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Portland Observer DECEMBER 20,1989 Page 3
IÜH
Scripture
o f the ‘Weefi
Beyond Kwanzaa
* / Professor McKinley Burt
In last w eek's description o f the mag­
nificent Kwanzaa holiday and the celebra­
tions o f thanksgiving, regeneration and
affirmation, I provided some details of a
past that illuminates the ages-old African
genesis o f such spirituality as the world still
possesses. It was emphasized that there is
no lack o f evidence or documentation, of
preserved manuscripts, papyri, stone tab­
lets or religious icons - but that what we do
have are arrogant and racist attempts to
revise eternal truths and verities. W e fmd
that the G re a t Seals and coins o f might but
arrogant nations no longer feature black
doves grasping olive branches but, instead,
present the fierce visage o f the Eagle, a
refined killer.
Thus, the meaning has been lost from
the m essage o f hope and truth that the
biblical prophet Isaiah saw rising out of
Ethiopian on "buzzing wings.” And under­
standing has been stripped from the tradi­
tion o f the ancient Greeks who stated that
their moat sacred o f temples at Dodona was
founded by two Black priestess who in the
farm o f doves flew there from the original
temple in Egypt. And who is it that is so
devoid o f feeling and passion that they
could listen to the earthy, sing song chants
of the black Preacher (King, Jackson, et al),
or to the tear-bringing truths o f existence
imbedded in the soaring lyrics o f the Black
spiritual—and not wonder how many thou­
sands o f years it took to forge these voices.
Indeed, it is true that * ‘In the beginning was
the w o rd ." And that pronouncement is
recorded in Africa, long before the Greeks,
and long before the Hebrews.
One o f the most revered and earliest
religious icons is the cross, though by the
Judaic period it was being used as an instru­
ment for the torture and crucifixion o f
criminals and religious dissidents. In the
reliable "Archaeology o f Christian Art"
we find the cross described as "chiefly
representative o f the ideas prevalent among
the Egyptians, namely the source o f life,
and o f hope o f a world to com e. " B u t when
this cross (tau or patibulary) was brought
over into the early church around A.D. 377,
it was no longer carried th African concept
o f an "A nkh,” the symbol o f life. The
church fathers added their endowments and
we find such inscriptions as this from Rev.
1, 8, "I am Alpha and Omega, the begin­
ning and ending, saith the Lord, which is
and which was and which is to come, the
almighty. The African version o f this eter­
nal sym bol, the Ankh, has been found in
excavations all through Egypt, Nubia, Ethio­
pia and in Western Arabia. On page 141 o f
the "Metropolitan Museum o f Art” com ­
panion piece to the King Tut E xhibition,
w e find exquisite reproductions o f copper
and bronze hand mirrors in the shape o f the
Ankh.
icon is exactly as described in details o f the
Tem ple o f Solom on--but these arks came
several thousand years earlier.
When we speak like this o f rituals and
ceremonies I am always brought to mind of
the extraordinary and m agnificent harvest
festival which celebrates an annual reunion
o f the sym bolic goddess Hathor with her
bridegroom , Horus, who awaits her at the
6,000 year old city o f Edfu, 30 m iles down­
stream on the N ile from the staging area.
Satellite television broadcasts may have
thrilled you with their coverage o f m assive
religious ceremonies at the Vatican, and
you may have been more than impressed by
helicopter view s o f the last royal wedding
in England- -but these contemporary scenes
o f western pomp and ceremony are simply
beggared when one contemplates the stag­
gering logistics required to stage the fantas­
tic panorama offered by the yearly celebra­
tion o f the m arriage o f Hathor o f Dendera
to Horus o f Edfu (Horus is the African god
whose eye is shown just above the trun-
acated pyramid o f the great seal o f the
United S ta tes-A symbol devised by Tho­
mas Jefferson to portray “ the concept upon
which America is founded, truth and jus­
tice.” In Africa the concept was known as
Maat; see reverse o f dollar bill).
This harvest celebration o f the cycle o f
man, nature and spirit began 6,000 years
ago and lasted almost 2,000 years. It would
begin at Dendera with a week o f joyous
celebration and praiseful thanksgiving ritu­
als, and then the brides party embarked in
beautifully decorated boats for the weeklong
journey downstream. At each nightfall there
would be stop at a chosen city where the
waterborne throng would be joined by more
boats, more singers, dancers and m usi­
cians, and where more festivities would
take place. At each city the local mayor and
his officials would join the pilgrimage, all
beautifully robed and gowned. M agnifi­
cently costumed crewmen rowed the craft
to the beat o f enthusiastic but disciplined
drummers. There was only room for some
many boats on the river so hundreds of
thousands accompanied the procession by
land the entire thirty m iles. By journey's
end the festive throng could not have fitted
In (Memory O f .........
into a dozen Basilicas or Buckingham pal­
aces. For one o f the best descriptions o f this
African Festival, sec “ Lamy, Egyptian
M ysteries.”
We are indebted to J.A. Rogers the
noted historian for the following informa­
tion; his quotations have been verified many
times.
When the whites cam e into pow er
they shifted the colors. But as late as
1500 the Ethiopians still depicted their
goods and heroes black, an d their devils
and villains, white. Father Fernandez, a
Catholic missionary, who worked amongst
them at this time, says, "They paint
Christ, the B lessed Virgin, an d other
saints in black form ; an d devils and
w icked men, white. Thus Christ and his
apostles are black and Judas, white.
Annas, Calphas, Pilate, H erod and the
t
(Continued to Next Page)
RICKY DARNELL CARTER
Son of Geneva Knauls, Stepson of Paul Knauls
Jesus Loves You!
W ho was born in Portland, Oregon on February 14, 1954, to Geneva Knauls and
Robert "R ocky" C arter, died M onday, December 18, 1989 at Portland Adventist
Convalescent Center. Ricky died from injuries he sustained in an automobile accident
on A p ril 14,1985.
Funeral Service
New Hope Baptist Church
Saturday, Dec. 23,1989 at 10:00 A.M.
4236 N.E. Eighth Avenue
(corner of 8th & Skidmore)
Portland, Qregon 97211
&
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r
(503) 287-0261
r
Phillip S. Nelson, Pastor
Egyptian Ark.
*
St. John: Chapter 1 & 2
Strengt fien fo u r f a i t fi ‘Through (Prayer A n d d(eguiaf Cfiurcfi ‘Worship
I '-'-r ^ 'l
Psalm
I— ,— 34:3
(—
ARANATHA
—
|
(XVilkinaua, A n e. E g y p t.}
CORRECTION
hurch
4222 N.E. 12th Avenue
Portland Oregon
Do to the over sight o f the com posi­
tion dept. o f the Portland Observer,
we failed to add caption lines to two
pictures that was in Professor M cK­
inley Burt's story on "KWANZAA:
Time To Celebrate African-Ameri­
can Roots, December 13th issue. The
two names are Joyce Harris and Gloria
Phillips, '
Sunday Services
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ATTENTION RENTERS
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J IM M Y DEAN SAUSAGE
jnJMDein
Interestingly, in the older books o f
religious history (written before the turn o f
the century—and before the A frican Exclu­
sion), you find that the authors rather hon­
estly and forthrightly present most facts as
they are. An excellent case in point is found
in "Sm ith, Dictionary o f th bible,” pub­
lished in 1865. Here, we find that whenever
illustrations accompany the text, the en­
graving is always o f the African original.
Especially significant is the entry, "Ark o f
the C ovenant.” The accompanying picture
is that o f an Egyptian Ark (after W ilkin­
son, Ancient Egypt), the exact same vessel
found in King Tut's tomb, and as portrayed
on temple walls and furnishings tiiroughout
the ancient land. Look-alike models are
shown as part o f African rituals, and other
huge examples are replicas o f warships or
freighters. Another illustration on the same
page (from Lamy, Egyptian Mysteries) shows
groups o f pall bearers carrying arks in a
funerary procession. The appearance o f the
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