From cat@luckymojo.com Wed Dec 8 13:29:18 1999 Return-Path: cat@luckymojo.com Received: from 208.201.229.79 (d33.pm8.sonic.net [208.201.230.33]) by prop.sonic.net (8.8.8/8.8.5) with SMTP id NAA12157 for ; Wed, 8 Dec 1999 13:29:17 -0800 X-envelope-info: Message-ID: <384EC095.5900@luckymojo.com> Date: Wed, 08 Dec 1999 13:33:24 -0700 From: catherine yronwode Organization: Lucky Mojo Curio Co. X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Macintosh; I; 68K) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: nagasiva@luckymojo.com Subject: [Fwd: Re: Any thoughts] Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------1B6F55FD6717" Status: RO This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------1B6F55FD6717 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit nice stuff for you! --------------1B6F55FD6717 Content-Type: message/news Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Path: typhoon.sonic.net!remarQ-easT!remarQ.com!supernews.com!feeder.qis.net!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!msunews!nntp.upenn.edu!dialin0696.upenn.edu!user From: eballard@sas.upenn.edu (E. C. Ballard) Newsgroups: alt.religion.orisha Subject: Re: Any thoughts Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 22:13:35 -0500 Organization: University of Pennsylvania Message-ID: References: <384DADD5.3999710E@altavista.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: dialin0696.upenn.edu Xref: typhoon.sonic.net alt.religion.orisha:5727 I can tell you nothing about the Dogon except for the usual suspect material I have heard on rather "new-agey" tv shows about the Dog star Serius and the flying saucers. I suspect that what I have heard, which sounds like what you've heard as well, is probably the usual misrepresentation that everything goes through at the hands of the entertainment media. When will they quote anyone correctly? On the other hand, and VERY DOWN TO EARTH, I can comment upon waterspirits in Kongo traditions. The Kongo honor spirits of the water whom they call simbi (pl: basimbi). The basimbi are spirits who have died twice; that is to say they are two steps beyond an earthly existance. They have evolved away from a human existance and are further along the evoltuion toward deity. Because of this they are quixotic, unpredictable and can be both helpful or harmful. this is of course because their concerns and realities are unlike ours in significant ways. Basimbi can and do come back to earth. They come to earth as albinos and twins. Anyone who is "special" by today's terminology, that is, retarded, or disturbed, or albino, in some way significantly different in appearance or behavior from the norm is thought to be basimbi in traditional Kongo culture. They are viewed as having prophetic speech and magical skills. It is worth noting that Kalunga, who was the god of the realm of the dead, is associated with the water and the ocean. Hense, Kalunga in the new world becomes the Kongo equivalent of Olokun/Yemaya/Madre Agua. Salamaleko, Eoghan -- xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Nsambiempungo l'acutara xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx eballard@sas.upenn.edu --------------1B6F55FD6717--