How This Southern Woman Found Her African Roots

A lot of us wonder where we come from. But what happens when you actually find out, and the answer is bigger than you imagined? Ritual host Tarriona “Tank” Ball travels to Savannah, Georgia, to meet Queen Nqwamary, a Gullah Geechee woman whose search for her roots led her to a royal African lineage. Tank joins her for a powerful ceremony and learns how she continues to honor that connection today. A note on language: This episode includes singing, chanting, prayer, and spoken passages in African languages. At the request of the featured culture bearer, some ceremonial passages have intentionally been left untranslated in order to respect their cultural and spiritual context. Chapters 00:00 — History Doesn’t Sit Still 00:08 — Congo Square, New Orleans 00:18 — Trace Your African Roots 00:33 — This is Ritual 00:39 — The Gullah Geechee People 00:56 — Meet Queen Nqwamary 01:24 — Ancestral Royal Reconnection 01:31 — Unifying The Diaspora 01:46 — Becoming A Queen 02:49 — The Isis Moon Festival 03:43 — Honoring Orishas 04:25 — I Mean I Heard Something 04:46 — Oshun & Yemoo River Procession 05:33 — The Historic First African Baptist Church 06:07 — An Interesting Question 07:06 — When The Ebb Tide Flows 08:16 — Not I Just Got a Red Door 09:00 — Remembering Our Ancestors 09:19 — I Know Myself 09:47 — Leaving a Legacy 10:12 — Ancestral Trauma 10:34 — Carrying The Culture 10:53 — Credits Credits Host Tarriona “Tank” Ball Director Donald “D.Ray!” Washington Producer My Sherie A’Mour Johnson Sabrina Canfield Executive Producers Lois Vossen Royd Chung Donald “D.Ray!” Washington Supervising Producer Jun Stinson Yamagishi Editor Matt Hathcox Animations Ryan Golden Director of Photography Robert “Tweedy” Francis Writer Sabrina Canfield Digital Channel Manager Amanda Woolery Associate Producer Cara J. Long Subject Matter Expert Luisah Teish Camera Operators Robert “Tweedy” Francis Donald “D.Ray!” Washington Gaffer Alvin Henry Best Boy Electric Bennie Robertson Audio Dan Greenup 1st AC Lisa Lengyel 2nd AC/ Swing Joseph Greenup Archivist Leslie Bourgeois Hair Brenda Jones Make-up Kimberly Wilson Featuring Queen Nqwamary Janiqwa Nganga Dr. Amir Jamal Touré Locations The Beach Institute Johnson Square - Savannah, Georgia First African Baptist Church Cosmic Corner EmmaJames Apartments Music Universal Music Group Egbe Ilu Atlanta Archival Materials The Historic New Orleans Collection Library of Congress National Park Services Licensed Footage Adobe Stock Elephant Quilt Productions (DP: Connor Reever) Additional Photography by Jalen Parham Darian Marbley Licensed Footage Courtesy of Queen Nqwamary Janiqwa Nganga Dr. Amir Jamal Touré For PBS Executive in Charge Maribel Lopez Director of Programming Gabrielle Ewing Ritual Season 2 is a co-production of Louisiana Public Broadcasting and ITVS, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), for Independent Lens and PBS Digital Studios. Louisiana Public Broadcasting is solely responsible for the content of this program. © 2026 Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting. All rights reserved. PBS slate