Nationalism & Spirituality - by Vodunsi Alisogbo
In a discussion entitled ‘Religion Is The Deification Of Someone's Nationalism’, an important question was raised. A participant asked, "if religion and nationalism had been linked in the past, should We model this behavior?" In the spirit of Orunmila, I will make a humble attempt to address this question. Afrikan belief systems began as primordial practices of respective clans in Afrika. The same is true of the indigenous belief systems of Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas.
The ancient clan respected particular Forces of Nature which sustained its existence or had to be appeased for the survival of the group. The clan also revered their common Ancestors, but exalted Ancestors who had a pivotal role in the clan's development. Through the clan's veneration of Ancestors and Forces of Nature, they were able to establish a relationship with the Ultimate Mystery. When society developed to the point that every individual in the society had to participate in the production of food, a priesthood class developed that specialized in rites for the purpose of a connection with Divinities and Ancestors.
These priests transformed the belief practices of the respective kinship groupings into a system of rites and worship. As clans began to consolidate into nations, a union of various clans, the cosmology of each kinship group became linked into a larger faith system, a national system. Within this broad faith system though, each clan maintained a particular affinity to a particular divinity which was within its lineage. Some folks were worshippers of the Thunder deity, some of particular River divinities, others, the deities of the Hunt or Metallurgy.
In Afrika, when larger groups conquered other groups, there was a tendency toward consolidating faith systems. Generally, the deities of conquered groups were respected by the conquerors. Afrikan states were not interested in destroying the beliefs of the subject peoples. Clans of the subject groups also maintained their Clan divinity. The Christianity of Europe and the Islam of Arabia were prophetic religions, not primordial belief systems.
Prophetic faith systems generally are inspired by an individual or prophet who has a divine experience with a new Divine reality. The prophets generally challenge the legitimacy of previous faith systems. European Christianity and Arab Islam were also "universal religions”; while being nationalist, both European Christians and Arab Muslims believed their religion was best for other people. These religions weren't just nationalist; they were/are imperialist in nature.
Through military and economic means, they forced other Europeans and Arabs to abandon their indigenous faith systems. The European Christian and Arab Muslim utilized their coercive methods when expanding their empires in the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and in Afrika. This is not the form of nationalism or religion that We should model. What does this all mean for New Afrikan people in amerika attempting to reclaim the best of our ancestral tradition? For many of us, reclaiming our ancestral spirituality is an act of nationalism.
Our Ancestors in amerikan captivity were denied the ability to worship the shrines of their Mothers and Fathers. Due to force, fraud, and as a means of survival; our Ancestors adopted the faith system of our oppressors. The efforts by Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu, Oseijeman Adefunmi, and Medahochi Kofi Zannu and other pioneers of the Afrikan Recovery Movement to recover Afrikan faith systems and culture was an act of Afrikan Nationalism.
From the late 1950's to the late 1960's, the pioneers of the Afrikan Recovery Movement chose to reclaim Afrikan religion as a means of reclaiming our Afrikan minds. Unlike the chauvinistic nationalism of European and Arab imperialism, the nationalism of the Afrikan Recovery Movement was self–defense for an oppressed people. So, the question for us is, "What is the nature of the nationalism and religion We are attempting to reconstruct?"
We are attempting to reclaim an Afrikan faith system which will empower us through a connection with the Ultimate Mystery through Divine Forces of Nature and our common and respective Ancestry. Just as our Ancestors built their respective clans and nations, spirituality must be in the forefront of our efforts to build family, community, and nation. Reconstructing the shrines of our Mothers and Fathers is a nationalist project. It is re–establishing our connection with the Ultimate Mystery through our own culture, tradition, and experience.
For the descendants of captive Afrikans, one aspect of reconnecting with the Ultimate Mystery is spiritually reconnecting with our Ancestors from the respective Afrikan ethnic groups in our lineage. Some of us may be called by our lineage Ancestors to restore the worship of particular Orisha, Vodun, Abosum, Nkisi, Rab, etc. From a spiritual point of view, reconnecting our families with Ancestral tradition is an important aspect of re–Afrikanization and Nation building.
As a New Afrikan people, the experience of our Ancestors in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, et al – must be deified to spiritually empower us and to elevate the spirits of those who struggled in this hemisphere before us. Deifying the experience of our people means We will remember significant events of our Nation and make these events holy. We will honor the heroes and sheroes of our people. Their names should be sacred. Our nationalism should be spiritualized and our spirituality should be nationalized.
We must not attempt to design a nationalism or religion based upon the imperialism of Europe or Arabia. We should not attempt to "spread our beliefs" to others and through force or fraud convince non–Afrikan people to be Afrikan. Our primary responsibility to our Ancestors is not to make our faith system "universal”. We are responsible to recover and revitalize our ancestral tradition for healing ourselves and preparing future generations for independence and nationhood based upon the best of our heritage. We should respect other beliefs and demand that We be respected.
Even with our own people We shouldn't proselytize. We should make our faith visible and available for our people, but We shouldn't pressure our people to adopt Afrikan spirituality. Through examples of good character (iwa pele) and a desire to rebuild the shrines of our Ancestors and connect to the Creator through our own culture, people will come to embrace Afrikan spirituality.
Deifying our nationalism is not a bad thing. It is only human. We just have to make sure our religion and nationality has to embrace the best of our World View and Experience. If We don't include nationalism in our spirituality, We will build spiritual institutions that are not playing a role in healing our people from the collective diseases We suffer. Our spirituality will be individualistic and ultimately non–Afrikan. Nationalism devoid of spirituality is equally non–Afrikan.
Honoring Our Ancestors
In New Afrikan spirituality the very first thing we must learn to do is to build a strong working relationship with our Ancestors. Once this relationship is built, we can access them for assistance in almost every aspect of our lives, and they will be there to help. Our Ancestral spirits are very powerful to say the least; they are our spiritual guides and allies. Why wouldn't we choose to access them? It is your birthright, so let us not forget them!
After God/Divine and before all other Spirits, come the Ancestors. Honoring our Afrikan and New Afrikan Ancestors has been in practice for centuries. The Ancestors are the foundation of who we are; once upon a time they too were alive - We are because they were! Our Ancestors sacrificed for us! They are inside us, they are our DNA and genes. By honoring the best in in our Ancestors, we in turn honor and celebrate the best we can be in our own lives.
Our successes in life are a direct reflection of who they are and once were. Through our prayers and consistent service to them, they are elevated spiritually, thus bringing them closer to the Source from which all things manifest and therefore establishing a higher place in the afterlife. If it wasn't for your ancestors, we would not have a place in this world. So when we give service to them it is with the upmost respect. Take good care of them, and they will take good care of you
Daily Libations
There are many ways we can show honor and respect to our Ancestors. Some can take as little as five minutes to several hours; other ceremonies can last up to an entire month or longer. The important thing to remember here is that we give them our attention regularly. It’s as easy as visiting their graves, keeping them tidy and offering them their favorite flowers.
So, how do we begin formally? There's no better time than at the beginning of each day. The daily act of pouring morning libations is a good and easy way to begin building this relationship. After waking (and preferably before anything else), fill a cup, mug or glass with cool water. If possible, take this outside to a spot where you won't be disturbed for a few minutes. This is how I learned, and I'd like to share it with you, from our house to yours.
Step One
We pour libations to connect with our Ancestors and to cleanse our hearts
Stand facing east and offer the cup up to the direction and say to yourself:
"I show honor and respect to the spirits on my mother's side."
Turn to the west and say to yourself:
"I show honor and respect to the spirits on my father's side."
Turn to the north and offer the cup up the same way and say:
"I show honor and respect to the spirits which are known to me."
Finish in the south the same way saying:
"I show honor and respect to the spirits which are unknown to me."
By doing this you are also creating a crossroads, a point from which we can begin to access the spirits.
Step Two
From here it doesn't matter which direction you face, just as long as you have a spot to pour small amounts of water. Hold the cup as if saluting and say out loud:
"To my Ancestors; to those remembered."
(Speak each name, going back as far as you know, and pour a small amount of water on the ground with each name.)
"To those whose names which are forgotten, lost in the seas of time, I honor you."
(Pour water.)
"To those whose ashes which have been scattered to the four winds, I honor you."
(Pour water.)
"To those whose bones that lie within and upon this land, I honor you."
(Pour water.)
"To you, from the living."
(Don't pour water, just hold the cup.)
Now say a simple prayer to God/Divine for the spirits of your Ancestors. In your own words, pray for their elevation and that they'll be brought close to God's love, warmth, and light. After this spend a moment telling your Ancestors that you are offering them this water to refresh their spirits.
Explain to them what you are doing and that you want to build a closer relationship with them. Ask them to remove all obstacles that you may face on this day, as well as whatever you want them to know. Ask for help if you need it. always ask for daily protection for myself, my family and loved ones, and my property. When you're done, just thank them and pour the remainder of the water out onto the ground. And that's it!
Now this is the bare minimum of the work that can be done with your ancestors and it will no doubt get their attention. You'll find that by doing this, life in general will start becoming clearer one day at a time. You’ll find that eventually they'll start to visit you, whether by "knowing," or even in your dreams.
But nonetheless, know that they are paying attention. There may come a time where your Ancestors want something a little more personal, such as a designated space of their own. This usually happens once they are ready to establish an even closer working relationship.
In a discussion entitled ‘Religion Is The Deification Of Someone's Nationalism’, an important question was raised. A participant asked, "if religion and nationalism had been linked in the past, should We model this behavior?" In the spirit of Orunmila, I will make a humble attempt to address this question. Afrikan belief systems began as primordial practices of respective clans in Afrika. The same is true of the indigenous belief systems of Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas.
The ancient clan respected particular Forces of Nature which sustained its existence or had to be appeased for the survival of the group. The clan also revered their common Ancestors, but exalted Ancestors who had a pivotal role in the clan's development. Through the clan's veneration of Ancestors and Forces of Nature, they were able to establish a relationship with the Ultimate Mystery. When society developed to the point that every individual in the society had to participate in the production of food, a priesthood class developed that specialized in rites for the purpose of a connection with Divinities and Ancestors.
These priests transformed the belief practices of the respective kinship groupings into a system of rites and worship. As clans began to consolidate into nations, a union of various clans, the cosmology of each kinship group became linked into a larger faith system, a national system. Within this broad faith system though, each clan maintained a particular affinity to a particular divinity which was within its lineage. Some folks were worshippers of the Thunder deity, some of particular River divinities, others, the deities of the Hunt or Metallurgy.
In Afrika, when larger groups conquered other groups, there was a tendency toward consolidating faith systems. Generally, the deities of conquered groups were respected by the conquerors. Afrikan states were not interested in destroying the beliefs of the subject peoples. Clans of the subject groups also maintained their Clan divinity. The Christianity of Europe and the Islam of Arabia were prophetic religions, not primordial belief systems.
Prophetic faith systems generally are inspired by an individual or prophet who has a divine experience with a new Divine reality. The prophets generally challenge the legitimacy of previous faith systems. European Christianity and Arab Islam were also "universal religions”; while being nationalist, both European Christians and Arab Muslims believed their religion was best for other people. These religions weren't just nationalist; they were/are imperialist in nature.
Through military and economic means, they forced other Europeans and Arabs to abandon their indigenous faith systems. The European Christian and Arab Muslim utilized their coercive methods when expanding their empires in the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and in Afrika. This is not the form of nationalism or religion that We should model. What does this all mean for New Afrikan people in amerika attempting to reclaim the best of our ancestral tradition? For many of us, reclaiming our ancestral spirituality is an act of nationalism.
Our Ancestors in amerikan captivity were denied the ability to worship the shrines of their Mothers and Fathers. Due to force, fraud, and as a means of survival; our Ancestors adopted the faith system of our oppressors. The efforts by Nana Yao Opare Dinizulu, Oseijeman Adefunmi, and Medahochi Kofi Zannu and other pioneers of the Afrikan Recovery Movement to recover Afrikan faith systems and culture was an act of Afrikan Nationalism.
From the late 1950's to the late 1960's, the pioneers of the Afrikan Recovery Movement chose to reclaim Afrikan religion as a means of reclaiming our Afrikan minds. Unlike the chauvinistic nationalism of European and Arab imperialism, the nationalism of the Afrikan Recovery Movement was self–defense for an oppressed people. So, the question for us is, "What is the nature of the nationalism and religion We are attempting to reconstruct?"
We are attempting to reclaim an Afrikan faith system which will empower us through a connection with the Ultimate Mystery through Divine Forces of Nature and our common and respective Ancestry. Just as our Ancestors built their respective clans and nations, spirituality must be in the forefront of our efforts to build family, community, and nation. Reconstructing the shrines of our Mothers and Fathers is a nationalist project. It is re–establishing our connection with the Ultimate Mystery through our own culture, tradition, and experience.
For the descendants of captive Afrikans, one aspect of reconnecting with the Ultimate Mystery is spiritually reconnecting with our Ancestors from the respective Afrikan ethnic groups in our lineage. Some of us may be called by our lineage Ancestors to restore the worship of particular Orisha, Vodun, Abosum, Nkisi, Rab, etc. From a spiritual point of view, reconnecting our families with Ancestral tradition is an important aspect of re–Afrikanization and Nation building.
As a New Afrikan people, the experience of our Ancestors in Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, et al – must be deified to spiritually empower us and to elevate the spirits of those who struggled in this hemisphere before us. Deifying the experience of our people means We will remember significant events of our Nation and make these events holy. We will honor the heroes and sheroes of our people. Their names should be sacred. Our nationalism should be spiritualized and our spirituality should be nationalized.
We must not attempt to design a nationalism or religion based upon the imperialism of Europe or Arabia. We should not attempt to "spread our beliefs" to others and through force or fraud convince non–Afrikan people to be Afrikan. Our primary responsibility to our Ancestors is not to make our faith system "universal”. We are responsible to recover and revitalize our ancestral tradition for healing ourselves and preparing future generations for independence and nationhood based upon the best of our heritage. We should respect other beliefs and demand that We be respected.
Even with our own people We shouldn't proselytize. We should make our faith visible and available for our people, but We shouldn't pressure our people to adopt Afrikan spirituality. Through examples of good character (iwa pele) and a desire to rebuild the shrines of our Ancestors and connect to the Creator through our own culture, people will come to embrace Afrikan spirituality.
Deifying our nationalism is not a bad thing. It is only human. We just have to make sure our religion and nationality has to embrace the best of our World View and Experience. If We don't include nationalism in our spirituality, We will build spiritual institutions that are not playing a role in healing our people from the collective diseases We suffer. Our spirituality will be individualistic and ultimately non–Afrikan. Nationalism devoid of spirituality is equally non–Afrikan.
Honoring Our Ancestors
In New Afrikan spirituality the very first thing we must learn to do is to build a strong working relationship with our Ancestors. Once this relationship is built, we can access them for assistance in almost every aspect of our lives, and they will be there to help. Our Ancestral spirits are very powerful to say the least; they are our spiritual guides and allies. Why wouldn't we choose to access them? It is your birthright, so let us not forget them!
After God/Divine and before all other Spirits, come the Ancestors. Honoring our Afrikan and New Afrikan Ancestors has been in practice for centuries. The Ancestors are the foundation of who we are; once upon a time they too were alive - We are because they were! Our Ancestors sacrificed for us! They are inside us, they are our DNA and genes. By honoring the best in in our Ancestors, we in turn honor and celebrate the best we can be in our own lives.
Our successes in life are a direct reflection of who they are and once were. Through our prayers and consistent service to them, they are elevated spiritually, thus bringing them closer to the Source from which all things manifest and therefore establishing a higher place in the afterlife. If it wasn't for your ancestors, we would not have a place in this world. So when we give service to them it is with the upmost respect. Take good care of them, and they will take good care of you
Daily Libations
There are many ways we can show honor and respect to our Ancestors. Some can take as little as five minutes to several hours; other ceremonies can last up to an entire month or longer. The important thing to remember here is that we give them our attention regularly. It’s as easy as visiting their graves, keeping them tidy and offering them their favorite flowers.
So, how do we begin formally? There's no better time than at the beginning of each day. The daily act of pouring morning libations is a good and easy way to begin building this relationship. After waking (and preferably before anything else), fill a cup, mug or glass with cool water. If possible, take this outside to a spot where you won't be disturbed for a few minutes. This is how I learned, and I'd like to share it with you, from our house to yours.
Step One
We pour libations to connect with our Ancestors and to cleanse our hearts
Stand facing east and offer the cup up to the direction and say to yourself:
"I show honor and respect to the spirits on my mother's side."
Turn to the west and say to yourself:
"I show honor and respect to the spirits on my father's side."
Turn to the north and offer the cup up the same way and say:
"I show honor and respect to the spirits which are known to me."
Finish in the south the same way saying:
"I show honor and respect to the spirits which are unknown to me."
By doing this you are also creating a crossroads, a point from which we can begin to access the spirits.
Step Two
From here it doesn't matter which direction you face, just as long as you have a spot to pour small amounts of water. Hold the cup as if saluting and say out loud:
"To my Ancestors; to those remembered."
(Speak each name, going back as far as you know, and pour a small amount of water on the ground with each name.)
"To those whose names which are forgotten, lost in the seas of time, I honor you."
(Pour water.)
"To those whose ashes which have been scattered to the four winds, I honor you."
(Pour water.)
"To those whose bones that lie within and upon this land, I honor you."
(Pour water.)
"To you, from the living."
(Don't pour water, just hold the cup.)
Now say a simple prayer to God/Divine for the spirits of your Ancestors. In your own words, pray for their elevation and that they'll be brought close to God's love, warmth, and light. After this spend a moment telling your Ancestors that you are offering them this water to refresh their spirits.
Explain to them what you are doing and that you want to build a closer relationship with them. Ask them to remove all obstacles that you may face on this day, as well as whatever you want them to know. Ask for help if you need it. always ask for daily protection for myself, my family and loved ones, and my property. When you're done, just thank them and pour the remainder of the water out onto the ground. And that's it!
Now this is the bare minimum of the work that can be done with your ancestors and it will no doubt get their attention. You'll find that by doing this, life in general will start becoming clearer one day at a time. You’ll find that eventually they'll start to visit you, whether by "knowing," or even in your dreams.
But nonetheless, know that they are paying attention. There may come a time where your Ancestors want something a little more personal, such as a designated space of their own. This usually happens once they are ready to establish an even closer working relationship.