The lost ones and their greatness

Throughout my academic career I have been through a series of history classes. In each we’ve discussed the slave trade and how Africans were taken from their homeland and were dehumanized as slave workers for various countries. Walking into Dr.Beatty’s class I expected to hear the same story. However, he explained slavery in a light that no one has every tried to discuss or reveal to me while growing up. I would say the three main concepts that caught my attention during this week’s lecture were dismemberment, maroons, and advancement of science and technology.

The idea of dismemberment caught my attention because I didn’t think into depth how slavery could affect an individual. Dismemberment begins when millions of Africans were taken from their homeland and forced into a new society. Most individuals during slavery lost and empty due to the fact they were separated by everything they knew and forced into a new culture. I thought that Africans were just put into these different cultures and lost everything they had. Meanwhile, they all kept their culture within their hearts and didn’t easily agree to accept these culture changes forced upon them. Many created a new culture by combining parts of their culture and wherever they were placed for slavery. This made me realize that Africans weren’t dumb and didn’t just follow rules because they didn’t know any better but they were creative, trying to keep their culture no matter the others that were forced on them.

The maroons were the most unique part of the whole lecture. I honestly never knew or was taught that Africans escaped the slaveholders and formed their own communities called maroons. Maroons existed all across the world. Many of them were in the United States; and African leaders ran all. This caught my attention the most because I honestly felt that Africans gave up when they were pulled out of their homeland. But little did I know, that they fought for their culture and independence by performing actions such as maroons.

Lastly, the most interesting was the slide on Science and Technology. The idea that countries went to countries looking for groups of Africans with certain expertise was amazing. Some Africans new how to grow rice, some knew cures to some sickness, and with this knowledge, countries went and searched for these groups of Africans. So Africans were taken captive because of their advanced skills in science and technology Instead of learning their ways, country leaders decide to rip them from their communities and force them perform these skills. Again, this gave me a more detailed explanation on why they chose Africans as slaves. Africans are an advanced group of individuals that people wanted to learn from.

Abandonment And Dismemberment: "Something Torn and New"

This lecture given by Dr. Mario Beatty mostly explained how the Africans must have felt after being forced to leave their homeland. The lecture also explained how they tried to bring a piece of home with them so that they can keep their culture going while they are in new lands.

Dismemberment was explained by the following:

- Historical narratives of loss and emptiness

- Historical narratives of African continuity and collective synthesis and transformation interfacing with particular social conditions

- Historical narratives of newness that assembles and combines African and European traditions, often giving primacy to the European side of the equation

Dr. Beatty asked us a question of what part of African culture do we still have today. We received answers such as music, food, sense of family, language etc. So along with the narratives Africans held dear parts of their culture and made sure that it was passed down so that their children's children would know of their ways.

Throughout the lecture he constantly asked questions to make us, the students, think about how the Africans felt leaving their home. As i thought about this I started to feel a bit of sadness with a pinch of anger mixed in. one question Dr. Beatty asked was (paraphrased) " Do you think the Africans would rather be home free or here in a new world and enslaved?"

That question really mad me ponder about how they must have felt. Yes, although taken from home and enslaved we came into this country and now we have many things, but i think we still would have chosen to be free. We didn't need to come to the new world. We had what we wanted at home, family, friends, religion, culture. The Middle Passage formed a sense of disconnection with our heritage and I feel that Howard University and especially these Freshmen Seminars are helping us to be re-connected.

-Kapri R.

Abandonment and Dismemberment

"There have been African continuities that exist in the New World that we have not been trained to look at correctly."

This is something Dr. Beatty stated that really stuck with me. The further away that we travel from the middle passage in time, the more we are disconnected from our roots. This is true of anything we are disconnected from for a period of time, but the particular situation in which Africans were literally ripped from their roots proves that we [the plants] were ripped with intent; intent to destroy any chance of reproduction of culture, value, and togetherness. 

Dr. Beatty seems to be on a mission to reverse that intent by teaching us the correct way of evaluating the way we look at African continuities.

First Dr. Beatty introduced us to Maroon Societies. Maroon Societies are societies that were comprised of runaway slaves that operated similar to the societies that excited in Africa (before they were transported). These societies functioned completely on their own, and more importantly, thrived. It took Europeans almost 100 years to completely destroy the Maroon society of Quilumbo, which at its peak, reached 20,000 people.

Second, Dr. Beatty discussed how medicine men and women, who as slaves, created their own remedies and healing methods out of plants and herbs the planet provided. He also discussed how transported Africans merged their own culture into new religion. This assimilation of culture was persistent enough to still exist today. We as students at Howard University are taught to notice these continuities.

Last, Dr. Beatty discussed how what we know to be called Ebonics could be traced back to Ancient Egyptian language. He also mentioned the great privilege Howard’s Anthropology students in conducting excavation at the New York African Burial Ground and how that study was proof that we are actually making the connection between our past and our present.

-Britni Cuington

ABANDONMENT & DISMEMBERMENT

How does it feel to be ripped away from your homeland? Your comfort place? Your family? Do you give up on life itself or do you fight in order to find ways to return? What about your culture and beliefs? Should you throw them away and settle for those of your new environment? Or would you faithfully practice those customs and beliefs as if nothing changed? What about hope? Happiness? Do you still have either?

These questions were answered by this week’s presentation by Dr. Mario Beatty. He spoke of the dismemberment of Africans from their homeland, Africa. In order to explain the dismemberment, historical narratives are used. Many narratives portray the “loss and emptiness” of Africans. When taken away from their homeland, the Africans had no knowledge of where they were going. They weren’t able to plan and pack what they needed. They were, at a sudden moment, taken from their everyday lives in order to become slaves in an unknown land. This had a great impact on them giving them a sudden emptiness in their souls.

However, not everything was taken from them. Although taken from their land, the Africans kept their culture and religion. They continued dancing and singing and telling stories in order to keep their culture alive. Most importantly, they kept their sense of togetherness and unity. Although coming from different tribes and speaking different languages, the Africans knew that they all had a common goal - to get back to Africa. With this, they were able to govern themselves and come together as one in several communities. With these communities, social structure was also created among the groups, both within the family and politically.

In addition to the topics covered in this PowerPoint, I would add a section solely about dance and music. These two things were extremely important in the lives of Africans. It was their way of expressing themselves. It allowed them to enjoy themselves and look upon the better things. They also used dance and music to tell stories and convey messages. Music and dance were crucial parts of the life of Africans, including the Black Diaspora.

- Carina F. <3

OMOLUABI

Dr. Segun Gbadegesi spoke on the topic of Omoluabi. The real focus was Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility.

Omoluabi is a child begotten of the chief (source) of Iwa.

Iwa means character.

So Dr. Gbadegesi was trying to help learn how to develop character. He was telling us the story of Iwa. And Iwa was the wife of Orunmila. Orunmila was mistreating Iwa which eventually made Iwa leave Orunmila. Because Iwa left, Orunmila lost everything he had and tried so hard to look anf find Iwa once again.

This exemplifies that if character leaves you or you loose your character nothing good will come to you. Here are some definitions given to us

Iwa Lewa: good character is Beauty

Iwa Ioba Awure: Goog charater is the greatest tails man for wealth.

So ultimately what we need in life is characcter. To succeed we must keep good character and great things including wealth will come to us.

-Kapri R.

Character defines me

Each week of Freshman Seminar brings me closer to my African American roots, unlocking history of the African culture that I didn’t know existed. This week we spoke further on Dr.Carr’s concept of Learning and Knowledge. DR, G’s lecture explored three concepts of: character, religion and education; all, which is, connected to Africans and their contribution to where we are today.

The story of Iwa and Orunmila, discussed character and its importance in ones life. Orunmila was the god of wisdom and Iwa was his wife. Orumila treated Iwa badly leading to Iwa leaving Orunmila. In the story Iwa represented character. The story of Iwa and Orunmila was that even the wisest man could lose his character. Without character a person is nothing because character defines who you are. Dr. G’s thoughts on character and how it defines whom someone is really got to me. I never thought about character as such an important part of a person’s life. Character is what leads to happiness as well as represents the amount of wealth you have. In addition, I realized that I should try to have a good character and try to build my character to remain happy and keep my “wealth”.

When he spoke of Africans and how they contributed to the existence of religion, I was amazed because I never knew that. I never knew Africans discovered the classics before the Greeks. Also, that African gods and goddesses predicted the existence of Greek philosophers. In the United States African were perceived as uneducated mean while, we are the root of all creation. One of the most influential goddesses of religion was Ma’at, her principles influenced the Ten Commandments.

Finally, Dr. G discussed education and how its important to educated correctly. A good education helps us become successful and influential figures in society. If you’re miseducated you’re going to be misguided in society. This made me proud that I would be educated correctly at Howard University. This means I will be bound to success if I use my knowledge positively.

Be an Omoluabi

RESEARCH QUESTION: “How have scholars across the various fields of study advanced and transformed academic knowledge related to enduring problems of the human condition?”

Dr. Segun Gbadegesin focused on the transformation of knowledge that had been made in the ancient Egyptian world and challenged us as students to transform academic knowledge as we know it to be today.

Dr. Gbadegesin first focused on “Ijuba”, which literally means homage. He emphasized how we must pay homage to the people who came before us and paved the path that we must walk. He said that we must also pay homage to those who come after us in hopes that they “will be better than we were,” as Dr. Carr stated in the previous lecture.

Second, Dr. Gbadegesin focused on the topic of Black/African philosophy and thought. He explained to us that Ancient Egyptians practiced in the fields of sciences, mathematics, and astrology many years before it was introduced to the Greeks. He emphasized that the thought of Blacks or Africans not being able to produce effective philosophy or advancement in the academic realm as invalid and that it is our responsibility change that thought.

Last, Dr. Gbadegesin focused on the word “Omoluabi”, which is “a child begotten of the chief of iwa.” Dr. Gbadegesin told us to be an Omoluabi; be a person who is disciplined and “self-improving”; be a student who is not only intelligent, but also wise. Being an Omoluabi means using the knowledge attained through formal education and applying it in our global community and not backing down when the community is in need of a leader.