts to express itself within the Black church. As an example, Within the Ifa/Vodùn traditions we become "possessed" by the spirit of the Creator manifesting as various Orisá/Vodù (the elemental spirits of Nature and the human which have been misnomered the "holy ghost"). But this is an ordered expression for the most part, for the Orisá/Vodù are integral parts of an ordered way of life as outlined within the holy scriptures of Ifa called the Odù Ifá. In this, we communicate with Olòdúmaré by way of its variegated energies, thus getting the direct message of the will of the Creator. Often times what we see as "getting happy" in church only entails tears and physical movements that express some bottled up emotions of the individual.

How do we facilitate the return?

The sacred Odù is clear on this question. Oyeepolu ended up contemplating his turmoil and knew that he had to visit a Babalawo to help solve his problems. The Babalawo told him that his chaotic life was the result of initially not knowing his own Ancestral heritage, and then purposely neglecting them. The Babalawo here represents the connection between Oyeepolu's wayward spirit, and the true knowledge of Self (the inherent beauty of God within). I say that Oyeepolu purposely neglected his heritage because the Babalawo told him that he had neglected his own traditions. To neglect implies that there is at least the knowledge of these duties. So, if Oyeepolu neglected these duties then there must have come a time in his life that he rediscovered the traditions. This is very relevant to the situation that Afrikans in America find themselves in. We learn of the traditions, but we continually and purposefully neglect them. This is one of the main reasons that Afrikans here in America are so disorganized, disenfranchised, and spiritually disgruntled. We do not look at ourselves as having a strong common ground based upon our own Ancestral traditions. Ancestral communication is an integral part of our traditions, and when you neglect the Ancestors it becomes like not feeding the body its proper nutrients. Eventually the body will dysfunction and imbalance will occur. This is usually called dis-ease. In like manner, we have been in the midst of a dysfunctional culture which inevitably produces dysfunctional families, institutions, (social, religious, economic, political, etc.), and spiritually dis-eased humans.

But Odù Ifá Òtùrùpón-méjí gives us the way out. When Oyeepolu returned to his traditions then he prospered, and returned to peace. A sense of community and unity was restored amongst him and his people. Oyeepolu serves as a prototypical stand-in for all Afrikans. If we want the peace that Oyeepolu found we must make a conscious and loving effort to fulfill our destiny (ayanmo; ipin) which is to restore the Afrikan spirit and re-establish Afrikan culture to its rightful place in the world today. We must look at our disunity, former empire builders, and great sages. Look around and observe the current of tribalism that marks the consciousness of even those that claim Afrikan traditions. Nothing less than a full-scale return to our own Ancestral traditions is a must if we are not only to survive, but also if we intend to go forward in a whole and sane manner. A realization of our combined Afrikan heritage, our being New Afrikans if you will, can put us on the path to erasing this new tribalism.

I will close by saying that it is not enough to return to your traditions. You cannot separate your culture from your daily realities. One must seek Afrikan cohesiveness at every level of being.

This article is an excerpt from the author’s upcoming work, Iwakeri: the Quest for Afrikan Spirituality ©2004, 2003. I can be contacted at yaosoklu@blackwebportal.com. Or visit my website, Afrikan Spiritual Dimensions, at http://www.geocities.com/omo_sango_oya.