POWER, BEAUTY, AND DISTINCTION  A NEW DYNASTY

                                                                   QUOTES FROM: Dr. Ivan Van Sertima  
 
 
“[…] People seem to think, “oh the past is dead”…the past is ALIVE in us.”  
 
 
“[…] we (humans) are millions of years old; the first man appeared on this planet at least 4 million years ago…the first modern man appeared about 150,000 years ago”…  
 
 
“[…] trying to restructure that history…trying to rewrite it, trying to bring it closer to the truth…so that we can see ourselves again…because unless we can see ourselves again, we CANNOT be new people.”  
 
Ivan Van Sertima on FTP-Part1A: The Dead Are Alive in Us  
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IywJ1DGuecY&feature=BFa&list=PLE04A638B05F7445C&lf=results_main  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Author’s note:  
 
Although anyone may certainly feel free to read this work…it is my purpose to gear it first towards the African American community, because if we are not together as a people among ourselves…there is no progression to be made anywhere else.    
This is NOT a racist rant; or an effort to exalt one race over the other… this is NOT an effort to claim African or black superiority; in fact, that is the exact opposite of my intentions…my sole purpose, is to present the information that is strangely very unknown but extraordinarily significant to our history and to the history of the world…and I can guarantee you, the African has played a role beyond what most minds truly know.    
 
I have had many reactions to the introduction to this piece…and those who have never truly researched slavery telling me things about it…well, to that I say, if you do not understand the horrific impact of slavery in America, the detrimental effect to our culture and our history…if you have never concerned yourself to really truly see the evil of that era…please do not tell me anything about how condescending I sound when I speak about it.  I present what is the truth of the era, the truth about how they were treated, and I will not speak kindly then of treachery, or try to make things seem more pleasant than they actually were to try to soothe anyone’s mind or conscience.  I do not need anyone to inform me of other slave drivers before America…I am aware…believe me…but there was none in history to EVER compare to the impact it had on America and the Africans here in America, from its inception to now.  
 
So, as long as everyone is aware, that I will call a spade a spade, and I do not subscribe to political correctness, as all that is--is an attempt to guard one’s speech instead of tapping into truth…the truth about what people say and feel, honestly.  As long as we keep straying from the things we feel and think without addressing it…we go round and round in an unaccomplished circle.  
 
There was ugliness in history…and I will not attempt to “dress” any parts of it up to make anyone feel better…it is what it is.  To give an example, if I spoke on the Holocaust as simply and unfortunate incident…would I be doing justice in explaining the truth of the evil of that period in history?  For those who endured suffering to such an extent, how would sugar coating the experience be fair to them?    
With that being said, let’s begin.  
 
 
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              POWER, BEAUTY, AND DISTINCTION:  
 
                 A NEW DYNASTY  
 
 
 
A moment of clarification:    
 
 
 
I am not a teacher, I am a student of this great work from a great man and other great researchers who followed or worked with him -as well as those great scientists, anthropologists, linguists, etc. that he has referred to and credits for the truth in parts of his work).  
 
 
All of these people in conjunction, assist Dr. Van Sertima in some way, to the information in establishing the significant roles of the African across space and time.  
 
 
His work, impeccable; well researched and documented, and yet, his books sat, for years, without being taught, or read much, and if his work was read, why haven’t we heard of the phenomenal work inside of it?  Well, I cannot answer that, all I can do, is continue my studies, and give you the information as it is.    
I am a very critical person…and there was nothing written that I believed 100% as it pertains to African history, until now.  This great educator spent the majority of his life, on one mission, to expose history as it truly is and NOT how it has been taught to us.  He is not a supremacist of any sort…he is a man who wanted to prove the African had presence well before the stigma of slavery...and what a presence we had…even in the era of slavery… the African had presence beyond the myth of his worth.  
 
 
I too, share the passion for the truth about my culture, my history, the world’s history…and I am not ashamed to speak about it, why should I be?  
You will feel my passion through my own words as I attempt to summarize such a well written series of works.  The first comes from a team of researchers on Dr. Van Sertima’s team a book in which Van Sertima edited himself  “Black Women in Antiquity”.  
   
 
I know there have been many great men and women who have spoken, and some who have spoken quite loudly about black pride, power, etc. and respectfully, sometimes we HAD to be loud to be heard…and to be taken seriously.  
 
Great respect to those who paved a better road for us in America.  
 I have seen through my own personal experiences, most feel that when you address a crowd of blacks, you have to sound like a preacher or preach the message to get it across.    
 
What that says to me is that it is felt that we do not have the capacity to receive knowledge or information any other way, and that is simply untrue.    
I figure…I can just talk to you…give you the information in truth and let you make your own decision.    
 
--I thank all those who participated in a small survey I conducted.—  
 
This presentation is not about going around saying “black power” or calling each other brotha and sista or king and queen…this is not about religious conversion or anything resembling that…this is about one sole task…presenting truthful information about the phenomenal  roles of the African throughout history.  
 
I plan to present this information using examples from general knowledge of present or past media forms including, television, music, etc.    
To begin, when I started reading the work of Dr. Van Sertima as well as listening to his lectures…I would shake my head in disbelief because I couldn’t believe that I was my age (38) and had not heard of these incredible phenomenal historical figures.  I have had college courses in history, and yet I had never heard of the African in history in anything more than a small Greco-Roman reference or of course, slavery and civil rights.  And now, I have to ask myself…why?  Why have I never heard of these riveting ancestors…why?  
 
 
In preparation for this presentation,…I conducted my own small personal survey of college educated blacks, (women and men) some out of college and some currently in college.  When I would ask what they knew about our history or can they tell me about any of our great kings and queens or pharaohs, anyone or anything beyond this stigma of slavery as our sole existence…no one could tell me anything…and PLEASE DO NOT BE MISTAKEN into thinking that these people are unintelligent; they are ALL quite intelligent, each with great intellect and all are excellent conversationalists; but of our history, they only knew of slavery and civil rights; and I didn’t ask them to make them feel bad because they didn’t know, because I didn’t know!  
 
 
I asked them to gauge the level of knowledge about the African beyond what we have been taught …about civil rights and slavery. What was astonishing to me, was that one subject questioned, attended a predominantly black college, and was a History major…and knew nothing of the things I spoke of…from Dr. Van Sertima’s research.  What shocked me even more, were the questions I asked a former associate of mine from Ghana, a native African, about any of the great kings of the 25th dynasty, any of the warrior queens such as Hatshepsut (who was also a female Horus {pharaoh})…anything at all to add to what I am learning…he knew nothing about it…  
 
 
So, what that shows me…from myself to all the people I asked questions of…is that we are at a great “disconnect” with our history and our culture.  Now, I must say this…if you choose to research any of the things that I speak about (which I whole heartedly encourage), please be extremely careful of the source…as I will continuously state…even the most well meaning and professional of people who write the history of the world cannot bypass their racial biases or prejudices to present the truth and be true to their discipline…the racist eye cannot see past that deep beast that dwells within them, even to the point of blinding them to a truth that is staring them right in the face.  So you will encounter as I have…phrases such as “somewhat negroid”, or “may have been” or “could have been” or “is said to have been”…mainly when it comes to speaking of the African with certainty of their accomplishments or in reference to any monuments or contributions we have made.    
 
When I read things worded that way, or when there has to be a purposeful mixture of black with white (where there is none) to make it seem now possible that the African can accomplish it…well, it angers me!    
You see, many will purposefully try to blend the African with white (where there was no mix) because in their thought processes…there is NO WAY the African can do anything great… independent of any other influence…we have been regarded as an inferior race…in the past and in the present…well, that is certainly a LIE, an ignorant,  and ridiculous one.  
The African has contributed to society since the beginning of time…in a great multitude of ways…and yet is devalued and written out of history or brushed down to a footnote in reference…those days are about to come to an end.    
 
In this series, I will not only tell you about the Africans contributions and accomplishments, but about those around them, the people who saw them, who erected monuments to them, who created artistic paintings, carvings, cave drawings, statues, busts, and colossal stone heads depicting undoubtedly negroid features…distinct African features…but there are those who will look right at this African stone head, and say that it is somewhat negroid…or those who have said,  as Dr.Van Sertima points out, that the reason the noses on these heads are so wide is because the natives could not sharpen their tools any better…  
NO, it is because the natives saw Africans, and they saw us doing great things and wanted to show the world of who we were because of the great things those natives saw us do…and because of the greatness we achieved.    
 
What is the purpose of art?  To bring to life a vision…and to hopefully have that vision shared throughout space and time for all to see…so, if the African or black is such an inferior, such an underclass, a non-accomplished being (as those racist eyes see it) why then, would so many great works of art depict them?  Why would the natives take their time and use resources to recreate a people so despicable?    
 
The answer…they would not…they did not.  The natives saw in us and from us great things…and we accomplished great things.  To the racist eye…it sees none of that, or undercuts the significance of the African with all the evidence before them, they still bow to that racist beast…they serve that beast and not their science or discipline…and anything white can stand alone and needs no mixture, but the negro…either has no importance or must be blended with white somewhere to make any accomplishment make sense…to them.  That is not only a myth, a falsehood, a lie…but it is laughable.  We are the first people, proven through science….we are ALL Africans.  
 
This presentation is not only about our history, but about our present…examining the realities that face us now…so please do not think that I uplift all that we do…as I said, I have walked quite the interesting life’s path…and all, I believe in preparation for this task. So, yes, I will speak of our failings as well, mine included.  Therefore, a different picture will be painted, as it is, not as fantasy…because this is not a fairy tale…this is an actual truth tale…non-fiction.  
 
Whatever the case, knowledge, and acknowledgment are the key…to begin to heal the wounds the plague our culture…and we have a long way to go…but I am ready to begin with my contribution.  
If you are ready to listen…I am ready to speak…and please know that I will be true to myself in the way that I write and present information.  And to listen, you must shake away things that look strange to you at first glance…you will here names of great kings, and queens, and other great ancestors, that do not sound like what we consider ordinary.  You may hear of or see art that does not appeal to your eye…but makes them nonetheless very significant.  Do not allow your modern mind and your modern eye to rule your ability to focus on what is important.  Do not be distracted by anything…accept knowledge, especially the truth about your history, my history, the world’s history, and what an unknown highly pivotal role the African has had in it.  
Conjecture (assumption) has it that certain things are not possible when it pertains to African Americans…for example, the introduction of the extremely popular sit-com,  
“The Cosby Show.”    
 
Stay with me…
 
The premise of the show…you have a married African American couple…one a doctor, one a lawyer, they have a beautiful marriage, and great kids with the normal triumphs and pains of life; among whites and blacks, I have heard how unusual this type of thing is… that there are two intellectual intelligent blacks who are both successful.   Although there were several of each race that I heard comments from, sadly, among blacks, I heard how that is not realistic.    
 
To me, that is heartbreaking as I reflect, because from what I now know about our history, not only is that type of union/marriage NOT a foreign concept to our people; it would be a pure certainty in most instances.  
 
Two educated Africans joining and presenting a powerful force…because they worked predominantly with each other…not against each other…and they complimented each other in some way…the were usually independent of each other…and joined to form a more powerful union.  
 
For my Americanized African/Black males, please understand that your history lies beyond slavery, beyond how many babies you can make, or how many women you can conquer…actually that is not our history at all.  Stop looking to your African/black woman as hoes, and bitches, and baby mamas…and take a lesson from your ancestors that men did not consider their women as a second thought or underling, that is an Americanized viewpoint that has been adapted, not what is true to our culture…the kings and queens of Africa, Ethiopia, Egypt,  
co-existed as true equals.  
 
 
For my Americanized African/Black females, although we have been symbols of great beauty and power throughout time including now, you are more than how big your butt is, more than how many men you can conquer, how much money you can get from them, and for those to which this applies…welfare is NOT your paycheck!    
Our culture, as we will explore has to be addressed in realistic terms…and as I stated in my introductory piece, I will use my own life as example for many things, so I am not exempt from this lesson about making our culture better.  
 
 
 
** “African history is a mansion with many unopened rooms and never will we understand it properly until this most vital aspect of it—the role of the matriarchy and the queenship—is fully studied and comprehended”**  
                       -- Williams and Finch  
 
 
 
Makeda: The Legendary Queen of Sheba  
 
The biblical tale of King Solomon and the queen of Sheba is told as a more romantic tale than the complete understanding of their relationship.  Makeda, the queen of Sheba, was a powerful queen independent of King Solomon, and possibly had a kingdom as extensive or according to tradition, even more extensive than Solomon’s.    
 
Makeda, also called Belkis, Queen of Ethiopia and Egypt, and the Queen of Sheba (Axum) was a great builder, administrator, and international political leader.  
 
According to tradition, the dynasty that Makeda belonged to was established by Za Besi Angabo in Ethiopia in 1370 B.C. and this dynasty lasted 350 years.    
 
Makeda’s father and grandfather were the final two rulers of this particular dynasty.  Because her brother Prince Noural died at an early age, Princess Makeda became heiress to her father’s throne.    
 
Queen Ismenie, Makeda’s mother, appropriately prepared Makeda for her ultimate role as Queen of Ethiopia, and in 1005 B.C., Makeda’s father, from his deathbed, selected her to succeed him.  Makeda ruled with integrity, determination, and wisdom for 50 years.  
 
  To successfully rule her empire, Makeda had to engage in significant trade to guarantee economic survival for her domain.  Her intelligence as a commercial trader is shown by the fierceness of her trade relations in the markets of Damascus and Gaza.  She organized a trade network by land and sea that was successfully guarded by watchful Ethiopian merchants.  Tamrin, who is recounted in the  Kebra Nagast as a wise man, was the head/leader of these merchants, and he was an expert in the area of trade.    
 
Queen Makeda’s merchants are recounted in Ezekiel 27:22-24:  
--The merchants of Sheba and Raamah were they merchants; they traded in thy fairs with the best of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold, Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad were thy merchants.  These were thy merchants in all sorts of things, in blue clothes, and embroidered work, and in chests of rich apparel, bound with cords, and made of cedar, among thy merchandise.  
Since Queen Makeda developed such wonderful trade relations, it is possible that in 985 b. c. there was a Chinese expedition to the land of Sheba.   The confirmation of Makeda’s broad trade association nevertheless, is fragmentary.  
 
 
       {*the following is a direct verbatim quote from the book “Black Women in Antiquity”**}  
 
 
“An aspect of Makeda’s life that has been overlooked is her exploits as a builder.  In the Book of Axum, it is recorded that when she ascended the throne of Ethiopia, Makeda built her capitol at Debra Makeda or “Mount Makeda.”[…]  Most of the attention given to the Makeda story has centered around her legendary visit to King Solomon, third King of Israel.  Some of the important facts related to the visit have been obscured by the romance that sprung up around these two sovereigns.    
When Queen Makeda became aware of King Solomon from her chief merchant Tamrin, she decided on a visit to Jerusalem.  Her visit may have been to negotiate a trade agreement with Solomon since he may have controlled some trade routes which were important the Sabaeans.  Thus it is interesting to speculate on reasons for the visit not usually considered in the conventional treatments of the story.  One thing we can safely surmise, is that the empire that Makeda ruled was at least as important as Solomon’s and if any of the traditions about the extent and scope of the empire are even partially correct, she ruled an even more substantial and more important kingdom than did Solomon.    
 
The Biblical version of the story is given in 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9.  It is said that Makeda “came to test him with hard questions” which may just as easily been questions of a political, diplomatic, or commercial nature as questions to test his wisdom.  In 1 Kings 10:2, we are told that “she talked with him of all that was in her heart” which, again, might refer to some serious dickering over affairs of state.  There are those who might see in the 120 talents of gold given by Solomon to Makeda, a commercial or diplomatic settlement.  Such a sum would be valued today at over $4 million.  
 
The level of hospitality accorded to the Queen of Sheba by Solomon was a tribute to her position and influence.   Solomon prepared an apartment built of crystal from the floor to the ceiling for her to reside in.  Also, he had a throne set up along side his which was covered with silk, fringes of gold and silver, and studded with diamonds and pearls.  
 
Gorgeous feasts in halls perfumed with myrrh, gabanum, and incense were lavished upon the Queen of Ethiopia.  Solomon was terribly smitten by this Queen and a love affair ensued which led to the birth of their son Menelik who became the first king in the Solomonid line of Ethiopian kings.  This line lasted, with a 300 year interruption, until the deposition (by death) of Haile Selassie in 1974. “  
 
To summarize further, the African Queen of Sheba, was an incredible queen in her own respect for the empire she controlled and because of her intelligence as a leader, political or otherwise.    
 
She and King Solomon, from the Bible bore a son Menelik (Makeda’s only child) who with guidance of his mother Queen Makeda, began the bloodline of Ethiopian kings directly related to King Solomon from the Bible, and king Haile Selassie, was the last of the descendants of that bloodline, and last ruler of that dynasty.