The Discovery of Lost Atlantis Continues
“Surely We sent Noah to his people, saying: Warn thy people before there come to them a painful chastisement. He said: O my people, surely I am a plain warner to you. That you should serve Allah and keep your duty to Him and obey me–He will forgive you some of your sins and grant you respite to an appointed term. Surely the term of Allah, when it comes, is not postponed. Did you but know?” –Holy Qur’an, Surah 71, verses 1-4
We continue with the reflections of the last Bimini journey with Sister Sabrina Muhammad.
During our many trips Mother Tynnetta has always been guided by Allah to encounter people who can be traced back to the Indigenous people of the earth and we are all part of the link that makes up the original family. In Andros we visited a placed called “Red Bays” where the Black Seminole Tribe lives. What comes to mind when observing our Indigenous family is that their concept of nature and aging is so foreign from that of the Western society. At 65 or 70 in the West, people are considering retirement. At Red Bays we saw our friend Ms. Marshall, a 93-year-old women working with her hands, using the palm and sisal plant leaves to produce some of the most beautiful hats and baskets that I’ve ever seen. Her mind was sharp and there seemed to be no concept of retirement. She produced her craft daily and continued to be a productive and contributing member of her society. We were shown to a room full of many types of crafts. There were water jugs, hats, trays, baskets, purses, containers in many colors, shapes and sizes, all crafted by the women at Red Bays. Seeing all these crafts reminded me of Mother Tynnetta sharing with us how the M.G.T. used to make different items with their hands and displayed them at the mosque. After our visit to Red Bays, we were off to our next stop.
While on the island we visited the Androsia factory. At the Androsia store all of the fabric is hand processed and shipped to many of the Bahamian islands. The fabric is called batik fabric. Each piece of fabric is dyed then hand printed and dried. The fabric comes in many bright, vibrant colors and many designs. The items were sold as ready made apparel or one could simply purchase the fabric and make it into whatever they envisioned. Everywhere we visited, the women were very industrious and worked with their hands to produce very beautiful items.
Our next stop was the entrance to Autec. Autec is an instrumental laboratory that performs integrated three-dimensional hydrospace/aerospace trajectory measurements covering the entire spectrum of undersea simulated warfare: calibration, classifications, detection, and destruction. Atlantic Underwater Test Evaluation Center is located where the “Tongue of the Ocean lies. The Tongue of the Ocean is the name of a deep oceanic trench in the Bahamas separating the islands of Andros and New Providence. The depth of the water drops from roughly 115 feet (35 m) along Andros’ east offshore barrier reef to over 6,000 feet (1.8 km), and the drop is roughly 100 miles (160 km) long.
There are many interesting formations of nature on and surrounding Andros. One need only to have faculty of sight to experience some of the most breathtaking formations of nature. As we traveled between destinations, we passed the blue holes described to us by Ana Mae as water filled cave systems that attract cave divers from all over the world. Blue holes can be found in the ocean as well as inland. The color in the water ranges from dark blue at the depth and light blue in shallow areas surrounding them. Ana Mae, one of our guides, informed us that one of the inland blue holes on Andros is the famous Charlie’s Blue Hole. It was first explored by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Another beautiful formation of nature is the majestic tall pine trees that have been growing for many years. Barbara, another tour guide, shared with us that the trees are protected as part of an attempt to preserve the ecosystem. We were told that the soil is very fertile and rich on Andros which aides in yielding some of the largest produce I’ve ever seen.
When we returned to Bimini, we were invited by our host, Antoinette’s, beautiful home for dinner. We were treated like family. There was a formal table setting prepared for us that some of the sisters joined in to assist her with. She shared with us a technique of folding cloth dinner napkins that she learned in hospitality school. I thank Allah for our M.G.T. & G.C.C. class and the seven units which prepared us for interaction among those in civilized societies.
The next morning we met our friend Bone Fish Ebbie who is known as one of the great fishing captains and historians of the island. He was our water guide for the day. As Mr. Ebbie guided the boat through the ocean, he shared with us the history of the three sisters (three rock formations in the ocean), old ship wrecks from the Spanish ships, and various reef formations. A journey with Mr. Ebbie is always a joy. He sings hymns and always has a word of guidance. We were blessed to encounter one of the most beautiful and peaceful creatures of the water, the dolphins. Before encountering the dolphins, Mr. Ebbie asked us to clear our minds and think only positive thoughts. He and many of our other Biminite friends seemed to be so connected to nature. My understanding of his instruction was that the dolphins are so sensitive they can even pick up on our very thoughts and disposition. Almost as soon as we cleared our minds, the dolphins arrived. The dolphins played with us by jumping and swimming alongside our boat. Whenever we encounter the dolphins, they always seem to greet Mother Tynnetta first (smile). The dolphin is such a magnificent, mysterious, yet highly intelligent creature that emits a distinct, yet powerful energy and frequency.
Our last experience was quite possibly the most fulfilling. Dr. Ashley Saunders invited us to his famous “Dolphin House”. He’s an author, a historian, a bush doctor, a mason, a scientist, a friend and much more. It would be the first time since our first trip to Bimini that I would have the opportunity to see the completion of his construction of “The Dolphin House”. On our first trip, Dr. Saunders said that he was going to build a place for us to lodge when we traveled to Bimini, and now it was finally complete.
As we approached his home, “The Dolphin House,” I admired all of the marvelous work he did while building and designing his home. Once we were all inside and comfortable, Dr. Saunders began to show us many herbs and plants. Each herb or plant has its own medicinal benefits and he gave us the prescription for administering them. We were able to see, touch, and smell the herbs which was especially important because Dr. Saunders informed us that just being in proximity to the plants has a healing effect on the comprised organ or body part. All of us, including Dr. Saunders, seemed to reflect each other’s spirit of learning and joy. The information he shared with us is priceless.
As I listened to him, I reflected on his words concerning Mother Tynnetta Muhammad. He said “Mother Tynnetta’s presence has raised the frequency of the island.” I can attest to Mother Tynnetta’s constant search for knowledge and her willingness to always share that knowledge with us. She always encourages us to study from the source out of which all knowledge comes, Allah, God through the scriptures of the Holy Qur’an, and the Supreme Wisdom Book. No matter what body of knowledge we are studying, she, by the Grace of Allah has been able to prove how that knowledge bears witness to the Teachings of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Her presence always raises the frequency of our thinking by exhorting us to study the revealed word of Allah, God. I thank Allah for Mother Tynnetta Muhammad’s wonderful example of a Muslim and her beautiful demonstration of “Motherhood” to all she encounters. Allah has truly made lasting friendships and a home away from home for us in Bimini as a result of Mother Tynnetta’s constant search for knowledge and her desire to share that knowledge with us.
“He said: My Lord, I have called my people night and day: But my call has only made them flee the more. And whenever I call to them that Thou mayest forgive them, they thrust their fingers in their ears and cover themselves with their garments, and persist and are big with pride. Then surely I have called to them aloud.” –Holy Qur’an, Surah 71, verses 5-8
