The house
The Sacred House of Names, so that no life is allowed to disappear.
Honored Ancestors keeps a family's memory in two ways: sealed as the family gives it, or researched, written plainly, checked against its sources and read by a person. Either way, it is kept with a public proof anyone can check.
Begin with one lifeSearch the Great Archive
The Great Archive1,140 lives, written and keptEnter the Archive
It began in African American and Pan-African heritage and is open to every lineage. Those who come are stewards. Whatever a steward brings, a name, a photograph, a story only the family knows, is held on their behalf and goes nowhere without their yes.
Meet Zuri
Zuri is the house's AI guide. The Record shown is a practice Record.
What Zuri says
Welcome to Honored Ancestors. I am Zuri, the house's AI guide. I am not a person, and I am not a recording of anyone who lived.
The house keeps a family's memory as finished work. One life, researched, written plainly, checked against its sources, and read by a person before anything is kept. Nothing is published or sealed without your yes.
Here is how you give the house your family's story. When you begin, the house sends you a private link to its door. Keep it to yourself; it opens your family's Record, until the date the page shows.
At the door, you answer questions about one life, one at a time. Type your answer, and press Keep this answer. Or press Speak, allow the microphone, and say it aloud. The house turns your voice into words on its own machine. Read them back, correct anything, and press These are my words. "I don't know" is a good answer. It tells the research where to look.
Below the questions, add what your family holds. Choose Photographs, Papers, Recordings or Films, then choose your files. A phone photograph of a paper is enough. Each file is checked before it is kept, and until the house takes it in, you can remove anything.
Everything is saved the moment you keep it. When you have given what you can for now, press Give this to the house. A person at the house will read it and write to you.
Your family's story goes only to the house, through its own door. I am your guide, so I do not take the story myself.
To begin, give your name, your email address, and the one you wish to remember, then press Begin with the house. The house writes to you once, so you can confirm your address, and then I will know to expect you. A person at the house reads every welcome. Thank you for the life you are keeping.
Two ways to keep a life
The first way
The Seal
One Seal · ten dollars
Your family's photographs, papers, recordings and films, sealed as you give them, with five GB included. Each further five GB is one Seal.
Sealed as given by the family; the house does not research it. Seals are bought on the Prices page.
The SealThe second way
The Written Record
Five Seals a sitting
Sittings with Zuri, the house's AI guide. Then the house researches the life, writes it plainly, checks every fact against its source, and a person reads it whole before your yes. The seal is included.
Your first sitting is free. Sittings are opening steward by steward; a person at the house writes to you when yours is ready.
The Written RecordBegin with one life
A Record is a family's memory of one life. Seal it as your family gives it, or let the house research, write and check it. Either way it begins with one name, nothing is sealed without your yes, and a kept Record carries a public proof anyone can check.
To begin, give your name, your email address, and the one you wish to remember. The house will write to you once to confirm your address; then a person at the house writes with your own private link to the house's door, where you choose your way.
Zuri, the house's guide
Zuri · the voice of the house
She explains the house and walks with you through its pages.
Zuri is the house's AI guide. She is not a person, she is not a recording of anyone who lived, and she will tell you so plainly. In the Written Record she sits with your family, explains how the house works and walks you through its door. She does not take your family's story herself: that comes to the house through its own private door, where no outside company hears it.
The house's own software never trains AI. Zuri's face and voice are provided by Tavus, under its own terms. Questions may be written to the house at info@honoredancestors.com.
If you knew the first house
Honored Ancestors is moving into its Second House. Some of what the first site offered will come across, and some will end. The house will tell each steward plainly which, and anyone may write with a question at info@honoredancestors.com.