The god Ausar as drawn by Adika in 1998
“Osiris
passed through Ethiopia, a company of satyrs were presented to him...Osiris was
a man given to mirth and jollity, and took great pleasure in music and dancing.
He therefore carried with him a train of musicians of whom nine were virgins,
most excellent singers, and expert in many other things” - Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, first
century, B.C.E.
The
above quote is taken from volume one of E.A. Wallis Budge’s two-volume set
Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection. Both volumes were published in 1911 and
show the relationship between the Ausarian customs and legends of ancient Kemet
with those of Sub Saharan Africa. In these books you
will see many distinct similarities between ancient Kemetic and modern day West
African traditions. They also contain information on Ausar that you will not regularly come across.
If you have read Exiled Egyptians in the Heart of Africa by Moustafa Gadalla and similar works, then
you already know that many of the original inhabitants of ancient Kemet fled to
West Africa when their land was overrun by Greeks, Romans and Arabs after the
fall of the 25th Dynasty. The descendants of these ancient Kemau (Egyptians) were sold into slavery to Europeans because although they lived in
West Africa for many centuries, they were not regarded by some members of the West African ruling elite to be members of the
indigenous population.
Although Budge highlights many interesting cultural parallels shared between West Africa and the Nile Valley, by no means was he a champion of African studies.This needs to be made very clear. Nevertheless, I found
a download link with both volumes of Budge’s work which you can study for
yourself in your spare time. Get it while you can, because I do not know how
long it will be available. Peace!
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