“The Orishas in Yoruba, Santeria, Candomblé and Vodou, Part Two

By Dr. Josef Ben Levi

Presented by Omni-U Virtual University

“Spirituality, as opposed to religion, is a private and personal quest to understand one’s purpose and meaning in life. It is also a quest to explain phenomena that scientific inquiry cannot explain. Spirituality is an important part of the African-centered perspective” (Drew, 2017). Mattis (2000)   The foregoing passage describes spirituality as “the belief that there is a sacred force that exists in all things” and “spirituality influences the way individuals perceive interpret and respond to their world(s) as well as significant social others” (Deterville, 2013). 

In other words, spirituality is like a coping mechanism that allows people to make sense of the world around them through a spiritual lens. Spirituality informs the belief system, influences moral decisions, and constructs the worldview of the individual.   “An African-centered spiritual worldview emphasizes the importance of a life force, accentuates unity, and connectedness of humanity to a Higher Power, to each other, and to nature” (Deterville, 2013).

Traditionalism

Though the continent of Africa is diverse and rich in both culture and religion, our  focus, here, is upon what scholars call “Traditionalism”. What do we mean when we speak of “Traditionalism”? Traditionalism focuses on the pre-colonial beliefs and practices of the African. (Awolalu, 1975). Traditionalism has been passed down by many generations. Unfortunately, there is not much literature on the subject because many of the literate Africans converted to Christianity or Islam (Azevedo, 400). However, still today, African religion is preserved through storytelling, symbolism, spiritual connections, rituals, and ceremonies.

African Cosmogony

Cosmogony are theories of the origins of the universe. African cosmogony reinforces the idea of Afrocentricity. 

Africa is the birthplace and origin of humanity. Therefore, African life must be placed at the center of understanding. Unlike other religions such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism, African Traditionalism has no known founder, or creator. There are no books written with principles, rules of conduct, or instructions on how to live a better life or how to make it successfully to the afterlife (such as the Bible, Quran, and the Torah). There are no portraits or physical representations of God, which leaves it up to the imagination of the African to create their own perceptions. Because there is not much literature about African traditionalism, it is the responsibility of elders to orally pass down the traditions and practices to generations to come in a conscious effort to preserve the religion. (Mursette, 2017)

Spiritual Beliefs/Principles

Though, there are many different religions on the continent of Africa, there are some important themes and commonalities found between them. Therefore, it would not necessarily be inappropriate to say African religion in the singular [sense] because of the commonalities that make the religions more similar to one another than different (Awolalu, 1975). “African cosmogonies not only provide the symbolic categories by which Africans understand the organization of their universe but also suggest patterns by which they try to maintain the balance and harmony of the world through ritual” (Ikenga-Metuh, 1982, p. 11). 

Common amongst African religions are :

a)  belief that there is a Supreme Being, or creator that reigns over everything; 

(b) belief in mystical powers; 

c) belief in divinities,  (d) belief in spirits (Mazama, 2002; Azevedo, 2005).

THE SUPREME BEING

The Supreme Being,

also known in the West as God, is the creator of the universe. God is described as being the perfect human, one who is incapable of making mistakes.  The same perfect human found in Traditional African Religions is also described in other religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. The Supreme Being is described as being omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient (Azevedo, 2005; Greene, 1996). According to devout scholars of African Religions, the concept of a Supreme Being existed prior to the Islam and Christian contact in Africa (Greene, 1996, p. 122). 

In the ontological hierarchy of African religion, the Supreme Being is most high and above all. Praise and worship of the Supreme Being are only devoted to special occasions. Direct and non-direct daily communication is designated to intermediaries (such as orishas), who fall directly under God (Azevedo, p. 402). Ancestors take the next place in the hierarchy. Ancestors are also known as spirits, or the living-dead. The African concept of ancestors (also referred to in Eastern religions) is similar to the Catholic concept of saints and the Christian concept of angels. “Ancestors provide guidance; they will send us messages about how to operate in this life, in this world, if we honor them” (Mazama, p. 222).

Ancestors are closer to God than living beings. What you do in your lifetime influences how people view you after death. “Thus, while going to hell in Africa can be equated to being forgotten by one’s community because of the evil deeds one committed on earth, being in heaven is remaining in the memory of the living as the “living-dead”. And lastly, nature and the earth are at the bottom of the hierarchy. Humans were meant to take care of the earth, therefore creating a special connection between nature and man. 

REINCARNATION

Reincarnation is a religious and philosophical concept that embraces the African ontological view of time. Time and life are infinite. Life and death are perceived as two different modes of being. “Life is infinite and knows no end, and therefore death is simply another form of existence, a rite of passage that allows one to gain another existential status, that of ancestors, that is of a purely or almost purely spiritual being” (Mazama, 220). Though the body experiences physical death, the soul never dies. The soul goes through a life-death process, also known as reincarnation. The concept of reincarnation appears in Eastern philosophy and religion. In Buddhism, the only way to escape the life-death cycle is through the process of nirvana. Nirvana can be described as a liberation, or freedom, from repeating life over and over again. “Newborns are frequently thought of as ancestors who came back, not necessarily as physical entities, but as spiritual personalities. (Mazama, p. 221). 

The African circle is a symbol of the continuous birth and rebirth cycle and connections between past, present, and future. Relative to the Buddhist circle which represents Yin and Yang, life and death complement each other, and they are not opposites (Mazama, p. 221).

Mazama, p. 221).

Vodu, Vodou, Voodo (Haiti)

Candomble (Brazil)

\Santeria (Cuba)

Vodou-

Misunderstood Spiritual System

Vodou -West Africa

Vodou = “Spirit”. Fon language

Began in Haiti (St. Domingue)

17th Century- Dahomey, Togo, Benin, Nigeria

Also Practiced in: New Orleans, New York, Chicago

In western society people go to church to worship God, in Vodu communities people go to the temple to become one with the Loa

Priest/Priestess = Hougan/Mambo

Inherited position

No hierarchy of clergy,or written text

Spirits = Loa

Rituals: animal sacrifice, possession

The Loa

Loa = “Mystery” -Yoruba language

Alter = color(s), favorite food, drink, number, herbs,

Dambala “The Great Spirit”

Aida – Wife of Dambala

Papa Legba – most revered – Guardian of Crossroads

Erzulie  – love, hope, dreams

Ogun  –fire, lightening, Counter part to Erzulie

Candomble/Macumba

Brazil

Origins – West Africa

16th and 18th centuries

Nigeria, Togo, Benin

Mixture: Yoruba, Fon, Bantu, and Christian beliefs

Dance in honor of the gods

Led by women

Dance and Music

Possession – honor

Animal sacrifice

Healing

Orixa = “spirits”

No sacred texts

Santaria/Lucumi

Spanish word Santo = ‘saint’

“Worship of the Saints”

La Regla de Lucumi

La Regla de Ocha

Santeros/Santeras

Practiced: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico

Orishas - Olodumare

Syncretic Religion

Santeria – Orishas

Favorite color, Foods, drinks, Number

Eleggua – Guardian of Crossroads (Red/Black)

Obatala – Creator of the World (White)

Yemaya  - Sea, Motherhood, Love (Blue/White)

Oggun – Iron (Green/Black)

Chango – thunder, lightening (Red/White)

St. Barbara

Babalu-Aye – Associated with the sick

St. Lazarus

Chango:

Most popular

Thunder, lightning, fire

Warrior orisha

Wife; Osha

Colors: red and white

Numbers: four and six

Yemaya

Lives in ceans, seas, lakes

Orisha of Maternity

Colors: blue and white

Oya

Governs the winds

Guards the gates of cemetaries

Madre del Nueve: Mother of Nine

Colors: shades of brown

Number is 9

Ochossi

Warrior

Reigns w/Elegba, Ogun, Osun

Colors: blue and yellow

Oshun

Govern rivers and hills

Sister to Yemaya

Wife of Chango

Obatala

Creator of the world and humanity

Father of all Orishas

Minds and thoughts

Colors: White and Red

Many women are priestesses in Santaria

Santeros

Three different orders

Babalowos – divine the future w/seashell or coconut rinds

System is known as the Table of Ifa

Minister of Orishas – undertakes cures

Osain – god of medicine

Aroni – god of herbs

Priests of the orisha Oko – cultivate the land and care of agriculture

Altars:

Maintained in the home

Include:

      carved statue

      food

      flowers

      beads, feathers

      mirrors, fans

      farming implements

Symbolize or appeal to the orisha

Similarities:

Vodu – Loa

Candomble – Orixa

Santaria – Orisha

Loa = Orixa = Orisha = Elohim = Angel = Force = Spirit

Identified by different names but representing the same natural phenomenon wind, thunder, lightning, storms, fire, water

Syncretism – Traditional African spirituality +Catholicism

Yoruba:

National Group, Language, Religion

Spiritual Systems– Nigeria and Benin

Origin of: Santeria, Candomble, Vodu

Origins of Yoruba – Ancient Kemet

As African captives were brought to the New World their religious practices became influenced by the surrounding beliefs, customs, and languages

Botanica – shops that provide a wide range of articles and objects: oils, herbs, candles, etc.

References

Awolalu, J. O. (1975). What is African Traditional Religion? Retrieved April 28, 2017, from http://www.studiesincomparativereligion.com/public/articles/What_is_African_Traditional_Religion-by_Joseph_Omosade_Awolalu.aspx

Azevedo, M. J. (2005). Africana studies: a survey of Africa and the African diaspora. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.

Bowdich, T.E. (1973). Mission from Cape Coast Castle to Ashantee, with a descriptive account of that Kingdom. London: Griffith & Farran.

Deterville, A. (2013, August 2). The Connection between Self-based African-Centered Spirituality and the Transpersonal Concept of the Self. Retrieved from https://adeebadeterville.com/category/consciousness/

Drew, A. (2017). Transpersonal Psychology: African Spirituality and Consciousness.

Bramly, S. (1975). Macumba: The teachings of Maria-Jose, Mother of the Gods. New York: St. Martin Press.

Fatunmbi, A.F. (1991). Ifa quest: The search for the source of Santeria and Lucumi. Bronx: Original Books.

Gomez, M. (2013). Africans, Religion, and African Religion through the Nineteenth Century. Journal of Africana Religions,1(1).

Greene, S. (1996). Religion, History and the Supreme Gods of Africa: A Contribution to the Debate. Journal of Religion in Africa, 26(2), 122-138. doi:10.2307/1581452

Ikenga-Metuh, E. (1982). Religious Concepts in West African Cosmogonies: A Problem of Interpretation. Journal of Religion in Africa, 13(1), 11-24. doi:10.2307/1581115

Iloabugichukwu, A. (2018). 6 Myths About Indigenous African Spirituality Debunked. https://madamenoire.com/1024082/6-myths-about-indigenous-african-spirituality-debunked. May 30, 2018.

Mazama, M. A. (2002). 13th Cheikh Anta Diop Conference Selected Proceedings. Journal of Black Studies,33(2), 218-234.

Metraux, A. (1959). Voodoo in Haiti. New York: Schocken Books.

Murphy, J.M. (1988). Santeria: An African religion in America. Boston: Beacon Press.

Murphy, J.M. (1994). Working the spirit: Ceremonies of the African diaspora. Boston: Beacon Press.  

Nunez, L.M. (1992). Santeria: A practical guide to Afro-Caribbean magic. Woodstock: Spring Publication, Inc.

Parrinder, G. (1982). African mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick Books.

Swift, J.A. (2017). Candomblé, Afro-Brazilian Women, and African Religiosity in Brazil.

African American Intellectual History Society,  June 15, 2017 www.aaihs.org.

Turaki, Y. (2000, August 22). Africa Traditional Religious System as Basis of Understanding Christian Spiritual Warfare. Retrieved April 28, 2017, from

https://www.lausanne.org/content/west-

african-case-study

What do Animists believe? What is Animism? (2011). Retrieved April 28, 2017, from https://www.compellingtruth.org/animism.html

Wippler-Gonzalez, M. (1984). Santeria: African magic in Latin America. Bronx: Original Products.

Wippler-Gonzalez, M. (1984). Power of the Orishas: Santeria and the worship of the saints. New York: Original Products.

Wippler-Gonzalez, M. (1994). Santeria: The religion: Faith-Rites-Magic. St. Paul: Llewellyn Publications.

Woodson, C.G. (1933). Miseducation of the Negro. Washington D.C. The Associated Publishers, Inc.

Zuesse, E. (1975). Divination and Deity in African Religions. History of Religions, 15(2), 158-182. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/106192

Note: A special thanks goes out to one of my former undergraduate students, Amber Mursette, for the wonderful research paper she did entitle “A Descriptive study of traditionalism and African spirituality” for my Foundations of Africans in the Diaspora Class in 2017 which I have quoted from in this paper.