West Africa and the 42 Declarations of Innocence

7/27/2019 West Africa and the 42 Declarations of Innocence

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West Africa and the 42 Declarations of Innocence

I often get into heated discussions and debates on the method of using and comparing West and CentralAfrican cultures in ascertaining meaning while interpreting spiritual and social phenomena in ancientciKam (Egyptian) societies. There are those who believe that the ancient Nile Valley civilization was the

result of an indigenous group of people that sprang out of the soil who had no connections to west andcentral Africans: neither by language, trade or custom. Research by the likes of Aboubacry Moussa Lam,Oum Ndigi, Chiekh M’Backe Diop, Chiekh Anta Diop, Alain Anselin, Felix Chami, Moussa Balde,S.O.Y. Keita, Robert Bauval, Theophile Obenga and my own research, makes this line of thought nolonger tenable. Anthropologic, linguistic, genetic and historical data demonstrate that the ancient Luntu(rmt, ciRum, ciLum, Romi, Egyptians) were an amalgam of various autonomous ethnic groups thatcreated a federation, what we call today, Egyptian society which was known by many names: Bak, Ta-Mry, Hnw, Km.t, Gbt, etc.

While a full treaty of the available data is beyond the scope of this note, I would like to demonstrate

how West African societies can give us insight into the spirit and meaning of ancient Egyptian practicesand how certain practices of the “pharaonic”-type are still alive and well in many parts of Africa. In this brief note we will compare the Egyptian 42 Declarations of Innocence to Ma’at (Cyama in Tshiluba) toan initiatory text of Burkina Faso so we can see the vitality in cross-African comparative studies. I havediscussed in a previous paper titled “The African Superhighway of Wisdom” how Africans moved acrossAfrica in search for wisdom and would get initiated into various African wisdom centers (so-calledsecret societies). This practice still goes on today and this may help to explain why certain ideas are widespread in traditional African societies. The prevailing school of thought, if it concedes that there arecomparable traits across Africa, contends that these similarities are a result of retained customs fromsome far distant time when all Africans lived in the same speech community some 20-40000 years ago;or they are the result of “coincidence” or “chance.” The African Super-Highway of Wisdom provides analternative to these models and the works of Diop, Lam, Anselin and Chami have provided thearcheological, linguistic and oral literature to support this process.

Moving on to our topic, the ancient Egyptians had an ontological standard in which behavior wasmeasured against, in life and in death, called Ma’at (truth, justice, balance, reciprocity, harmony). In thevarious Rw nw Pr.t M Hrw (Bwalu Bwenu CiVwilu Mu Kulu), the deceased’s actions in the hall of judgment would be weighed against the feather of truth (maat). If the deceased’s actions were lighter than the feather of truth, they were granted access into the realm of what we would call Heaven in theEnglish language. Here the vindicated would be considered Akhw (aika “immortal” in Yoruba) which isa light being or revered ancestor and would take their rightful place among the stars. If they were notvindicated, they would experience “hellish” conditions in the dwAt and later return to earth to start the

whole cycle of life again (another chance to get it right).

In the hall of judgment the deceased would have to recite 42 admonitions to Ma’at and 42 declarationsof innocence. While many may be familiar with the admonitions to ma’at (telling ma’at what you HAVEdone), many may not be familiar with the Declarations of Innocence (telling ma’at what you have NOTdone). The following is a translation of the Declaration of Innocence as told by Mirium Litchtheim fromher Ancient Egyptian Literature. Here we can see what types of activities the deceased claims they have NOT done so that their entry into the beloved West would not be barred.



O Wide-of-stride who comes from On:

I have not done evil.

O Flame-grasper who comes from Kheraha:

I have not robbed.

O Long-nosed who comes from Khmun:

I have not coveted.

O Shadow-eater who comes from the cave:

I have not stolen.

O Savage-faced who comes from Rostau:

I have not killed people.

O Lion-Twins who come from heaven:

I have not trimmed the measure.

O Flint-eyed who comes from Khem:

I have not cheated.

O Fiery-one who comes backward:

I have not stolen a god´s property.

O Bone-smasher who comes from Hnes:

I have not told lies.

O Flame-thrower who comes from Memphis:

I have not seized food.

O Cave-dweller who comes from the west:

I have not sulked.

O White-toothed who comes from Lakeland:

I have not slain sacred cattle.



O Entrail-eater who comes from slaughterplace:

I have not extorted.

O Lord of Maat who comes from Maaty:

I have not stolen bread rations.

O Wanderer who comes from Bubastis:

I have not spied.

O Pale-one who comes from On:

I have not prattled.

O Villain who comes from Andjty:

I have contended only for my goods.

O Fiend who comes from slaughterhouse:

I have not committed adultery.

O Examiner who comes from Min´s temple:

I have not defiled myself.

O Chief of the nobles who comes from Imu:

I have not caused fear.

O Wrecker who comes from Huy:

I have not trespassed.

O Disturber who comes from the sanctuary:

I have not been violent.

O Child who comes from the nome of On:

I have not been deaf to Maat.

O Foreteller who comes from Wensi:

I have not quarreled.

O Bast who comes from the shrine:



I have not winked.

O Backward-faced who comes from the pit:

I have not copulated with a boy.

O Flame-footed who comes from the dusk:

I have not been false.

O Dark-one who comes from the dusk:

I have not reviled.

O Peace-bringer who comes from Sais:

I have not been aggressive.

O Many-faced who comes from Djefet:

I have not had a hasty heart.

O Accuser who comes from Utjen:

I have not attacked and reviled a god.

O Horned-one who comes from Siut:

I have not made many words.

O Nefertem who comes from Memphis:

I have not sinned, I have not done wrong.

O Timeless-one who comes from Djedu:

I have not made trouble.

O Willful-one who comes from Tjebu:

I have not [waded] in water.

O Flowing-one who comes from Nun:

I have not raised my voice.

O Commander of people who comes from his shrine:

I have not cursed a god.



O Benefactor who comes from Huy:

I have not been boastful.

O Nehebkau who comes from the city:

I have not been haughty.

O High-of-head who comes from the cave:

I have not wanted more than I had.

O Captor who comes from the graveyard:

I have not cursed god in my town.

Now, we move to West Africa to a place called Burkina Faso. In 1931 the high priest of the city of Bassan in the present-day Burkina Faso was facing the major challenge of his life. Following carefullythe custom of his ancestors, he sacrificed the usual sacrificial animals to the gods of rain withoutsuccess. The drought continued, and the land became barren, blistered, and unremittingly harsh. Thehigh priest went to confide his worries to the city mayor, Amadou Hampaté Bâ. He lamented his fate.He told the mayor that he must have done something terribly wrong because heaven refused to honor his pleas for rain. He went on to say that heaven had always been kind to him because it previously hadalways granted him rain, which he never asked for himself but rather on behalf of the plants, animals,and inhabitants of Bassan. After expressing his worries, the high priest told Bâ that there remained onelast sacrifice to celebrate, and this ultimate sacrifice would have to be conducted in the presence of themayor. The following day at the sacrificial ground, after slaying the usual sacrificial animals—chickens,goat, and dog—in front of all his people and the mayor, the high priest expressed himself in these words:

Lord of waters, of the skies and the wells of the earth, I just finished the ceremonies of sacrifice which my ancestors always did to bring down rain with your consent. You haveremained deaf to my last call. I never committed adultery, I have never robbed the poor, Ihave never lied, I have been hospitable to foreigners regardless of their origin, I have notoppressed the weak nor did I steal the public goods in my charge, I have never engaged inwrongdoing. However, Lord of water, because the twigs hang limply on their once proudstem, because human beings die of thirst, it means that I have fallen from grace. I must do afinal sacrifice, which I will rather do quickly with all my heart and I am sure you won’trefuse it.

Moving from words to deeds, the high priest smiled as he walked toward the well, which was aboutsixty meters deep, and dove head first to his death screaming, “Lord of waters, pour your rain on mycountry so that it can live in my place.” The next day it rained. This anecdote illustrates the way a leader sacrifices his own life for the benefit of his people.The concept of a "Christ" figure, who sacrifices hislife for his people, is not a Hebrew creation nor exclusive to Hebrew tradition. I will deal with this issuein an up coming publication on the Ndele (Neterw) in 2011.



For now, here we can see that the exact same language is used in both traditions. In both traditions, inorder to gain favor of the spirits, one must be “pure” of heart, refined and not be blemished. One shouldnote that in both traditions, to declare one's innocence is not only a practice at death, but during one'slife. One must continually declare one's worthiness to the spirits, nature and the living community (seeKarenga 2006). This is at the heart of the word nTr (neter, njora, Ndele(a,u), Tre, Adro) which are not

only the “pure” forces of nature, but human beings of High Moral Character. In order to get the spiritforces to respond to your needs, it is the African belief that one must be like the “neters” and thus thehigh stress on purity (on all levels).

What’s important here for our studies is that this practice of declaring one’s innocence to the spirits isalive and well in many parts of the continent of Africa and if one wants to supplement their Egyptianstudies and get a better understanding of their practices and philosophy, it would be a good idea to studymore aspects of the comparable African cultures because more jewels may await the student. Oftenwhen something is obscure in Egyptian literature, you can often go to another African culture and gainclarity on the practice as they continue these things, intact, til this day in many parts of the continent:often using the same terminology you find in Egyptian texts (see Dogon, Bambara, Yoruba and Akantraditions for example). So I hope this encourages the reader to get to know Africa-at-large better.Egypt will make a lot more sense to you once you do.

Ancestrally,

Mujilu CiTapa (Asar Imhotep)

http://www.asarimhotep.com

Bibliography

The Ancient Egyptians - A. Rosalie David

Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt - Erik Hornung

Ancient Egyptian Literature, I, II, III - Miriam Lichtheim

Maat: The Moral Ideal of Ancient Egypt – Maulana Karenga

Beyond the Colonial Gaze: Reconstructing African Wisdom Traditions – Kykosa Kajangu

ADDENDUM:>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

To add clarity to what is being compared and why the comparison was made:

Burkina faso:



I have never engaged in wrongdoing.

Egypt:

O Nefertem who comes from Memphis:

I have not sinned, I have not done wrong.

Burkina Faso:

I have never robbed the poor

Egypt:

O Flame-grasper who comes from Kheraha:

I have not robbed.

Burkina Faso:

nor did I steal the public goods in my charge,

Egypt:

O Shadow-eater who comes from the cave:

I have not stolen

Burkina Faso:

I have never lied,



Egypt:

O Bone-smasher who comes from Hnes:

I have not told lies.

Burkina Faso:

I never committed adultery,

Egypt:

O Fiend who comes from slaughterhouse:

I have not committed adultery.

The only statement in the citing of the priest from Burkina Faso that did not have a directcorrespondence with the Egyptian was, "I have not oppressed the weak," although one could sum up afew of the declarations and apply it to this statement; the only difference being no direct statement

addressing the social status of the people.

We make comparisons with inner Africa in a similar matter that we make comparisons between the 42Admonitions of Ma'at and the 10 Commandments. In regards to the Hebrew tradition, it is to illuminatethe probable inspiration of the 10 Commandments. In the case of Burkina Faso, it is to bring to lightanother parallel between Ancient Egypt and Black African cultures which further supports the notionthat Egypt belongs to a tradition that is shared across the continent and that many of Egypt's practicesare not uncommon or unique in Black Africa.

Although the given examples are applied in two different contexts, the underlying spirit is the same in

each: to prove worthiness before spirit and the community. It is these types of parallels that help us getto the heart of Egyptian philosophy and praxis.

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West Africa and the 42 Declarations of Innocence