Welcome to The Gatekeeper Project, I am Rev. Kevin George Rusty, the TinganSob or Priest of The Shrine of The Earth, and I will be your companion and guide on this journey. For the past 8 years I have been on a sojourn into the heart of indigenous technology. Though my technical experience spans numerous industries the focus for this journey begins with that of the Dagara people of Burkina Faso, West Africa.
The Dagara community span from the coast of Africa in Ghana 700 miles into the heart of Western Africa. They are known in Africa as The Keepers of Magic. In particular, among them those people who carry the weight of this magical knowledge and experience are what we in our culture reduce to a definition of sexuality. What we mistakenly identify as gay and lesbian in our culture are known as Gatekeepers, and witches respectively by the Dagara. This concept of two-spirited or third gender or even the idea of the great spiritual leaders of indigenous cultures being part of this ancient order of the queer is not new nor unique to the Dagara or African cultures.
The Dagara society is structured around the family unit, extending far beyond the traditional western notion of a nuclear family. The power of the family compound is directly related to their capacity to Venerate their Ancestors. Their power stems from an unbroken line of great and powerful Shaman, the humble members of the Bodeme Clan. The only known secret society in this historically open and transparent culture. It is these gatekeepers and witches in their culture who stand on the periphery and guard and protect the village.
It is the gatekeeper, according to the Dagara, who is responsible for the continuity of life on the planet. Their unique balance of masculine and feminine energy does not simply delimit their sexual activity but provides them with access to knowledge far beyond the scope of the rest of their society. Now this is not to say that there aren't gatekeepers share in the feelings of the men and women here in the West but their sense of self and purpose is markedly different.
Gatekeeping is not an elected choice that one makes out of some desire for power or status. It is not an orientation, a lifestyle or a psychological classification or diagnosis. Gatekeeping is serious business and often requires great sacrifices of the individual as well as his/her family. The return for such a sacrifice is a life devoted to truth, devotion and a knowledge of the true life present in the other world. We are born to be gatekeepers, it is our purpose.
It is my hope that during my time here I can shed some light, answer some questions and have even more questions posed that might, at the very least, allow us all to grow into a greater understanding and appreciation of the people and the world around us. It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I introduce to you, The Gatekeeper Project.
Ashe
May The Ancestors ash the road before us...
