HTP N-Word
It has come to my attention that within the last year or so people inside and those claiming to be outside the conscious community have started to use the word Hotep as a derogatory phrase. To add insult to injury Hotep is now being attached to the racial slur N*gg*. This is confusing to me as a scholar and an Afrikan for two reasons. For one the word Hotep is a word in the language of Mdw Ntchr or what some people call hieroglyphics. Mdw Ntchr translates to divine words. So Hotep is a divine word to our ancestors in KMT(Egypt). Why anyone that claims to be for the community and betterment of Afrikan people in the diaspora combine this divine word with a word of ignorance is beyond my comprehension.
This N*gg* word that my people cannot seem to let go is NOT a divine word. It is word spawn out of the ignorance of our European oppressors. Some will argue that this is an ancient Afrikan word or that it is a term of endearment. Whatever their claims are I want to state firmly that it is not an ancient Afrikan word, it was never used in our culture as a term of endearment until post civil rights era, and it is 100% created in the minds of white supremacist to demean and destroy the Afrikan psyche. So to put these two words together is a slap in the face to our ancestors that have come before us. They did not create such a divine word only for it to be joined with a word of ignorance.
Another problem I see with this increasingly popular phrase is no one actually studies the language. Everyone that I see using the Hotep N*gg* phrase shockingly enough cannot read, write nor tell you the definition of Htp in Mdw Ntchr. This is a serious problem. Now we have so called enlightened Afrikans using a divine word they cannot spell, write nor give the definition of. Yes I said spell. Most people spell Hotep as I have spelled it throughout this article. I have done this so it would be familiar to the reader. This is actually not the way to spell this word. In the language of Mdw Ntchr Hotep is spell Htp. There are no vowels in between the consonants and the only reason you see vowels when people spell them today is because the phonetic compliments help with pronunciation.
Yes, I mentioned read because I doubt the people using Hotep N*gg* can even read Htp in Mdw Ntchr. If I simply put this symbolin front of someone that uses the Hotep N*gg* phrase I would bet reparations for my people they would not know what it is. This is the Triliteral(This means that the root consists of 3 consonant morphemes (H-t-p) and often the change of vowel changes the dynamic of the word (or the whole word altogether).
in mdw ntchr for the word Htp. It can also be written like this with the T and p after the Triliteral . Yes I said they don’t know the definition as well. Many will tell you it means peace. Well it goes a lot further than that. The word Htp is derived from these variations
- Htp “rest in (tomb), assume (titulary)
- Htp “set, setting (of sun)”
- Htp “to dwell”
- Htp “fall out (of hair)”
- st-n-Htp “resting place”
So you can see how it is a little different from our greeting, although it may still be used as a greeting.
Below are the several definitions of the word Htp.
- Htp “offering table” [Wb III 183]
- Htp “food offerings” [Wb III 184,185]
- Htp “oblation” [Wb III 184]
- Htp “be satisfied, rest” [Wb III 188]
- Htp “to be pleased; to be content; to make content” [Wb III 188]
- Htp “contented one” [Wb III 195]
- Htp “basket” [Wb III 195]
- Htp “incense” [Wb III 196]
- Htp “God” [Wb III 195]
- Htp “evil plot” [RdE29 (1977) p. 10; Meeks: AL772 900]
- Htp “pardon” (someone)
- Htp “be pleased (with), be happy, be gracious”
- Htp “name of the blessed dead” [Wb III 195]
- Htpy “provided with offerings” [Wb III 194]
- Htpy “priest” [Wb III 195]
- Htpy “an item of furniture” [Wb III 196]
- Htpyw “peacemakers” [Wb III 194]
- Htpjt “lady (of uraeus)” [Wb III 194]
- Htpj “Gracious, Merciful (of Ntr)” [Wb III 194]
- Htpt “Federation (vegetables)” [Wb III 196]
- Htpw “good weather” [Wb III 194]
- sHtpj “censer” [Wb IV 222]
- sHtp “wild catch” [Wb IV 222]
We can see how this word can mean different things. What determines the meaning is what’s called a determinative. Without getting to much into linguistics a determinative is an ideogram at the end of a word or sentence that serves the purpose of show the purpose of the signs preceding it or they determine the range of definitions that are applicable to the word. So from that definition we can see that it is the determinative that decides what a word can mean even if it is spelled the exact same way.
In conclusion we must stop the use of this phrase Hotep N*gg*. Not only does it not exist in traditional Afrikan languages but also it is a bastardization of our divine words. If you cannot use our ancestors divine words in the manner in which they meant it then leave the language alone all together. STOP disrespecting our culture and ancestors TODAY!
References
Sesh Medew Netcher A Beginners Introduction To Medew Netcher By Wudjau Men-Ib Iry Maat
TOWARDS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF HOTEP (Htp) IN THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN LANGUAGE by Asar Imhotep
http://mdw-ntr.com/blog/articles/133-is-hotep-a-foul-word By Wudjau Men-Ib Iry Maat
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Great perspective! Understanding the etymology of the word is always a good approach. Well done!
Excellent piece. Short and to the point. Abibifahodie!!!