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Before memory foam… Abibiman had structure.
Before “comfort”… there was intelligence.
This wasn’t just a pillow.
It was a headrest carved in Kemet over 4,000 years ago.
Not soft… but intentional.
Designed to:
– Keep the body cool in harsh climates
– Protect the head from insects and the ground
– Preserve identity (hairstyles, adornment, dignity)
– And even guard the spirit… because the head was seen as sacred
And here’s what’s deeper…
That same design didn’t disappear.
It quietly lived on across Abibiman Apueɛ(east africa)… among pastoralist communities in Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda… carried by people who never needed textbooks to remember who they were.
No rebranding.
No “innovation.”
Just continuity.
But today… we look at it and call it “primitive.”
Meanwhile, we sleep on imported comfort… disconnected from the thinking that once shaped survival, identity, and design.
So maybe the question isn’t just about the object…
What else have we abandoned because it didn’t look “modern”… and what did it actually cost us?
Tamara, Kwame and 11 others16 Comments-
20,410
Abibisika (Black Gold) Points
Different but same…..great post.
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@AgyaKwadwo medaase
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meda wo ase for this info
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@bakari-kwento , @Afropreneur , @AfroN8V , @Datsoms_Atsu , @Tamara_Kirinatei , @Zay , @Niara_Kwento , @yezinkan
Would you use this if you have access to it; Why and Why not?
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@OHENENANA I don’t think I would because I’m so use to the Cotten pillow. But that is fascinating. Ancient Kemet had everything.
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@Afropreneur that’s real; hope you read the benefits tho 😁
Won’t you give it a shot?
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@Ohenenana I would definitely try it. It’s probably better than what we have now and I can imagine all the sacred wisdom from it seeping into my spirit as I sleep and dream.
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@yezinkan Definitely; it won’t be easy but it’ll be worth the try
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@Ohenenana you never know it might be a perfect fit and just what was needed.
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@yezinkan True
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@OHENENANA First thought is 👀 lol just by looking at it but would have to try it to know for sure.
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@Tamara_Kirinatei that’s realistic, lol
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@OHENENANA I would definitely give it a try to feel what they felt, identify with what shaped their identity, and understand why it was designed that way. Then I’ll find a way to “innovate” not only the headrest to suit our modern needs, but also apply the cultural and geometric principles of the curve itself to law or a bridge. I would experience it and then try to understand it.
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@Datsoms_Atsu Thank you for this perspective; try it, understand why it was made as such and then modify it to suit modern needs while applying the principles to other projects.
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@OHENENANA I would try it
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202,030
Abibisika (Black Gold) Points
i would definitely give it a try
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