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Roxie
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Roxie
Post Number: 626
Registered: 06-2005
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 02:14 pm: | 
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THE BEAUTY OF BLACKNESS AS SEEN BY EARLY WRITERS
CONGO
"The indigenous peoples of the Congo," he wrote, "are all black in color, some more so, some less so. Many are to be seen who are the color of chestnut and some tend to be more olive-colored. But the one who is of the deepest black in color is held by them to be the most beautiful. Some are born somewhat light-skinned, but as they grow older they become darker and darker. This occurs because their mothers make use of the artifice of an ointment... with which they anoint their infants, exposing them once they have been anointed, to the rays of the sun, then leaving them there for long periods, and repeating this action over and over... There are some children who although their parents are black, are born white skinned and although they anoint them and use all manners of artifice they can never be transformed into blackskinned people. And these are regarded by the Congolese as monsters. They have the same features and the same tightly curled hair as the black Congolese, but their skin is white and they are short-sighted....As a result, children in those areas, where a white has never been seen before, would become terrified, fleeing in horror from us, no less than our children here are terrified by the sight of a black also fleeing in horror for them.
But they do not want us to call them Negroes (negros) but Blacks (Prietos); amongst them only slaves are called Negroes and thus amongst them it is the same things to say negro as to say slave."
[Teruel, Antonio de, Narrative Description of...the Kingdom of the Congo (1663-1664) Ms. 3533:3574/National Library, Madrid, Spain]
SOUTH INDIA
"It is a fact that in this country when a child is born they anoint him once a week with oil of sesame, and this makes him grow much darker than when he was born. For I assure you that the darkest man is here the most highly esteemed and considered better than the others who are not so dark. Let me add that in very truth these people portray and depict their gods and their idols black and their devils white as snow. For they say the God and all the saints are black and the devils are all white. That is why they portray them as I have described. And similarly they make the images of their idols all black."
[Marco Polo, The Travels, translated and with an Introduction by Ronald Latham, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1958]
SOUTHEAST ASIA
"For the complexion of men, they consider black the most beautiful. In all the kingdoms of the southern region, it is the same."
[Nan Ts'i Chou, quoted by Rene Gaston Georges Maspero, The Kingdom of Champa. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1949]
http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/blackness1.htm |
Moonsigns
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Moonsigns
Post Number: 880
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 03:21 pm: |
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After reading this, one can easily draw the conclusion that every human being, regardless of color, can be a racist.
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Moonsigns
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Moonsigns
Post Number: 881
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 03:21 pm: |
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I'm glad you posted that, Roxie. |
Anonymous
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 03:37 pm: |
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MERRY GO ROUND!!! white people does this all the time............... example God, jesus and all the angles are white also the most beautiful people are white and it's acceptable but when black people does it they are racist!!! ur keep loving ur blackness............... |
Moonsigns
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Moonsigns
Post Number: 882
Registered: 07-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 03:51 pm: |
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It's never acceptable for anyone to be a racist. |
Serenasailor
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Serenasailor
Post Number: 215
Registered: 01-2006
Rating:
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 04:49 pm: |
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THE BEAUTY OF BLACKNESS AS SEEN BY EARLY WRITERS
CONGO
"The indigenous peoples of the Congo," he wrote, "are all black in color, some more so, some less so. Many are to be seen who are the color of chestnut and some tend to be more olive-colored. But the one who is of the deepest black in color is held by them to be the most beautiful. Some are born somewhat light-skinned, but as they grow older they become darker and darker. This occurs because their mothers make use of the artifice of an ointment... with which they anoint their infants, exposing them once they have been anointed, to the rays of the sun, then leaving them there for long periods, and repeating this action over and over... There are some children who although their parents are black, are born white skinned and although they anoint them and use all manners of artifice they can never be transformed into blackskinned people. And these are regarded by the Congolese as monsters. They have the same features and the same tightly curled hair as the black Congolese, but their skin is white and they are short-sighted....As a result, children in those areas, where a white has never been seen before, would become terrified, fleeing in horror from us, no less than our children here are terrified by the sight of a black also fleeing in horror for them.
But they do not want us to call them Negroes (negros) but Blacks (Prietos); amongst them only slaves are called Negroes and thus amongst them it is the same things to say negro as to say slave."
[Teruel, Antonio de, Narrative Description of...the Kingdom of the Congo (1663-1664) Ms. 3533:3574/National Library, Madrid, Spain]
SOUTH INDIA
"It is a fact that in this country when a child is born they anoint him once a week with oil of sesame, and this makes him grow much darker than when he was born. For I assure you that the darkest man is here the most highly esteemed and considered better than the others who are not so dark. Let me add that in very truth these people portray and depict their gods and their idols black and their devils white as snow. For they say the God and all the saints are black and the devils are all white. That is why they portray them as I have described. And similarly they make the images of their idols all black."
[Marco Polo, The Travels, translated and with an Introduction by Ronald Latham, Middlesex: Penguin Books, 1958]
SOUTHEAST ASIA
"For the complexion of men, they consider black the most beautiful. In all the kingdoms of the southern region, it is the same."
[Nan Ts'i Chou, quoted by Rene Gaston Georges Maspero, The Kingdom of Champa. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1949]
It almost brings a tear to my eyes to see black ppl who have not been corrupted by the European standard of beauty. We AA's have been stripped of everything including our culture. Now we see white ppl as gods and we regard ourselves as demons. I would love to go to a place where place ppl love there blackness. |
Zuriburi
Regular Poster
Username: Zuriburi
Post Number: 41
Registered: 11-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 07:41 pm: |
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I would to Serenasailor. Such places/people still exist where there has been limited contact with the european machine.
I often fantasize about moving to one such location, and I really would if I wasn't so chicken. |
Serenasailor
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Serenasailor
Post Number: 234
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 07:55 pm: |
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Me to ZuriBuri. I dream of a place like that. I heard that some places like Papua New Guinea.
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Renata
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Renata
Post Number: 648
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 01, 2006 - 09:44 pm: |
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I get all of those "guineas" confused with each other. Is that the African "guinea" or the South Pacific one?
Then there's "Equatorial" Guinea.
I just always get them confused with each other.
(Some people also confuse these with each other AND Guyana and Ghana.) |
Deebaby
Regular Poster
Username: Deebaby
Post Number: 49
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 03:05 am: |
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RE (Serenasailor): "I dream of a place like that."
Doesn't it sound so beautiful and like a faraway dream?
And isn't that a terrible shame?
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Roxie
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Roxie
Post Number: 634
Registered: 06-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 09:02 am: |
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"I dream of a place like that."
If We organize we can always return to those ways. RESIST THE EURO-MACHINE! |
Zuriburi
Regular Poster
Username: Zuriburi
Post Number: 42
Registered: 11-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 02:04 pm: |
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Thats so true Roxie. 'Resistance is the secret of joy'
Do you all watch that show on the Travel Channel about indigenous peoples.
Last week they did one on the Bunlap of Vanuatu. This tribe is famous for land diving (bungee jumping over land).
In one scene they showed a family with three kids who were discussing whether or not to abort an unplanned pregnancy.
The husband told the wife that it was her decision. How progressive is that!
Then he expressed how much he loved his children. Rarely do we see Black men on TV expressing their love for their children.
So refreshing to see Black people who have never questioned their own humanity. |
Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 1638
Registered: 07-2005
Rating:
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 04:57 pm: |
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Roxie,
"If We organize we can always return to those ways. RESIST THE EURO-MACHINE!"
I'd like to hear YOUR PERSPECTIVE on how something like that can/should be done. I have a feeling it's interesting.
Serenasailer,
"I would love to go to a place where place ppl love there blackness."
Do you think such a place can and should exist within the U.S.?
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Roxie
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Roxie
Post Number: 637
Registered: 06-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 05:43 pm: |
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--"I'd like to hear YOUR PERSPECTIVE on how something like that can/should be done. I have a feeling it's interesting."--
I just might require long term research, but it's worth taking the time. |
Tonya
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Tonya
Post Number: 1641
Registered: 07-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 07:20 pm: |
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I understand. My participation on these boards, along with internet searches and dozens upon dozens of books, that are piled high on and under and around my desk, are all long term research for me. |
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