reinterpretations of the ankh symbol part 2 - Asar Imhotep

18
NKWA, WAJU, SIMBA
Ancient Egyptian ankh, udja, snb = life, prosperity and health
reinterpretation = life, vitality and health
Budge 124B
The salutation is usually given the meaning of life, prosperity and health. I think given our analysis
of the anx that we can be a bit more precise in relation to the human body. We have already
connected the anx with oxygen, respiration and the blood. But what we haven’t done is connect it
with the foods we eat. Remember that cellular respiration involves converting biochemical energy
from nutrients into ATP (another form of energy). Those “nutrients” come from food and the anx is
also associated with food.
an anx “Sustenance”
ir anx “make provisions”
anx nsw “king’s victuals”
xt n anx “(a type of plant) embodiment of food, staff of life, tree of life”
anx “garland” (a plant)
anxt “corn”
The food we eat derives from plants which captures sunlight and stores it as energy during a
process called photosynthesis. As plants and trees grow, they absorb carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere and store it as carbon in their biomass. Humans can only absorb carbon through plants.
The word wDA (waju) is usually rendered “prosperity” but I think we are justified in relating it to
energy. 12 The term wDA also means “salvation.” When we look at the term WAJU or WAJO in a few of
the Afro-Asiatic languages, its message becomes clearer. In Ethiopic the term WAJU or WAJO means
to heal or recover health. WAJO also refers to a person who roasts and distributes meat at
ceremonial meals. A dialectical variant is pronounced WAYA which means “heat, warmth”; wayyaa,
recovering from illness. WAYU means fire-brand. In the Yindin language the word WAJU means to
burn or cook. 13 Among the Kuku Yalanji of Australia WAJU also means to burn (not related to Afro-
Asiatic). The glyph used to convey the word wDA is a fire drill or an instrument used to start a fire or
the commencement of the burning process. As will be detailed in Ogun, African Fire Philosophy and
the Meaning of KMT (2011), across Africa fire is used as a symbol of vitality and is why I interpret
this word to mean vitality. In modern times we can use this symbol to mean “the burning of
calories” through exercise.
Snb is known better among Niger-Congo speakers as simba. In Dr. Fu-Kiau’s 2006 work Simba
Simbi, he informs us that simba means “to hold up, to keep, to bless, to treasure, to touch, to retain.”
This gives way to a variant simbi which means “a keeper, a watch over; someone with power to
protect; a living energy that holds up everything.” Simbi is the power behind life and the secret
12 The word wDA also means “pectoral” which may be relevant to our discussion of the thorax (chest)
13 See Ergativity (1994:120 fn 11) by Robert M. W. Dixon. Cambridge University Press.