Ɛgbɛ Zangbetɔ Gànlɔdó - Zangbeto Society
ߍߜߍ ߖ߭ߊߣߜߋߕߐ ߜ߭ߊ߬ߣߟߐߘߏ߫
Ɛgbɛ Zangbetɔ Gànlɔdó
In ancient Ajã culture, there is an ancient collective spirit called ߖ߭ߊߣߜߋߕߐ Zangbetɔ. This word literally means "agent/person of the night". The "night watch person". I'm the Ajã language, the term gbetɔ is used to refer to an authentic and evolved true human. It is physically represented as masquerade that is conical in shape that spins very fast and often making a roaring sound and speaking as such. Zangbetɔ is an African Vodún concept coming from the Ajã people, in particular the Gun/Egun subgroup of the Ajã.
At Gànlɔdó, we have Zangbetɔ the spirit (masquerade) and the Society (ߍߜߍ) of Zangbetɔ; the first in the United States of America. The Zangbetɔ Society is multifunctional. The Zangbetɔ are the traditional security guards or police of their communities. They are said to form a secret society which can only be strictly attended by Zangbetɔ initiates. In a trance, the Zangbetɔ are said to evoke a power that has inhabited the ߊߦߌ߬ ayì (earth) long before the appearance of humans and provide a source of wisdom and continuity for the people.
Multifaceted, they address communal policing, conflict mediation, oral art and entertainment, and the maintenance of communal order. Zangbetɔ operates through the combination of traditional symbolic actions and oral art in mediating local conflicts and preserving social harmony and local order.
As we can see, Zangbetɔ represents the original Afrikan concept of policing our communities. Zangbetɔ also addresses domestic issues, domestic violence, and gender discrimination. Zangbetɔ carries out such functions as administration of oaths, imposition of sanctions, execution of sentences and arbitration and settlement of disputes.
The Zangbetɔ Council
There is regular membership in Zangbetɔ and there are administrative and high spiritual roles. There are various titles within the society, each having clear cut roles that make up the whole. The head of Zangbetɔ society is called the ߖ߭ߊߣߜ߭ߊߣ Zangan - chief of the night. It is important to make a distinction between two kinds or categories of membership. There is ordinary membership through external identity, solidarity and association, which involves payment of dues, initiation, and acquisition of a secret coded name that serves as a password for the initiate. It serves to provide certain immunities to the member from restrictions that are usually imposed on non-members.
There is a certain ancestral spirit that is the açɛ̀ of Zangbetɔ. These are Ancestral spirits of justice and order. What we are doing with Zangbetɔ is adding an extra element from the New Afrikan perspective that fits our historical and geographical experiences as New Afrikans. As stated, the Zangbetɔ appear physically in a masquerade. This masquerade is called zanxɔ́ (house of the night) which is made up of many strands of raffia often of various colors.
Spiritually, Zangbetɔ watches over and enforced the ߜߐ߫ߛߎ߬ gbɛ́sù - the divine laws of the universe; ancestral laws. Zangbetɔ also is that powerful collective ancestral spirit that fights against oppression!
Ecology and Zangbetɔ
The spiritual science surrounding Zangbetɔ also addresses our ecosystems and how we must protect and maintain them. Especially in relation to the forest, they work with the powerful "dwarf" spirits called ߊߖ߭ߌߖ߭ߊ Aziza. Note to those concerned. If you want it to be sustainable, the deity/spirit must intervene. This, by default, states that Zangbetɔ and the work of Its Council can help us with our bee epidemic.
At Gànlɔdó we have an established Zangbetɔ Society that is here to help restore and keep order. The Society is the judiciary and policing arm of Gànlɔdó and of the community by extension. This society serves such functions as administration of oaths, imposition of sanctions, execution of sentences or arbitration and settlement of disputes. And it should be added that all members of Ɛgbɛ Zangbetɔ are expected to go through various forms of martial arts training and study all aspects of war and community defense - physical and mental.