Artist's Queen of Sheba based on the Biblical description.
As a young girl growing up in Baltimore, there was a saying that often echoed throughout my home. “Everyone in my skin, ain’t my kin.” What my parents were saying to me and others, during a time when African-Americans were still being called ‘colored’ or ‘Negro’, was that one should not associate with individuals whose core values and mores were perceived as denigrating. I remember my mother constantly trying to instill the notion that the company we keep judges us. She insisted on reading; if one reads, one can achieve anything, including wisdom, and can learn to think for themselves. As someone who has been around for more than five decades, I can say with certainty that I’ve witnessed varying degrees of African-American’s self denigration and therefore, I am willing to put my own spin on those words.
We as black people -called the descendents of Ham have a long, storied history that dates back to Genesis. The Old Testament tells us in Genesis 6:8-13, “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham*, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”
Note: Egypt was traditionally called “the Land of Ham,” and Ham was considered to be the ancestor of the Egyptians and of all African peoples south of Egypt. (Source: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
Genesis 9:18-23 goes on to say, “And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread. And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard: And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without. And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.”
Some Biblical scholars tell us that Ham in seeing Noah accidentally and involuntarily, committed no criminal act against God’s word, but that he pleased himself with the sight and he told his two brothers in a scornful deriding manner. His brothers by refusing to see for themselves what Ham had seen, covered the nakedness. For whatever reason, Ham entered his father’s tent. He saw his father in a drunken stupor; perhaps Noah’s wife was as well. His brothers feared Noah’s situation. In Leviticus 20.11, to “uncover his father’s nakedness” is to lay with his father’s wife, that is to have intercourse with her. Also, “You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness (human weakness and imperfection).
Upon the discovery of what Ham had done, and the fact that Shem and Japheth chose to cover their father, Noah shunned and cursed Ham’s descendants and their descendants into servitude. It is believed that result of Ham’s shunning created the black tribe. There are native African tribes that are believed to trace themselves back traditionally to Ham.
The “curse of Ham” refers to the biblical story in which Ham, seeing his father drunk and naked, refused to turn away as his two brothers did. When Noah awoke, he cursed Ham and his son Canaan, supposedly causing a darker pigmentation in their descendants. This so-called curse has often been wrongly used to justify racism. (Source: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)
However, there are middle eastern nations which are according to biblical accounts, truly the decendants of Ham. “And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan. And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, (Babylon:Iraq)…” Genesis 10:6-9
Africans and African-Americans passed on many stories in the tradition of oral history that we are the descendants of Ham. The Bible does not definitively state that Ham’s “cursed” descendants were black however, there is an inference because the descendants of Cush, settled in Ethiopia, and therefore Sheba the first son of Raamah must have been black. The prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah. 13:23) asks “Can the Ethiopian change his skin?”
Biblical genealogy also indicates that Ham’s son Canaan and his descendents were generally within the Egyptian sphere of influence and became known as Canaanites. Abraham, called the “father of the multitudes” was the great nephew of Ham brother of Shem. God called Abram to migrate to Canaan, assuring him that he would father a nation. Upon moving to Egypt, Abraham identified his barren Sarah as his sister rather than his wife, causing the pharaoh to be attracted to her. In fact she was his half-sister, the daughter of Abraham’s father but not his mother. He decided he could produce offspring by taking Sarah’s Egyptian handmaid Hagar as a concubine. The union produced a son, Ishmael who could not become the promised heir. Ishmael and his mother were expelled from the camp of Abraham at the insistence of Sarah following the birth of Sarah’s son Isaac. This history is directly linked to Noah and his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Taking a look at another biblical character considered to be black, the queen of Sheba in Islamic traditions is the founder of the first royal line of the Kingdom of Sheba in southwest Arabia. Her story is very well stated in the holy books of the Middle East. Was she bequeathed to Raamah’s (Ham’s grandson) son Sheba, or was she a descendant? The queen, described as dark and very exotic looking, visited the wealthy King Solomon at his court in Jerusalem. Hoping to impress him with her wealth, she arrives with a camel-train laden with spices, gold, and jewels. The purpose of her journey was to hear his wisdom and thus improve her own. Solomon’s wisdom made more an impression upon the queen of Sheba than all his prosperity and grandeur. She returned to Ethiopia pregnant with King Solomon’s child. From 100 BC-700 AD, Ethiopia was considered just as powerful and sophisticated as Greece, Rome and Persia (Iran).
Fast forward to today. I cannot begin to count the number of people who over the years have stated that they believe black people are inherently cursed. This sentiment tends to rely on misguided teachings from the Bible, passed down through generations, as a crutch or explanation for society’s perception of our people. One particular text can be found in Colossians 3:22: “Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:” Taken out of context this text can be construed as a powerful tool. It was used as a precept for the atrocities of slavery and the mid-Atlantic slave trade. It was used in the Jim Crow south, and the early church.
In context the text says, Colossians 3:18-25 “Social Duties of the New Life: Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”
We must stand for something or we’ll fall for anything. The point here is how even today, there are many people -in this case I’m speaking to African-Americans, who will follow anyone and anything.
The urban legend of Willie Lynch, a British slave owner from the West Indies and the father of what was to become lynching, is a prime example of misperceptions and accepting them as being real. In this legend, there is letter written supposedly written in 1712 to the Colony at Virginia, Lynch set a specific tone. The basic premise of the message was that there are many ways to keep ‘control’ of slaves. Portions of the text included, “While Rome used cords of wood as crosses for standing human bodies along the old highways in great numbers, you are here using the tree and the rope on occasion. I have a fool-proof method for controlling your black slaves. I guarantee everyone of you that if installed correctly it will control the slaves for at least 300 years. I use fear, distrust, and envy for control purposes. I shall assure you that distrust is stronger than trust, and envy is stronger than adulation, respect, or admiration.”
In recent years, there has been speculation by historians and researchers that the Willie Lynch letter never existed. Many conclude that prior to the early 1990s no one ever heard of Lynch. Also, the language used in the letter is not in the manner, tone and dialect of the 18th century…whether British or American. Some have even called the Willie Lynch paradigm an Urban Legend. If you think about it, how many men from Great Britain, living in the West Indies in the 18th century would identify themselves as Willie Lynch.
Even the recent film produced by Harpo, Oprah Winfrey’s production company, titled The Great Debators which tells the true story of a 1930s debate team that took on the Harvard elite, used the Willie Lynch legend to make a point. In the film however, the it was used to inspire the students to work hard at becoming great.
The fact is we are not cursed. Our history long before the middle passage give cause to take a serious look at our communities today. Some of us, as black people, place more emphasis on the long held perception that we cannot, rather than on seeking the truth. We have a propensity for living as though there is no tomorrow. We are among the largest group of citizens who tend to live without giving rational thought to the consequences of unbridled consumption, inferior or under education, and noninclusive participation in governance.
Although blacks are not the only group in this category, we tend to fall under greater scrutiny for our decisions and actions, sometimes through years of purposed design.
Wisdom is defined as knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; scholarly knowledge or learning and wise sayings or teachings; precepts. It is the ability to discern or judge what is true, right, or lasting and insightful, using common sense and good judgment. Some (in my skin) have negated wisdom which results in losing respect for our environments, our communities, and ourselves.
Our rich history, ancient to present day dictates pride not condemnation. We have allowed influences, some of them our own, rather than truth and wisdom to imbue us with our own self hatred. Throughout history, we as a people have endured many instances of mis-education -not to mention oppression, thus creating a diminished appetite for gaining knowledge and wisdom. This has kept a large portion of our community in our own chains of agony, and the only way to break those chains is truth.
Everyday I see instances of my people, black people who literally do not care, or perhaps have no clue of their truth or the magnitude of their actions. Their attitudes filter down to our children and future generations. Until we as a people learn to prioritize the important aspects of life, and become learned and wise, I must continue to say “Everybody in my skin, ain’t my kin” however, those in my skin most assuredly are historically connected. ###
© 2009 Sharon Moore Stenhouse -All Rights Reserved.
May 26th, 2009 | Tags: Life, Thoughts | Category: Articles, Commentary | Leave a comment
