Tamara Siuda
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| Cults of personality |
Tamara Siuda (July 19, 1969–) is the head of the House of Netjer, and essentially thus head of the Kemetic Orthodox religion (quasi-revivalist form of Ancient Egyptian religion), as well as being a Mambo Asogwe in Haitian Vodun religion.[1] She also runs online storefronts selling Vodun[2] and Egyptian religious supplies and literature.[3]
Within Reconstructionist and Neo-pagan communities, she is a highly controversial figure, being accused of running what amounts to an exploitative cult, as well as being both insincere and hypocritical in her purported beliefs.[4][5]
Early history
Born in 1969, Siuda studied as an undergraduate at Mundelein College, Chicago. It was here in 1988 that she first developed an interest in Egyptian religion, after dabbling in Wicca. From this point on she arranged religious meetings with a few friends, and was present on AOL's spirituality forums in an official capacity.[6] The exact date of her founding of the House of Bast (later to be the House of Netjer) is unclear, but it seems to have developed quickly, for by 1992 she had attracted Craig Schaefer to the cause, who would become her "right hand man", and seemingly the organisational power behind the throne. In 1993 she had won official recognition from the State of Illinois for her religious institution,[6] using her family home in rural Illinois as its official base.
Moar power!
By 1996 alarm bells should have been ringing. Siuda, as head of the Kemetic Orthodox faith and House of Netjer, travelled to Egypt for "Coronation" ceremonies at the ancient sites of Saqqara, Karnak, and Luxor. Siuda proclaimed herself to hold the "Kingly Ka", having herself crowned on the dais of the 3rd Dynasty Pharaoh Djoser. As of July 2011, Schaefer has retired from his visible role as head of the priesthood in House of Netjer, and since March 2011, Siuda herself has been downplaying her role as Nisut online, abandoning the Daily Kemet website and establishing a new portal in her real name with a far more secular focus. The full implications of, and the reasons for, this move are, at present, unclear.
Online presence
The group has been one of the early adopters of the internet, registering a slew of domain names, though most are explicitly stated to be part of HoN. As of 2011 the following sites are confirmed are "official" HoN sites, or those administered by Suida herself.
- kemet.org - The main official site for Kemetic Orthodoxy
- netjer.org - The online forums for HoN
- tawyhouse.org - Main site for the Tawy House complex
- udjat.org - Site for the Udjat Foundation
- Egyptianprayers.com - Plug for Suida's book.
- Tears of Isis - Siuda's main shopfront
- Kemet Today - Suida's daily dose of wisdom (mothballed since March 2011, merged into tamarasiuda.com)
- TamaraSiuda.com - New main portal for Siuda's personal sites since April 2011
- Tamara Siuda on Academia.edu
- Tamara Siuda on Twitter
Siuda also continues to maintain an active online presence for her Vodun followers:
- Siuda's Vodun related twitter feed
- La Sosyete Fos Fe Yo We (Vodun group) Yahoo Group
- Legba's Crossroads - Siuda's shop-front selling ritual supplies for followers of Vodou
References
- ↑ http://www.legba.biz/chitatann.html Mambo Chita Tann (Mambo T) and La Sosyete Fòs Fè Yo Wè]
- ↑ Legba Crossroads Storefont
- ↑ Egyptian Prayers storefront
- ↑ Kemetics against Kemetic Orthodox/House of Netjer
- ↑ Meeting the Pharaoh
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Krogh, M C and Pillifant, B A (2004), Kemetic Orthodoxy: ancient Egyptian religion on the Internet: A research note - Online text