305
See also: The power of the shaman 26–31 ■ The spirits of the dead live on 36–37
■ Living the Way of the Gods 82–85 ■ Ras Tafari is our Savior 314–15
MODERN RELIGIONS
A Santeria altar often blends
imagery from both Catholicism
and western African beliefs, with
particular saints identified with
particular African deities, or orishas.However, the Yoruba slaves soon
learned to conceal the worship of
their African gods by appearing
to practice Catholicism. Unaware
of this, the Spanish slave-owners
dismissed the religious practices
of their slaves as merely a simplistic
form of Christian worship, and
sarcastically dubbed it Santeria,
the “way of the saints” (a term now
viewed as pejorative by some).
The Rule of Osha
The Yoruba religion, known as
Regla de Ocha or “Rule of Osha”
(Regla Lucumí, in the Yoruba
language), already had similarities
to Catholicism. The Yoruba believe
in one God, Olorun (or Olodumare),
the source of all spiritual energy—
analogous to Catholic worship of
the one God. They also believe in
a lesser pantheon of spirits known
as orishas, each with an area of
responsibility—akin to Catholic
reverence of the saints. So, while
ostensibly praying to a Catholic
saint, the Yoruba slaves would
communicate with an orisha with
similar characteristics. This hybrid
religion allowed the Yoruba to
maintain contact with their culture
and a link with their homeland, and,
they believed, to communicate with
their ancestors through the spirits.
Hybrid elements of the religion
include the adoption of numerous
Spanish words and the addition of
images of Catholic saints alongside
the traditional portrayals of orishas,
and in some cases, the retention
of the traditional framework of a
Catholic service. Rituals are presided
over by a priest or santeros. Hymns
are replaced with drumming and
chanting, with the aim of inducing
a trance state. While in a trance,
the believer may become possessed
by spirits conveying messages from
their ancestral home. The drums
convey messages to the orisha.
Although there is a strong
element of the supernatural and
magic in Santeria, and some
ceremonies call for ritual sacrifice
(usually of a chicken), believers
are insistent that black magic
is not involved. They maintain
that their beliefs are distinct from
other syncretic religions of the
Caribbean, such as Haitian voodoo.
The relationship between
Santeria and Catholicism still
exists today, although the need
for secrecy no longer remains.
Adherents of Santeria are often
baptized in the Catholic faith and
practice separate ceremonies for
the saints and orishas. ■Hybrid religions
Santeria is just one of many
Creole religions—hybrids
of African and European faiths
—that had their origins in
slavery. Yoruba (the dominant
culture of the area plundered
by slave traders in western
Africa) figures largely in many
Creole religions: Candomblé in
Brazil, Santeria in Cuba, and
Orisha-Shango in Trinidad
and Tobago. However, other
African peoples, including
the Igbo from Nigeria, added
their cultures to the mix, in
religions such as Umbanda
and Obeah. Perhaps the
best-known African-European
faith emerged in Haiti, where
French, rather than Spanish,
Catholicism was incorporated
into African vodun beliefs as
voodoo. This also made its
way into the southern United
States. The religions of the
African diaspora gained some
political significance after the
abolition of slavery, especially
as Pan-African and black civil
rights movements grew in the
20th century, giving rise
to another hybrid religion
in Jamaica: the Rastafari
movement (pp.314–15).I humble myself before the
mysteries of Eshu-Elegba.
You are the messenger
of Olodumare and Orisha
and the Ancestors.
Prayer to the orisha Eshu