page 396

I have read, however, that asiatics (& bearded men) weren't allowed into the temple... And I've read mention of some AE literature that rails against the "vile Asiatic". Not sure which points in the history of AE these accounts refer to, though...

What you see with the cane is called the execration ritual. Egyptians believed making objects of their enemies and destoying them would weaken them. Most of the images are imaginary with little realism.

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Originally posted by ausar:
The Egyptians attitude toward foreigners had noth ing to do with racism; rather it reflected their concern that foreigners might act in a blasphemous way towards the gods,who,off ended might turn away from Egypt.

page 396

The Mind of Egypt
History and Meaning in the Time of the Pharaohs

Jan Assmann
Translated by Andrew Jenkins

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There's always some confusion when one uses the term racism. Let's clear this up; Racism is a system which discriminates and oppresses others on the basis of race, it has nothing to do with ethnic or racial prejudices. No such system existed in ancient Africa, especially not in Ancient Kemet. But the Kememu, were no different than present day Africans in their ethnic and national chauvanisms. Ask a Masai, for example, who are the superior people and he will tell the Masai of course. It is similar to the Chinese ideology, of the middle kingdom. Neither the Chinese or the Masai have ever went on crusades to subdue the 'inferior' races. Racism is strictly speaking, a European invention. This is true.

Here's some names the Kememu used for foreigners:

Asiatics - Settu, Deshretu, (evil, despicable, devils)

Africans beyond Nubia or Punt - Nahasu (barbarians, strangers - like the non- Hausa Africans are regarded in Hausaland; this is universally an Africanism)

Nubia:

(My spellings)

952b(EWB) - Eau, Iau ( 'The old country')

1022a - Hon Nefer ('The Excellent Order')

97b;187a - Ekushti; Ekush; (Cushite; Nubian)

392a - Nsuten be n Kush (Prince of Kush)

495a - Heri M'Jaiu (Chief of Police; ie, Nubian)

554b - Khentu Hon Nefer - 'Founders of the Excellent Order'

790b - Kushi - (A Sudanese) Copt. Ekush; Ethush ; from whence we get Ethiopia

We can see that the Kememu regarded these peoples in differing lights, as attested by their language...

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You have to be careful with folks like Jan Assmann, who to her, if you peruse this book "The Mind of Egypt," only the Nubians consisted of tribes and the Asiatic]s were no doubt nations.

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Jan Assmann is a male German Egyptologist. The Nubians were both in pastorial nomads and organized nations like Kush and Kerma or Wawat.

Assmann admits in the section about pre-dyanstic Egypt that early Badarians have connections to Nubians. Read the book in context it's supposed to be read in. I read all sorts of Egyptology books that I disagree with,but also because it's just about the only material I can find where I live.

Asiatics also have tribal people like Bedouins mentioned by Assman in the part about ancient Kemetians saying life for an Asiatic is wretched.

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Now does that sound familiar...( The African Yoruba, numbering some 26 million are a tribe and the European Celts, numbering 3 million are a nation! But anyway...

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I agree with this assertion. Maybe on your website you should devote equal attention to this topic.

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There's always some confusion when one uses the term racism. Let's clear this up; Racism is a system which discriminates and oppresses others on the basis of race, it has nothing to do with ethnic or racial prejudices.

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Racism is the belief of superioty while considering another race inferior. What you said also applies on the sociological value of racism. The fact that non-Egyptian enemies came into Egypt intermarried freely shows to me the concept of inferioty was not a common place. Not even Greco-Romans would intermarry with their blonde Thracian neighboors.

Many non-Egyptian enemies came into Egyptian soceity also sharing their knowleadge of craftmanship. Egyptians were very socialy conservative but never saw a mischance to adopt somebody's technology to suppiment their own.

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No such system existed in ancient Africa, especially not in Ancient Kemet. But the Kememu, were no different than present day Africans in their ethnic and national chauvanisms. Ask a Masai, for example, who are the superior people and he will tell the Masai of course.

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You are correct but I don't believe they saw themselves in the same way others like the Chinese. In the Hymn to Aten we see the philsosphy that all people are equal under the Aten.

One thing I have never witnessed in any AE text is the 'Asiatic' being seen as liberators or cultural saviors of Egypt. The same rule applies to Libyans who were from the earliest period shown bound and tamples in tomb depictions.

Around the late 11th dyansty we see that Ta-Seti in the Egyptian text was seen as a sacred land where the 12th dyansty pharoahs came from. Another myth tells about Het-Hor seeking refuge in the land of Nubia. No where does any reference to Asiatic in this manner .

Egyptologist have emphazied too much on the war between Nubians and Egyptians and less on the cultural ties they shared since Pre-dyanstic times. Another connection seems to be in the deity of Ma'ahmes who is of Nubian origin.

Even the Senworset III stela often trumped up by white supremist to me ''no Neshsi shall pass this point'' really translates into No Neshsi shall pass only to trade. The out post in Semna and the forts around the third and fourth cataract were simply trading posts.

Not to mention that the 12th dyansty itself originates between a southern Upper Egyptian and a Nubian from Ta-Seti. Nothing racial was implied with the Stela,for Nehsi translates to ''Riverline Nubian'' and not Negro as Breasted wrongly translated.

Similar fortress existed from the Delta to an area known as the ''Wall of the Ruler'' which was definatley meant to keep out the nomadic bedouins in Egypt.

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Originally posted by ausar:
Racism is the belief of superioty while considering another race inferior

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Where did you get the translation of Nehsi to mean 'riverine Nubian?'-- Nahas is also a Wolof word, you know...

You also said:"You are correct but I don't believe they saw themselves in the same way others like the Chinese. In the Hymn to Aten we see the philsosphy that all people are equal under the Aten."
Yes, but only during the Revolution of Ikhnaton , which was unique in that the Kememu allowed that others were equal to themselves. Egyptologist Champollion clearly recorded the social rankings of the racial groups which he found in several royal tombs. Remember that at one time only the Kememu were Ret and that they also referred to themselves as 'Ret (n)na Rome'; 'We Men above Mankind' or literally, "We race of superior men'...(see Breasted, Budge and Champollion.)
(Rime = tears; Rome = Mankind, people; born from the tears of God...)