Poet as Priest: Auld Lang Syne

I had the privilege and honour of presenting Clifton Joseph and Jerome Morgan in a class I organized, February 2010, for African History at the Academy for Lifelong Learning.  Academy classes are held at Knox College, St. George Campus, University of Toronto.

The subject I chose was the West African griot tradition and how it reappeared, changed form and evolved in North America and the Caribbean, the African diaspora.  In West Africa, the griot is historian, story-teller, praise singer, poet and/or musician.

I linked it to classic rap which is what I am most familiar with, and at the beginning of the class played some on my ipod:  early Queen Latifah, Run DMC, and Quincy Jones, "The Verb to Be."

Then Jerome Morgan gave us his poem of early memories of Jamaica.  Jerome was mentored by d'bi young of the Dub Poets Collective. 

Clifton Joseph, founding member of the Dub Poets Collective, ended the set.  To my surprise, and probably everyone else there, he chose to sing the old Scottish Robbie Burns folk song written in 1788, Auld Lang Syne.  He ended his song in tears. 

"Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne...

 

But we've wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne...

 

But seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne.

And here's a hand, my trusty friend!  And give us a hand o'thine!

And we'll take a good-will draught, for auld lang syne."



There is a traditional dance that accompanies the singing of this song to ring in the New Year.  All persons cross arms over their chests and thus over their hearts to hold hands with their neighbour on either side and move the circle so formed inwards.

Somehow, as this dance continues, the circle participants then invert their arms to face outwards, and the circle moves in that direction.

The community forms a circle of protection, and then faces and moves outwards to welcome in the New Year, and the returning of the light.

In ancient Egypt in northern African, the blue lotus symbolized the sun and its return each morning.  It also represented the larger cycle of birth and rebirth.

The lotus is found in many major cultures.  In Buddhism, the pink lotus symbolizes the beauty of Enlightenment, purity and the cycle of creation.

At one time I had painted on my dining room ceiling the outer circle of a central Sun motif, originally painted on an American aboriginal bison robe.

So, now that the year is ending, we have seen the Winter Solstice, and we welcome back the sun and the beginning of a new year, new life and new creation, as every culture has done before us.

And mostly, we recall and often shed tears in memory of those whose shoulders we stand on.

Representing: Artist as Shaman

Representing African Heritage featured the artist Ras Stone, now known as Jah Stone. 

He is well known for his Caribana costume design.  His costumes have appeared in the Royal Ontario Museum (Quatzelcoatl-Canadian Celebrations, 1991) and Harbourfront (Sun God Worshipper - Festival of Lights, 1993).

His painting "Dread Preacher" was used by Saturday Night Magazine to illustrate an article in the November 1993 issue.

Jah Stone was born in Trinidad and emigrated to Canada in 1974.  You may find and follow him on Facebook as Jah Stone.

These are his paintings featured at Representing African Heritage.

Jah Stone's work has always used a strongly circular motif, and it continues to do so to this day.  He remains a prolific painter.

The circle is one of the most primordial images of mankind.  "The circle... represents totality.  Everything within the circle is one thing, which is encircled, enframed..."Mandala" is the Sanskrit word for "circle," but a circle that is coordinated or symbolically designed so that it has the meaning of a cosmic order." - Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth.

The symbol of the sacred circle is found in all cultures.  In fact, all original cultures treated their art as sacred, and even used the circle when creating their everyday objects, so that these too carried a sacred blessing.

This Navaho sand painting is, by its very nature, temporary, yet it carries the weight of the divine.

Jah Stone may now truly be known as an elder and a priest through his art.  Search for him on Facebook, and follow both his ever-flowing work, and his blessings.

It is now the Christmas season, and time to contemplate where we each belong within this divine cosmic order.