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Farming While Black

Page 11

by Leah Penniman


  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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