Facsimile of the Stela of the Overseer of the Western Desert Kai
"The standing figures depicted here are Kai, overseer of the Western Desert and of hunters of the desert districts, and a woman who was either his wife or mother. The texts relate that Kai was "the best of the troops on a day of difficulty" and describe a trip to a western oasis during which he investigated desert roads and apprehended a fugitive. His five dogs of different breeds are individually designated with a name or number."
Source:
The Western Desert of Kemet 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 is an area of the Sahara that lies west of the Iteru 𓇋 𓏏 𓂋 𓅱 𓈗, which translates to "the Great River", now known as the Nile, up to the Libyan border, and south from the Wadi Tjemehu (Mediterranean Sea) to the border with Ta-Nehesi 𓇾𓅘𓎛𓋴 𓇋 𓈊 (Land of the Nubians). Despite its extreme aridity, the Western Desert played a significant role in the history of Ancient Kemet.
This is due to five large oases – Siwa, Bahriyya, Farafra, Dakhleh and Kharga – which have supported human populations for thousands of years. Although these ‘islands of fertility’ are located hundreds of kilometres from the Iteru River meaning "the Great River", now known as the Nile. They were valuable assets over which the ancient Kemetyu 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓏪 (People of the Black Land) attempted to maintain authority. As such, their archaeological record offers a unique perspective from which to view the Nile Valley culture.
The Sahara has a rich historical context that intertwines culturally and genetically with Ancient Kemet. During the Holocene period, the Sahara transformed from a lush environment with abundant lakes and wildlife to the arid desert we know today. This green Sahara supported diverse communities, including the Nilo-Saharan populations, who were skilled in cattle herding and agriculture. Their practices and social structures contributed significantly to the development of pastoralism in the region. These were not "Sub-Saharan" Africans but rather "Trans-Saharan" Africans as the Sahara has never been a barrier for Black Africans who traversed this expansive dessert eliciting trade and commerce.
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Origins of the Cattle Cults of Het-Heru (Hathor)
"On the western edge of the largest wadi to the north of Nabta is the first of two differing types of stone-covered tumuli marking the burial sites of cattle. Seven out of the nine tumuli examined have been excavated. At E-94-1n, at the northern end of the Late Neolithic ceremonial complex, the stones covered the articulated remains of a young cow in a clay-lined chamber. Radiocarbon tests on the wood from the roof returned a date of 5,400 B.C. The poorly preserved cow is around 125 cm. in height, with the spine oriented north-south and its head facing south. Pg 105
"It was during the arid post-El Nabta/Al Jerar phase that the present topography of Sites E-75-8, E- 94-2 and E-94-1 was formed, and Nabta Playa became depopulated. The Late Neolithic groups which subsequently re-occupied Nabta Playa, from Saharan areas as yet undetermined, display signs of social systems with a degree of organizational control not present in contemporary Nile Valley communities.
The desiccation of the Western Desert over the course of the Late Neolithic occurred about the same time as a drop in the flood levels of the Nile River, as documented by Hassan. The tempered, black-topped and red-slipped pottery found in the Late Neolithic layers of Nabta Playa sites E-75-8 and E-94-2 are similar to that of the Badarians in the Nile Valley, suggestive of an interaction between the two areas. While there is evidence for Eastern Desert influence on the Badarian culture (Majer 1992), Midant- Reynes convincingly argues for a strong element of Saharan culture." Pg. 101
Source:
Tracing the Origins of the Ancient Egyptian Cattle Cult https://www.academia.edu/2083212/Tracing_the_Origins_of_the_Ancient_Egyptian_Cattle_Cult
These Cattle cults were also found in Niger which show the connections between West Africa, the Sahel regions, Sahara and Nile Valley civilizations in the late neolithic periods.
“Even if quite spectacular, the Nabta evidence is not an isolated feature. We have important evidence, reported from the late 1970s to the early 1990s (Fig. 2) from Niger.
Lhote (1976), quoted in Paris (2000) reported a possible ‘cattle burial’, represented by remains of articulated cattle in the Talak–Timenrsoı ̈ area (western Air, Niger). These skeletons were located at the edges of settlements, some- times apparently associated (at least in spatial terms) with human burials. However, according to Lhote, the depositional features of these animals should have to be referred to as epizootic deaths. The animals would have been immediately buried by heavy desert storms (thus prevent- ing any possible scavenging and/or erosion), explaining why they have been found still in anatomical connection. Pg. 53
Source:
Building monuments, creating identity: Cattle cult as a social response to rapid environmental changes in the Holocene Sahara
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Genetic connections between West and Northeast Africa:
“Early speakers of Nilosaharan and Afroasiatic apparently interacted based on the evidence of loan words (Ehret, personal communication). Nilosaharan’s current range is roughly congruent with the so-called Saharo-Sudanese or Aqualithic culture associated with the less arid period (Wendorf and Schild 1980), and therefore cannot be seen as intrusive. Its speakers are found from the Nile to the Niger rivers in the Sahara and Sahel, and south into Kenya. The eastern Sahara was likely a micro-evolutionary processor and pump of populations, who may have developed various specific sociocultural (and linguistic) identities, but were genealogically “mixed” in terms of origins.
These identities may have further crystallized on the Nile, or fused with those of resident populations that were already differentiated…Nubian and upper Egyptian proximity and on some level, shared culture, Nubia’s possible participation in Egyptian state-building, and later partial political absorption in Dynasty I, would have reinforced biological overlap (and been further “stabilized” by ongoing population growth).
Early speakers of Nilosaharan and Afroasiatic apparently interacted based on the evidence of loan words (Ehret, personal communication). Nilosaharan’s current range is roughly congruent with the so-called Saharo-Sudanese or Aqualithic culture associated with the less arid period (Wendorf and Schild 1980), and therefore cannot be seen as intrusive. Its speakers are found from the Nile to the Niger rivers in the Sahara and Sahel, and south into Kenya. The eastern Sahara was likely a micro-evolutionary processor and pump of populations, who may have developed various specific sociocultural (and linguistic) identities, but were genealogically “mixed” in terms of origins.
Source:
Project Muse: Genetics, Egypt, and History
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The Napta Playa Stone Circle
The site of Nabta Playa represent the origins of not only the cattle cults and early burial practices which would evolve into the highly advanced mummification process in ancient Egypt that we first see with the Black Mummy of the Green Sahara, but also the origins of the study of the stars and the procession of the equinox conducted by these ancient trans-Sahran Africans which would later move into Kemet.
“The priority of observing the night sky and the movement of principal constellations is quite typical for all African tribal societies; whereas the solar aspects of Nabta Playa embodied in the solar calendar is quite exceptional and ushers in a later dynastic tradition of solar cult so typical for ancient Egyptian civilization (figs. 43–45). Pg. 83
“These depictions shed a completely new light on several cornerstones of ancient Egyptian concepts of the world and their state. They clarify and create a proper context of the Nabta Playa evidence and also help us understand the sudden complexity of predynastic Upper Egyptian cultures.” pg 87
Source:
Swimmers in the Sand: On the Neolithic Origins of Ancient Egyptian Mythology and Symbolism
Napta Playa Stone Circle & the Origins of Pharaonic Kingship YouTube Short:
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The 5600 year old Tashwinat Mummy known as the Black Mummy of the Green Sahara is the earliest form of advanced ritualistic mummification yet found in Africa and predates the earliest Kemetic mummy by over 1,000 years, a notable archaeological find from this period, highlights the complex burial traditions and social hierarchies that existed in the area. This reflects the interactions between indigenous populations from Libya and the famous Nabta Playa Stone circle located in the Western Desserts of Sudan as early progenitors of the nation of Kemet and Nile Valley civilization as a whole.
The Cattle Cults associated with the goddess Het-Heru (Hathor) in Kemet, were integral to the religious and agricultural practices of the time, often celebrating fertility and the nurturing aspects of cattle. These cults likely drew inspiration from the pastoralist traditions of the Nilo-Saharan peoples, emphasizing the importance of cattle as a symbol of wealth and sustenance. This interplay between the cultures of the green Sahara and Kemet illustrates a dynamic exchange of ideas, beliefs, and practices that shaped the region's historical narrative. The legacy of these interactions remains significant in understanding the cultural landscape of North Africa and its ancient civilizations.
For further information on the subject watch our documentary entitled, Black African Origins of Ancient Egypt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYnUaRMSM_4&t=2955s
Title: Stela of the Overseer of the Western Desert Kai
Period: Middle Kingdom
Dynasty: Early Dynasty 12
Date: ca. 1981–1919 B.C.
Geography: Upper Kemet; Waset (Thebes)
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: 26 3/8 in.; 13 3/8 in.; 3 9/16 in.
Accession Number: SL.3.2015.5.13
Hotep...Be at Peace: 𓊵𓏏𓊪 𓋹
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