Hɔnmɛ̀: The Palace as a Symbolic Link Between the Womb of Origin and the People in Afrikan Thought
In continuance of presenting info to make us think about what we are saying, let's tackle the word "palace". Middle English: from Old French paleis, from Latin palatium, the name of the Palatine Hill in Rome, where the house of the Roman emperor was situated.
In the Ajã language of Southern Benin Republic, the word for the central place of the monarchy, the place of abode and administration for the monarch, is hɔnmɛ̀. The word hɔnmɛ̀ means "within the umbilical cord". This word does not translate in the way the word palace does. The hɔnmɛ̀ ("palace") of the monarchy is a key component of the umbilical cord of the nation. Contrarily, the word "palace" is associated specifically with Roman ideology and geography.
Look at it this way. On one side of the umbilical cord is our Mother, our origins, that which is responsible for our lives even being. On the other side of the umbilical cord are the children which are birthed. So, the interesting part of hɔnmɛ̀ is that it is within the umbilical cord.
Cosmologically, the hɔnmɛ̀ is the meeting ground between the Mother and Her children. Thus, that palace is sacred space from the Afrikan perspective. This is the observance of a people with real culture that live in balance with sacred time and mundane experience. Even when we refer to the abode of the monarch, we are thinking of culture and spirit. This is one of the reasons why people do not walk straight into an Afrikan "palace" entrance. There is a ritual way to do that.
Finally, we say within the Yọrùbá and Ajã cultures that the monarch is second only to the deities. This is illustrated in the fact that the "palace" sits between the Abode of Origins and our world.
A ho a di!!!!