The Indigenous Renaissance Initiatives (IRI) branch seeks to promote the regeneration of indigenous culture worldwide. For those seeking exposure to the culture of their Ancestral roots and not knowing where to start- this aspect of the Kebtah mission provides a unique opportunity through which people are able to travel and experience the Meritah culture first hand through immersive pilgrimages.
Meritah (indigenous Africa) has preserved the principles of indigenous culture in a way that was once widespread around the world, and therefore offers a chance for seekers to be exposed to a living culture based on ancestral wisdom and knowledge. This series will expand on some of those principles to give a taste of what you can experience and learn through one of our pilgrimages!
Welcome
Every culture in the world has their own way of greeting. From a bow to a handshake or even a fist bump; greetings introduce you before you speak.
In the traditions, whenever we have someone visiting our home, temple or if they have come back home from a journey, we greet them by offering them a calabash of water to drink from. The responsible of the group takes the calabash, pours to the four directions, drinks the first sip, and passes the calabash to the rest of the group arriving. This is a customary welcome in the traditions, as it allows the travelers to show their gratitude for arriving safely to the Ancestors and the powers of Nature, and welcomes the group into the domain of the home after the journey.
The culture functions in this manner where even seemingly mundane things have a deep significance both in the seen and unseen- allowing a person within the culture to grow up understanding this important duality in their lives.
Greeting
In the mornings when we wake up, we greet each other. The morning isn’t complete until everyone in the group is greeted - during pilgrimage - this was over 60 people at one point! In this greeting, sometimes people will ask ‘how are you?’ and ‘how did you sleep?’ ‘How is your patience?’ ‘How is your effort?’ You have started a new day and by greeting others you set the tone for how your day will continue, a reminder to keep your patience up, your effort up.
In some traditions when someone is greeted, people can be seen prostrating, kneeling, or bowing down before another. This is not about whether someone is bigger than you or you are lower than them. This is about respecting and honoring that person and all that is with them and came before them in the unseen as well. There is an order to things in the culture- and fitting into this order allows the community to function harmoniously within the society, and with Nature as well.
Join the Indigenous Renaissance. For further information on the Charitable projects and how you can get involved see the Charitable Projects section below and visit IRIKebtah.org
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