Abijah doing well in Arizona
Basil Walters, Observer staff reporter
Friday, June 11, 2004
Abijah with Supai Indian girl Faye
Popular reggae singer Abijah is once again on a roll. One of his latest singles,Take A Stand, is creating a fan-base in Phoenix, Arizona. Take A Stand actually topped the charts in that American state.
"Actually, I've two songs out there which are very big," Abijah revealed. "Another one, Better Days, is also riding high on the charts there too," he added.
Abijah, who first visited Arizona on the 'Healing of the Nation' tour last year, has also developed strong bonds with the state's Supai Indians who live on a reservation located on the Grand Canyon. The 'Healing of the Nation' tour was promoted by American author and inspirational speaker, Robert Roskind. Abijah has since returned recently along with Andrew Tosh and Kaspa, the native Indians' leading reggae artiste.
"Visiting the Grand Canyon was a very special experience for me," Abijah said. "To see one of the Seven Wonders of the World," the artiste said, "was very fascinating. There are some Indians living at the bottom of the Canyon who are known as the Supai Indians and they gave me a royal welcome. There was this little girl who stuck onto me from I reached Arizona until I departed. Her name is Faye."
Abijah said he was taken aback by the response he received from the Indians when he did his shows.
"I did two concerts the last time and they were tremendous as over 5,000 people came out for the concerts each time," Abijah said.
"What was very interesting about this last trip is that when I arrived they (the native Indians) had a ceremony for me, telling me that they wanted me to be their son. They said that because they love reggae music so much, they always wanted a reggae artiste to be a part of them," he explained.
Abijah recalled that before him, reggae veteran Freddie McGregor got similar treatment from these Indians.
"The Indians then performed a big ritual, as they adopted me as a son from a spiritual point of view. It was a non-religious thing, just a one-love vibes. They gave me a name,
Townumah, which means singing around the world. That's my new name, Abijah will always be there, but for the Supai Indians it's Townumah," Abijah said.
As part of the adoption procedure, Abijah was given his own village to govern and many gifts, including a bow and arrow which he has shipped to Jamaica.
Abijah is also expecting the release of his new album later in the summer. The album includes the song Overcome, which is a collaboration with American sensation Tevin Campbell.
In the meantime, he says promotional copies of the project produced by Xterminated Production for VP Records has been distributed to radio stations in the United States.
See Pic:
www.jamaicaobserver.com/lifestyle/html/20040610T210000-0500_61030_OBS_ABIJAH_DOING_WELL_IN_ARIZONA_.asp 
