Big Mama would tell us stories about her childhood days in England and pass on mystic Dogon folklore she heard from my grandfather, "The Prince." A lot of it had to do with things like farming, weather and astronomy. She also taught me how to read using the Bible. She would have me memorize verses and passage even when I was a small child. I can't help but think that she did that because knowing how to read the Bible had saved her life.

When I was about six years old, my father had saved up enough money to buy a 100 acre farm. He called this new farm, which was not too far from Big Mama's farm, "The Stout." And this was this place where I grew up.