Across the water
Ancestral News
Our great-grandfather Rush Green carried the DNA of the Balanta people of Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.
They migrated across Africa over a thousand years ago from the Upper Nile Valley in the land of Kush, and as they travelled they inter-married with many African nations including the Igbo and others. They settled in West Africa and brought with them their traditions and language from the land of Egypt. To this day they still greet one another with “Abala A Ka” — meaning “How is your soul?” Ka is written on the pyramid walls in Egypt; it means “soul.”
Historical News
A name returned to us: Kisumma
Your cousin Michael B. returned to the land of our Balanta ancestors for his naming ceremony in 2025. The name that the ancestors passed down for him was “Kisumma,” meaning “contentment.” The elders of the village asked him to carry the message home that they await our return to the land of our ancestors, so that we might all receive our Balanta names.
Historical News II
Three tons of rice, a solar well, and a welcome
In the year before his naming ceremony, Michael B. helped to grow three tons of rice for the village, helped to build a solar well, and installed solar lights in the village of Tchokmon in Guinea-Bissau. On the day of the naming ceremony everyone enjoyed the abundance of food and celebration for the homecoming of the ancestor who was taken. The villagers sang “Kumamma” — welcome to Kisumma — as everyone ate their fill.
