INTRODUCTION and HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In the outset, notes on certain terms and concepts must be clarified. The first is the very name of the ancient nation which is the source of the writing that will be examined. In the modern day country, in Arabic, the country is called Misr from the dominate Arab population and culture descendant from those who colonized the land after the 639/640 invasion. The European world and European academia has selected to continue the name carried down from the Greeks, i.e. they call the country Egypt . Afrikan American scholars have in turn popularized one of the ancient names of the country – KMT or Kemet. Controversy surrounds the name KMT. White Egyptologists argue that it is a reference to the “black land,” meaning the color of the rich silt that was carried with the Nile inundation and left behind after the flood for good planting. Afrikan-Centered scholars and others argue that KMT is a racial name with reference to the people, making note of the fact that the land was populated predominately by people of Afrikan descent. The issue of definition is truly speculation either way and begs for study of the writing system. It could be of both, one or the other, or neither. Afrikan-Centered scholars need not rely on one word to prove that the Nile was an Afrikan civilization. Kmt was used very often in the papyrus writings and stories. If Kmt was the unofficial name of the country, Tawi was the official name.

 

We are clear that “Tawi” was used from the translations of the royal temple walls, in paintings, and art work. Tawi was often used in association with the Neb Tawi (Lord of the Two Lands). This usage was in association with the Nsw or Pharaoh. The ancient Afrikans called their land Tawi, meaning the Two Lands or the Upper and Lower Kingdoms which formed an Empire. The ancient Afrikans believed that the unity of Tawi (the Two Lands) was based on principles of righteousness and when the nation fell into chaos it was due to a lack thereof of righteousness. Thus, a return to righteousness (Ma'at) would restore peace in the nation. In using the term Tawi, most often it should be in reference to the period of Nile history when the Afrikan Pharaohs ruled the land or where at least fighting to unify it.

 

In mainstream academia the writing of Kmt/Tawi is called hieroglyphs, the name given to it by the Greeks which means sacred carvings. “Hieroglyph” does not capture the true essence of the significance of this ancient scriptural writing believed to emanate from the Great Divine. Mdw Ntr (Divine Speech) is the term that the ancient Afrikans of the Nile Valley gave to their oldest writing system. Language is not static. Languages change constantly and Mdw Ntr, written and spoken was no exception. Egyptologists have separated five phases of this 4,000 plus year old language. The phases are Old Egyptian, Classical/Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, Demotic, and Coptic (Allen, Middle Egyptian , 1). Additionally, throughout nearly the entire history of the written language there were several types of cursive – cursive hieroglyphs (used in “strictly” religious text), hieratic (priestly) and demotic (popular) being the broad branches. The Classical period text, written in hieratic, is the source of most of the written text which have survived to the present day.

 

The Mdw Ntr writing system of Tawi survived after the downfall of the civilization due to invasions by Persians, Greeks, and Romans. However, when Theodosius I in the 4 th century and other Roman Emperors issued edicts to forcibly convert their subjects over to Christianity, this meant the closing of Egyptian temples, the conversion of temples to churches, or their destruction. Adherence in Egypt to the ancient ways of Afrikan worship was now a crime, punishable even by death. The closing of Egyptian temples meant the continued decline of the culture and writing system.

 

For over the next 1,000 years, the world would not understand the mysteries of the once glorious land of Tawi (Kmt). Futile attempts were made to decipher the Mdw Ntr scrolls. The scholarly world did not understand the writings on the ancient monuments, but it was clear that the once grand old civilization had a very unique place in history. The 1798 Napoleonic invasion against the Ottoman Empire reopened the Afrikan civilization of Tawi to the scholarly world. Napoleon brought with him on the expedition researchers, scientists, and scholars. Their job – to dig up, copy, find, and record as much as they could about the glories of the past of this lost civilization. The Rosetta Stone was one of many discoveries which would lead to the decipherment of Mdw Ntr by Thomas Young and Jean Francios Champollion in 1822. The key to the decipherment is that the stone was written in hieroglyphs, demotic, and Greek. E.A. Wallis Budge would dedicate his life to translating innumerable texts from Mdw Ntr. The White Egyptologists of Europe and America would open new fields of studies and departments in all of the major universities. However, it was widely agreed that ancient Egypt was not an Afrikan civilization. Budge had noted in certain of his works that Egypt was an Afrikan civilization, the ancient Greeks stated that the Egyptians were Afrikans, and it was obvious enough from how the ancients depicted themselves. Nonetheless, the academic world viewed ancient Egypt as non-Afrikan.

 

More so than any single individual, Cheikh Anta Diop would restore the identity of Tawi to Afrika. The Senegalese scholar focused his scientific, linguistic, anthropological, and historical research and expertise on the Afrikan foundation and identity of Dynastic Tawi ( Egypt ). His works would fundamentally change the approach and perspective to Nile Valley studies: African Origin of Civilization, Cultural Unity of Black Africa , Civilization or Barbarism . His landmark presentation at the 1974 UNESCO is considered a turning point in the history of Nile Valley Studies where he unequivocally proved the Afrikan identity of Tawi (Kmt) among leading white Egyptologist.

 

The Afrikan intellectual movement would hinge on Diop through the efforts of two of his colleagues and supporters. In 1967 John Henrik Clarke met Diop in his laboratory and they discussed the global effort in the restoration of Nile Valley civilization to Afrikan history. After the meeting, and with the encouragement of the great Alioune Diop, Clarke spent seven years looking for American publishers to make the works of Diop available in English. Lawrence Hill would publish The African Origin of Civilization in 1974 ( Civilization or Barbarism , xv).

 

The second colleague and supporter who helped Diop influence a generation was Jacob Hudson Carruthers who met the Senegalese scholar in 1975 and again in 1976. Carruthers would often say that he received a mandate, a commission, from Diop to study Mdw Ntr in order to more fully understand the civilization of Tawi (Kmt). In the Fall of 1978, Carruthers and colleagues would found the Kemetic Institute of Chicago. Carruthers and others began promoting the teaching of Mdw Ntr and Nile Valley Studies in the Afrikan-Centered movement.

 

The 1990's saw heightened interest in Afrikan Nile Valley Studies. With the lose of pioneers such as Cheikh Anta Diop, John Henrik Clarke, and Jacob Hudson Carruthers; and the illness of pioneers such as Ivan Van Sertima and Yosef ben-Jochannan – with the lessons of their contributions and a fresh look at the ancient texts, it is time we reassess our approach and orientation to Nile Valley Studies to consider new methodologies and applications.

 

In this presentation, I propose to highlight the three following major areas:

First, Afrikan-Centered academia must begin to develop competence and expertise in the Mdw Ntr (especially hieroglyphs and hieratic) in order to retranslate the ancient texts which have been translated over the last century by European Egyptologists. We must develop the grammatical works and dictionaries as resource tools to accomplish this major task that will take at least a generation. Prior to grappling with the major task, we can at least provide critical analysis of existing translations and new insights into the ancient texts.

 

Second, a central theme which must be examined emerges from the Sbayt of Ptah-Hotep, The Mdw Nfr of Khun-Inpu, the Tales of Sinuhe, the Prophecies of Neferti, and other texts. The theme is the intergenerational transmission of culture and spirituality. We must heighten exposure to these texts and build on their applications to the Afrikan worldview. A premise that will be highlighted in this essay is that in their translations and due to their Eurocentric university training, mainstream Egyptologists have butchered sacred Afrikan concepts found in Nile Valley texts.

 

Lastly, we must continue to recover the great Afrikan personalities and bring exposure to the scribes, the characters of the texts (once living or fictional), and highlight those Afrikans that built the civilization. Our historic task is not just re-education, but core paradigm shifting from European methodologies to the Afrikan worldview.

 

SBAYT

In the Afrikan Nile Valley texts considered in this essay, which all display the theme of sbayt (instruction), we shall consider the meaning and context of the concept. To grasp the meaning of sba, we consider a few of those texts here. In transliteration, sba is sb3 (see How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs by Collier and Manley). In Mdw Ntr, among other variations, Sba at its root is written:

or

 

The term is meant to convey the passage of sacred wisdom or Good Speech passed down over time, from generation to generation. Ptah-Hotep, in the text which centers around him which will be briefed shortly; he specifically asks for a servant, a “Staff of Old Age” to teach the ways of the past and carry on instruction. He himself was likely such a student. The Staff of Old Age was like the walking stick of the elder, used to lean on and get around. As a reward for providing assistance, the student would then, one day, become the instructor with the responsibility of carrying on wisdom.

 

In the Sbayt to Kagemni, at the end of the fragmented text, children are summoned, taught the words of sbayt, King Huni dies and becomes an ancestor while the new king Snefru is enthroned and Kagemni becomes what is often translated as Mayor or Overseer and Vizier. The positions of Kagemni are the same titles held by Ptah-Hotep, the Taty and Imy-r. Faulkner translates Taty as “the shrouded one” and Imy-r as overseer ( Dictionary of Middle Egyptian ). Both titles were highly significant in Tawi/Kmt as seen in the text of Rekmire who was Taty (Vizier) to Djhewty-Msu III and Amenhotep II. What is significant in this text is that an elder king dies while a new one is enthroned. The new Taty is put in place. Then, and finally, the children are taught the lessons passed down from their ancestors. This historical period marked the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty, a high point in Nile Valley civilization. Sbayt yielded stability to the culture and to the nation as a whole.

 

One other text which we may gather meaning about the concept of Sbayt is that of Amenemhet I. Like Sbayt texts in general, the opening line mentions that it is an instructional text. What is unique about the Sbayt of Amenemhet is that he is speaking to his son and successor, King Senwosret not in person but from the grave. The former king is not an elder, such as in the text of Ptah-Hotep, he is already deceased. This is a very Afrikan notion of giving an ear to the ancestor for intergenerational guidance, sbayt. Amenemhet's message is directly to his son, the newly crowned Pharaoh, Senwosret. However, his message is meant to bring hope to the nation shepherd by the new king.

 

Sbayt of Ptah-Hotep

It is fitting in the Tawi/Kmt literary analysis to address the Sbayt of Ptah-Hotep. An ancient copy of the text is located in the National Library of Paris and is incorrectly known as the “Prisse Papyrus,” written in hieratic and obviously by a very skilled author. In 1856, the living paradox and curious, French Muslim, Emile Prisse d'Avennes came into possession of the document in the necropolis in Thebes (the ancient city of Waset). Worth noting, Mary Norton wrote the following about the elusive d'Avennes:

 

In 1843, Prisse settled down among the ruins of Karnak at ancient Thebes , and began to sketch and take papier-mache impressions from the thousands of inscriptions and bas-reliefs adorning some half-million square meters (140 acres) of temples, palaces and tombs…

In the course of his excavations, Prisse grew increasingly indignant at the demolition of precious monuments, by government order, to obtain stone for the building of factories. In 1941, George Glidden, the former United States consul at Cairo , had published an urgent appeal to antiquarians abroad to help halt the wanton destruction that was rapidly transforming the magnificent tombs and temples into shapeless ruins. “One solitary consolation,” he wrote, “may be derived from the overthrow of these Propyleia, which is… the opportunity afforded to Monsieur E. Prisse, a gentleman in every way qualified to take advantage of the sculptures that previously lay hidden… to record names and legends that, but for him, would have been lost to history and science.”

Glidden was referring to a particular temple in Thebes , but Prisse justifiably feared that a similar fate might await the Hall of Ancestors of Thutmose III (1479-1425 BC) in the Temple of Amon at Karnak ; it contained an incomparable historical and genealogical table of that ruler's principal predecessors, ranked in dynastic order. Despite the severe penalties attached to such an illegal action, Prisse resolved to remove and transport to France some 60 sculptured portraits from what came to be known in the West as the Chamber of the Kings.

Through superhuman exertions, with virtually no resources save a few men and fewer tools, and working mainly under cover of darkness, Prisse succeeded in extracting not only the bas-reliefs but several stelae, one with domestic scenes dating from 4000 BC. Also included were several papyri; one, discovered in the necropolis at Thebes and dating from 3300 BC, came to be known as the “Prisse Papyrus.” Later, Prisse made a facsimile of the original, said by Egyptologists to be the oldest manuscript or book in the world.

Ingenuity, audacity, subterfuge, bribery – all played a part in making way for the 27 large packing boxes which finally set sail downstream for Cairo . Prisse implored the French vice-consul to place the cargo under his diplomatic protection but the official instead admonished him – then added, “You have succeeded so well up to the present in an operation I would have considered impossible that you cannot fail at the port.” Following further vicissitudes, the crates were finally secured aboard ship at Alexandria and on May 15, 1844 , a full year after first setting to work, Prisse embarked to escort the priceless cargo to France (Saudi Aramco World, November/December, pp. 39-46, 1990).

 

The proper name of the document is Sbayt nt Imyr Taty Ptah-Hotep, meaning the Teachings of the Overseer of the City, Vizier Ptah-Hotep. In brief, I refer to it as the Sbayt of Ptah-Hotep or Teachings of Ptah-Hotep. The setting of the teachings is circa 2,400 BCE in the Fifth Dynasty of King Issi who was also known as King Djedkare, meaning Stability is the Soul of Ra. Most Egyptologists believe that the text named after Prisse, one of four actual copies, was copied in the Middle Kingdom, Dynasty Twelve, circa 2,000 BCE. That means that the text is possibly between 4,000 and 4,400 years old. Of the four copies, the “Prisse” version is the only complete version. The British Museum holds two papyri on the teachings of Ptah-Hotep, one from the Middle Kingdom and one from the New Kingdom . The fourth copy is a New Kingdom, wooden tablet in the Cairo Museum . It is the version found by Prisse d'Avennes which has received the greatest attention due to its completeness.

 

The first word in the text called the “Teachings of Ptah-Hotep” is sbayt , meaning teachings or instructions but more correctly intergenerational teachings or intergenerational instructions. Eurocentric Egyptologists have missed the intergenerational quality of this text and others like it. This is not surprising as they have been trained in their own European worldview. Scholars trained in the European worldview who are attempting to understand a production of the Afrikan worldview would often misinterpret the works of our ancestors and out right miss the mark, as we will examine later.

 

The concept of sbayt follows in other texts such as those of the assassinated Amenemhet I speaking from the grave to his son Senwosret; the Sbayt of Khety to his son Merikare during the turbulent First Intermediate Period; and other fragments of instructional texts such as that of Hardjedef and that of Kagemni. Central to all of the texts are the proverbial wisdom taught not only from experience, but passed down from the ages.

 

The Ptah-Hotep text opens with him explaining all of the hardships of growing old such as being tired and weak; lose of sight, hearing, and taste; aching bones; etc. Following is the answer to the purpose of old age and the direction that the text takes. Using the Miriam Lichtheim translation, as Ptah-Hotep said:

 

May this servant be ordered to make a staff of old age,

So as to tell him the words of those who hear,

The ways of the ancestors,

Who listened to the gods,

May such be done for you,

So that strife may be banned from the people,

And the Two Shores may serve you!

Said the majesty of this god:

Instruct him then in the sayings of the past,

May he become a model for the children of the great,

May obedience enter him,

And the devotion of him who speaks to him,

No one is born wise ( Ancient Egyptian Literature, The Old and Middle Kingdoms , 63).

 

To the credit of Miriam Lichtheim did an exceptional translation with the lines “ways of the ancestors” and “sayings of the past”. These translations place the teachings of Ptah-Hotep in their proper spiritual and historical context to the Afrikan worldview. Lichtheim works and translations are exceptional to the general field of Egyptology. However, she was an instructor and was herself trained in the European academic worldview. Let us consider the following online transliterations of Prisse:

wD.t(w) n bAk im ir.t mdw smsw (http://members.aol.com/mwhealton/pthgly.htm) and

wD.t(w) n bAk im ir.t mdw iAw (http://www.digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk/literature/ptahhotep.html)

In her footnotes, Lichtheim states: “Staff of old age” is a metaphor for son or successor (76). In the terms mdw Smsw and mdw iAw , Mdw means staff. It is homophonous with speak, speech, or word. Smsw and iAw are translated as elder, eldest, aged, old, old age, etc (Faulkner). It seems that the mdw Smsw or the mdw iAw (Staff of Old Age) was more than a metaphor and could have very well been an office or at the least approached an office of learning and assistance.

 

Another very common oversight in the field of Egyptology is the translation of the word ntr into “god” or ntrt into “goddess”. At times, Ntr will refer to the great Creator, and at other times not. Clearly, in this segment of Ptah-Hotep's Sbayt, the term is in reference to what would best be called spirits. Ntr is often used in reference to the Pharaoh or someone who has done a great deed. Ntr can only be understood in the Afrikan context because if taken out it makes little sense. A comparison of the Ntr to the Orisha of Nigeria or the Abosom of Ghana would clearly yield the conclusion that Ntr is meant to express spirit, spirits, and/or divinity.

 

“The Tale of Sinuhe”or Shemsu Sanehat

Called by Egyptologist the “Tale of Sinuhe” or the “Story of Sinuhe,” this title is basically insufficient to the text. First and very simply, the name of the key character in the text is not “Sinuhe” as is translated by Egyptologists. The name of the key character is sA-nhAt or Sa-Nehat. “Sa” means son and “Nehat” means sycamore tree; and therefore his name renders the meaning son of the sycamore tree. The tree was very common in Kmt. In many of the paintings from the ancient land are depictions of the tree offering food and water to the people. Attested in the Ebers, Kahun, and the Edwin Smith medical papyri are the healing uses of the Nehat tree. To be named son of such a sacred and native tree was an honor. The meaning is totally lost with the incorrect spelling of the name.

 

It is much more preferable to use the term Shemsu in the title of the text because the word and its root appear several times in the very opening of the text. Shemsu/Shmsw is a follower, one who serves, or one who worships. The concept was applied to one that was faithful, and the text confirms that in the end Sanehat was indeed a Shemsu.

 

Sanehat was a servant of the Pharaoh and royal family. When the King was killed, Sanehat roamed throughout many distant and strange lands. The Biblical story of Moses in the Old Testament obviously was at least partially designed from this story. After growing old and having many experiences in foreign lands, Sanehat still missed the land of his birth, the land of his ancestors. He yearned to return home and eventually did. Everyone was in great disbelieve belief because the patriot had forgotten the culture of his homeland. The people of Kmt/Tawi were a neat and clean people, unlike the foreigners who Sanehat had lived among. He was cleaned, shaved, anointed with oils, given fine linen and reintroduced as a faithful Afrikan back to Tawi/Kmt. All of those years, Sanehat had remained loyal to the crown and to his land. He returned and gave many thanks. He was treated as a member of the royal family and eventually buried with the prestige of a king. This was not done for him because of riches or military skill. He was so honored because he was a Shemsu.

 

Mdw Nfr of Khun-Inpu

The text known as the “Eloquent Peasant” is one of many in need of renaming. Yet, there are many lessons yielded from the misnomer. Those scholars educated in the European worldview, irrespective of race, do not grasp the essence of Nile Valley thought. This is readily obvious in the text often called the “Eloquent Peasant”.

 

The so-called peasant in the story is known as Khun-Inpu, often wrongly called Khun-Anup or Khunanup or Anubis. There is no such thing as an Anup. Inpu, however, is one of the many spirits/ntrw of the underworld. Represented as a dog-headed man, Inpu is a judge of the dead, helping to see passage to the world of the ancestors and intimately involved in the judgment process. The so-called “eloquent peasant's” name means one who is protected by Inpu. His very name is far more significant than the idea of his being a “peasant”. In the story, Khun-Inpu is robbed. He pleads his case to higher authorities. During his ninth and last plea, he threatens to plead his case before Inpu in the spirit world. Khun-Inpu, therefore, is seen in the text as a spiritual man of faith and righteousness.

 

In addition to his name, Egyptologist often incorrectly make note of the use of “eloquence” or “rhetoric” or “persuasive” speech in regards to the text. The story is about a “skhti” or “skhty” (translated as peasant, fisherman, and/or farmer). The skhty told his wife that he was going to “Kmt” to trade so that he may take care of his family. In route, he is robbed by Nemti-Nakht, whose name is a reference to him honoring a spirit of travelers or wonders (Nemti) and his brute strength (Nakht). The skhty, Khun-Inpu makes appeals or petitions to higher authorities for Ma'at through Mdw Nfr (Good Speech). This was during a major period of turmoil in Kmt/Tawi. People had lost their way or had lost Ma'at, and here was a fisherman or farmer who had Mdw Nfr or Good Speech. He was not a scribe or priest, but a skhty. Egyptologists consistently miss the mark on this one Afrikan Spiritual concept of Mdw Nfr:

 

“My lord, I have found one among those peasants whose speech is truly beautiful ” (Lichtheim, 173).

 

“My lord, I have found one of the peasants, whose speech is truly perfect …” (R. B. Parkinson, 62).

 

“My lord / I have found someone among the peasants who is exceedingly eloquent of speech ” (William Kelly Simpsom, 30).

 

Like Ma'at, Mdw Nfr is one of those terms that simply do not translate well into European languages. That is part of the problem. Additional, trained in the European worldview, the best Egyptologists miss the Afrikan Spiritual concepts of the Nile Valley . My teacher, Dr. Jacob Carruthers (Baba Jedi Shemsu Jehewty) wrote the book Mdw Ntr Divine Speech: A Historiographical Reflection of African Deep Thought From The Time of the Pharaohs to the Present , (Karnak House, 1995). The lines in question are:

 

nb.i iw gm.n.i wa m nn n skhty nfr mdw n wn m3a

 

Dr. Carruthers translation is, “My Lord I have found one among those farmers whose speech is good, of true essence,” (144). In his work Mdw Ntr , Dr. Carruthers makes a thorough and insightful examination of the text which he entitles “Nine Petitions of the Farmer Whose Speech is Good”. He began his analysis by noting that Lichtheim, John Wilson, and Alan Gardiner all improperly translate Mdw Nfr into notions of eloquence.

 

While those Egyptologists recognize the importance of the arguments for justice and the commanding speeches of the protagonist, I feel that they misread the text and missed the profound message contained therein. In brief, their reading of nfr mdw as fine speech, eloquence and rhetoric combined with the assertion that it delighted or entertained the king or that the king enjoyed the pleas, caused them to depreciate the story itself and thus take the text lightly. In other words, I contend that they did not appreciate or take seriously the plot of the text which they dubbed “The Eloquent Peasant” ( Carruthers, 144).

 

The lessons of Khun-Inpu revolve around the spiritual concepts of speaking Ma'at through Mdw Nfr. The Afrikans of Kmt/Tawi believed that Ma'at brought peace and order. The setting of the Eloquent Peasant is in the First Intermediate Period of chaos and disorder. It is during the reign of King Nebkaure of the 10 th Dynasty, circa 4,000 years ago. The nation is in turmoil and had lost its way. When the Pharaoh had learned of this humble and modest skhti (“peasant”), he ordered that he be allowed to speak, that he be given a listening ear, and that his words are all written down. Surely, Nebkaure thought his words of Mdw Nfr would help bring Ma'at and restore the land. On the subject of restoration, there is a very unique text entitled the “Prophecies of Neferti”.

 

Mdw Nfr of Neferti

Similar to the other Nile Valley texts, the first problem with this text is the title itself –“Prophecies of Neferti”. The word “prophecies” might be a more appealing term to the general public, and sure prophecy has a central role in the text itself. However, the general school of Egyptologists has missed the central theme throughout classical Tawi literature. The intergenerational wisdom is less emphasized. The spiritual value of the Afrikan texts consistently escapes those trained in European academia. Let us examine the language of the text.

 

The wise man, Neferti, stood before the Pharaoh Snefru and said:

“I shall describe what is before me,

I do not foretell what does not come…” (Lichtheim, 141)

 

According to Parkinson, the key statement is translated as:

“I will say what is in front of me; I prophesy nothing that will not come…” (136)

 

Egyptologists basically follow the same line of thought. The Mdw Ntr word “sr” means to foretell or prophecy; “srwt” being prophecies ( Faulkner ). The determinative for the word looks to be a giraffe, an animal with a long neck who could look over the horizon and see things before they happened. Therefore, the translation is correct in this instance, but the lessons of the text is less about telling the future and more about restoring Ma'at through Mdw Nfr. This renders the title chosen by Egyptologist taught in European academia as insufficient.

The incorrect title surely stems from other incorrect translations in the text. When Neferti is summoned by the King, Egyptologists insist that the king was bored and wanted entertainment. “DAy Hr” or “DjAy Hr” is translated as “entertain”. Why would the King summon a wise man for entertaintainment who is neither a comedian nor tells any jokes? A much more accurate translation is enlighten instead of entertain for “DAy Hr”. This translation of the term also is in agreement with what happens in the text. Neferi says later “Speech enlightens (Hr) the heart (ib) like fire”.

 

Specifically, the King asked for someone who spoke Mdw Nfr (Good Speech) so that his words may be written down for future generations. Neferti began to speak of the future and the destruction of the Nile Valley – of doom and gloom, famine and war, utter chaos and evil. He foretold of Amenemhet I (Ameny), born of a Nubian woman who would save the land. The text foretells the coming of an Afrikan savior 2,000 years before Jesus. Egyptologists again show their bias here. Ta-Seti is Nubia , yet it is agreed consistency on the part of white academia to not use the proper translation. Why? Amenemhet is the founder of the 12 th Dynasty. The royal family from the 12 th Dynasty, like others, were of Nubian or Southern ancestry. Clearly this is obvious from the statues and paintings. Look upon the dreadlocks of the great statue of Amenemhet III, the statues of the Mentuhoteps, the skull of Seqenenra Tao II, the the Djehewty-Msu's mummies, the beautiful carved images of the great Queen Tiye, the Afrikan gold mask of Tut, the Afrikan representations in various paintings and sculptures; the Nile empire was built by Afrikans and 200 years of distortions and lies cannot erase that fact. What we learn from examination of the language and the culture is equally conclusive about the Afrikan identity of Kmt/Tawi.

The text states that Amenemhet I's purpose was to restore Ma'at and defeat evil. He would drive out the foreign invaders of the land and peace would take the place of war, prosperity would take the place turmoil. Consider the following translations of the same text:

 

“The Order will return to its seat, While Chaos is driven away” (Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature , 143-144).

 

“Truth will return to its proper place, with Chaos driven outside” ( Parkinson , The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems , 139).

 

“Right will come to its place (again) and Wrong will be thrust outside…” (Lewis, Mammoth Book of Eyewitness Ancient Egypt , 73).

 

“Then Ma'at will return to her throne, And Chaos (Isfet) will be driven off” (Simpson, The Literature of Ancient Egypt , 220)

 

This fundamental statement in the text, in transliteration according to the University College London based on the 1970 transliteration of Wolfgang Helck, is:

iw mAat r iyt r st.s isft dr.ti r rwty

 

Relying on Faulkner's Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian and Helck's transliteration from University College London -and above all with the Afrikan Worldview in mind- my translation is:

 

iw mAat r iyt r st.s isft dr.ti r rwty

Come Ma'at to return to Her throne. Isfet driven Away/Out

 

In other words, based on the more direct translation, I translate Neferi's words about Amenemhet's ascension as Savior to restore Ma'at as follows:

 

“ Ma'at will come and return to Her throne. Isfet will be driven away.”

 

Ma'at is a Kmt/Tawi word in Mdw Ntr that should most often not be translated as most Egyptologists attempt. The translation often result in lose of significance to the Afrikan Spiritual concept of Ma'at. Rather than attempting translation, those of us who attempt to understand Ma'at should learn what those Afrikans along the Nile meant when they taught about this concept. Isfet meant wrong, evil, sin, chaos, etc. My approach to translating Isfet is not as strict, but the idea of understanding the original context of terms is the same.

 

The Mdw Nfr of Neferti is a fundamental Afrikan classical text which prophesize the coming of a savior, born of a Nubian woman, who will restore Ma'at to her throne about 4,000 year ago, about 2,000 years before Jesus. He came to stamp out evil and to drive away chaos. By the time of the Pharaoh Amenemhet I, the kings had five royal names. Amenemhet was known as Whmy Msu, meaning rebirth. The restoration of Ma'at to the nation was a Whmy Msu or rebirth of Afrikan culture and spirituality.

 

Conclusion: Whmy Msu

Whether we are discussing the Whmy Msu of Neferti's text, the intergenerational Sbayt of Ptah-Hotep's text, the Mdw Nfr of the skhti Khun-Inpu, or the re-Afrikanization of the traveler and shemsu Sa-Nehat; we must re-examine and take a reappraisal of classical Afrikan texts and the mother-language of our ancestors. In conclusion, the above texts detailed were all part of the Afrikan literary canon of the Nile Valley . They are a small selection of the Afrikan classical texts. As Dr. Jacob H. Carruthers (Baba Jedi Shemsu Jehewty) taught for years, there are several central themes which often dominated Afrikan Nile Valley texts. Ma'at, Sbayt, Mdw Nfr, and Whmy Msu are critical parts of those key themes. These themes not only dominated the texts but were central to the Afrikan Worldview of the Nile . Egyptologists of white academia have often incorrectly translated these core concepts, misnamed texts, and missed the greater spiritual significance of the ancient works. Afrikan-Centered scholars have yet to dig deep into the ancient past to question and retranslate texts which have been translated decades and decades ago by European scholars. The need for Afrikan literary analysis and critique of the ancient texts has yet to happen. The place of Nile Valley literature and history in Afrikan-Centered education is basically absent. The influence that the classical Afrikan past may have on the Afrikan worldview is hopefully ahead of us – a Whmy Msu in our times.