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Messenger: Nefertiti Sent: 12/24/2005 5:10:53 PM
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A newly formed celebration, based on African culture of First frutis that speak to me as abundance and wholeness. This was formed by Maulana Karenga in 1966.

7 principles(Nguzo saba)that are essential for the wholeness of the African family. Each day, beginning on December 26, a principle is highlughted, the principles being interdependent upon the others.

The celebration is an ingathering to bring together the best of our prosperity, manifested in our collective labor, that we share and renew our wholness. It is a time to reflect on the Creator and creation by giving thanks and praises for life love freindship and all the abundance of the earth. In doing this we remember our past, the struggles of our ancestors and the sacrafices that they made and what they endured so that we can build upon that. This results in a recommitment to our highest ideals of a good life lived in TRUTH, JUSTICE and ONE0ness, knowing that these are the pillars that peace rest upon. This we all acknowledge is GOOD.. and what we live everyday of our life.

A setting or altar is set up with
A basket of fresh food(Mazao)-harvest and rewards of collective labor and production
Mat(mkeka)- the foundation of history and tradtion to build upon
Unity chalice(kikombe cha umoja)-the principle and practice of unity which manifests evreything.
A candle holder(Kinara)- symbolizes the roots; ancestors and our future.... filled with 7 candles(Mishumaa Saba) (2 red, green and 1 black)- the matrix and the minimum set of values that we live by to rebuild and maintainour lives
Ears of corn (Muhindi)-Our children-the future
gifts(Zawadi)-the labor and love of the community expressed in family and society and culture.

The Seven Principles (nguzo Saba)
1) UMOJA-Unity
2) KUJICHAGULIA-Self-determination
3) UJIMA-Collective Work and Rasponsibility
4) UJAMAA-Co-operative Economics
5) NIA-Purpose
6) KUUMBA-Creativity
7) IMANI-Faith

Each day a principle is celebrated, with ceremony, including
the pooring of libation, (TAMBIKO),
raising the name of ancestors,
raising the right hand up and calling out "Harambee"-meaning let's
pull together.
Lighting of the candles(Mishumaa)

The celebration opens up with the intial lighting of the first candles, the UMOJA and ends with the last day being the day of meditation (Siku ya Taamuli) followed by the feast (Karamu)

If anyone has any questions or comments about this, please let me know. Ini gates celebrating this for the second time and are putting together our overstanding of this time of honor. Last year was the first tiem and ini merely collected "sayings" of Ones and ones ancestors that speak to each of these priniciples. THis year ini adding more of a formal ceremony, story telling, dancing and poetry reading.

Blessed love rasta far i
haile I selassie I



Messenger: Nefertiti Sent: 12/28/2005 5:56:36 PM
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Because of the chores and duties, i have not been able to keep up with writing on the principles of Kwanzaa . Yet i really feel the need to express them, so even though we are technically on day 3, i am just gonna write from the heart of what i have become aware of in celebrating this time.

Umoja the first principle (Nguzo saba) of kwanza stands for Unity. The bible says something about a cord of three strands is not easily broken and two together can keep warmer more than one alone.

Consider the percieved duality of everything. My baba, Ras Anebena allways referrs to everything having a indivisible duality. Last night as i was watching a HISTORY channel thing on the "DEVIL" it struck me again this indivisible duality. Consider that anything described as "good" is measured in contrast with evil. Now i am not advocating sort of hurtfulness on, and this may seem like a deviation from UNITY. UNITY, is what binds us, and why are we bound ? TO live. Everything has its purpose(the 5th principle of kwanzaa-NIA). we often consider death as a evil thing, however, consider the living things that die in order for us to live? Even when we die, it make physical space for another entity to come on earth. The spirit never ceases, but rather is more vibrant in a new physical body. UNITY is the spirit that makes us one... doesn't distinguish us form all living things... All living things need AIR, first and formost...water..... and then soil.

Unity, is knowing that we are all interconnected, even when we do not intend on being unified. Even when i chose not to. Becuz everything that i do is like a drop of water... it makes some sort of ripple and then as a drop, i am indistinguishable from the "water". That is why i like the term "UNIVERSITY" over the racist word of "DIE-versity".

Consider what each of us accomplishes when we are togehter. one can expereince this in every phase in our daily and moment by moment trod. This is not to say that we live FOR others, it means that we live RIGHT in our own lives and it results in rightness (right action according to the Buddha).

united in self, manifests in unity in the body, in teh family , in the community and in the world... as a child, parent spouse son daughter mother father great ancestor... it goes on and on.

I am not a scientific person in my language, but i have come to KNOW that we are macrocosms of the smallest entity that man has defined... and become aware of.. the atom and its neutrona and protoms and electrons. ANd the cosmos is the largest entity that man has defined and is aware of. THis i do know that there is no limit to this power big or small. INFINITE. That is why in the IBLE(instruction before leaving earth) even says that the exlated will be made samll and the small will be exalted. This does away with our self importance as well as our lack of confidence.

My favorite UMOJA Ancestor is Marcus Garvey. He one of the most instumental bodies in uniting the people of the Diaspora in the last 400 years. Of course Haile I Selassie I was oneof the for runners of the Pan African Movement in a very quiet way. MLK, Nelson Mandela unifed thousand of africans even those outside of South Africa. He did this while behind bars without outside contact...for 27 YEARS ! Ghandi united people across all nationalistic and religious lines. As well as Gold Maier.

But enough about heros... each and everyone of us is annointed (christ) to be ONE with all living, through our constant action of JUSTICE. JUSTICE is essential for PEACE. TO call for peace when there is so much injustice in the world leadership is just a mashing down of our spirit, it is a quieting of our soul, a censorship of our breathe.

So here are a few thoughts on UNITY- UMOJA

AIM for perfection, listen to ini appeal, be of one mind, live in peace and the power of love and peace is the INI. (2 COL 13.11)

Let us go to the jordon river where each on of us can get a pole and let us build a place there for us to live.- (2 KINGS 6.2)

Counteneance of one brightens up another.. like iron sharpening iron- Nasio

"You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of our grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children that we have taught our children that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves. This we know; the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected. Even the white man, whose God walks and talks with him as friend to friend, cannot be exempt from the common destiny. We may be brothers after all. We shall see. One thing we know which the white man may one day discover; our God is the same God. You may think now that you own Him as you wish to own our land; but you cannot. He is the God of man, and His co

What is god ? The totality of souls. Whatever there exists in the whole, can also be found in the part. So in any one soul, all souls are contained. If i in turn, in A Shuvah (true blessing) contain in ini the friend in whom i wish to help, and he contains i in him. The shavah, makes the him-in-me better and the me-in-him better. This way it becomes so much easier for him-in-him to become better.-Rabbi Pinhaus sharira Koretz

mpassion is equal for the red man and the white. The earth is precious to Him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator. The whites too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes. Contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste. But in your perishing you will shine brightly fired by the strength of the God who brought you to this land and for some special purpose gave you dominion over this land and over the red man. That destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand when the buffalo are all slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed, the secret corners of the forest heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills blotted by talking wires. Where is the thicket? Gone. Where is the eagle? Gone. The end of living and the beginning of survival" Chief Seattle

The ends that you serve that are selfish will take you no further than yourself; but the ends you serve that are for the all, in common, will take you even into eternity. - Marcus Garvey.

The inter-african solidarity must be solidarity of FACT, solidarity of ACTION, solidarity concrete in men, in equipment, in money. Africa shall be free. Yes it must get work, it must NOT lose sight of its own UNITY-Franz Fanon.

The last quote is not geared only towards any sort of percieved "RACE, nation or ISM", It is a stated FACT that is true for everyLIVING one that honors and raspects LIFE...By the mitocondria of our DNA we are africans first and foremost regardless of our color, wheter we are a plant or animal. The gender and nationality and religiousity that we have allowed ourselves to be defined by are NO-THING but DIE-visions from our unified spirit. Let our breath be one.

Harambee......

Rasta Far I
Haile I Selassie I






Messenger: RasEmpressGong Sent: 12/29/2005 12:15:32 AM
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Blessed Love Sistren

Thank you so much for this thread. I went to a lecture on the 2nd night: Self-determination. It is my first brush with Kwanza and I must say I will definitely become more in tune so I can livicate next December. We discussed the feminine aspect of the Divine and how man cannot stand alone and neither can wombman, but we paid homage to the Mother of Creation with Oral Istory on Oshun and Auset. Give Thanks for the Ancestors of Afraka!

EmpressGong


Messenger: Nefertiti Sent: 1/4/2006 10:40:57 AM
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KUJICHAGULIA-Self-determination

KU-JEE-CHA-GoO-LEE-AH

Self determiniation
Determiniation of one's own fate or destiny of action without complusion........FREE WILL

DEFINE ini

NAME ini
CREATE FOR ini
SPEAK FOR ini


Everyone is allways talking about freedom, as if it isomething that you buy at the store..like this war in iraq, it is supposivly "BUYING" our freedom....freedom is not free....hmmm To me that is just silliness. Once we detach from those things that are not essential in our life, we have abundance. EVERYONE has freedom.. freedom to utilize whatever resources that we possess. Each i is a steward of those resources" that the almighty has blessed i with. Consider the parable of the talents. The three servants were given varying number of talents from thier master and they were free to do whatever they wanted with them.

Often in western society the individual is so glorified that they become weakened by thier fame and fortune that they lose thier freedom of movement. No longer can they do what they have been accustomed to doing. They get so many perks that they no no longer have freedom to move as they please, but have different respondisibilities that they become insignificant to thier fame. and then are only symbols of thier once determination, thier image preceeds them and has shaped them, they are no longer free to be who they once were.

INI site self-determiniation as a way, not a means to an end. It is a way of living not just for "Self" but for the whollness of all, realizing that the power exists in cells of one that make up the ini. This cell is a micro of the whole and the whole is a larger scale of the cell......Knowing this, INI can see that all power that is needed for any endeavor already exists in i and ini and so freedom is just that...exercising that determination to utilize that freedom and power(energy)

So here are some THOUGHTS on KuJichagulia

"The problems of Afrika can only be settled by Africa as a whole, and not a part of it"-Julius Nyerere

"to me, a man has no master but JAH. Man in his authority is a soverign Lord. As for the individual man, so of the individual race. This feeling makes a man so COURAGEOUS, so BOLD as to make it impossible for his brother to intrude upon his rights. SO few of us can overstand what it takes to make a man-the man who will never say die; the man who will never give up; the man who never depended upon others to do what he ought to do for himself; the man who wil not blame JAH; who will not blame nature; who do not blame Fate for his condition; but the man who will go out and make conditions to suit himself." -Marcus Garvey

"The history of Africa will remain suspended in air and cannot be written until AFRICAN historians DARE connect it with the history of Egypt." Diop

"If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best of the land."-2 COL 8.3

"When are you going to start doing something for yourself and stop relying on someone else?" THIRD WORLD

"where are we to look for our survival, for the answers to the questins which have never been posed? We must first look to the almightly who has raised man above the animals and endowed with him intelligence and reason. We must put our faith in HIM and INI will not desert us or permit us to destroy humanity which HIM created in HIM image. ....INI must look into ini, into the depths of our soul, INI must NOW become something we have never been before, for our education, experience and environment have ill prepared us. INI must become bigger, than we have ever been, more courageous, greater in spirit and larger in outlook.." Haile I Selassie I

"afrocentricity is a quality of thought and PRACTICE which is rooted in the cultural image and human interests of African people." Maulana Karenga

Today ask yourself,
WHO am I?
Am I really who, I am?
Am I all that i ought to be?

From this persepctive, then you can move forward in confidence, knowing WHO you are and what your purpose is. The confiedence in that abundance that you have is much greater thatn the perceived "lack" that most people live in. Lack is nothing.....It is a void to be fille dwith the abundace taht each of us has been granted as stewards of the wholiness of life. yes, we are mustard seeds......

bless

KuJICHAGULIA ancestors
Rosa Parks
Steven Biko
Ida B. Wells
Malcolm X
You mother





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