The Ntomba

The words of Go Conscious Earth’s founder, Godi Godar, who grew up in the forests and villages of Lake Tumba, a member of the Ntomba community.

I am blessed to have grown up in the heart of the Congo Basin Rainforest my whole childhood, nurtured by Mama Earth. The Rainforest is our mother.  She provides us with all that we need: cool climate, shelter, medicine, water, food, the air we breathe, and so much more. The resilience of her lungs are vital for our survival.

Growing up with this rainforest mother taught me how to relate to and respect all living creatures. She gave me survival skills and taught me that forests are a sacred place. Not only a place to connect, learn, and communicate but a truly divine place if you really tune in. The Ntomba people (my tribe) believe in the legend of the Turtle Iyanzanguba who represents Mother Earth. She gives birth to all living creatures and carries them on her back to protect them, just like many creatures give birth and care for their children. My ancestors who have become one with the forest, continue to teach us through her wisdom and knowledge that all tribes and family members pass on to the next generations.

The gifts of the forest are abundant:

– traditional ceremonies
– honoring a woman when she gives birth for the first time
– the funeral tradition (Matanga) when someone passes and again becomes one with the forest
– the tribe’s Medicine Women and Men
– the sacred sites
– the stories and proverbs
– communicating with animals and birds
– the Pygmy wisdom (the aboriginal forest people)

These tribal and cultural experiences I learned from Mother Earth are the best education. I would never have learned all of this wisdom or carry my inner sense of peace from any school or university. I am always grateful and thankful for the knowledge that Mother Earth has gifted me.

Mother Nature is a healer. She provides sanctuary where you can always go to calm down and find peace. I was born in a place were the forest took care of us and the tribe took care of each other in same way. We understood that when we killed any animals or plants to nourish ourselves, we gave thanks and praise for the animal’s and plant’s sacrifice. We never took anything for granted, and always gave blessings to all because we are all related and we feed one another.

Unfortunately, many humans today are disconnected and self-destructive.  We must go into the forest again to regain our consciousness. To be conscious is to sense, see, feel, hear, touch, smell, and taste. We can change, we can remember where we all come from, we can reconnect with Mother Nature. We are all one! As the animals and plants of the forest sacrifice themselves to nourish us, I too am nourished by serving others and protecting this forest mother.

Knowing Mother Nature means knowing yourself – being disconnected from Nature means you are disconnected from yourself. Whatever you do, be thankful and grateful for all. Be humble and Mother Nature will always be on your side, even when it seems like it’s taking forever… but always have hope…