Ancestor Money
COLLECTION TITLE:
Ancestor Money
SUBTITLE:
A Reimagining of Currency as Ancestral Offering
CREATOR(S):
Designed by Nyasha Williams Sigils by math+° morgynne d'sulueti tora
About three years into my practice of Ancestral Veneration, I heard the call to begin reimagining currency itself as offering. Most bills currently in existence center old white men upholding systems of the patriarchy, capitalism, and white supremacy, systems that have caused and continue to cause harm. In wanting to honor my Ancestors and guides through offering Ancestral money, I was called to start creating my own. That calling was amplified by my frustration that Harriet Tubman still had not been placed on the twenty-dollar bill.
This collection of Ancestor Money was created first with the intention of communal Ancestral healing. Every bill design is intentionally crafted to memorialize each Ancestor's energetic vibrations. Sigils were Ancestrally channeled by math+° morgynne d'sulueti tora to amplify the pure purpose of each created offering. All images, writing, and numbers in each bill are connected to the Ancestor it honors. Every batch is blessed and activated via sunlight.
THE ANCESTORS HONORED:
Harriet Tubman
Chadwick Aaron Boseman
Fannie Lou Hamer (a direct Ancestor of Nyasha's)
Henrietta Lacks
Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey
James Baldwin
Bessie Coleman
Madame C.J. Walker
Pata Seca
Road Opener Bill
Blockbuster Bill
READ THE FULL STORY:
The full four-part series on the creation, intention, and details behind the Ancestor Money is available on Nyasha's Substack.
[Part 1: The Origin and Call] → nyashawilliams.substack.com/p/ancestor-money-411-part-1
[Part 2: The Sigils and Bill Design] → nyashawilliams.substack.com/p/ancestor-money-411-part-2
[Part 3: The Ancestors and Their Bills] → nyashawilliams.substack.com/p/ancestor-money-411-part-3 [
Part 4: Ancestor Money Readings] → nyashawilliams.substack.com/p/ancestor-money-411-part-4
Status:
Collection I Completed
Medium:
Digital design
Prints:
Inquire for availability.
Year
2023
Sigil Design: math+° morgynne d'sulueti tora
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Title: Back of Bills
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
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Title: Harriet Tubman Bill
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers Harriet Tubman as an Ancestor and commemorates and carries her Ancestral Vibration as the Moses of her people.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Leadership / Good Trouble / Liberation / Dedication / Community / Justice / Revolution / Ancestral Liberation
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Harriet unjustly not yet being on the 20-dollar bill is what set these bills and this particular bill in motion. There is no way to whitewash Harriet, her story or her legacy. She moved in action towards our liberation and will forever deserve her flowers.
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Title: Chadwick Aaron Boseman
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers Chadwick Aaron Boseman as an Ancestor and his Ancestral energetic vibration as a real-life superhero and hope.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Actor / Resilience / Wakanda / Black Panther / The Motherland / Director / Writer / Hope / Legacy
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Chadwick stepped forward in media as a real-life superhero becoming both a physical and spiritual embodiment of hope and imagining beyond what exists.
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Title: Fannie Lou Hammer
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers Fannie Lou Hammer as an Ancestor and her Ancestral energetic vibration of her voice toward creating communal change.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Justice / Activist / Founder / Equitable Systems / Consent / Business Opportunities / Voting Justice /
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Fannie dedicated her life for The People. She bravely spoke her truth calling for justice and equity for the Black community.
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Title: Henrietta Lacks
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers Henrietta Lacks as an Ancestor and her Ancestral energetic vibration of omnipotent Ancestral footprint.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Consent / Generational Work / Infinity / Immortal / Medial Health /
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Henrietta becoming an nonconsensual donor led to us all being connected to her and her legacy through the medical advances her cells have made possible. Henrietta Lacks became known because of the wrong done to her in the name of science. Her legacy amplifies awareness around the inequities in health provision and research, speaking into existence a more just and inclusive healthcare system.
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Title: Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey as Ancestors and their Ancestral energetic vibration as the Mothers of Gynecology.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Women's Health / Safety for Black Women Medically / Healing for past + current medical harm /
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey are three known names of the unknown number of Black women whose bodies were exploited without consent or anesthesia towards the creation of American obstetrics and gynecology. The three stand as a testimony of and pushback towards the racial disparities Black bodies face in the healthcare industry still going on today.
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Title: James Arthur Baldwin
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers James Arthur Baldwin as an Ancestor and commemorates and carries his Ancestral Vibration with his written word, raising public awareness.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Writer / Author / Creator / Truth / Honesty / Awareness / Equality / Justice / Creative Freedom / Creative Liberation / Wants Fiancially Stability in Creative Careers
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Baldwin authored works that challenged people's out look on race, politics and sexuality.
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Title: Bessie Coleman
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers Bessie Coleman as an Ancestor and commemorates and carries her Ancestral Vibration of being brave enough to soar.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Challenging Systems / Being a Pioneer / Dreaming / Flying /
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Bessie was the first African-American woman to earn a pilot's license. She smashed ceilings put in place but certain countries who tried to prevent her from achieving her dreams. She carries the spirit of our flying Ancestors.
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Title: Madame CJ Walker
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers Madame CJ Walker as an Ancestor and commemorates and carries her Ancestral Vibration of abundance, self-reinvention, unwavering determination, and ingenuity, and the ability to transcend challenging beginnings and adversities. Madame CJ Walker also reminds us that wealth and abundance are also reflected through acts of philanthropy, activism, and the invaluable sharing of knowledge with others.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Financial Success / Entrepreneurship / Abundance / Social Power / /Visionary / Innovation / Wants Substantial Business Success / Lucrative Collaborations
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Madame CJ Walker displayed the multifaceted nature of abundance, echoing the profound impact one can make by uplifting others while achieving personal success.
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Title: Pata Seca
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill centers Pata Seca as an Ancestor and his Ancestral energetic vibration reclaiming your legacy.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Healing for paternal health / bodily consent / intimacy between Black males + females/ healing surrounding breeding farms
Why this Ancestor was chosen: Pata Seca is the embodiment of enslaved Black males' lack of control and consent around their bodies. Through Pata Seca we speak for healing over intimate and sexual relations within the Black community and healing for the Black man around love, devotion, and affection.
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Title: Road Opener
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: This bill is intended to be a “Road Opener” to a greater connection with the Ancestors of our bloodlines and community. Through using these bills, we not only pay homage to our predecessors but also activate the divine power of the Ancestral connection through our genetic link to our forebears. These notes carry the Ancestral Vibration of the strong roots of a mighty tree that stretches across the diaspora.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Veneration / Connection / Transformation / Generational Healing / Removing Obstacles / Breaking Generational Curses / Revolution / Ancestral Liberation / Papa Legba / Eshu / Elegba
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Title: Blockbuster
Collection I
Year: 2022
Medium: Digital design
Creator: Nyasha Williams
Description: The “Blockbuster” bill is intended to amplify our connection with the ancestors of our bloodline and ancestors of the diaspora for larger-scale transformation work. Through using these bills, we are activating ancestral wisdom and power to remove stagnation and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. These notes carry the Ancestral Vibration of boldly disrupting deeply embedded patterns.
Vibe/Intention of Bill: Ancestral Wisdom Activation / Ancestral power activation / Transformation / Bold Moves / Revolution / Ancestral Liberation