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Tchiya Amet is a singer/songwriter/keyboardist
whose life and worldview is reflected in her lyrics and her music. She was
born August 5, and was raised on the South Side of Chicago, IL. Her ancestral
heritage resembles a patchwork quilt: She is First Nations: Cherokee Moor
and Blackfoot. Her way of life reflects the Wisdom of the Ancient Ones from
the Four Directions.
Unity & Peace......
CHOOSE TO REMAIN AT PEACE...
...MEET ME
DOWN WHERE
THE RIVER
MEETS THE SEA....
Personal Background: Grew up in urban environment, basically, a Buppy; with
no knowledge of Self or of her indigenous Heritage; ignorant of the history
of the peoples of color, nor of the present conditions, worldwide. Studied
Physics and Jazz Piano at Oberlin College; did some graduate work in both Galactic
and Cultural Astronomy at University of Texas at Austin. Had the honor of studying
with Gerard and Antoinette de Vaucouleurs as well as with Linda Schele. May
they Rest in Peace and in Truth.
Instead of becoming an astronaut, or an archaeologist, she gave birth at home,
twice, to two beautiful girls, with their dad and life partner as her only
assistant. Went on to become a Homeschooling/Soccer Mom/Reggae Artist/Yogini.
The more she learned about her Self, the history and culture of her People,
the more the music began to flow.
The research continued, independently of course. You can read about her work
at the Celestial
Wisdom page
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Inspired by Reggae artists like Burning
Spear and Culture, she set out upon
a journey of self-discovery. They challenged her to know her roots. She was
surprised to learn that her roots lie deep within Turtle
Island. Her Tsalagi (Cherokee) and Saponi (Blackfoot) Ancestors called out to her and she responded
with tunes like Tsalagi Thankful, Lakota:
4-Directions, and Ani Tsisdu
(Rabbit People).
Inspired by the lives and music of Fela and Sun
Ra, Tchiya (which translates
in Hebrew into Rise Again) Amet (Truth) wanted to learn as much as she possibly
could about both West African Culture (in particular, Dogon/
Mali, Nigeria)
and Kimet or Nile Valley Cultures (Ancient Egypt, Ethiopia). These studies
are reflected in the songs Rastafari is Universal, Science
of Love, Tree
of Life, & Best Thing Yet. Her first band was even named "Dogon
Sirius". The Ancestors have made songs like I've
Known Rivers (Langston
Hughes) and Fountain of Love (Marcus
Mosiah Garvey) as wonderful as they
are, because they are adaptations of their very own words.
Tchiya was encouraged by musical Freedom Fighters and Conscious Warriors like
Bob Marley, Peter
Tosh, Steel Pulse LKJ, & Black
Uhuru, and began an exploration of our rights, justice, and (this corrupt)
legal system. This search is reflected in her other website, riseagain.info.
Songs like Institution and World
Peace are fueled by this flame.
Bands like the Abyssinians and Misty-in-Roots remind Tchiya to always give
thanks and praises in her music, that each song, each performance is a prayer.
That healing, educating and purifying is going on at all times.
From her passion for the stars and the calendar, as well as her desire to
provide edu-tainment for famiiles and the youth, she was moved to shift her
focus from club gigs to festivals that are synchronized with celestial events
and the changing of the seasons.
The teachings of the East (Yoga, Buddhism) influenced her inquiry into the
realm of individual sovereignty and self-knowledge. Her current research on
Black Indians, the Olmecs,
and the Moabites/Moors is guiding her towards claiming
her nationality as well as her divine inheritance (LAND, LIFE, and GOOD HEALTH!).
Tchiya runs to the earth for grounding, nurturing, guidance, healing, medicine,
and food. Organic Gardening, working with herbs and natural healing are other
aspects of her multi-faceted passion. This is expressed in songs like Natural
Life, Natural Woman, and My
Clan.
Artists and women like Sade, Cesaria
Evora, Walela, Ulali, Joanne
Shenendoah,
Brenda Russell, Patrice
Rushen, Celia Cruz, Harriet
Tubman, Selena, Sojourner
Truth, and Anabelle Spurlock (Great Grandmother: Pianist, Cellist, Harpist
had performances on a Ferry Boat back in the day!!!)) inspire her to keep going
with her music, and with getting the message out there to the People.
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Her Family and Daughters are at the very core of everything
that she does. The Family is the basic structure of humanity. The Family
is symbolized by the Ankh (Mother, Father, and Child), which in turn
is the Kimetic Symbol for Life itself. This is why Tchiya and her life
partner of 20 years/ drummi, Mario H. Vela chose to homeschool the girls.
They were even birthed at home, with no outside assistance. Due to their
strong faith in Nature and the Divine Right Order that exists in nature,
during their childhood, the girls have never received shots of any kind,
and never required the care of a medical physician. Herbal assistance
is all that has been needed over the years, give thanks and praises to
the Most High. Living out of love and devotion for the Mother, and all
of life and Creation has been the source of light and inspiration for
Tchiya during these years. One of the motivations behind this music is
sharing this reality with you through her music.
Tchiya chose to homeschool her daughters when they were
young. The curriculum at Arbol de Vida Homeschool has included: Yoga, Math,
Astronomy/Astrology, Music, Art, Science of Living and Natural Health,
Indigenous Rights, Sovereign America, Vegan Cooking, Environmental Studies,
Soccer, Sewing, Drama, Homeschoolers' Social Club and Culture Studies.
Now that the girls are teenagers, they are pretty much on their own path
of education. Her many passions include Hiking, Swimming in Spring Water,
Jogging, Fancy Shawl Dancing, Organic Gardening, Hemp for Peace, Calendar
Reform and Watermelon. In her "free" time, Tchiya enjoys sharing
her research on Cultural Astronomy and Yoga with people of all ages.
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Other passions with purpose include: festivals, organic gardening, vegan lifestyle,
herstory, hemp, environmental awareness (especially the raising of), biodiesel,
indigenous rights, sovereignty, Moorish Nationality, Lifestyles of the Pre-Invasion
Era, yoga, herbal medicine, indigenous languages, cultures, creations stories
and crafts, candle making, family life, natural healing and health care.
The current phase of her life is focuses on the fusion of her love of astronomy
and her life of music: the pursuit of a life as a cultural astronomer that
shares her research through her music. Since August of 2006, Tchiya has been
traveling to Central and South America on both research and music projects.
You can read more about this at the Wisdom section of the website. Stay tuned
for the next phase of this adventire with the release of the third CD entitled: "Celestial
Folk Music"...
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