ABSTRACT
Toni Morrison’s narrator in Beloved aptly articulates the forced position of the Africanan during slavery as one who is defined not by self, but rather by the dominant culture, the definer. In African cosmology, it is through the proper naming of a thing that its essence comes into existence, Nommo. This powerful first is closely followed by self-definition, a key component in life, which gives top priority status. This chapter discusses the basic features/descriptors of the Africana womanist, dating back to Africa and antiquity, as the actual practice itself represents a continuum of the rich legacy of Africana women in antiquity, continuing their roles as culture bearers at home, Africa, the cradle of civilization, and then carrying it forth to the African diaspora, via Africana-Melanated people throughout, in the Caribbean, and the United States, etc. In defining herself and her reality, the Africana womanist is, indeed, a self-definer, even if her definitions do not reach the broader global public arena.
