NOTE: These are notes posted by Baba Jahi. They are not the classes' official notes, but are just my efforts to share with others. Feel free to post corrections, disagreements, or omissions.
Baba Ray provided several handouts:
(1) Brief Chronology of Kmt
(2) Map of Kemet
(3) Pyramid Text Excertps Pertaining to Nu
Discussed the different periods, a brief summary of the dynasties and the intermediate periods
Shared a passage from Cambridge University that humans can process what they read, even if the words are jumbled as long as the first and last letters are correct. A sample of the passage is shown below:
"i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg..."
Kemites took advantage of this understanding by elimating most of the vowels from their writing. "e" is often written in mdu words as a convenience. The spoken word is unknown except as it relates to the Coptic language, which itself has gone through many changes (notably Greek).
Baba Tyrone shares the stella showing the "Record of Nations" which shows the way Kemites depicted people from other nations (see the previous link, and the image above). There is a book which has a picture of a "Nubian" (actually Kemite) by Robert Bianchi. Baba Ray shared the image in class from the book's cover (see the previous link).
The class spent some time discussing the issue of race and ethnicity, but generally felt we wanted to focus on the people's culture, lifestyle, beliefs, and less on their race, while ensuring it was clear that they were Black people in Africa.
Shows picture of Senwrset (?) (name means "A man of the powerful[one]) - where the "powerful one" is the goddess Woset. [Woset is actually the patron neter of the city of Woset, and is a female name]. Thus the church is named in honor of a neteret (female goddess).
"Kemites" referred to themselves in written record as "Remetj" (also spelled "remet", and there are other spellings). Kemet refers to a area, not a specific city. Baba Ray shares a map of ancient Egypt, and there is no city named Kemet. Kemet does mean "black" but refers to the fertility of the land, Asar is often shown as black (sometimes green) since he represents rebirth and resurrection (see the picture above).
How is religion different from spirituality. Students offer that religion is more like a "prescription" or "dogma" identifying the way that one should practice. Many in this community have had difficulties with Christianity and therefore have a bad association with the word "religion". The word "religion" comes from the word "right", which literally means "to tie back" that thing which has been alientated, and return it back to its source.
Discusses role of ibis bird. Believed that the image of Tehuti (with head of ibisi bird) was a good depiction to illustrate the idea of separation - separating the good from the bad. His consort was Sheshot (?) - the devine librarian.
NOTE: I missed the last 10 minutes of class (church setup), so if someone can post the final minutes of notes.
HOMEWORK:
Read "Pyramid Text Excerpts Pertaining to Nu" and understand how it relates to the utterances of Nu
