Tama-Re

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The “Tama-Re” compound, as seen from the air. Photograph by Kenneth C. Budd
The “Tama-Re” compound, as seen from the air. Photograph by Kenneth C. Budd
Nuwaubianism

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Dwight York
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Nuwaubic
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Tama-Re
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The Tama-Re compound in Putnam County, Georgia (a.k.a. "Kodesh", “Wahannee”, “The Golden City”, “Al Tamaha”) was an Egyptian-themed set of buildings and monuments established near Eatonton, Georgia by Nuwaubians in 1993 that was mostly-demolished after being sold under government forfeiture in 2005.

Contents

[edit] Founding

“We moved to Eatonton Georgia,” Nuwaubian leader Malachi Z. York said, “because we are the Yamassee, a branch of the Washitaw Moors, The Mound Builders. Our Ancestors built the Rock Eagle Mound and many others in such states as Wisconsin, Ohio, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Tennessee. This is why we chose Eatonton to live. It is close to Rock Eagle Mound.”[1]

[edit] Activity

According to one page:

Armed guards stand at the entrance to Tama-re. Approximately 100 Nuwaubians live within 15 double-wide trailers within this complex. There are approximately another 400 more Nuwaubians within Putnam County (population 14,000). At this current complex the Nuwaubians have constructed an Egyptian-style village with two pyramids, obelisks, and statues of Egyptian leaders. The two pyramids are distinct in appearance and in usage. There is a gold pyramid that serves as a trade center. Within this pyramid one can find a bookstore and a clothing store. The other pyramid is painted black with colorful Egyptian symbols painted on the outside. This structure serves as a church. Within the church, loudspeakers play Egyptian chants 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.[2]

Another source says:

Not long after you’re pretty sure you’ve gone too far, roll up and over one last hill and the pyramids are right there. There’s a black one and a gold one, and a brown-faced sphinx facing the road, and a tall obelisk, and an arch-shaped gate decorated with ankhs and other hieroglyphs, through which runs a road lined with statues of mostly animal-headed deities, all brightly painted in primary colors. Farther back, up on the rise, is a recognizable one, Isis, with ebony skin and her winged arms spread. No level of expectation can dilute the surprise–you can’t believe what you’re seeing. Tama-Re, Egypt of the West, has that Magic Kingdom quality.[3]

Tama-Re issued its own passports[4] and license plates.

In 2000, a security / paramilitary group called the “Royal Guard Of Amen-Ra, Inc.” owned by actor Wesley Snipes’s Amen Ra Films filed BATF papers to set up a security training center next to the Tama-Re compound. The Nuwaubians claimed Snipes as one of their own, though a spokeswoman for Snipes denied any connection.

[edit] Forfeiture

Tama-re was the focus of much legal wrangling between the Nuwaubians and the government of Putnam County from the late 1990s up to York’s arrest, much of it centered on zoning issues. York claimed this as racially-based harassment. Civil rights personalities such as Al Sharpton, Tyrone Brooks and Jesse Jackson spoke out on the Nuwaubians’ behalf.

In June 2005, this flamboyantly-arrayed compound was sold under government forfeiture by the U.S. Marshals Service for 1.1 million dollars (York had bought the property for $975,000 in 1993) – about half of this money went to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, while most of the rest was split between the FBI and IRS.

On 9 June 2005 workers began demolishing the Egyptian-styled façades, with long-time Nuwaubian nemesis Putnam County Sheriff Howard Sills starting the demolition by tearing down the front arch with a front-end loader. The land has since been entirely cleared of all structures and sold to developers.

[edit] External links

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