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
2 comments:
Just a note of clarification regarding the “Table of Nations” which appears in the tomb of Per Aa, Seti I (19th Dynasty) and which brother Tyrone shared in class. It is important for accuracy sake to reiterate that this scene also appears in the tombs of Rameses III and Rameses VI (both 20th Dynasty). However, in those later instances, the Remetj are shown as reddish-brown and wearing white kilts. It is only in the Seti I depiction that they are dressed in a fashion identical with the Nehesu ("the other Blacks from throughout Africa"). What this means is that the Seti I version you posted at the head of the class notes is not typical. It is in fact a unique and rare depiction that is confined to that one instance. Actually, the reddish-brown depiction is the more traditional. I pointed this out in class when I shared all three versions, but chose not to linger over this matter. Afterall,
the basic point is that they did not confuse themselves with Asiatics or Indo-Europeans.
I thank Tyrone for sharing this material with us and you for posting it. Perhaps at a later date we might also display the other version.
Correction:
Let me see how to write this without creating further confusion.
Brother Tyrone posted the repro from the tomb of Rameses III (KV 11). I mistakenly wrote that it was from Seti I (KV 17). Please make the necessary correction in any notes taken from my comments.
It is the Rameses III version that is unique in depicting both the Remetj and Nehesu as identical.
In the tombs of Rameses VI and Seti I, the Remetj are rendered in reddish-brown and the Nehesu in jet black pigmentation.
Sorry for any confusion.
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