Prophetic Women
Thu, Jul 14, 12–2pm Pacific Time
We’ll take an international visual journey that calls back memories of the seer-ess, dreamer, sibyl, oracle—under her many cultural names. The prophetess does more than “predict the future,” she speaks sacred truths (“soothsayer”) and communicates profound insights about reality in her inspired voice. She channels divine wisdom, “sitting out” on a stone, under a tree, at the riverside, or while dancing, chanting. She divines by casting lots, throwing the bones or kernels or shells. We’ll look at Aztec diviners; the Germanic veleda; female oracles from Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Greece; Algonquin mashkiki-kwe; French and African-American fortunetellers; the Caribbean madama; and South African izangoma. The prophetess is a guardian of culture and sometimes leads her people in fighting domination, like Dahia al-Kahena (Tunisia), Muhumusa (Uganda), Mauricia la Bruja (Venezuela), Teresa Urrea (Mexico), and Essie Parrish (California). We need to know about these women, and their ways of knowing which subvert systems of domination, on our path to liberation.
About Max Dashu
Max Dashu founded the Suppressed Histories Archives in 1970 to research women in the global cultural record. From her collection of some 50,000 images, she has created and presented hundreds of slideshows at universities, conferences, festivals, community centers, bookstores, schools, and libraries internationally. She is the author of Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion and Pythias, Melissae and Pharmakides: Women in Hellenic Culture. She also publishes videos, such as Woman Shaman: the Ancients and Women’s Power in Global Perspective, as well as the Deasophy Coloring Book. She teaches with images via her online courses, webcasts, the SHA Facebook page, and stream-on-demand videos (Suppressed Histories Portal on Teachable).