During the Manje Yam festival, we make offerings to the spirit of the yam in gratitude for an abundant harvest.
Of course, there is no reaping without sowing. It is equally important to ritually mark the beginning of the farming season with a festival. In our mixed Black-Jewish family, we have evolved the Passover seder into this ritual, affectionately termed AfroSeder. We gather to celebrate and tell stories of freedom, both ancestral and personal, and to honor our ancestors who were lost to slavery in all of its forms. We sing the freedom songs of the Black American past—“We who believe in freedom, cannot rest!”—interspersed with a reenactment of Harriet Tubman’s leadership on the Underground Railroad. As the sun sets, we head outside and plant the first seeds of the season into the eager ground, infused with our prayers for freedom and abundance. We remind ourselves of the true words of Malcolm X, “Revolution is based on land. Land is the basis of all independence. Land is the basis of freedom, justice, and equality.”
There are also many models for African spring planting festivals that are not syncretized with Jewish ritual. Farmers along the Niger River make abundant offerings of wine and wild game to the land as part of a yearly yam planting festival.16 In Burkina Faso farmers emerge from the Bwa (sacred forest) wearing masks that represent forest creatures including ox, serpent, warthog, antelope, and owl. These animal spirits purify the village and protect the community from harm, in anticipation of the farming season.17 The International Coalition to Commemorate African Ancestors of the Middle Passage (ICCAAMP) encourages us to plant a tree each spring in honor of our ancestors and the living earth.
We celebrate stories of freedom and ritually plant the first seeds of spring during our community AfroSeder. Photo by Neshima Vitale-Penniman.
Before harvesting wild plants to make a spiritual bath, we present offerings to Gran Bwa, guardian of the forest. Photo by Neshima Vitale-Penniman.
Herbal Baths
The use of spiritual herbal baths for healing, protection, and divine revelation is a cross-cutting African indigenous practice. We use herbal baths at transition points in the season: first planting, welcoming of new team members, first harvest, and so forth. Baths are a restorative and grounding way to fortify our connection to the land, ancestors, and our own divine light.
In the Vodou tradition the guardian of spiritual baths and all plant medicine is Gran Bwa (Great Forest). Gran Bwa is the lwa of the forest and owner of medicinal leaves. Gran Bwa has great healing powers and can alleviate suffering and redress harms. As the tree is the element connecting the three realms of ancestors, living beings, and spirits, Gran Bwa is one of the lwa responsible for the ancestors. Gran Bwa is only mentioned with the greatest respect. This lwa is linked to the Bwa Kayiman ceremony that catalyzed the Haitian Revolution.
The first step in making a spiritual bath is to give offerings to Gran Bwa. The offerings for Gran Bwa are leaves and plants in a makout (straw bag), as well as honey and kleren (liquor).18 We tie a beautiful cloth around a tree and leave gifts at the base.
From there we can harvest the plants that are required for the bath. Depending on the purpose of the spiritual cleansing—to fortify power, gain love, secure protection—there are different recipes. A simple bath for purification includes just two ingredients, basil and rue.
It is also possible to directly ask and listen to the plants of the forest to determine which are appropriate to use in your bath. This direct relationship with herbs was used by our ancestors to determine the bath recipes we inherit today. We can approach a native plant, leave a small offering of cornmeal or flowers, and listen energetically to whether it is calling to be harvested. With some practice you will be able to “hear” the intentions of the plants. We uphold the law of the honorable harvest as explained by Robin Wall Kimmerer; to never harvest the first or second individual found, only the third and beyond. Never harvest more than a third of the plants.
We then activate the leaves by rubbing and crushing them in water while singing certain songs, a process called pilèy fey. You may sing or recite the songs to Gran Bwa below, or share the prayers of your heart in whatever form. Stay focused on your intention and your gratitude for the support provided by these Forces.
Once thoroughly crushed, the bath should be applied to the entire, unclothed body. Clean your skin first with soap and water. Pray over the medicine, give thanks, and ask for what is needed. Then apply the bath head-to-toe, from top to bottom, using about a quart of it. Rub it in vigorously and allow the little bits of leaf to stay on your body. It’s best to air-dry and then rest, wearing white clothing for the remainder of the day. The color white is sacred to spirits of Dahomey origin and also reflects negative energy away from the devotee. The following are two praise songs sung for Gran Bwa.
Fèy Nan Bwa Rele Mwen!
Fèy nan bwa rele mwen!
Leaves in the woods call me!
O fèy nan bwa rele mwen!
Oh leaves in the woods call me!
O depi m piti, m ap danse la!
Oh since I was small, I have danced here!
Fèy nan bwa e, rele mwen e!
Leaves in the woods hey, call me hey!
O fèy nan bwa e rele mwen o!
Oh leaves in the woods hey, oh call me!
Ago-Tchi! Ago-Tchi! Loko-Tchi, Loko-Tchi!
Ago-Tchi! Ago-Tchi! Loko-Tchi, Loko-Tchi!
O fèy nan bwa rele mwen o!
Oh leaves in the woods call me!
O depi m piti, m ap rele!
Oh since I was small, I have cried out!
Fèy nan bwa! Rele mwen!
Leaves in the woods! Call me!
Fèy nan bwa e!
Leaves in the woods hey!19
Nou Menm Rasin Gran Bwa
Nou menm rasin Gran Bwa …
We ourselves are Gran Bwa’s roots …
Nou se papa tour bwa ki gen o
Oh we are the fathers of all the trees
Nan Gran Bwa.
In Gran Bwa.
Le Bwa Kayiman …
At the time of Bwa Kayiman …
Rasin Gran Bwa te la.
Gran Bwa’s roots were there.
Boukmann o …
Oh Boukmann …
Rasin Gran Bwa nan men ou.
Gran Bwa’s roots are in your hands.20
Songs and Chants
We are a singing people. Whether working the fields of our ancestral homelands as free bodies or toiling under enslavement, we have maintained our souls through our voices. We have used our song traditions to remind us of home, to keep our spirits high, to express our discontent, and to plan resistance and rebellion. Many of our songs are in a call-and-response format, where the caller sings a verse and then the others respond with a chorus. This format promotes dialogue, inclusion, and improvisation. While many of our songs are rooted in a specific religious tradition, others are decidedly secular. Thus, work songs are an inclusive starting point for elevating the soul energy on your farm. Below are some of our favorite work songs at Soul Fire Farm. You can listen to audio recordings of these songs at www.farmingwhileblack.org.
Hoe Emma Hoe
Caller: Hoe Emma Hoe, you turn around dig a hole in the ground, Hoe Emma Hoe
Chorus: Hoe Emma Hoe, you turn around dig a hole in the ground, Hoe Emma Hoe
Caller: Emma, you from the country
Chorus: Hoe Emma Hoe, you turn around dig a hole in the ground, Hoe Emma Hoe
Caller: Emma help me to pull these weeds
Chorus: Hoe Emma Hoe, you turn around dig a hole in the ground, Hoe Emma Hoe
Caller: Emma work harder than two grown men
Chorus: Hoe Emma Hoe, you turn around dig a hole in the ground, Hoe Emma Hoe
Caller: Master he be a hard hard man
Chorus: Hoe Emma Hoe, Hoe Emma Hoe
Caller: Sell my people away from me
Chorus: Hoe Emma Hoe, Hoe Emma Hoe
Caller: Lord send my people into Egypt land
Chorus: Hoe Emma Hoe,
Hoe Emma Hoe
Caller: Lord strike down Pharaoh and set them free
Chorus: Hoe Emma Hoe, Hoe Emma Hoe, Hoe Emma Hoe21
Thank You for This Land
Caller: Thank you for this LAND
Chorus: Thank you for this Land (2x)
Chorus: This healing, this healing, this healing land (2x)
Caller: Thank you for this FOOD [or choose any word]
We Are an Old Family
Sung as a round
Group 1: We are an old family, we are a new family, we are the same family, stronger than before
Group 2: We honor you, inspire you to be who you are
Celebrating Me
Caller: When I think about myself, I want to celebrate my BEAUTY [or choose any word]
Chorus: I want to celebrate my BEAUTY
How Could Anyone
by Libby Roderick
How could anyone ever tell you
You are anything less than beautiful
How could anyone ever tell you
You are less than whole
How could anyone fail to notice
That your loving is a miracle
How deeply you’re connected to my soul
When You Were Born
Sung as a round
When you were born you cried
And the world rejoiced
Live your life so that when you die
The world cries and you rejoice
Hold My Hand
Popularized by Dr. C. J. Johnson
Hold my hand while I run this race (3x)
Cause I don’t want to run this race alone
UPLIFT
Zora Neale Hurston
In the years before the 1937 publication of her acclaimed novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston traveled extensively in the Black American South and Caribbean during the 1930s to document folk songs, stories, and culture. She gathered these songs primarily by learning them herself. As Hurston explained, “I just get in the crowd with people as they are singing, and I listen as best as I can then I start to join in with a phrase or two. Finally, I get so I can sing a verse and keep on until I can get all the verses. Then I sing them back to the people until they tell me that I can sing them just like them. Then I try it out on different people who already know the songs until they are quite satisfied that I have it. Then I carry it in my memory. I learned the song myself, and then I can take it with me wherever I go.”22 Her extensive anthropological work, including blues, work songs, ballads, tales, dance music, circle games, prayers, and sermons, is housed in the Library of Congress’s “Florida Folklife” collection.23
Integrating song and dance into the work of farming elevates the spirit, builds connection, and honors the living earth. Photo by Neshima Vitale-Penniman.
Chineke I Dinma (My God You Are So Good)
Igbo song from Nigeria
Chineke I dinma o
I dinma
I dinma e
Idinma o
Idinma, Idinma o
Set on Freedom
Popularized by Reverend Osby
Woke up this morning with my mind
Set on freedom (3x)
Hallelu, Hallelu, Hallelujah
I’m walking and talking with my mind
Stayed on freedom …
I’m singing and praying with my mind
Stayed on freedom
Omiwa
Traditional Haitian Kreyol song
Omiwa ye
Hounsi yo mande houmble
Omiwa ye
Omiwa chante
Omiwa ye
Sèvitè yo mande houmble
English translation
The devotees ask for blessings.
A Sower Went Out to Sow Her Seed
by Toshi Reagon
A sower went out to sow her seed (2x)
And as she sowed
Some fell by the wayside
And it was trodden down
And as she sowed
Some fell by the wayside
And of it the birds did eat
A sower went out to sow her seed (2x)
And as she sowed
Some fell upon the rock
And as soon as it was sprung up
It withered away
Because it lacked water
It withered away
A sower went out to sow her seed (2x)
And as she sowed
Some fell among the thorns
And as soon as it was sprung up
It withered away
There was no air to breathe
It withered away
There was no room to grow
It withered away
A sower went out to sow her seed (2x)
And as she sowed
Some fell on GOOD GROUND (2x)
From it the plants did grow
From it the flowers bloomed
And in due time
Came forth bearing fruit
A hundredfold (4x)24
Heart Song
Sung as a round
Listen, listen, listen to my heart song (2x)
I will always love you, I will always serve you
Listen, listen, listen to my heart song (2x)
I will never forget you, I will never forsake you
Ibo Le Le
Traditional Haitian Vodou Song
Ibo Lele, Latibonit, granmoun pa jwe o
Ibo Lele, Ibo Lele o
Ibo Lele Latibonit, granmoun pa jwe o
Si’m te la le grann mwen te la
Si’m te la le grann mwen te la
Si’m te la le grann mwen te la
Li ta montre’m danse Ibo
Ibo, Ibo Lele25
English translation
Ibo Lele (lwa/spirit of the Igbo people in Haiti), in the Artibonite (a river and region in Haiti), the elders don’t mess around. If I were there when my great-grandmother was there, she would have taught me to dance Igbo.
Evolutionary-Revolutionary
by Amani Olugbala
Caller: I feel evolutionary
Chorus: Revolutionary!
Caller: I will [state an action commitment]
Chorus: Yes, you will!
It Is Our Duty
by Assata Shakur
Caller: It is our duty to fight for our freedom
Chorus: It is our duty to fight for our freedom
Caller: It is our duty to win
Chorus: It is our duty to win
Caller: We must love each other and support each other
Chorus: We must love each other and support each other
Caller: We have nothing to lose but our chains
Chorus: We have nothing to lose but our chains (repeat 3x, softer to louder)
The Queen Mothers of Manya Krobo Ghana are the spiritual activists of their society, entrusted with moral education for the youth, environmental protection, conflict mediation, ceremonial leadership, and griot work. In 2002 the author was enstooled as a Queen Mother and asked to carry out this work in the Diaspora.
A Note on Appropriation and Appropriate Use
Cultural appropriation is the taking of intellectual property, traditional knowledge, or cultural expressions from someone else’s culture without permission and compensation, and in a way that reinforces historically exploitative relationships, or deprives others of the opportunity to control or benefit from their own cultural material. While cultural exchange and sharing bring wholeness, cultural appropriation is destructive. It is best to look to one’s own lineage for our spiritual inheritance before adopting the practices of others.
The practices and information shared in this chapter are part of Haitian Vodou, West African Vodun, and Yoruba Ifa religious heritages. While there are different customs in each lakou, I was taught that the uninitiated may make offerings directly in nature and give themselves spiritual baths. However, only a trained, initiated leader (Mambo, Houngan, Manye, Santera, Awo, and so on) should offer spiritual
services to others. This honors the tradition and our people, and ensures that practices are done in a way that is helpful and not harmful to giver and receiver. When in doubt about appropriate use, we ask the lwa directly through divination or iluminasyon (dream work).
Acknowledgments
It is our tradition to honor and pay homage to our teachers whenever we discuss spiritual matters. I give thanks to my spiritual teachers, mentors, and friends from the diverse sacred paths that inform my spiritual Truth. I cherish each of you and the precious lessons you have imparted.
Revered Adele Smith-Penniman, my mother, Unitarian Universalist minister, and spiritual activist, who has guided me throughout my life
Keith Penniman, my father, lay minister in the Unitarian Universalist church and spiritual activist, who has guided me throughout my life
Nene Zogli, Manye Nartike, Manye Maku, Manye Esther, and the Manya-Krobo Queen Mothers Association, Odumase-Krobo, Ghana, for overseeing my initiation, enstoolment, and training (2002)
Rabbi Jordan Millstein, who welcomed me as a Jew through training, mikveh, and beit din (2003)
Rabbi Deborah Gordon, who taught me to interpret Torah and to lead Shabbat services
Cantor Terry Horowit, who taught me trope and the chanting of Torah
Iyanifa Patrisse Cullors, who taught me how to hear my ancestors and how to divine with obi obata
Awo Fabayo and Iya Adekoya, for welcoming me into their spiritual house and guiding me through study of Odu Ifa and initiation to Oya
Oluwo Ifakolade Obafemi, for training in Egungun worship, Hand of Ifa, and initiation to Oya (2016)
Babalawo Onigbonna Sangofemi and Apetebi Okekunmi for their example of good character, Ifa knowledge, and heart-centered living, as well as for teaching me to pray in my own words
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