TINTAWI KAIGZIABIHER

In the old days, on this soil, our tradition was hidden as a part of initiation rites and as a survival mechanism. Our ancestors held the names of God and the forces of nature in the pit of their throats as they were forced to make the journey across the Big Water. Prior to reaching the shore, they understood that to keep their way of worship alive they would have to bury it in plain sight. 

We carry on this same ritual of holding the sacred as'e (energy) of the Orisa (personification of natural elements) covered. The elements are not revealed until one is in a sacred space with others who have already walked through initiation.

This rattle holds the precious survival wisdom taught to our ancestors. They carried their medicine in their bodies, inside of ordinary objects, jewelry and their art. This sacred tool contains the earth and sand that I have been collecting from around the world on my own, or that has been gifted to me at my humble request. 

Inside of the earth will be the seeds of nutritional and medicinal herbs from around the globe. This coming together of plants and soils from many nations is symbolic of all of the people of these lands...the Indigenous People. The original protectors of the earth who lived in harmony with our planet are the ones calling out for the liberation of their lands...our lands. 

To signify the importance of connecting with the mysticism of our traditions, the rattle is hand-beaded in the colors of the Orisa who works with plant medicine, Osayin. Self-harvested juniper wood was used for the detachable handle that contains a stone head for gentle moving earth to plant a seed. It is beaded and woven with crochet as my grandmother taught me. 

This tool can call forth the ancient Orisa who came to teach us how to communicate with our plant relatives. This tool is a sacred piece that aids in evolution and transformation which will offer true liberation of black and brown people around the planet. "Power" Tools.