tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43745182208274815882024-03-05T04:03:08.385-06:00Keepers of the Way, Inc.For elevation and honor of our Afrikan Ancestors.Sangoyemihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15155792180858629517noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-2622936765843588292023-02-15T12:48:00.000-06:002023-02-15T12:48:07.147-06:00Honoring our Ancestors of ResistanceThe month of February is designated Black History Month. We uphold the notion that our history, culture and values are to be celebrated and practiced every day of the year. Today, we take a moment to highlight two Ancestors of resistance to draw upon their fierce tenacity to fight on behalf of their people. First, we honor Queen Nanny of Jamaica. Queen Nanny was heavily influenced by the Omiladehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045437571125051588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-14104964889456928852022-07-02T09:38:00.003-06:002022-07-02T09:41:23.621-06:00KOW Celebration 2022 Keepers
of the Way travelled to Montgomery, AL to visit both the Legacy Museum: From
Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and
Justice Sunday June 26, 2022. Our decision to not have our typical Celebration
in the park was an expansion of the way
we celebrate by acknowledging all that we know has transpired. To those, whose
lives have been taken, we MUST Omiladehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045437571125051588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-8666433844181281482022-05-27T14:33:00.001-06:002022-05-27T14:33:40.374-06:00Change is Constant We have been blessed to see another year and we are here with gratitude and remembrance. This year, we are making a change and taking our annual Ancestor Celebration on the road with a trip to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. The trip is June 26, 2022. We will be meeting at 8:00 am, with the van leaving promptly at 9:00am. Our meetup spot is Afrikan Djeli located at 801 Lee St, Omiladehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045437571125051588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-37225207720674806032021-04-23T11:41:00.001-06:002021-04-25T07:11:52.978-06:00Another Year -- Blessing Full We have reached another year, another opportunity to give great honor and appreciation to those who have come before us. Honor and appreciation for the sacrifices, for the courage, for the wisdom, for the sticking to it.We are not possible without this power that came before. The circle of life continues. We continue. And we continue in loyalty and honorable behavior.We have seen the Truth Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com2Afrikan Djeli31.0236838 -82.72988579999999124.01152213865479 -91.518948299999991 38.035845461345211 -73.940823299999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-2826154054689232062020-01-31T00:44:00.001-06:002020-01-31T00:44:19.300-06:0010 Years and the Ancestors Keep Calling Us Back
Join us in joy and celebration of the community of Ancestors that have been raised as we have called and honored their names. We committed 10 years ago to be in place to participate in the healing of Atlanta's ATR community and then the Afrikan community in general. We continue to stand ready with all of those out there who would like to unite in harmony, the harmony that our Ancestors can Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-42906098768006747132019-09-17T20:36:00.001-06:002020-01-31T00:38:49.611-06:00Wisdom of Days Past
The quote above is from the Book of Ani as translated in Selections from THE HUSIA by Maulana Karenga.
Join me to hear a few other valuable quotes that speak of children, honor and Ancestors.
These teachings are the foundation of our World View and speak deeply of what we should be returning to as OUR values.
"If God grants you children, may the heart of their father and mother know them.Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-36366223542693164242018-12-12T08:51:00.000-06:002018-12-12T08:51:35.202-06:00Winter Clothing Drive 2018 Is NOWANNOUNCEMENT
WHAT: Not Forgotten Winter Clothes Drive 2018
As a Keepers of the Way, Inc (KOW) Community Outreach program, we
are organizing a clothing drive to gather winter clothing and personal items to
package and distribute to those not forgotten – the homeless.
We are asking for winter items such as:
blankets, socks, sweatshirts, skullies, long sleeve shirts
And personal items such as:Omiladehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045437571125051588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-34521044150850488522018-05-09T13:32:00.002-06:002018-05-09T13:32:54.105-06:00501-C-3A quick announcement that Keepers of the Way, Inc has now achieved 501-C-3 status which means that your donations are tax deductible. Join us in celebrating our own diligence in the face of all of the obstacles placed in front of us.
Forward, ever forward.Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-84989032577377874342018-05-09T09:25:00.003-06:002018-05-09T17:57:14.770-06:00Why We Need Regular Grief Work and Healing<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-80397752010878771292016-05-31T09:48:00.001-06:002016-05-31T09:48:39.935-06:00Here is A Way to Contribute
Do you know that it is not always money (in fact, money is the least of it) that is needed to make something happen. No, it is showing up. What that means is that YOU matter. Your spirit, your presence matters and the world is a little less brilliant when you decide to be missing or that it doesn't matter if your show up.
There is no way to convince you that YOU matter. It is Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-8065887101184711442016-05-01T20:34:00.004-06:002016-05-02T18:50:26.346-06:00Next Fundraising Event May 22
We had our first successful "Documentary and Dialogue" fundraiser in February. It was a wonderful start!
We are hosting the next "Documentary and Dialogue" on May 22nd at Yeye's Botanica from 6-8 pm.
The film starts at 6:00 and is a documentary film relevant to our community. At the end, there is time for conversation about the film's message and what it means for us.
Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-32501142658500557212016-04-27T15:37:00.001-06:002016-05-02T18:51:15.521-06:00June 26 Perkerson Park Celebration
We are underway!!!
I hope that you are looking forward and marking your calendar for the next Ancestor Celebration.
It is June 26 and it is at Perkerson Park, starting (real time) at 11:00 a.m.
Currently, we are working on the schedule, you know "man plans and Olodumare replans". What we want to accomplish during our time together on this day is:
1. to make real life connections in a Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com0Perkerson Park, Atlanta, GA, USA33.6898059 -84.409387633.663381900000005 -84.4497281 33.7162299 -84.3690471tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-79138441151997203582015-05-07T14:53:00.002-06:002015-05-22T13:11:31.666-06:00June 21, 2015 is the Adult Field Day at WASHINGTON PARK. We are hosting this as our fundraising effort for the Ancestor Celebration that will be held the following Sunday, June 28th.
Join us for a great time and help our worthy cause. Simply complete the form, pay via PayPal (using the donate button) and come out for a great day.
Fill out my online form.
Online contact and registration Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-10000286588524303972015-02-15T16:44:00.002-06:002015-02-15T16:44:18.909-06:00Volunteers Needed!!!Keepers of the Way are always looking for individuals who are willing to help with the annual celebration. This is a community event and all are welcome. If you are interested in volunteering during the Annual Ancestor Celebration please email Iya Sangoyemi at planning@ancestralpower.org
This year celebration will be June 28th in Atlanta, Ga. More details to come.
Sangoyemihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15155792180858629517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-32881502063545892542015-02-15T16:11:00.000-06:002015-02-15T16:11:18.591-06:00I am the lightI am the light I am their light After the tears, the pain, the struggles I am the light I am their light Left behind to carry the torch I am the torch I am the light I am their light I am their hopes and dreams I am the light I am their light
by Sangoyemi
Be light of your ancestors, Celebrate and honor them
Sangoyemihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15155792180858629517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-48810045370706045882014-12-17T14:49:00.000-06:002014-12-17T14:49:04.261-06:00Sobonfu.ComMotunrayo asked me to post this for her as we sort out why she is unable to post it. It comes from Sobonfu Some and is a quote from her as a part of an interview. It has significance to us who seek ongoing connection to and relationship with our ancestors.
“There is a deep longing among people in the West to connect with something bigger — with community and spirit.”Interview by Randy Peyser: Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-64409244957891826842013-10-29T11:30:00.000-06:002013-11-05T18:55:49.704-06:00The Purpose of Keepers of the Way
Keepers of the Way is a collaboration of families of African traditional practitioners coming together for the perpetual healing of our communities. It was never our intention that KOW would be associated with our Ile. It is not OUR event. It is a community event that is for elevation of our community through elevation and connecting to ancestors. At first, there was Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-41305552693458823972013-10-29T11:29:00.001-06:002013-11-05T18:30:16.463-06:00Ancestor Reverence in Zimbabwe
In Shona and Ndebele religions,
God, or the Supreme Being, is seen as the creator and sustainer of the universe.
Shona Mwari (literally "He or she who is"), or
Ndebele uMlimu are both believed to be active in the
everyday lives of people. In general, people communicate ith Mwari through the vadzimu (Shona), or amadhlozi (Ndebele). These are the Ìyá Omitádé Ifàtóósín Adédìranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07083375967409964675noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-1703464911576765932013-06-15T20:30:00.000-06:002013-06-15T22:30:12.409-06:00PERSEVERE - AS OUR ANCESTORS DID, SO MUST WEWhere we are today as African descendants has not been an easy road. We have not come to 2013, still conscious of where we came from, still desiring to understand better and to reconnect with those who came before us by accident or coincidence. That we who call ourselves "Keepers of the Way" are here keeping the way of our Ancestors is a triumph over tribulations. That we know the names of some Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-24886781655698763292013-06-14T21:00:00.000-06:002013-06-15T00:14:29.148-06:00HEARING ANCESTRAL VOICESWouldn't it be just lovely to hear a grandmother's voice again telling a story of her life on the farm in a small community near the sea? How wonderful it would be to hear her sing or laugh or give a word of advice! Only certain people have the gift of hearing the voice of Ancestors and many these days are afraid of this ability. Fortunately, the traditional practices that exist to venerate Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-12146767561214718092013-06-13T21:00:00.000-06:002013-06-14T00:09:46.447-06:00WHITE - THE COLOR OF HEALING AS WE HONOR OUR ANCESTORS
Akan Ancestor stool wrapped in white cloth
and elevated on rocks. Photo by Phil Bartle
According to Akan tradition, white is never worn at a funeral because it is a color that symbolizes joy, purity, cleansing and victory. While paying homage to Ancestors, they wrap a special Ancestral stool in white cloth to protect it from negativity.
In Voodoo tradition of the Fon kingdom in Benin, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-51740723054006084262013-06-12T21:00:00.000-06:002013-06-12T23:02:35.502-06:00HONORING ANCESTORS - A HEALING PROCESS
Spiritual healer (Buyei) leading the Garifuna Dugu celebration
When the Garinagu of Central America conduct a Dugu (the Feasting of the Dead), it would often be because someone became ill and no doctor could determine what was the problem. The family would then take the ailing person to the spiritual healer and in that consultation would find out that an Ancestor wanted a feast. The family andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-45066668492381560392013-06-11T21:00:00.000-06:002013-06-11T23:13:39.003-06:00WHY CELEBRATE ANCESTORS? WHY NOT?!Need it be a question to ask? Have we come so far away from OUR way that we must ask the relevance and importance of celebrating and honoring our Ancestors? In the time when we were truly civilized we would not have asked this question. It would not even cross our minds to ask in the same way we would not ask why must we breath oxygen. It was simply natural for us to honor those from whom Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-61412449856346714262013-06-10T21:30:00.000-06:002013-06-11T00:39:05.593-06:00DANCING FOR ANCESTORSIt usually involves singing, dancing, drumming and a circular formation. All four are very important to any celebration of Ancestors on the continent or in the diaspora. The 'ring shout', for example, is one of several dances done in the diaspora to honor Ancestors. Enslaved Africans in the Caribbean and the United States would gather at night after their work day at a location usually in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374518220827481588.post-76845469452635709242013-06-06T23:59:00.000-06:002013-06-08T00:19:10.892-06:00SINGING: A MUST IN HONORING ANCESTORSSinging, usually by call and response, is a significant and prevalent aspect of African tradition. Cultures with an African foundation have singing in just about every aspect of life from birth to death. Most songs are written to express life's experiences - the joy of a new child, the achievement of a particular goal, the reunion of a family, the overcoming of a challenge - whether joyous or Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1