Habesha woman - The Mother of Humanity

Growing up surrounded by strong, powerful, graceful, and resilient Habesha women, and being a Habesha woman myself, I’ve often reflected on the profound legacy and influence of Habesha women in my life, and throughout history. From the earliest hominid, Lucy, discovered in Ethiopia, to the genetic origins of humanity traced back to Africa, and the rise of Abrahamic religions, Black women have played pivotal roles. Yet, they are often marginalized and undervalued.

Introduction

Habesha women, often overlooked in global narratives, have shaped societies, raised generations, and preserved cultures. From their ancestral roots as warriors, mothers, wives, king makers, farmers, gurus and queens to their modern-day influence as leaders and innovators, Habesha women have demonstrated remarkable strength, resilience, and determination. This blog post explores the multifaceted contributions of Habesha women, highlighting their historical significance, cultural impact, societal influence, limitations, and personal journeys.

Our true Habesha legacy lies in our kindness, nurture, protection, guidance, tolerance, forgiveness, wisdom, tact, love, strategy, self sabotage, and self-preservation—qualities that far surpass mere physical beauty. Yet, the world often focuses on superficial appearances, overlooking our deeper contributions to society and the divine feminine power that sustains humanity.

I'm often told that Habesha women are among the most beautiful in the world. However, beauty was never a significant criterion for me in judging a person's worth. I grew up surrounded by emotionally intelligent, manipulative, strong, kind, cunning, humble, controlling, competitive, and stunningly beautiful Habesha women, that understand the value of power. Driven by a matriarchal spirit while embracing the patriarchal system, these women sought success not only for themselves but also for their children, husbands, families, communities, society, and humanity. Many were aware of their feminine power and chose partners who could provide for them, they could manipulate, and contribute to their collective well-being. And later as they got educated within their environment, were cunning and strategic in achieving success locally & globally understanding the politics of seeking safety, security & survival, as well as understood emotional intelligence, social intelligence  & strategies in being in their feminine wisdom. Once they reach their late 50s, & 60s, when their children are no longer at home, & their husbands have fulfilled their duties, there is a definite power shift.  

Historical Contributions

Habesha women have a rich history of leadership and achievement. Their lineage can be traced back to ancient times, where they held positions of power and influence. From the legendary Queen of Sheba to the warrior queens of Ethiopia, and the spiritually enlightened women who served their communities, Habesha women have consistently challenged societal norms, fought for their sovereignty, and defied expectations. Their contributions to various fields, including politics, military, administration, and intellectual pursuits, have been instrumental in shaping the course of history. We have fought to maintain our identities, even in marriage, ensuring that our children have the opportunity to carry our names, as well as contribute to the betterment of Gods universe.

Throughout history, Habesha women have been warriors, spies, queens, teachers, traders, mothers, politicians, merchants, wives, builders, witches, mentors, lawmakers, lovers, guerrilla fighters, spies, healers, leaders, seekers of truth, & strategic advisors. The women I knew were emotionally and socially intelligent, strategic, patient, not nice, aggressive, wise, manipulative, played mind games, and kind, understanding that institutions are made to serve them. They adhered to societal norms, religious rituals, & prioritized their own needs, fulfilled their aspirations & thought of their children as extensions of themself. Using the institutions they belonged to, being in their support groups, having a vision of purpose, and in survival, they strive in achieving their version of safety, control & power. While those who choose to not be married, not adhere to be in social groups, or did not belong, were outcasted, attacked & rejected even by their own parents, friends, & the society that they belong to, as it is a patriarchy society with the matriarchy supporting it. Yet as the world changes, habesha woman are coming back to their awareness of themselves, unbecoming, to discover their power lies within, thus gradually collectively seeking equal footing to choose how they lead their lives by embracing their masculine & feminine duality. 

Cultural Impact

Habesha culture is deeply intertwined with the contributions of Habesha women. They have played a central role in preserving traditional customs, rituals, and knowledge. Habesha women have been instrumental in passing down oral histories, songs, and stories from generation to generation. Their role as educators and cultural custodians has ensured the continuity of Habesha heritage and the preservation of our unique cultural identity, at times competing for control against eachother in family, & social hierarchy with grace, in the survival of the fittest. The politics in family dinners, gatherings & events with habesha elder woman is far more layered, complex, sophisticated,  strategic & multidimensional than any corporate boardroom globally I have attended.

Despite facing societal inequality, prejudice, and violence, Habesha women have always been the nurturers, guides, protectors, and the backbone of their households and communities. Their wisdom, wit, & strategy have strengthened families, societies, & the wellbeing of humanity. They have raised generations of empowered women & man, ensuring the continuation of their legacy, for those that come after them. My training as the conscious leader with social & emotional intelligence of my life started at home, to be aware, mindful, strategic, sharp, safe, private, kind, focused, patient, disciplined, childlike, respectful, surrender to only God, observant, & the art of truthful negotiation with a vision to become my spiritual purpose. Both the genders in my family were powerful in their own ways, but underneath the illusion were the habesha woman that chose to stay, leave or use for her benefit. You can see that as they get older, the woman are thriving in their social circles & living longer.

Societal Expectations and Challenges

Despite their significant contributions, Habesha women have faced numerous societal challenges and stereotypes, that has hardened their hearts at times. Traditional gender roles and expectations have often limited their opportunities and restricted their potential. However, Habesha women have persevered, overcoming obstacles and advocating for their rights to be valued. Their resilience and determination have led to progress in gender equality, and empowerment.

From a young age, I was taught to conform to social norms, seek validation, and be a "good girl." My mother, like many others, valued societal acceptance over individual desires, as the world does not revolve around an individual. This often meant suppressing their emotions, hiding their true selves, being patient, judgemental, conforming, fear lead, & adhering for acceptance, in survival. However, as I grew older, I realized that beauty, when combined with self-care, empowerment, self-love, truth, grace, strategy, embracing our weakness, awareness, accepting our failures, forgiving ourselves, and a clear purposeful vision without apology, could be an asset, not something to hide in survival and armor. I had awakened father's that guided, disciplined, nurtured, loved & protected me to never doubt my worth, being enough & whole, as well as to be self sufficient & never to rely on a man.

Personal Journeys

The personal journeys of Habesha women are as diverse as their contributions. From rural villages, to urban centers, and as immigrants in foreign lands, Habesha women have faced unique challenges and triumphs. Their stories of resilience, strength, perseverance, and aspirations inspire others to overcome adversity, embrace change, and pursue their dreams individually & collectively. 

In my twenties, I witnessed many strong Habesha women fall victim to societal pressures, toxic relationships, fear, insecurity, family issues, and self-doubt. Yet, those who were purpose-driven, embracing their ego, shadow, and inner child, as well as valued themselves used their beauty as a tool to find meaningful relationships, stand out, and achieve their goals. Throughout my life, being successful in the global world, travelling globally, working with diverse woman, and forming deep, meaningful relationships in every continent, while staying true to myself, I've realized that the success of many micro, small, medium, and large enterprises (MSME), especially in emerging countries like Ethiopia, is largely due to the sharp, alert & vigilant nature of Habesha women. They are the traders, instigators, supporters, strategic advisors, warriors, problem solvers, witches, troubleshooters, leaders, politicians, gurus, mistress, innovators,  entrepreneurs, economists, mothers, daughters, wives, and grandparents. Somehow we do not know our worth, value, power, grace and choose to hide, mask, become vengeful, envious, unconscious & endure toxic life situations that do not serve their purpose, in fear of not belonging.

Throughout Ethiopia's history of being the only country that has never been colonized, women have fought side by side with the men, physically, mentally, and spiritually doing shadow work, going through the dark moments of history to seek, strategize, and fight for the freedom that we women enjoy today. Most emperors were married to strategic wives that had a powerful social fabric & armies, as well as respected for raising & training her children to be profitable investments as an extension of their mothers, family & society. Mostly in fear of societal institutions, a need to belong in survival, & attached in self doubt, most are limited to know their full potential in the 21st century. It breaks my heart travelling around Ethiopia & globally, breaking bread with my habesha woman from all walks of life, hiding, masked & being forbidden by those labelled as friends, partners & family to block them from seeing our beauty in our diversity. As those that are rebels, unique, gifted, blessed, stand out, shine as individuals, & challenges the matriarchy, are scapegoat, outcast, & pushed out of the family or friendship tribe systematically, erased from memory & stripped of their value for life, like a cult & energetic fortress with rules to play in, gossiped about in private, spreading globally like wildfire, as new matriarchy are recruited.

Conclusion

Habesha women have made invaluable contributions to society, history, culture, spirituality, law, and politics. Their strength, resilience, & determination have shaped the world we live in today. By recognizing and celebrating the achievements of Habesha women, I honor their legacy and inspire future generations to look to the past in gratitude, accept the future, and bridge the gaps to be better when you know better. At times clashing, & renegotiating with the generation before us, to awaken, forgive, upgrade, & evolve, in honor of our feminine divinity that we are worthy, enough, & empowered.

The strength of Habesha women lies in their resilience & unwavering commitment to themself, religion, their families, community, & society, and preparing their children for the global scene. Their legacy is not just about physical beauty but about profound inner strength, wisdom, survival, and grace, that is within them. They are the mothers of humanity, the guardians of culture, and the pioneers of progress, that has preserved the knower that we are made in the image of God. We are serving in grace, humility, strength, patience, wisdom, unwavering commitment, loyal & in awareness, detached & interconnected, as multidimensional human beings.

I am grateful, compassionate, & aware for the legacy of my ancestors and the strong women who raised, advised, & challenged my worth. They have instilled in me the confidence, resilience, and determination to pursue my dreams and make a positive impact on the world, equipped, courageous, & sustaining my being even in my darkest moments. I see, love, value, & honor all of myself, the good, the bad & the ugly. Its in their legacy, I AM. 

I hope we all give due respect to the generation before us, forgive the past, be our authentic selves in the present, dare to challenge, & empower the future generations of women to be whoever they wish to be, with tenacity. Forgive your ancestors past in gratitude, detach, upgrade as you know better, share, & realign to your true essence, state of love, nurture, being sharp, in protection, guide & light. The past has dyed, realigned and we are healing, growing, & bound to agree to disagree, to form out own family, community & be part of society, taking our past with us, to build on as foundation, to survive in the environment we are dealt with. I learnt to be sharp, alert, vigilant, armoured in survival, an observer, watcher & knower, to detach & awaken to our beauty in diversity of each corner of habesha woman from throughout Addis Abeba, to Tigray, to Afar, to Gambela, to kaffa, Oromia and everything in-between. I chose to break bread with habesha woman in power, wealthy, & intelligent globally & locally, also those living monetarily poor in the market, on the street or the rat race of the global world, doing the best they can as citizens, immigrants, refugees & partners of 8billion people in this world. My ability to live, work, partner, explore, challenge & serve as my authentic self with anyone from every continent in the world is because of the habesha woman that came before me, that gave me the foundation, that I worked on as an artist on a canvas of my life.

I am forever grateful of tracing, remembering & spiritually awakening to who I am in my feminine divinity, navigating, upgrading & evolving to becoming my highest potential as a human being. Our unique experiences, diversity, weirdness, and setbacks are our beauty, not our shame. We have to learn to love all of our complexity, release, stand in our truth, forgive our ancestor's burden, give gratitude to the blessings we inherited, know our worth, ground in God, & choose to awaken to our greatness in our light, by soothing our darkness, embracing our wounds with boundaries not in survival but forgiveness, to be part of creating a New Earth.

By Dutches@Deldeyoch 

To the village of mothers who raised me, and the diverse habesha woman that challenged & inspired me, as well as the youth, cousins, niece & the next generation that will thrive in knowing your worth.