NOTE: The Enouhuhu Ceremony is traditionally performed before the ancestral feeding. This is especially true for those loved ones who have recently “closed their mouths” within the past year. Only a consultation with your deceased family member will reveal their wishes (this includes babies and young children). This particular ceremony is critical for those who have died very young, tragically or mysteriously.
(Image on rt): Known since ancient times as the "Door of Truth" is a typical Amengansie shrine where one comes to hear directly from a departed loved one, living person, an old family ancestor or even their own ori (soul).
Prior to the disruption of African Spiritual Traditions in the U.S., when a family member died, the family was obligated to visit an Amengansie to contact the departed loved one. Not only to ascertain the true reason of their death, but also to receive instructions on burial, feeding, family business, etc. Depending on how a loved one has died will determine how, when, where and what they are fed.
Today, many are wanting to service their ancestors properly. They now have the Amengansie shrine here in the U.S as an option that was, until now, previously denied or unknown to them. For the Diaspora, those ancestors who were enslaved and/or died tragically, prematurely, etc., the shrine of the Amengansie is not only the first option for them [Ancestors] but is critical in aiding in their upliftment and freedom. It was the tradition of slavery which gave birth to the Amengansie priesthood dating back more than 2000 years.
(above) American initiate waiting to hear directly from his ancestors before beginning ceremonies. The Amengansie shrine is known as the "door of truth". It is where all of the deities, the living and the dead come to speak. They only speak the truth. It is often what the person might not want to hear, but what they must know.
It was not the military defeat of the people that lost them their sovereignty. It was the usurpation of their Ancestors' authority and counsel in their lives. This deliberate separation assured them of a life in subjugation, confusion, poverty and servitude. Now, instead of honoring and listening to their Ancestors, the peoples' souls have been conditioned to listen and swear allegiance to a foreign state and inept leadership not of their making.
The Dead are not "dead".
Mama Zogbé (1955-2022)
The first ancient ceremonies ever performed by our ancestors was that of the ritual burial, feeding, consultation and annual remembrance of the Ancestors. It is the Ancestors whose primary duty in the underworld is to guide, advise, counsel and most importantly, to protect the lives of their living kin. This remains their God given and sacerdotal function until the present.
Regardless of ones faith, race or spiritual path while alive, nothing trumps the absolute role of one's Ancestors. All of the dead, whether they were Christian, Muslim, Atheist, etc. while living must respond to the Protocol of the Dead. It has its own laws and no human is exempt.
Conversely, it is the duty of the living to honor, pray and offer food and drink to their Ancestors, in accordance to the tradition of the dead and not that of the living. When these duties are forgotten, neglected or ignored, both the Ancestors and their living kin only suffer.
After generations of neglect, one's Ancestors remain "orphaned" and "homeless" in the underworld, just as we witness the homelessness and orphanages here in the land of the living. In time, their names and their memories are wiped from their family history, but not their wrath. They continue to haunt future generations until someone finally makes their way to an Amengansie to discover their presence.
Many whom perform the traditional death and burial/funeral arrangements of their loved one, constantly ponder if they have done all that is needed, or if they have done the right thing. Specialized priests of the dead (Amengansie) have long been lost and forgotten until now.
One need wonder no more, because it is the Amengansie who can contact your loved one directly and inquire to what their needs are.
Stripped of its sacerdotal priesthoods, ritual and ceremonial functions, all based largely upon the western [Christian] notion that once dead, one is automatically relegated to either "heaven", "purgatory" or "hell". Visiting the cemetery and placing flowers, candy and other cherished relics on the grave of a deceased loved one has become the universally acceptable cultural practice of respect and remembrance.
This western tradition might bring some consolation and cathartic closure for the living, but in the ancient Amengansie system of knowing the sacred roads of the departed, it does absolutely little for the dead. They need and want to hear from their kin. They need and want to be fed to have the power to do their job in overseeing and protecting their families.
Consulting the dead is merely one of many sacerdotal functions of an Amengansie. Within the Amengansie tradition, there are a specific class of water, air, fire and earth deities who work specifically with the dead that are bestowed only by one's Ancestors. The ceremonies that an Amengansie undergoes is when she/he receives these powers from their own Ancestors.
One stage of these ceremonies require one to sleep in the cemetery (as shown in the video of Mama Zogbé) not only to prove their courage, but also to receive their powers directly from their dead Ancestors dating way back to the first Amengansie in their family in Africa.
It is this power that renders the Amengansie full authority to consult with and feed the dead. In the world of the dead, the Amengansie is the universal gatekeeper and portal for them to communicate with their living kin.
If a loved one has been killed through unnatural means, it is the family that consults the Amengansie to call-up the spirit of the deceased to learn what really happened and what is needed to put their spirit at peace. If there is a dispute with land, money, etc., It is the Amengansie that is consulted.
In time, the West will understand fully and begin to revert back to the ways of the old original order. It is important today, more than ever to make one's ancestors strong in preparation for the great paradigm shift that is taking place in the world. The road of the Amengansie has been established here in the West partly for that specific purpose.
Note: The name Dzogbe-Bleniga (cemetery) is the main cemetery that Amengansies are taken to receive the powers of those who have died unnatural deaths. Here (in the US) just as in Togo, Amengansies do a great deal of work at Dzogbe due to the disproportionate amount of people, (especially enslaved Africans and many of their own ancestors) whom have died unnaturally.
If an ancestor or a current family member has died an unnatural death (i.e., child, gun shot, suicide, HIV/disease etc.), it is particularly important that they are fed, and might also require the ceremony to Adé. However, before this is done, other ceremonies might be needed for them to find peace in the underworld, and to have strength to use their powers to guide and to protect their families.
The primary function of the Amengansie is consulting all Spirits, especially the spirits of the dead. They perform all ceremonies related to the dead and communicate directly with them in consultation on behalf of their family member. They feed all Ancestors no matter one's spiritual path.
Many seekers search the Internet wanting to learn what they themselves can do to feed their own ancestors. Because there are many categories of “the dead,” learning first and foremost how one's Ancestors (or recent loved one) has died is the first step in learning how to care for and to strengthen them. It is so critical to understand that the world and Protocol of the Dead is very different than that of the living. Who an Ancestor was or how they walked while alive, can be quite different once they have transitioned. Even if a recent ancestor was a devout Muslim, Christian etc., they learn very quickly that the Protocol of the Dead is nondenominational and applies to all. Additionally, what they ate in life, they may not be able to eat in death. That is why it is important to learn if it is still permissible for them to eat traditional foods. If the issue is an enslaved Ancestor, oftentimes the foods that they were forced to eat, was done deliberately to offend their spirit and to break their will and faith in their gods. The eating of pork is a classic example.
Oftentimes, what they drank, especially if they were alcoholic, might be taboo to offer them in death. Additionally, contrary to western custom, the cemetery is not where most ancestors are fed. That too depends on many circumstances. That is why consultation is very important. It is also important to understand that some things you might be allowed to serve them, but the sacred ceremonial foods that actually empower them, are typically and best preformed by specialized priests such as an Amengansie.
There are many ancestors who require special rituals such as the above. It is difficult and irresponsible for a true priest to provide carte blanche instructions to anyone on how, when, where and what to feed one's Ancestors, without proper consultation. One can cause more harm than good to simply “wing it from the heart.” The safest is a beverage of water and a sweet drink which one can offer, but this is not sufficient in itself. It is best to simply consult those within the tradition that specialize in caring for the Ancestors. One must remember, that humans will exist in the world of the dead far longer than they will in the world of the living. It would benefit all to learn the correct Protocol of the Dead; especially as it pertains to feeding and caring for one's ancestors.
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