A woman, Mama Lilly, a native of Hanover, has wowed the world with her unique story and has dedicated herself to the pursuit of eternal life through herbal healing and childbirth.
Despite being born in 1953, she claims to be 141 years old, attributing her longevity to her lifestyle, herbs and beliefs.
At the age of 24, she met Bungo Jack, a Rastaman and engineer at Cornwall Regional Hospital, who introduced her to Rastafari teachings and herbal medicine.
Together, they settled in Hanover, where they were later joined by Joanne, Mama Lilly’s close friend who became her sister-wife.
Their unconventional family arrangement, with Mama Lilly as the first wife and Joanne as the second, was characterized by love and harmony.
They shared the same bed, with Bungo Jack in the middle, and raised their children together.
Despite Bungo Jack’s passing in 2004, Mama Lilly fondly remembers him as an excellent man who taught them about Rastafari and the Bible.
Mama Lilly emphasizes the absence of quarrels between herself and Mama Joanne, highlighting their shared values and slim builds, which allow them to even share clothes.
They communicate effectively and prioritize the well-being of their children, whom they treat as their own regardless of biological parentage.
“Mi and di ‘sister’ was friends before,” she began. “I and she were so close together and then we said to ourselves, the only thing we want to accomplish more in the friendship is to have a man in our lives. And then there he comes in our lives. I was the first wife and then my sister Joanne come along and it wasn’t any problem. We slept together in the same bed, the three of us together with him in the middle and we at the two sides. We live with love.” The trio lived together until at least 2004 when their Kingman died.
“He was an excellent man. He would preach and teach us about the Bible, tell us everything about the prophet and he take us and show us the light of Rastafari. That’s why we stay strong,” she said of the ‘Ancient’.
“If there is any quarrel, you know sometimes the man act up and gwaan like seh him wah hold the man power. If there was any quarrel it would be with him, not with me and Mama Joanne. We don’t quarrel. We communicate together to see that the children dem is okay. We would share the same dress that go to clinic together, because if she pregnant this year, next year me get pregnant.”
In total, the trio has 11 children, including Mama Lilly’s four biological children and Mama Joanne’s seven.
Mama Lilly considers herself a mother of the Earth and has embraced all their offspring as her own, including Bungo Jack’s children from previous relationships.
Motivated by her quest for eternal life, Mama Lilly turned to herbal medicine to maintain her health and vitality.
“I was searching about life over death. How can you get life when you don’t seek for life? The pages say the wages of sin is death and the gift of Him is eternal life, I must seek for eternal life. That gift that was given unto, the gift of life through eternity that God save me until this time so that I could be 141 years old.”
She credits herbs for curing her of cancer, which she was diagnosed with in 2002. Refusing surgery.
she relied on herbs to counteract stress and cleanse her system, emphasizing the importance of replenishing the body’s tissues for longevity.
Through her herbal medicine business, Eternalife Herbals, Mama Lilly claims to address a variety of health issues, including high blood pressure, acne, diabetes, menstrual cramps, and reproductive health.
She attributes her healing abilities to the powers of the Most High and the healing properties of herbs.
“I am a healer through the powers of the Most High. Just herbs and water. So no matter what is the problem you have, there is something in the herbs for you because the Most High said, ‘the leaves off the trees are healing of the nation’ so then we must attain ourselves to the herbs and the herbs will heal us.”
“Learn this, no one man no deh fi no one woman because the man dem is sower of seeds. Is just respect due.”
While her children have yet to adopt her unconventional romantic beliefs, Mama Lilly remains steadfast in her conviction that monogamy is unnatural.
She advocates for respect and understanding in relationships, emphasizing the importance of individual freedom and the natural inclination of men to sow seeds.
