Showing posts with label American. Show all posts
Showing posts with label American. Show all posts

Friday, December 13, 2013

The Green Griot Gathering at Amen Par Ankh!

Green Griot Gathering

at Amen Par Ankh!


GREEN GRIOT GATHERING is a Cultural-Cultivation and Celebration Family of Local Urban Growers who are committed to ecological sustainability and living in harmony with nature!
 

Green Griot Gathering is a Cultural Performance group for YOUR live or Virtual Cultural Events! 


We teach Green Ecology through Spoken Word, Storytelling, Dance, and Singing, for your special Events, Weddings, Receptions, Ascension Ceremonies, Birthday Parties, School Assemblies, Theaters, Community Centers, Churches, Workshops, Expos, We are Artist to activist for Community and Political action events.
 
We Perform Libations Ceremonies, Opening the way for the Ancestors) African Naming, Home Blessings to your customized needs.

We are calling on Griots- Authors, Poets, Spoken Word, Spirit Dancers, Step Dance teams, Singers and Performers! For Auditions and Rehearsal for our LIVE EVENTS!!!!! 
 

If YOU consider yourself a GRIOT- We Are Calling YOU!
Every Sunday at 1:00pm - 9:00pm


We welcome Griots to Turn-Up and Sit-in a Cypher at the farm! -We speak on Nature, Food Sovereignty, Urban Agriculture, Foods NOT Lawns- No- GMOs, Environmental Sustainability, Hunting, Gathering, Bees and many other Green Ecological topics. We invite you to share your creativity or come and enjoy our Aboriginal way of life, health and sustainability at the Amen Par Ankh! 






Every Tuesday and Friday night at 6:00pm- For Rehearsals for CD & DVD Recording, Internet Radio, Lectures on Urban Farming and Health and Wellness, conferences and workshops to outreach and teach STEAM urban agriculture and Ecological Accountability and Sustainability in Schools, Community Centers, Churches, and Theaters locally, across the country and the world!
RSVP Call- Text: 816-281-7704 or Email: , amen.parankh@gmail.com or amen.ankh@live.com


Amen Par Ankh (Sacred House of Life) offers


Cultural Ministry Services and  Special Community Event Planning and Presentations
 
Ceremony, Counseling, Coaching, Cleansing & Classes
 

We are available to consult and perform the following services for you: Ceremonies and special events to our community.
 
We provide Life Coaching, Gentle Yoga, classes, Energy work Courses, Gifts, and Accessories, Cultural Ceremonies, Workshops and special Events:
Contact us as prices vary pending location and duration.

  • Libation Ceremonies, opening the Way of our Aku (Ancestors),   
  • Afrikan Weddings
  • Afrikan Naming Ceremonies (Infant Blessings and Adult Naming) 
  • Home Blessings,
  • Birthing- Birthday Blessings (Newborn to Elders)
  • Healing and Energy Work
  • Ascension Ceremonies
  • Seed Festivals
  • Vow Consecrations
  • Life Coaching for the 4 aspect of Health, Career, Destiny and Relationships.
We have presented for many Community forums, gatherings and events like the Omoja Karamu annual Feasts in November,
 
We also convene ASCAC (The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations), every Thursday at 7pm.

 
CONTACT US FOR YOUR NEXT SOCIAL EVENT!



CALL: 816-281-7704 Check our Website: http://emwot.ws/Amen_ParAnkh 
We share Libation, Seasonal Celebrations, Food Harvest Festivals, Weddings, Receptions, Birthday Parties, music, poetry, song, dance and culture of food for all ages!

 A griot, jali or jeli (djeli or djéli in French spelling) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet and/or musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition, and is also often seen as something of a societal leader due to his traditional position as an adviser to royal leaders.(Wikipedia)

HARAMBEE! (people come together)




 

 


As Above- So Below... As Within- So Without - To know thyself- is to know the existence around oneself.


 

EVERYONE NEEDS TO HEAR the Revolution Revelation on this Spoken Word Titled: East Meets West of Troost Presents: The GRIOT GATHERING Local Kansas City spoken word artists and their music It is an eclectic blend of Grassroots, Cultural, Political Spoken Word, Folk and Hip Hop Musical artists from the heart of KCMO!

We offer this CD compilation of local artists who share our mission and sing about current event issues ranging from the Nuclear Weapon plant poisonings of workers and their Neighborhoods to Kansas City Missouri’s School District. Thought provoking and fun, these selections are a blend that only these Kansas City artists can bring to Hip Hop spoken word. It's the return of people’s music; -it offers a deep human connection, through STRONG sonic celebration...
 
Buy Your Copy from PayPal or on these websites: http://www.gofundme.com/Amen-Urban-Farm , http://sastehmosley.wix.com/griot  , http://emwot.ws  



HISTORY OF THE GRIOT


A Griot (Gree-os) is an Afrikan Storyteller -Serer: kevel or kewel; Wolof: gewel) is an African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, Shaman, Vezir or musician. The Griot is a repository of oral tradition and is often seen as a leader due to their position as an advisor to royal personages.

In the modern world, storytelling techniques such as music, chant and audience participation make up the best presentations of African storytelling. Communication methods such as video and the Internet now allow anyone to experience the joy of an African story well told. African storytelling is a call and response interaction. There are distinctions of storytelling from Africans who still practice this art all over the world.

Empirical stimulation of the five senses helps to create a memory.
Use of color, sparkle, music, song, foods, chants, shaking hands and embrace and wonderful aromas aid in embracing the experience.

The storytellers or “Griots” know people will listen if the stories are fun and entertaining.


An audience that is laughing or otherwise experiencing deep emotions will be fully engaged in the story and therefore open to more learning.

Animals, Insects, plants and other forms of nature are part of the African storytelling process.



Familiar characters, such as Anansi the Spider, show up in many African stories. No matter how they are portrayed, such characters as the weaver-bird, the lion, mosquito and the hyena all become players in this special storytelling. Trees, lakes, rivers and other plants provide a geographical reference as well.

Morals and instructions in proper conduct can be found in African storytelling.
The first Griots not only entertained but they also served as vessels of moral guidance. It is rare to find an African story that does not convey deeper meanings. Each time a person hears a story, even when it is repeated, they may find a new perspective on the teaching. Master Griots were the Social Activist. They often played the fool to draw off the direct attention of a leader, yet they were able to touch the consciousness, heart and mind of a ruler, to help them see constructively, the error of their ways without confrontation and embarrassment.


African storytelling taught historical lessons.

Storytelling is a way for any culture to pass on its history. From stories from Africa, generic terms used now such as “Hero” “King & Queen” Nome, or “family” once had real names, meaning and a place in the geography of the Africa. These stories, still told with names in some parts of the world, help the audience to know where they fit into the world and history. By placing an unforgettable story in the hearts of children, left an indelible memory etched and unfolding in the minds of each child, for them to grow and pass from generation to generation, on vital moral and ethical principals, concepts and mores.

 

Amen Par Ankh (Sacred House of Life) and Amen Ankh Farm; is a spiritual center to become balanced physically, emotionally and spiritually and to Realize your fullest capacities of life, health, prosperity and strength. We provide Special Seasonal Events, Life Coaching, gentle yoga, classes, Home Schooling, tutoring, Before and After school Youth activities, Energy work Courses, Gifts, and Accessories, Cultural Ceremonies, Workshops and .
Contact Us and become a member as We Celebrate the Cycles of Life!
Email: amen.parankh@gmail.comamen.ankh@live.com, Call: 816-281-7704
sign-up for courses and support:  Org-Ankh Electric Food gift Boxes! information: http://emwot.ws/Amen_ParAnkh , http://amen-parankh.blogspot.com/ ,
Amen Par Ankh is a place of peace and healing through connection with nature and the cycles of life.
Here we can truly come together and create and build something to share together. It is our intention that this spiritual center becomes a sacred space for personal discovery with quiet reflection and time for internal work, but is also an active space for expressions of our life. Dua (Thank you!) ♥.
We offer: Ceremony, Counseling, Coaching, Cleansings, & Classes

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Highest Calling the Law of Gender

I found this proverb as a beautiful expression of the positive energy of the masculine & feminine principles. While it is true that both energies live within each one of us... it is an even stronger representation when the energy aligns with its incarnated gender! 


 The complete version of this proverb is as follows:


“A woman’s highest calling is to lead a man to his soul,
So as to unite him with the Source;
Her lowest calling is to seduce,
Separating man from soul
And leave him aimlessly wandering.
A man’s highest calling is to protect a woman,
So she is free to walk the earth unharmed.
His lowest calling is to ambush
Forcing his way into her life
And Leave her tied to the mundane world.”

As I always re-member, I am a soul having a human experience, this proverb speaks to me as the paradigm of Ausar and Auset.

This original Kemetic creation story tells about the first manifestations of life, siblings, humans, and principles as- Set, Ausar, Auset and Neb-Het. Jealous Set destroyed his brother, Ausar the benevolent ruler, carved his body into 14 pieces, and hid these pieces all over the planet. Ausar's body parts represent the geo-sacred spaces all over the planet. They also represent the aspects of spiritual powers of mankind that have been destributed all over the earth from KMT and can also be found in each of us and in all aboriginal cultures. Auset traveled all over the world and found all of the pieces of her husband except one. She became the first to give birth through immaculate conception. These 4 siblings represent the 4 aspects of the human spirit. She gave birth to a son and named him Heru. He grew to vanquish his father's murder and restore the benevolent kingdom of  God and mankind.

We all have the choice to be bound by the mundane world or ascend to our highest spiritual nature...  to hear the voice and rise to do the biding of the creator, or to live only in our carnal nature, to seduce, deceive, show force, and rely only on the impirical nature of our human bodies and senses. 

Many have no clue what the millennial-long social contracts have been within the scope of gender and human family relationships. Yet, there are divine principals of Yen and Yang, male and female that dwell within all of us. Gender is one of the laws or principles of Imhotep (aka- Hermetic principles)

People are now struggling with gender roles in these times so, some may have a problem with this proverb because of gender politics in the media. Many people have been utterly and hopelessly poisoned by the corruption of western society and western thinking. We live with venomous comments that reek of hateful propaganda, spoon-fed to the masses regularly through media and even academic outlets.

 It would uplift us all to heed the words of wisdom of our ancestors; unfortunately, many will just trample and destroy these values, just as many had contributed to the destruction of the Cherokee people and continue to destroy aboriginal peoples and their way of life.



Amen Par Ankh (Sacred House of Life) and Amen Ankh Farm; is a spiritual center to become balanced physically, emotionally and spiritually and to Realize your fullest capacities of life, health, prosperity and strength. We provide Life Coaching, gentle yoga, classes, Energy work Courses, Gifts, and Accessories, Cultural Ceremonies, Workshops and special Events. Contact Us and become a member as We Celebrate the Cycles of Life! Email: amen.parankh@gmail.com , Call: 816-304-7240 sign-up for courses and support: http://www.gofundme.com/amen-urban-farm, for more information: http://emwot.ws/Amen_ParAnkh  , http://amen-parankh.blogspot.com/  , Amen Par Ankh is a place of peace and healing through connection with nature and the cycles of life. Here we can truly come together and create and build something to share together. It is our intention that this spiritual center becomes a sacred space for personal discovery with quiet reflection and time for internal work, but is also an active space for expressions of our life. Dua (Thank you!) ♥. We offer:

Ceremony, Counseling, Coaching, Cleansing, & Classes

Saturday, August 18, 2012

PAR ANKH- HOUSE OF LIFE


Par Ankh –Means “House of Life: It is a space that is intended as a meeting place, for sharing, learning, Healing and relaxation- dedicated to aetheric or aesthetic expression.

Par Ankh or "House of Life" was, an Ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) learning institution- "mystery school" where one acquired knowledge of medicine, mathematics and geometry. Also the studied the stars and spiritual doctrine. Of all the teachings of the House of Life, The code of MAAT (a code of behavior from students such as respect for others) included, loyalty to the masters, the love of others, protection of the weak, the gift of speech and the eternal quest for knowledge would be enforced. The Par Ankh offers activities, that aide the student in looking within themselves to find the power of the Great Divine Neteru and reconciling all parts of your being in accordance with nature and their own internal cycles.

The Amen Par Ankh is Kansas City's Sacred center where we come together as a community to celebrate life, Nature- Neteru -spiritual cultivation, the cycles of life and the gift of abundance, as we work to restore Maat as the standard of our existence. Amen Par Ankh is a place for life that we engage in on every level at every moment.



We look to the economic development of our people and the healing and well-being of everyone and everything, by fostering and reconnecting to the Neteru. As Amen Par Ankh we have been charged expressly with the proper teaching and returning of our descendents of those having travailed through the Maafa (slave trade, colonialism, imperialism and corporatocracy) We who were uprooted and displaced from the motherland of Afrika and the Americas, through what is perpetual trauma to return back to our indigenous traditions by way of our ancestor's traditions. Currently we are the Seba, founders and head of Amen Par Ankh which is a purely and unapologetically Kemetic Spirituality and ecology based on ancient tenets. We welcome all good hearted earth sovereigns to assist us in our endeavors towards family development and nation building.

We are full-fledged practitioners of the Kemetic way of life. What a beautiful thing indeed!



Contact Us Sba Sasteh and Sba Adenike to become a member, as We Celebrate the Cycles of Life!
Amen Par Ankh (Sacred House of Life) and Amen Ankh Urban Farm; is a local Urban Farm nestled around a Spiritual Center in the heart of midtown Kansas City, Missouri. Contact Us and become a member as We Celebrate the Cycles of Life!Email: amen.parankh@gmail.com , amen.ankh@live.com Call: 816-304-7240 sign-up for courses and support: http://www.gofundme.com/amen-urban-farm , information: http://emwot.ws/Amen_ParAnkh , http://amen-parankh.blogspot.com , Look for us on FaceBook & Twitter. We celebrate the Cycles of Life, Wellness and Balance in our everyday existence on earth. We assist in Wellness for Physical Fitness, Mental Health, and Spiritual Attainment - to realize the fullest capacities of life, health, prosperity and strength. We provide Whole Life Coaching, Energy work, A Par Ankh Reading Room, Org-Ankh Electric food Boxes, an Herbal Tea House & Juice bar, Outdoor Experiences, classes such as Cultural Head-wrapping, Natural Hair Braiding, beading and Lox twisting, ASCAC (The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilization), Art Healing Mandalas, Jewelry Making, Gentle Yoga, Canning and preserving food, Health and Wellness Study Courses, Gifts, Accessories, Cultural Ceremonies, Workshops and special events. Amen Par Ankh means sacred House of Life. We acknowledge creation. We provide a space for your own personal discovery with quiet reflection and time for internal work, as well as an active space for expressions of our original ways of life.Ceremony, Counseling, Coaching, Cleansings, & Classes Amen Ankh Urban Farm is an urban agricultural enterprise with the goal of achieving environmental justice and sustainability by Healthy local food production and improving local neighborhood access to healthy Foods. We run Aquaponic Systems of farm raised fish, Herbs and micro-greens. We sell Org-Ankh Electric Food Boxes! We also provide Farm-a-See tours of successful Local Farmers.We grow selected local indigenous Herbs, Fruits, Vegetable and plant life of the Three Sisters: Corn, Beans, and Squash and cruciferous vegetables: Cabbage, and Kale, With Wheat Grass and other Sprouts, Herbs: Basil, Sage, Chives, Rosemary, Parsley, Peppers and Moringa nutritional drink supplements, -From our foods we produce Baked Goods, cosmetics, & liniments to provide Healing and Sovereignty: Through the inspiration of Kujichagulia (Self determination) All Original people.Dua (Th-ankh you!) ♥.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

BASIL & BES their Spiritual Metaphysical and Aromatherapy properties


BASIL BES- their Spiritual,and Aromatherapy properties



BES

Aromatherapy

Holy Basil - Tulsi

Basil is BES!

We often fail to recognize the multi dimensions of ourselves in nature. Nature/ Neteru provides all of the healing and balance that our spiritual, mental, and body needs to thrive. Spending time around The sun, water, the breeze of fresh air, nature and living things can keep us centered and balanced in an urban environment. To have plants, herbs and flowers around us in our environment as living entities, in our homes, around our children, and to visit the sick, can keep us connected to the the healing, nurturing, aspects of life.

Basil is a symbol of fertility and is also known as the symbol for love because the leaves resemble hearts (Akoma). The Basil (plant spirit) is also a protector of family, and burning basil oil will help to clear negativity from the home and bring blessings and happiness to a new home. Basil creates a sympathetic vibration and is often worn to assist in clashes with other people. Wear basil oil to protect you in crowds. The scent of basil causes sympathy between two people and is used to mend lovers' quarrels. Basil is used also to ensure fidelity between lovers. Basil stimulates the conscious mind to invoke happiness. Use it in a ritual bath to bring new love in, or to free yourself of an old love. Opens the heart meridian-clears energy movement between the heart and the hands.

Basil aroma is also associated with clairvoyance, used to enhance visions and direction, and to promote honesty and positive outcomes and development.

Characteristics: There are many varieties of basil, and basil can include many color variations, but basil can easily be identified by its large, thin oval and easily bruised leaves. Basil, is in the same family as peppermint and is used to season sauces, soups, salads and pasta dishes all around the world.

Flavor: Basil is sweet, peppery and offers a slight anise-like aftertaste. Basil pairs with: tomato, garlic, onion, cilantro, mint and fennel.Basil also offers many important health benefits.

Medicinal Uses: One of the primary medicinal uses for basil is for its anti-inflammatory properties, making basil an ideal treatment for people with arthritis. Basil has strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. It is traditionally thought to stimulate the appetite and ease stomach upset. In Chinese medicine, basil is thought to support kidney function and ease gum ulcers. In classic Indian medicine, basil has been used to treat everything from earaches and itching to malaria, arthritis and anorexia. Like tarragon, one of basil’s major volatile oils is estragole that blocks enzymes in the body that cause swelling.

Basil, especially as an extract or oil, is known to have exceptionally powerful antioxidant properties that can protect the body from premature aging, common skin issues, age-related problems and even some types of cancer. The herb also contains the flavonoids orientin and vicenin, which are plant pigments that shield your cell structures from oxygen and radiation damage.

Both fresh basil and basil oil have strong antibacterial capabilities. In fact, basil has been shown to stop the growth of many bacteria, even some that had grown resistant to other antibiotics. Basil can be applied to wounds to help prevent bacterial infections. So, by adding basil oil to your salad dressings, you can help ensure your vegetables are safe to eat.

Basil oil can be used to assist in constipation, stomach cramps and indigestion as well as the cold, flu, asthma, whooping cough, bronchitis and sinus infections. It is also a great source of magnesium, an essential mineral that helps the body’s blood vessels relax, which can improve blood flow.

DISCLAIMER: The above statements are not from the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. We recommend that you consult with a physician from the American Medical Association especially when using prescribed medications or treatments. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Bes and Basil

I noticed the similarities of names of Bes and Basil. Our Ancestors have often hidden our knowledge in children's stories and characters to engage our memories to hold onto and "Re-Member" wisdom. The similarities in the spiritual properties found in the old knowledge of herbs and their medicinal and healing applications were often the only remedies for people with no access to doctors or hospitals. These characters represent our mother wisdom that was passed down from generation to generation.

Found in Wikipedia: Bes (pron.: /bɛs/; also spelled as Bisu) is a Kemetic (Ancient "Egyptian") Icon, symbolized as a protector of households, and in particular, of mothers and children and childbirth. Bes later came to be regarded as the defender of everything good and the enemy of all that is bad. While past studies identified Bes as a Middle Kingdom import from Nubia, more recent research indicates that he was present in Egypt since the start of the Old Kingdom. Mentions of Bes can be traced to pre-dynastic Nile Valley cultures; however, his form appears to be found all over the world.






Bes is the spiritual protector, promoter and healer of the home and family. He/She encourages fertility and watches over and teaches parents and children in their growth and development. Bes holds all of the wisdom and knowledge of the earth. She knows the cycles of time and the seasons. She knows the healing properties of all herbs. She is familiar with the gardens, forests, animals, insects, lakes, rivers, mountains and caves. She knows the prayers, chants, lyrics, limericks, lullabies, bedtime stories, dances, mathematics, letters, formulas, recipes, and words of power. Bes epitomizes the Shaman healer of the Nome or Klan. He is chemistry and physics. She represents the Sage, guardian and spiritual intuitive energy to ward off hostile energy from your family, life, home, office or wherever it is present. Bes controls The weather, the rain, and the wind, the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Bes is Majic. He loves gold and can draw wealth and prosperity to the home. You can find this symbolic image of Bes all over the world. The earliest images of Elves, Trolls, Leprechauns, Fairies and Gnomes from all over the world were Black. The people are all characteristic and symbolic of our ancient Ancestors -the Twa and Khoisan (also known as "Pigmy") Mother and Father, with their history and wisdom of nature and the universe.

Here is an excerpt of a great find of manuscript below:

On the extreme right of the façade: A Pygmy in the court of Egypt.

Pepy II's letter to Herkuf

A fourth, unnarrated, campaign to the land of Yam must have taken place, during which Harkhuf sent a letter to the young king Pepi II to inform him, particularly, that he was bringing back a pygmy, which resulted in the rest of the inscription. In fact, Pepi II wrote a letter in reply to that of Harkhuf, who was so proud of it that he had the text inscribed on the façade of his tomb in Aswan. Since little space remained, he had to prepare a space for it at the extreme right of the façade. Thus, the only complete royal letter dating from the old Kingdom has reached us.:

“ Seal of the king Himself. Second year of His reign, third month of the season akhet, fifteenth day. Royal decree (to) the Sole Companion, Lector-Priest, chief of interpreters, Harkhuf.

I have acquainted myself with the words of your letter, which you addressed to the king in the palace to inform him that you travelled in peace to the land of Yam, with the army, which accompanied you. You said in your letter that you were bringing back all sorts of presents, important and beautiful, which Hathor, lady of Imaou, gave for the ka of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Neferkare- may he live eternally and forever! You also say in your letter that you will bring back a pygmy (for) the dances of the God and coming from the land of the inhabitants of the horizon and similar to the pygmy which the treasurer of the God, Bawerded brought back from Punt in the time of the king Isesi. cartouche of king Djed-Ka-Re (Isesi)

You also say to My Majesty: never before has such a (pygmy) been brought back by any of those who have visited the land of Yam. It is said that, each year, you accomplish that which your royal Lord wishes and praises. You pass your days and your nights thinking of doing that which your Lord wishes, praises and commands. So My Majesty will act such that the numerous and excellent honours which are yours shall also please the sons of your son for eternity and that men will say, when they hear what my Majesty has done for you “ is there any parallel to that which was done for the Sole Companion Harkhuf when he came back from the land of Yam, because of the diligence with which he carried out that which his Lord wished, praised and commanded.?”

Come back, then, to the north, to the Residence. Leave (everything) and bring with you the pygmy which you have brought from the land of the inhabitants of the horizon, alive, in good health and strong so that he may dance for the God and make cheerful and rejoicing the heart of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Neferkare- may he live eternally!

If you come with him in the ship, set well-advised men about him on both sides of the boat and take care that he does not fall in the water. If he lies down to sleep during the night, have wise men to sleep beside him in his tent; go and check, ten times in the night. Because My Majesty wishes to see this pygmy more than all the tributes of Sinai or Punt.

If you reach the Residence and the pygmy is with you, alive, in good health and strong, My Majesty will do great things for you, more important than those which were done for the treasurer of the God, Bawerded, in the time of the king Isesi, according to the desire which My Majesty has to see this famous pygmy. Orders have been sent to the chief of the new town, Sole Companion and steward of the priests to command that victuals be taken by his care in every warehouse town and in every temple, without exception.

https://www.inkling.com/read/traditions-and-encounters-jerry-bentley-5th/chapter-3/harkhufs-expeditions-to-nubia






Zwarte Piet/ Pieten(Black Pete) is depicted annually, as a profound Character who has deep roots in traditional Dutch and Netherlands folklore. He appears in The Netherlands as a Spanish Moor (common to southern Holland in the 1500s), in caricature, as a Black man, with gold earrings and colorful period costumes of a Moor.

The story goes that Zwarte Piet chose to work with Saint Nicholas as his engineer and magical accompaniment. Since the 18th century in Holland, he has been depicted as a companion to Saint Nicholas in all of his holiday travels. Zwarte Pieten is today commonly depicted as a black person in the colorful pantaloons, feathered cap and ruffles of a Renaissance Moor, This character and tradition was later recorded in a children's book published in 1850. Zwarte Pieten is often portrayed as a mischievous but rarely mean-spirited character, the character is believed to have been derived from Bes the spirit pagan after his traditions. Nowadays, Zwarte Pieten has become a much more respected assistant of Saint Nicholas, often humorous, self-determined, magical and playful. 

Wikipedia:

Zwarte Piet (pronounced ['zʋɑrtə pit], translated to "Black Pete") is the companion of Saint Nicholas (DutchSinterklaas from which the American figure of Santa Claus is derived,) in the folklore of the Low Countries. In its modern form, the character is commonly depicted as a blackamoor, with blackface make-up, and dressed in stylized colorful Renaissance attire, akin to Maures in European heraldry, and similar to Moorish characters in the "Moors and Christians" Iberian folk festivals commemorating the Reconquista.


Currently, the media is presenting articles about the many Black people who are protesting the public displays of Zwarte Piet by Dutch people wearing "blackface" and Moorish styled costumes. So now the Dutch, meet Globalization –We now exist in a global world and that means we have to expand our knowledge about other cultures and peoples that make up diverse societies. The festival of Black Pete does, appear to be the glaring elephant in the room in the face of the invasion of South Africa by the Dutch!.. I now reflect back as a child living in Germany, people were so fascinated by us as a family, when they saw us in public, at Shopping districts. They would sometimes approach me as a child, and touch my skin… Seeing us must have brought back childhood memories of Black Pete. Understanding that the depiction of Moors and Moorish people in Europe has been slanted as one of servitude, now that there are more Black citizens in Europe, due to the colonization of Africa and the rest of the world, We now see people of African descent living as equals and in authority, all over Europe.

The History of the Moors in Europe goes back to a successful harmony of rulership for almost 1000 years.
Yet, Black Twa /Khoisan were actually the first to populate early Europe. Their presence was still in existence, living as Original peoples, as Twa Khoisan, up to their discovery by Nazis, after WWII. The Nazis gave these remaining Original Europeans the choice of sterilization or incarceration in a death camp.

Actually, Black Pete was a free man who voluntarily worked with "Sinterklaas." He had the upper hand over his counterpart and was the essential agent in the success of this operation for children. Yet the perpetuation of the depiction of servitude, (which reinforces the idea that Black people should be always in that role,) together with the notorious and horrible history and tradition of black-face in the US, means that it is time to revisit some of the old traditions and change them. It does matter that the tradition of black-face was most prominent and therefore most hurtful in the United States.

Black-Face was worn by Caucasian men, in the United States in the late 19th through the 20th Centuries of the U.S. For more than 100 years, an act of domestic terrorism against people of African descent, was cast as the laws of Jim Crow. The United States actually created domestic State laws against people of African descent, as a backlash to the reconstruction period, after the domestic Civil War of 1891.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_the_American_Civil_War
The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in U.S. history. Primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people, war broke out in April 1861
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackface
But as with all things, we must find the balance between honoring what is important and adapting to the needs to respect the human dignity of all. If we wish to remember or honor the tradition of "Black Pete", then let him be portrayed by willing black actors/celebrants and as the willing friend of Sinterklaas that he is, and not a comic figure, slave or buffoon. I know that he has been portrayed by Dutch for countless generations in black face, as a celebration for children, of a long forgotten historical person, most likely a Moor. However, the time for black face anywhere has come to an end.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/15/black-pete-arrests_n_6163926.html


Amen Par Ankh (Sacred House of Life) and Amen Ankh Farm; is a spiritual center to become balanced physically, emotionally and spiritually and to Realize your fullest capacities of life, health, prosperity and strength. We provide Life Coaching, gentle yoga, classes, Energy work Courses, Gifts, and Accessories, Cultural Ceremonies, Workshops and special Events.

Contact Us and become a member as We Celebrate the Cycles of Life!

Email: amen.parankh@gmail.com , Call: 816-281-7704 sign-up for courses and support: http://www.gofundme.com/amen-urban-farm , information: http://emwot.ws/Amen_ParAnkh , http://amen-parankh.blogspot.com/ ,

Amen Par Ankh is a place of peace and healing through connection with nature and the cycles of life.

Here we can truly come together and create and build something to share together. It is our intention that this spiritual center becomes a sacred space for personal discovery with quiet reflection and time for internal work, but is also an active space for expressions of our life. Dua (Thank you!) ♥.

We offer: Ceremony, Counseling, Coaching, Cleansings, & Classes