An Obligatory Privilege
Zoometnt, 10th of Hebsenseni 407 (Wednesday, July 16 2008)...My day started out as usual. I woke up, showered and checked my phone messages and emails. It was a Day of Rest according to the Sidereal Calendar, which means that on that designated day we don't do our zem zem (daily spiritual activities). In ancient times, this was the day that was dedicated to cleaning the temples. When I say "we" I am speaking of all Earth Center students and everyone who adheres to the Kemetic (Pre-colonial world) Holy Days.
The California sun was bright as usual, and the weather was nice and warm. After finishing some work, I went to visit an elderly French woman whom I check in on from time to time. After talking for a few minutes I excused myself and called Master Naba back home in Merita (traditional name for Africa). I had just spoken to him three days prior to that day. That particular conversation had been rather brief. He was clearly not feeling his best; so he asked me to call him back in a couple of days because he was travelling. He gave me the number of one of his relatives who was with him.
When I asked to speak to Maakeru, I then heard the man who answered the phone say something to him in what I assumed was the Tem language. Then I heard silence. Again the man said something to Maakeru and again there was silence. A few seconds later, I could hear Maakeru's voice faintly in the background. I could tell he was trying to respond to me. The man then tried to translate something to me in English so bad that I couldn't understand him. I figured he spoke French as well, so I gave the phone to the old lady and asked her to translate French into English for me. She told me that the man was telling her that Maakeru was not doing too well; and that his health condition was critical. I then took back the phone and was told by the man in English, "The Master said you should come". I knew it had to be serious because Maakeru never complains about any discomforts regarding his health; he just deals with them quietly. All implications pointed to an unfavourable outcome; but the idea of possibly losing the one who taught me more in 10 years than what I was taught in 27 years was still unreal to me at that point. My reaction was calm for that reason. It was too unreal. I got on a flight that same night to NY and headed to Merita the following day. I arrived on a Friday morning. Master Naba died Monday. It was an Ancestral Holy Day.
The history that Master Naba and I share is unique and incredible. The knowledge he imparted to me...priceless.
When I first met Maakeru (Master Naba) I was at a point in my life where I was seeking to be re-connected with my past, my culture and my people. Almost 10 years ago I was invited to a lecture he gave in Chicago. It was a very low key event that was held in a private space downtown. At that point, I knew very little about the Dogon people of Africa. It was not until earlier in that year that I was even interested in seriously studying writings on indigenous systems. I was teaching 5th grade at the time; but I was becoming increasingly frustrated with the educational curriculum that I was required to teach. As ignorant as I may have been at that time, I knew there had to be an alternative to what I was exposing my students to. The little I did share with them about African culture was what I read in books. Even that got me in trouble with the Principal of the school. I was told that if the school board became aware that I was deviating from the set curriculum, the school would not receive a portion of their yearly funding. But when I saw how even that small amount of information transformed the behaviours of the students, I knew I couldn't stop sharing these things with them, and I knew I had to learn more for myself. So after I heard the Maaker's speech for the very first time, it sparked a flame within that motivated me to search deeper for the truth that I felt had been eluding me and my people. Little did I know that Maakeru would become my friend, brother, mentor and teacher, and the one to open up the doors in my mind that prevented me from seeing what had been right in my face the entire time. This was a gift that I am still benefiting from today.
Being the eldest student of Maakeru was not an easy experience. I struggled on many levels to incorporate what he taught me into my practical lifestyle. The two worlds clashed constantly. But somehow I was confident that it was in my best interest to continue the struggle in my mind. And Maakeru reminded me of that struggle everyday.
It was a special energy about Maakeru that attracted people. Before he officially relocated to Chicago (he was living in lowa at the time), but after the initial lecture he gave, he came back to Chicago to attend the African Arts Festival. This was September 1998. A dear brother of mine, Robert "Baabe" Irving III, was hosting Maakeru during his three day visit. It was Baabe who was my very first spiritual teacher. He is a famous jazz artist, but the diverse knowledge he has accumulated is endless and had greater impact on my thinking than anything I had been exposed to in my life prior to meeting Master Naba. It was Baabe who first introduced me to the Dogon culture. I was so fascinated and intrigued that I had a lot of sleepless nights during that period. And just months later, I would have the opportunity to sit and talk with an authentic Dogon priest! Unbelievable! So while we were walking at the festival, I made sure to not ask Maakeru a lot of questions, although my brain felt as if it would explode if I didn't. I just stayed quiet and observed him. I noticed that everybody who made eye contact with him was enthralled and couldn't take their eyes off him. I also noticed that random people kept coming to greet him as if they had always known him. They all appeared happy meeting him. There was definitely something different about these interactions I was observing. It is still difficult to explain even now. But I felt honoured to be with him without really knowing who he was. For me, that says a lot.
I don't think Maakeru, Baabe, Senabella (another friend) or myself slept any more than a few hours a day during the festival. We would leave and go back to Baabe's house and talk until the sun rose. After leaving the festival on the last day, I told Maakeru that the people in Chicago needed him to teach the knowledge of Africa and spirituality., I said this half jokingly at best. His immediate response was, "If you find me a place to live, I will come". I didn't think he was serious... but he was. It took me all of two weeks to find a place for him; and we then set ourselves to publish the Chicago Firefly Magazine, which later became the Rising Firefly Magazine. That was my first taste of being a producer and entrepreneur of something that was relevant to the world. Although I was making more money teaching, I was more satisfied with being in control of my own life. Money was no longer a motivation for me at that point. Maakeru made sure to instill that in me very early in our relationship.
For two years straight I would be by Maakeru's side everyday working, learning and growing. I have never worked that hard in my life! It made me realize just how lazy I was. But he didn't accept mediocrity from me at all. He always pushed me to work harder and write more. The Firefly was a free magazine so everything we published was being paid for out of his pockets. But soon, the money began to run out; and we almost had to halt production after about a year and a half. I can remember crying on that day. I couldn't believe that all of the hard work we put into this was a waste. I knew I had to really work harder even if I thought I couldn't. I went to him with tears in my eyes and said, "We are going to make this work... I am with you until the end". He smiled and looked at me and said, "I know you are". We recovered from that first windfall rather quickly after that day. I felt a motivation and determination unlike any other that I had ever felt before. That moment sealed our bond forever.
This was before he officially began teaching the public. They had been exposed to him through his writings in our magazine, which I distributed all over the Chicagoland area once a month. So by the time he decided to start the M'TAM teachings in Chicago two years later, the public was ready. And on the very first day of the official initiation class, in front of about forty five people in a two bedroom apartment on the Westside of Chicago, he said, "Some of you know me as a friend. Some of you here know me as a brother. Some of you know me as a Priest and a healer. But really, none of you know me. So, don't waste your time trying to figure out who I am". After ten years of being his student, his words still ring true... even after his death.
I think it was this part of him that confused people the most... the part they couldn't understand or make sense of. It was only because I knew his heart that I was able to overcome other aspects of him that caused confusion within me regarding certain decisions he took. Unfortunately, many others who came to learn from him could not get past what they couldn't understand about him, and they eventually left the school. I am now the only one left of all of those who were there on that first day of initiation. That was the first of eighteen combined generations of Earth Center initiates...and counting.
It is very difficult for me to pinpoint the most valuable lesson he taught me because there are hundreds of them. But I think the one that is helping me the most is learning to focus on my own development by understanding the Heru/Set (harmony) principle. This allowed me to see Maakeru as a human being and nothing more than that. Many others, including myself initially, put him on such a high pedestal that it left no room for him to have any human flaws. So when his flaws were revealed, it was a purely emotional event that interrupted the reception of knowledge he was imparting to us. It took me a while to "get it", but once I did it enabled me to grow faster and see the world for what it really is; a delicate balance of positive and negative energies. This allowed me to let go of many pains, resentments, regrets and grudges I was holding onto. It gave me a much deeper understanding of myself. It forced me to accept the reality of things and events without being broken and thrown off my path by them. I am still gaining a deeper understanding of this everyday as I analyse everything that I am aware of. But it still remains challenging nevertheless.
When I look at my behaviour now and compare it to what it was before meeting Maakeru, it is clear to see the impact his teachings had on me. It was clear to him as well. I remember having a conversation with him a few years ago about what I observed in myself regarding how different my life was from what I thought it would be. He just started laughing while reminding me of how shameful my life really was in comparison, although I knew without having to be reminded. As the conversation went on, his laughter became harder... and so did mine. Then it ended as quickly as it had started. We both became silent. But in that silence, I knew how fortunate I was to have him in my life.
Ever since he died, I still replay in my mind the last few face-to-face conversations we had in Merita two years ago. While waiting on a bus that would take us to the bush from the city, he started talking to me unexpectedly while looking at the sky as if he was concentrating on something. He said, "Bikbaye, remember to always keep your life very simple. You don't need fancy things. Keep it simple and don't become attached to anything". I didn't understand what brought that on because we were not discussing anything before that moment. Later that night while we were in our house in the village, we were talking about how things should go with the Earth Center in America, since, on this trip, he was relocating back to Merita and would not be returning with me. He fell silent again and I noticed a sense of frustration on his face and in his voice when he then said, "Out of all the people on Earth, why did they choose me? Why us?" It was obvious that he was thinking aloud. It seemed a heavy feeling had overcome him. It threw me off a little because I had never heard any retrospection like that from him before. In that moment, he also appeared very vulnerable to something much bigger than himself. Instead of breaking his thought with a question of my own, I sat quietly and allowed the enormity of everything we had accomplished together, up until that point, to give me more understanding of the nature and depth of his question. I didn't sleep at all that night, nor the next.
Of all the challenges I had to face under Maakeru's guidance, the hardest by far was preparing his body for burial. I was given the honour to do so by the elders and his children. With several priests and two of his brothers there watching me, I washed his body down with frankincense and water. My mind was blank and my body was almost numb. I felt nothing. I knew that I couldn't show any emotions while doing this so I had to shut my senses down. I folded his arms in the traditional Kemetic burial position, left over right, and I wrapped him from head to toe in white linen cloth. When I finished, I stepped outside the morgue and took a deep breath. Words cannot explain or express my feelings at that moment. I felt that I had just wrapped up a big part of myself while simultaneously unwrapping another part that I never knew existed. More than just my teacher, he was also my father. We buried him in his village three days later. I have not cried yet.
What I have learnt from Maakeru cannot all be expressed in one article or book, only through my actions from here on. It is now my responsibility to share with others what he has shared with me and to continue the work until it's my time to leave this world. For what he has done for me, I at least owe him that much.