Pan-African Ancestral Egbe
History, Structure & Mission
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Read this as the mission structure, then move into the practical ancestral foundation that carries the mission into lived practice.
Our Mission
To reconnect people with their ancestral authentic selves.
For people searching for an African ancestral organization, community ancestral healing, or Pan-African spiritual work in the diaspora, this page explains the history and structure behind Ancestral Egbe.
This is done by calling upon a mixture of practices and concepts from the South African Zulu (first ancestor practices and also part of Kwanzaa's base), Congo Mayombe practices, West African Egun practices, Voodoo, Native American shamanism, and Kemetic ancestral concepts and practices.
This mission is open to diasporic practitioners beyond Egungun — Voodoo, Mayombe, Akan, and others — because the commonality and unifying nature of ancestral upliftment is the protection, healing, and development of the human soul and spirit from birth through all phases of life and death, to assist the soul in fulfilling its highest destiny and potential: individually, as a family unit spirit, and as a community collective spirit.
We are a living tradition and thus a work in progress as we transliterate from ancient and traditional practices to modifications and adaptations suited to our existence in this Diaspora Western situation.
Traditional principle with modern application.
Our History
In 2012, the Pan African Ancestral Egbe was co-founded by HeruMaakhet NebShakara, Baba Ifaniyi Akintunde, and Iya Olakunle Oludina to address the lack of ancestral rites and rituals in the greater Northeast region of the United States.
The organization grew from decades of active practice, community ritual work, and cross-lineage initiatory experience — bringing together practitioners from across the African traditional religious spectrum under a shared ancestral healing mission.
Since its founding, Ancestral Egbe has hosted public ancestral feedings, community and family rituals, Pan African ancestral white tables, and regular workshops. It has been committed to communal practices like Odunde, Tribute to the Ancestors (Coney Island NY), and Egungun masquerades across the Northeast.
Lineage & Spiritual Foundation
Ancestral Egbe is rooted in the Egbe Oje Parapo Egungun lineage out of Ibadan, Nigeria — one of the major Egungun societies in the Yoruba tradition. Baba NebShakara received formal initiation as an Egungun priest in 2010 under Baba Ifakunle (senior godbrother of the late Baba Shaka Taylor) in the Egbe Parapo lineage.
The organization also incorporates:
- Kemetic ancestral practice and cosmology
- Orisha veneration (Yoruba tradition)
- Palo Mayombe (Congo tradition)
- South African Zulu ancestor practices
- Diasporic shamanism and plant medicine work
- NLP-based behavioral integration
This multi-lineage foundation reflects the organization's commitment to honoring the full spectrum of African diasporic healing traditions.
Organizational Structure
Priesthood & Leadership
The core priesthood provides spiritual oversight, ritual work, ancestral consultation, and initiation. Leadership is drawn from experienced practitioners across multiple ATR lineages.
Cultural & Educational Team
The Culturalist arm covers language education, lectures, cultural analysis, and media literacy — addressing the intellectual and historical dimensions of African identity and healing.
Coaching & Development
The coaching division supports personal sovereignty, life skills, emotional regulation, and rites of passage — grounded in the 5F Framework and trauma-informed methods.
Affiliated Network
We work in a network of partner organizations promoting and reciprocally supporting each other in healing and repair of African-descent melanated people worldwide. No one person or one organization can answer all the questions or repair all the damage — so we work collectively.
The Three Pillars of Practice
Ori
The personal spiritual force and seat of destiny. Work with Ori stabilizes clarity, emotional hygiene, and alignment with one's higher path.
Ẹ̀gún (Egun)
The ancestral lineage forces. Egungun practice heals intergenerational trauma, honors the dead, and draws on the protective and guiding power of bloodline.
Ẹgbẹ (Egbe)
The celestial community — one's destiny peers and spiritual society. Egbe work restores balance, harmony, and alignment with one's spiritual support network.
To understand how these pillars become a step-by-step spiritual path, read the foundation article on ancestral healing, Ori alignment, Ẹgbẹ, initiation, and the sequence of stabilization.
Read Ancestral Healing & Spiritual JourneyJoin the Network
We are a work in progress — and the work is collective. Whether you are a practitioner, scholar, or someone newly reconnecting with ancestral tradition, there is a place in this network for aligned people.