Peace and blessings you too, bland. I've been telling people about this book for a few years. It's called African History for Beginners. It's a very important book. The reason why I'm bringing it up is because I saw a Carolyn Morales, one of my friends on Facebook, posted this picture. Basically, what this picture is all about. I'm going to read the caption. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, just when you need it the most. Whenever, remember this, Murphy's Law. If something can go wrong, it will and at the worst possible time. I just clicked on it. It's telling me about stop script and all of that. You know, computer was working fine the whole day every morning, every night. But then when I want to do something positive for the people, some silly stuff happens. I want to freeze in. I got to look people up. So now I'm going to waste your precious time looking up her profile. But it's all for good reason because she posted a very powerful pic this morning. This is the one. Carolyn Morales, if you want you add on Facebook. Her post goes and it was posted 22 minutes ago. Today is December. I'll tell you right now December 12, 2011, 2012. It's now 231 pm. Her post goes, it was the women. Did you know it was the women of the tribes that invented introduced polygamy, not the men. They gathered together and came up with a solution to the growing numbers of single mothers and orphan children. Husbands who were being lost to tribal wars and such. Women always outnumbered the men and this was a simple solution that promoted the saying. It takes a village to raise a child. See the women foreseen the effects of a broken home. The loss of the men who were the hunters and the protectors gave way for anyone to move in and destroy that home. Do you think polygamy would help society? Would it help it today? And if it was preserved and upheld as it was back then? So this is basically the picture she posted. And I'm going to read a little excerpt from this book called African History for Beginners by Her Boyd, excellent book. Make sure you get your hands on it. Read this little excerpt and you tell me what you think. Alright, so in the meantime I'm going to play in the background. I'm going to play, send me that love by Bob Marley because it's a hot song. One, two, three in a place to be. Respect, fe la couti, fe mi couti. All of the polygamy's from Africa, all of my Muslim brothers were four wives. All of the Pharaohs all of that. We're going to find out where this song of heaven more than one made came from. And I'll start like this. Here we go. According to a creation legend among the Gikuyu, when humans began to populate the earth, the man Gikuyu was summoned by Mogai, the divider of the universe and was given the rivers, the forest, the game, all the gifts of nature. Meanwhile Mogai and all his power and omnipotence made a big mountain called Kerre Nyaga or Mount Kenya. At the summit of this great mountain, he carved the resting place. It was from the crest that Mogai showed Gikuyu the full majesty of the land he had bestowed upon him. He then commanded him to descend and make his home at the center of a cluster of fig trees. Mogai told him that if he ever was in need of anything, he should make a sacrifice and raise his hands towards Kerre Nyaga and his request would be granted by the Lord of nature. When Gikuyu reached the appointed place and made the fig trees, he found a wife, Noombi, waiting for him. How delighted Gikuyu was to find yet another beautiful gift from Mogai. From the union came several daughters. After the ninth girl, Gikuyu wondered if he would ever have a son. So once more he called upon Mogai. Gikuyu was told to be patient. Gikuyu was instructed to go and kill one lamb and kid and placed him under a fig tree near his homestead. For the blood of the fat and the two animals on the trunk of the tree, then you and your family make a big fire under the tree and burn the meat as sacrifice to me. When Gikuyu and his family completed the ritual, they were told to go home and then return to the sacred tree. They bring the song back because I know you're enjoying it. There they found nine young men who were willing to marry their daughters. Gikuyu told the young men he would give its consent only if they promised to live in his homestead under a matriarchal system. Unable to resist the loveliness of Gikuyu's daughters, the young men agreed to the terms and the weddings were soon held. It is from these marriages my children that the Gikuyu of Kenya formed the original nine clans. Before I go on, let me play for you a tune on the Ambira. The prongs symbolize the several clans of my village. Played in perfect harmony, the music exemplifies the goodwill and peace that prevails there during the harvest season. I should explain that the women of the Gikuyu were physically stronger and better fighters than the men. They also practiced Paliandri, the custom of having more than one husband. Eventually, they were overthrown by men who took advantage of the leader's vulnerability while pregnant. Following this triumph, the men took over the leadership of the community and became heads of the family, thus replacing the matriarchal rule with patriarchy. They also established the rule of polygamy, having more than one wife. It is from such a myth that Lewis Henry Morgan, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels and other future thinkers will get their ideas about the nature of ancient societies and how women lost their mother right. My children, we must be clear about the differences between matriarchal and matrilineal. Matriarchal means that women rule a society. However, when a society is matrilineal, it traces the line of descent through the females of the family. In my travels, I have seen all sorts of formations, but most commonly, there is a tendency for the patronal lineal descent through the father and the matrilineal to coexist in a clan. There is no conflict. One line of descent usually carries the blood, while the other carries the soul. As it is amongst the Ashanti, among the walloth, under Bhaganda, the descent is patronal lineal, except for nobility and royalty will derive from the mother. None of these lines of descent interferes though with the vitality of the extended family, which is the lifeblood of African culture. Peace and blessings you too.