#african ancestry

[ghost-37]

Nafisa 🌻

[kemetic-dreams]

[karmicstar]

[thebeautifulbook]

CANDLE-LIGHTIN’ TIME by Paul Laurence Dunbar. (New York: Dodd-Mead, 1901) Illustrated.

source

[itsstillsweetiebythealtar]

New Patreon Post!!

Slavery in South Carolina and European Immigrants Shifting Views Towards Slavery

This post is by far my longest post on Patreon, is a refurbished version of a paper I did during a capstone class for my anthropology program. I would love for any of you interested in the role of non-English slave owners within the American south to give it a read. ❤️❤️❤️

[smokeandsteam]

musings #1

i want long curly mermaid hair that hugs my shoulders, but i also want a big ‘ol afro massive enough to create a gravitational pull on nearby objects, and i want pin-straight hair in a high ponytail that makes me look like a bitchy blonde secretary with an equestrian hobby, but i also want a buzz cut with a built-in alarm clock and when i hear it i shoot out of bed, march into the forest, and photosynthesize.

i want to dye it deep purple and green like some ornate water fowl, but also a deep red proportionate with the blood of my enemies, or maybe a pink and blue pastel balayage that reminds me to always eat dessert first.

i want oxford shoes in black and white, or in tan, with smart little stitches, but i also want gladiator sandals that make people think i might have armor on until they get close enough to be stopped, and i want loud sneakers made, not for concrete, but for two pairs of wheels under them, and i also want boots so long i can throw out all my pants, but i also want velvet combat boots, and really classy black high heels sharp enough to raise the dead.

i really want an entire closet of white linen clothes so i can always have that dumb rich lady look on my face, but i also want draping lace blouses the sun can shine through when i jump over that creek in my latin childhood, and i want crop tops that make my neck more attractive than my boobs, but i also want the boobs. maybe, i even want them to peek out of the bottom a little bit.

i want stiff shirt collars, no collars, and dog collars with the y2k spikes, and i want my heart shaped buttons to have a tense conversation with the mouth of my gold plated zippers. i need a harness that reminds you i can be moved, but only if you’re clever enough to know i don’t mean physically.

i want tight skirts that blur a movie screen so that you hear them before you see them, and long pleated skirts to tuck in all my dress shirts and sweaters so that i give off a vibe of innocence, but my lipstick begs to differ, and i want shiny rubber pants, but then id have a lot of power, and with power comes responsibility for things i’ve only considered dabbling in once or ten times.

i want a bespoke suit that throws out the idea of boobs all together, and i want it in a green so dark the forests will whisper “i’m home”, or a blue so soft the sky will give up. i also want it in the classic black with guns and knives hidden in all the pockets along with a glass-etching laser, a box with a single cigarette left inside, and a crumbled up note with ten or so smudged digits.

i want a satin dress that knows everything about me and kind of blinds you while i sing on a stage, but i also want a soft cotton long sleeve dress that trails the ground like flame at an overlord’s footsteps, and i want a dress with my african ancestry screaming in every vivid thread as it comforts me with the willingness to cry about how beautiful life is.

i’d like to smell like roses, but like real ones that you sometimes find dew, or the occasion bug, on, and i want to smell like vanilla and laughter, but i also want to smell like sawdust and cold air that dries out your eyes. i want to smell like sex and sugar while holding a murderous look in my eyes like the evil people in soap operas, and i want to smell like fireworks and dynamite so you know i’m coming from a mile away, or i want a smell that embodies the ocean and makes you want to swim for your life without forgetting the salt that brought you here in the first place.

so, um, what’s my style?

[orphic-muse]

Vodoun Gambada

As a protector, Gambada devours and returns to sender the evil eye, negative entities, witchcraft and sorcery sent to their adeptes. It is said that those who harbor ill intention or seek to destroy an adepte of Gambada, seek their own death.

Gambada unobstructs obstacles and delivers abundance swiftly while protecting the receiver of these graces.

Cults of Gambada are found among the Ewe and Fon across Bénin, Togo and Ghana.

[whostommyp]

Trip to Sotheby’s in NYC

[ausetkmt]

[darnell]

Great overview of my tribe, the Yoruba people! Reading the @youtube comment section it seems as if most of the information presented in the video is correct.

One item I did find fascinating was the Yoruba political structure with checks & balances.

Of course no leader would enjoy this today (getting removed from power meant death), but the threat of being killed meant that the leader was usually on their best behavior.

[asandamaswazi]

Why would I settle for less when I know my worth?

What makes you think I’d find joy in dividing sons and daughters of the mother continent?

When those who were comfortable with selling out were compensated by the colonizers, what do you think happened to those who refused? Now why would I want to erase all the wrongs my people were subjected to because they refused to denounce the ancient ways of the ancestors, for a mere fee that is nothing compared to the blessings we were born with but have been conditioned into not believing in those who passed down their gifts to us?

Why must I advocate for the advancement of a system that was designed to erase all that makes me who I am as a daughter of the mother continent? If I were to do so I would be ashamed!

✨When given the platform to spread light and enlighten those who are unaware, approach that podium with compassion and allow the wisdom of those who walk with you to guide you, be careful and avoid agreeing to any shady dealings which promote the distortion and ridiculing of your spirituality as an African people.

[ghost-37]

Nafisa 🌻

[kemetic-dreams]

[karmicstar]

Life is way too short to spend it at war with yourself. Beating yourself up over and over about every little thing will not magically make everything better.

You must stop with the negative self-talk...it is getting you nowhere. What happened, happened...You can't change the past and no amount of self-hatred can.

Today, start over and choose to move forward with your life...you are not a bad person, a failure, or a disappointment.

What you can do, is change your future. Your pain is your strength...it won’t last forever.

Give yourself time to heal, take life day by day. Every day you survive is another step forward to your greatness!

So be patient with yourself...growth comes in many forms!

Be proud of yourself for how far you’ve come...continue to push through and keep fighting cause this too shall pass!

🐚🌊🧜🏿‍♀️

Theresa Cattouse

Twin Soul Connections

[daisy-the-deer]

Alright guys, I know it's Pride Month, but let's go take a small break to talk about Juneteenth.

This is the day the we celebrate for the end of slavery. And no, I'm not talking about the Emancipation Proclamation, or all that. I'm talking about the day everyone was released. Juneteenth marks the day that the last slave was free.

I am an African American young Lady, who had no idea about this. I thought, up until now, Juneteenth was just extra black history month. I was incorrect. I don't know my heritage. It had to take a YouTube search for me to truly understand it's meaning and I still don't.

Europeans, they took everything from there slaves. Their culture, their heritage, their names. They took the way of life for the Africans, and changed it. Not only was it changed for the slaves, it was changed for any future generations. How many African American people, actually know the true meaning of Juneteenth.

To me, my heritage, my culture, is apart of who I am. I am still figuring that out. If I don't know who my people were, how am I supposed to figure out who I am. So yeah, I am a little ticked off. I deserve to know my heritage, and Europeans had no right to take that away from me.

I don't blame Europeans today for things like this. They aren't to be blamed. But what I do think is that this Juneteenth, we should all take a moment for our heritage. We should all take a minute and actually figure out what the barbecues, and the parades are for.

[darnellafrica]

Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 Celebrates Independence Day Today!!!

Happy Independence Day Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 Today marks the 63rd birthday of Sierra Leone 🇸🇱! As I elaborated on my personal blog (@darnell@darnellclayton.com), the nation of Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 holds special significance to me, & for those of you who are unfamiliar with this West African nation, here is a brief history of the country. History of Sierra Leone 🇸🇱 (Part One) History of Sierra Leone (Part…