These are just notes and there is no summary of much in the way of explanation. Look through it, follow some of the links, and understand more about the truth behind Kwanzaa, its origins, purpose, and intent.
Kwanzaa Religious Connection:
Anti-Christian? Anti-Christmas?
Karenga himself says that Kwanzaa is an "oppositional alternative" to Christianity - which he calls "spookism" and "eurocentric". He claims the Bible is myth and rejects Jesus Christ.
"...Kwanzaa is not an imitation, but an alternative, in fact, and oppositional alternative to the spookism, mysticism and non-earth based practices which plague us as a people . . . "
pg 14, Kwanzaa: Origin, Concepts, Practice. 1977
Karenga defines "spookism" as "belief in spooks who threaten us if we don't worship them and demand we turn over our destiny and daily lives..." p 27. Kawaida Theory
. Of Christianity and Judaism and their beliefs, Karenga says this about such "myths":
"...it is a simplistic and often erroneous answer to existential ignorance fear, powerlessness and alienation. An example is the Hebrew myth of the six-day creation and the tower of Babel, or Christian myths of resurrection, heaven and hell;"
Kawaida Theory, p 23.
"...it often denies and diminishes human worth, capacity, potential and achievement. In Christian and Jewish mythology, humans are born in sin, cursed with mythical ancestors who've sinned and brought the wrath of an angry God on every generation's head. ... If a mythical being has done, does and will do everything, what's our relevance and role in the world?"
Kawaida Theory. p 24.
Spookism, on the other hand, is intense emotional commitment to non-human-centered principles and practices which place humans at the mercy of invisible and omnipotent forces and thus, deny the right and capacity of humans to shape reality and their future according to their own needs and desires."
Kwanzaa: Origin, Concepts, Practice,pp 44-45.
Temple of Kawaida/Seba
Ron Everett (aka. Maulana Karenga) signs himself (as late as 1999) as the Seba Maulana Karenga of the Temple of Kawaida in a document prepared by him and submitted to the CLUE organization (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice) of which he is a member of the Advisory Committee. This document can be found here.
CLUE, by the way, is a leftist organization which fights against welfare work requirements and for a "living wage." They are also an "Endorsing Member" of the Coalition for World Peace - an anti-war organization who is against the current war against the terrorists behind the September 11th attack. They have been involved with several of the anti-war protests. Two people calling themselves a "Seba" of the Temple of Kawaida are listed as a signatories to a letter supporting a piece of pro-African legislation. The letter starts "We are a group of religious leaders..." and the signatures include Pastors and other religious leaders of a number of Los Angeles area churches. The document can be found here. Look for Seba Chimbuko Tembo, Temple of Kawaida, Los Angeles, California and Seba Tulibu Jadi, Temple of Kawaida, Los Angeles, California.
In his own publication called Harrambee Notes, the official publication of his still-operating US gang, he is listed as the Seba Dr. Maulana Karenga of the Temple of Kawaida (Maat). The article reports of Karenga's reading of Karenga-published Selections From The Husia which is subtitled "Sacred Wisdom of Ancient Egypt."
Again, in the same publication (different issue) a scheduled ceremony is listed as being officiated by Here's the schedule entry:
Sunday September 1 3:00pm AKIKA: A Kawaida African Rite of Passage.
The cultural rite of bringing into community, Taraja Jasiri (Audacious Hope), a woman-child of the House of Mshinda and Ajabisha Nyofu.
Officiant: Seba Dr. Maulana Karenga, Temple of Kawaida (Maat)
In a Publisher's Note in a catalog listing for a book penned by Karenga called Kawaida Theory and published by Karenga-owned publisher called The University of Sankore Press, Karenga is listed as "Seba (moral teacher) in the ancient Egyptian Maatian (Kawaida) tradition". Seba is supposedly an ancient African word for "Wisdom". The Official Kwanzaa Website which Karenga owns and operates, makes reference to "the ancient Egyptian Seba Ptahhotep in a 1997 Founder's Annual Kwanzaa Message penned by Karenga.
I'm still exploring the religious aspects of this word, but the evidence here shows that Seba is an honorific given to a religious leader who supposedly possesses wisdom.
What is Maat?
According to Karenga, Maat is the foundation for Kawaida which is the basis for Kwanzaa. So Maat -> Kawaida -> Kwanzaa.
Karenga defines Maat as:
"the fundamental principle of the divine, natural and social order established by Ra (God) at the time of creation Karenga,The Book of Coming Forth By Day, Los Angeles: University of Sankore Press l990, p.23"Maat is an integral part of the Eqyptian Religion as seen here. To quote:
Maat
Maat was the first idea that was separated from
the primeval nonexistence when the world was created. By the idea
of Maat the basic laws for creation and structuring of the universe
was formed.
"Maat is eternal
and has not changed since
the time when she came into being"
(Ptahotep)
The concept of Maat is the focal point in the philosophy of the
ancient Egyptians. It pervades thinking on all levels of existence:
the cosmological level, the ideology of kingship, the social level
and the individual level. It is too vast a topic to be more than
touched upon briefly here but the concept of Maat is intimately
connected to the oldest of the creation myths; Atum at Heliopolis.
When Atum had given life to Shu and Tefnut, by his androgynous
powers, the Coffin Texts state him saying:
"Tefnut is my living daughter
and she shall be together with her brother Shu;
his name is Life and
her name is Maat."
Without Life and Maat there is no possibility of creation;
movement, dynamics and differentiation must be guided by an
ordering, structuring, regulating principle. Thus Maat is an
integrated part of the Creator god himself.
Pharaoh
The foremost of all priests was Pharaoh. As the son of the god he
was expected to perform the cult ritual every day. This entailed
offering and the foremost of all offerings was Maat:
"O Re, Lord of Maat
who lives by Maat
who rejoices in Maat
who is complete because of Maat
who persists because of Maat
who is praised by Maat
who is powerful through Maat
who rules through Maat
who is crowned by Maat
who ascends in Maat
who descends in Maat
who nourishes on Maat
who is joined with Maat
O Re, eternal in deed, perfect in plans
righteous in heart, who establishes Maat
in everything which he creates...!
Pharaoh lives by Maat and for Maat. By reciting and offering he is
performing his duty; he represents mankind and personifies Egypt.
He was the ruler by the grace of the gods and as such he had the
task of fighting the disintegrating forces and uphold balance
in society.
As Pharaoh could not be present in every temple of Egypt, there
was instead reliefs depicting him performing these rites, and there
was his deputies - the high priests. Their duty was to see to the
same needs for Egypt as Pharaoh did - the maintaining of good order
in society, thus preserving it for future generations. This task is
done on two levels at the same time, the mundane and the cosmic.
The ritual transcends the mundane level and reaches the realm of
the god. Therefore it might be said that the work of priests
and priestesses was at the same time functional and mystical.
Maat is depicted in a scene taken from The Eqyptian Book of the Dead:
A scene from the the Book of the Dead depicts the Judgement of the Dead. Anubis watches the scales; on the right, Thoth records the results; Amemet, next to Anubis, waits to eat sinful hearts. In the scales are shown the deceased's heart on left, and the feather of Maat on the right. Click here for a larger view.
The Egyptian Book of the Dead was called Chapters of Coming Forth By Day" by the ancient Egyptians. Karenga has done his own afrocentric translation of the Book of the Dead and published it under the name Book of Coming Forth by Day which is categorized as a religious book.
Maat is the basis for Kawaida which is the basis for Kwanzaa
From Official Kwanzaa Website we find that Kawaida and Maat are the basis for Kwanzaa :
Values and value orientation are important, as Kawaida philosophy teaches, because values are categories of commitment, priorities and excellence which indicate and enhance human possibilities. Kwanzaa puts forth seven key values, the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles) which offer standards of excellence and models of possibilities and which aid in building and reinforcing family, community and culture: Umoja, Kujichagulia, Ujima, Ujamaa, Nia, Kuumba, Imani.So, Karenga shows the link between Maat, Kawaida, and Kwanzaa right on the Official Kwanzaa Website. It is there, right now.At the same time Kwanzaa reinforces associated values of truth, justice, propriety, harmony, balance, reciprocity and order embodied in the concept of Maat. In a word, it reminds us to hold to our ancient traditions as a people who are spiritually grounded, who respect our ancestors and elders, cherish and challenge our children, care for the vulnerable, relate rightfully to the environment and always seek and embrace the Good.
Those who believe in Maat believe that the 42 confessions/admonitions of Maat, found in The Egyptian Book of the Dead are the source of the 10 Commandments received by Moses in 'The Moses Story' (see here and here.) They believe that Moses did not receive the Commandments from God, but lifted them from a black Egyptian.
Underlying Kwanzaa Socialism/Marxism/Leftism
Kawaida, another invention of Ron Everett (aka. Maulana Karenga) is the underlying philosphy to Kwanzaa. Karenga describes Kawaida as "a synthesis of nationalism, pan-Africanism, and socialist thought."
The Official Kwanzaa Website - run by Ron Everett (aka. Maulana Karenga) says this about Kawaida and its relationship to Kwanzaa:
THERE IS NO WAY TO UNDERSTAND and appreciate the meaning and message of Kwanzaa without understanding and appreciating its profound and pervasive concern with values. In fact. Kwanzaa's reason for existence, its length of seven days, its core focus and its foundation are all rooted in its concern with values. Kwanzaa inherits this value concern and focus from Kawaida, the African philosophical framework in which it was created. Kawaida philosophy is a communitarian African philosophy which is an ongoing synthesis of the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world.Here are a few quotes from Karenga demonstrating Kawaida's underlying socialism/marxism:
Kawaida and its Critics by M. Ron Karenga - Journal of Black Studies, December 1977. Section: Kawaida: Toward A Nationalist-Socialist Synthesis:
Regardless of its critics, Kawaida is, above all, a revolutionary project in process, an audacious and terribly ambitious attempt to synthesize and realize the best of nationalist and socialist thought.""Kawaida recognizes no pope or Vatican for socialism, accepts no group, state or party's claim to a monopoly on Marxism's or socialism's contribution to human knowledge and practice..."
"Kawaida is critical socialism as opposed to a dogmatic socialism..."
"In an attempt to synthesize the best of nationalist and socialist throught, Kawaida poses and attempts to answer the question of the relationship between national liberation and socialist liberation. Kawaida argues that national liberation and socialist liberation are and are not the same thing at the same time."
LOL
