*Today's post is brought to you by afterthought. Seriously. I just reread the African-based post and realised I'd left out some significant items: A list of orisha/orixa and their traits, as well as a chat about the lifestyle. Now, because I am more familiar with Candomble, that's primarily what I'm talking about. NOTE: Orixa is pronounced the same as Orisha. Just spelled the Portuguese way.
NOTE #2: UPDATE Addendum from Babalawo Charles King:
A couple notes on your post. The Eleggua statue you speak of is really an Eshu statue (it does not have to have feathers) and it DOES need to be consecrated. However, one can always have unconsecrated shrines, in honor of the Orishas (or the Ancestors or The Dead). The three rocks that you have seen with the statue of Eshu represent the Ashe (Nature's energy) of Eleggua they are what we call charged with his Ashe. We believe that Ashe is in every natural thing this can be living like a tree, plant, or animal to non living like a river's water, a rock or a log. We believe that Ashe, this energy can be transferred and acquired sometimes it is given as a reward or out of love for instance. The more Ashe one has the better life becomes and the more possibilities. The more seasoned a follower of Orisha worship or IFA ( the basis for all of the diaspora offshoot religions) is the more knowledge in recognizing and acquiring Ashe.
Eshu eats and drinks first while Eleggua is prayed to first of all Orishas.We view him as perfect balance, naturally he is greatly honored and greatly feared Eshu is who rewards and punishes for himself, , the Orishas and the deities (Olodumare, Olorun, Olofin). Some say Eleggua is a path in Eshu and others say Eshu is a path in Eleggua. I view them separately as many do. Eleggua is the messenger of the Orishas and the deities he is the Orisha of the crossroads who opens the path of communications between us and the Orishas.
And, as usual, bear in mind that I am not an expert in the African-based religions. What I share with you may be incorrect, partially incorrect, or accidentally misinterpreted or biased. You mileage may vary.
How do you recognize a practioner? Certain manners of dress, jewelry, and even the area where you are can be clues. Like discerning someone's social status from dress, or their vocation, it's a matter of practice.
Elekes. Ever see those long beaded necklaces made with the large glass beads? Not the tacky plastic pony beads gracing bandanas and tee shirts in the 80s and 90s, but the single-strand beads with a repeating pattern throughout? Those, dear reader, are elekes, and they are a clue as to the religious affiliation of the wearer. These are given or made for a number of reasons. One might get one as part of a ritual performed for them by a Santero. One might get them for an initiation, or because the need was determined via divination. You might even see them worn by the eclectic wannabe who makes their own (as we Americans are so entirely wont to do.)
Bracelets. I've seen bracelets similar to elekes worn by the higher-level pracitioners of, I believe, both Candomble and Santeria. They indicated that someone reached a certain rank where they were on their own, could start teaching, if I recall correctly. I confess to having forgotten the details on this point. Anyhow, the bracelets were clustered in a particular way, as in multiple strands that branch from a single bead and go back into a single bead before repeating this pattern throughout. There might be other varieties, and there might be wide variances in the usage of these bracelets. I am, as I've said, not an expert and my acquaintance with Candomble and Santeria practioners was fifteen years ago, so I'm rusty.
Anecdotally, the bracelets and elekes serve a useful purpose amongst practitioners. They can help people find or avoid certain Orixa! Seriously, a Santera I knew who was made for Oya (often considered an inauspicious patron) told me that when those in the know saw her bracelet, those afraid of Oya would do things like cross the street to avoid her!
Clothes. Clues in the clothing. Remember how I mentioned that initiation and certain rituals required the wearing of white? That's a big clue. Ritual clothing is all white in Candomble, and I believe mostly white in Santeria. On the street, you often see pracitioners wearing white clothing and beads together, and if you do, you can safely assume this person is a practioner of Voudon, Santeria, or Candomble. For women, head scarfs, sleeveless blouses and big flowing skirts, all in white, are de rigeur while at the House. Men wear white shirts and pants. Bare feet for all is the norm, or perhaps sandals. (You can see a certain tropical theme in the manner of dress, so I presume that for really cold climates, there might be some leeway.)
The structure of Candomble.
The Candomble practioner I knew, Mae (Mae was her title), headed her own house in Brasil. She was also a PhD in Sociology, so she was a fascinating person to talk about the culture as it exists in Brasil. After all, she'd studied it in situ both as a scholar and as a practitioner! Additionally, she had some amusingly pithy commentary about Americans and how they relate to the Candomble lifestyle, because she also had her own House in the US. What I say here about Candomble comes from our talks, not from literature I've read.
The House. In Candomble, the practitioners form Houses under someone of higher status. (Unfortunately, I cannot recall the particular criteria for forming one's own House.) It is usually an actual house where the head of the group lives along with some of the practioners, in particular those undergoing training. The priestess in charge doesn't usually work, and there is a rigid heirarchy of behavior and acknowledgement of status among those who enter this world.
First, one must know one's place in the group. Second, you must, at every moment in the House, submerge your ego and be a cog in that social machine. You must be subservient to those of superior rank, and you must-- unfailingly, if you are serious about being there-- acknowledge the religious rank of all those others in the House at any given time. If you have no initiation, have undergone the first step (head cleansing) or have had your head made, you go by that rank as well as the date it was performed. One who is 'older' in that status is superior to you; you must perform an obeisance/greeting to him/her as well as anyone of higher rank.
Anecdotally, Mae told me a lot about life in the House. For example, it sounds rather like a despotic kingdom. If one wishes the attention of the head of the House, one may not address him or her directly. One waits to be addressed. One waits for the head of the House to eat before lowly novices do so. (The entire process of initation seems to me to be all about demolishing the ego in a much more thorough way than Basic Training ever purported to do. And more humiliating, lol.) You could perform an obeisance to the head of the House and be ignored for hours while you squat there (not allowed to sit, either) waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Head games, like I said.
The obeisance I mentioned is a ritual gesture, and the form it takes depends on which Orixa owns your head (even if you haven't had your head made yet.) For example, if Jemaya owns your head, she is female, so you must perform a female obeisance. Both types of obeisance involve getting prostrate upon the ground. (This is a strange concept to Westerners, as I can tell you from personal experience. It was required to be polite at rituals, and it is very difficult. I am so not a groveler; I am a control freak. But Mae said Be Polite and I wanted to be there, so I was.) And when greeting the head of the house, it also involves kissing them hand or foot-- whatever is appropriate. I gather that can vary.
The ritual objects. For those persons who have their head cleansed, or who have their heads made for their Orixa, they have ritual dishes/objects that form the symbolic home of the Orixa that owns their head. For initiates, there are usually several Orixa involved, to include their personal Orixa, Obatala, and perhaps three others. It can vary based on the divinations and and input from the teacher's Orixa, whom the priest/ess speaks with via divination and prayer in order to determine the elements of the initiation.
When one receives these items, there are stones, special objects and other things such as coins placed in a dish that represents the Orixa who is to 'live' there. The dish is usually a tureen in style, but can be any lidded pottery dish. It can be plain or ornate, but it will, in some manner, either color or design, represent the Orixa. The pracitioner believes the Orixa truly lives in this tureen, and that the Orixa must be fed, prayed to and properly cared for. Certain secret taboos and required sacrifices and rituals are prescribed during and post-initiation to the newly made. Further, no one else must look inside these dishes, touch them, or frig with them. This is critical, as it is possible to kill the individual's Orixa that way. (Perhaps think of this as a personal avatar, or link to the Orixa, through which the made head is connected to the vast expanse of the 'real' Orixa.) In Brasil, the House generally has a special room where the members keep their pots/tureens.
One huge taboo and problem for practitioners is that the tureen must never, ever, cross over open water. (Which begs the question, how did the Orixa come to the New World if they had to cross the ocean to do so?) So, to move to the US from Brasil, one should drive overland with a car full of pottery clinking and clanking in the trunk.
Anecdotally, Mae told me that people (in the back-biting manner of jealousy everywhere) can and do sabotage others' Orixa by defiling the pots. Perhaps they put something taboo or anathema to that particular Orixa in the pot. There are a number of ways to do this.
Or, there's the sneak attack. An individual can avoid just reprisal for an unfair act. An example. Say Ms. X wants to cause trouble for someone in the House. (We'll call the intended victim Ms. Z.) Now, Ms. X has no real cause to attack Ms. Z. What Ms. X does is sneak up to the altar of her enemy, identify herself as Ms. Z to the Orixa in the pots, requests a supposed (but non-existent) wrong righted against some 3rd party with the juju to return the attack in spades. (What this does is set up Ms. Z to get whammied by someone totally unrelated to Ms. X. Very sneaky logic and an example of how the whole system can be a snakepit full of infighting.) Now, when the victim of Ms. X's appeal to Ms. Z's Orixa receives his load of Orixa-sent crap, he's going to appeal in turn to his Orixa, saying he's been unjustly attacked and please redress. Result? The load of negative juju lands on the person that was supposed to have done the vile deed, our innocent Ms. Z!
This sounds totally convoluted, but you must understand that 1) prayer to the Orixa is done out loud; 2) the belief is that you must identify yourself out loud by name to the Orixa when you pray or he/she will not know who you are; and 3) if the Orixa recognize that something is unjust, they will rebound a load of nasty stuff. I was actually told this scenario, I did not make it up! And it's really a sneaky motif that might work in someone's novel someplace...
Initiation. Basically, the initiation's purpose is to form a clear channel with the Orixa who owns one's head. But the understanding is that the Orixa literally become part of you once you undergo this ritual, which is why it takes at least a year of intense dedication before and after. The process involves sleeping on a grass mat on the floor, genuflecting, eating only certain foods and avoiding many things considered taboo.
Celebrations. The worship generally involves drumming, chanting, and dances for the particular Orixa being celebrated. Each Orixa has his or her own dance, drum pattern, and chant. This goes for Voudou, Candomble and Santeria. During these rituals, the intent may be for certain individuals to be 'ridden' but it may turn out that no one, or someone unexpected (even a casual visitor) becomes ridden by the Orixa. I've seen videos of these dances and been told about them a lot, but have never been to one of these rituals.
When one has had one's head made, the initiation date is a 'birthday' and must be celebrated by a rather ostentatious offering and a party in honor of one's Orixa. This entails a multitude of special dishes-- each Orixa has foods and/or dishes he/she prefers or demands-- as well as additional things that are secret. I inferred that there was some form of renewal performed, or ritual cleansings of some sort, but do not know. If the pracitioner has the tureens in her own home, she will generally clear the room to make room for the party, leaving the Orixa altar with its display of food and offerings of flowers, booze, candy, etc on the floor in front of it. That room is where the party is held.
The sacrifice. Okay, animal sacrifice is a part of this religion. But something most people don't understand is that the animal is NOTtortured, simply butchered in a ritual manner, and the meat is eaten, the Orixa getting those parts which are their food, the people getting the rest. (For some unfathamable reason, the Orixa generally like the parts of the animal that are not preferred by humans.)
The Botanica. The public hub in the US is the Botanica, the metaphysical supply shop where one can buy various items and articles common to Voudou, Santeria and Candomble. Seven-day candles, blueing, Florida water, cascara, herbs, floor wash, shea butter, essential oils, black salt-- the list is endless. In fiction, if one were trying to hook in to the community, one might go to a Botanica. Don't expect your character to just get the skinny on the local scene right off, though. Like many traditions or peoples having undergone subjugation, the practitioners of African-based religions are not forthcoming to outsiders! (And, for a list of what a botanica carries, you could check out this store-- merely one among many. What you can find on the internet...)
Spellwork. Sometimes, someone who doesn't have their own head made or who doesn't have an affinity for a particular Orixa and wants extra ooomph will go for help. The Candomble priest/ess will, sometimes for a fee, sometimes not, help you. First thing, divination using cowrie shells (sometimes called Ifa) is performed. This can be likened to getting your palm read or having Tarot cards read, but bear in mind that this Ifa divination also involves religious practices and beliefs. The practitioner determines the root of the problem via his Orixa and will recommend a particular ritual, spell, offering, etc. Usually a combination of both. There is a fee charged, and the supplicant must bring the required inventory of stuff to the Santero so he can prepare the herbal washes, offerings, etc. that must be used. Then the Santero goes into seclusion and charges the elekes or ritual objects by bathing them in the wash and whatever other secret rituals that are required. The practitioner returns at the appointed time and offerings are either placed on the altar by the supplicant, who verbally speaks their request; or by taking the items and sending them to the Orixa in a particular way (launching them in a basket into the ocean for Yemaja, for example, or burying them at a crossroads.) The image of spitting liquor is true; the burning it, which I have seen in movies, is not, so far as I am aware. Cigars frequently must be puffed and smoke blown onto the altar as part of the offering. Money acquired via the Orixa is placed on the altar (and later goes in the practitioner's wallet. Of course.)
Anectodally, I have been told that some popular crossroads, waterfalls, springs and shorelines in Brasil are littered (literally, to the point you barely can walk) with offerings. Candomble is a strong tradition down there, with obvious ecological issues we aren't going to address here.
Santeria. Unfortunately, I am not well-versed in the larger structures of Santeria. I believe, though, that a particular Santero/Santera may take on students and form a circle of initiates. (A book about this life set in New York is called Mama Lola, and you might find it instructive, if a bit impenetrable, as an insider's view of Santeria. The book by Niemark I referenced in the book list is also a good intro.) I cannot say if there are House structures, but there are highly respected personages known as Babalawos who are turned to for their study of Ifa (divination) and in other matters. Many of these are Yorubans and people trek to Africa to meet with them.
Anecdotally, I have heard that some of these men are rather cynically just milking the wannabes/cash cows from gold-paved America. I suppose, given an ample supply of credulous victims, this might be the case for some. Dont' know, first hand. Useful dynamic for a novel, though.
In terms of the basic levels of interaction witha Santero, I can tell you that most of those who deal with the Orisha do so via asking for a divination or assistance with a particular problem/issue. But it basically runs like it would for a practioner of Candomble.
Human sacrifice? I heard a rumor once from Mae Maria. She stated someone was initiated to Obatala in lieu of that person's true orixa, because in 'the olden days' in Africa, that particular orixa was gifted human sacrifices. No one in Brasil gets initiated to that personage any longer because human sacrifice (and thus one's worship of that Orixa) is considered evil. However, she hinted, the practice had been imported to Brasil with the slaves, but that it had fast died out...whether from the African traditions cross-breeding with Christianity or not I do not know.
I don't know the truth of this, and I cannot recall the name of this mentioned-only-in-whispers-and-back-alleys orixa. But it seemed like something a writer might use... because one can ask the question What If This Orixa's Worship Still Existed? and go to strange, strange places...
But, in the real world, rumors of Orisha worshippers sacrificing people are FALSE. It's all Hollywood hype brought to you by the prejudicial narrow mindedness of humanity. Fear of the Evil Other, or what have you. If it were true, I assure you the Santeros and pracitioners of Candomble would feel as horrified by it as you or me. (End rant.)
Also, there are instances of some bokor or other evil practitioner being caught with human bones. I saw something on this the other day on Skeleton Story (Discovery channel). In any group, there are always some bad apples...
List of orisha. A couple of online lists are here, and here, where I also took the following partial list of Orixa. (There are hundreds of Orixa, fyi.) For reading material, which is utterly fascinating, I recommend Migene Gonsales Whippler's books. ( I may or may not get to the point of annotating this list with favorite colors and foods. I may save that for another post.)
Partial List of Orishas
- Babalu Aye - deity of disease and illness.
- Eshu (Ellegua, Exú, Esu, Exu, Elegba, Legbara, Papa Legba) - messenger between human and divine, god of crossroads, also a phallic and fertility god. Eshu is recognized as a trickster and child like while Eleggua is Eshu under the influence of Obatala
- Nana - female deity of creation, sky mother, associated with the moon.
- Obatala (Obatalá, Oxalá, Orixalá, Orisainlá) - father of orishas and humankind
- Ogoun (Ogúm, Ogum, Ogou) - deity of iron, war, labour, and technology (e.g. railroads)
- Olorun (Oldumare) - creator of the universe, sky father
- Orunmila - deity of wisdom, divination and foresight
- Oshun (Oshún, Ọṣun, Oxum, Ochun, Osun, Oschun) - goddess of rivers, love, fertility, and art
- Oxossi (Oxósse, Ocshosi, Osoosi, Ochosi) - hunter and the scout of the orishas
- Oya (Oyá, Oiá, Iansã, Yansá, Iansan) - goddess of wind, hurricanes, and underworld gates
- Shango (Shangó, Xango, Changó, Chango, Nago Shango) - warrior god of thunder, fire, sky father
- Iemanja (Yemaja, Imanja, Yemayá, Jemanja, Yemalla, Yemana, Yemanja, Yemaya, Yemayah, Yemoja, Ymoja, Nanã, La Sirène, LaSiren, Mami Wata) - divine mother goddess, divine goddess of the sea and Mother of mankind
- Ozain (Osain) - He owns the Omiero, a holy liquid consisting of many herbs, liquid through which all Saints and ceremonies have to go through. Ozain owns the herbs, is a natural healer.
- Agayu - Father of Shango he is also said to be shango's brother in other stories, Agayu is said to be the orisha of volcanoes and the desert.
- Osun - ruler of the head, Ori
*Ellegua statue courtesy of Wikipedia. Note Ellegua has a nail in the top of his head where I said there were feathers in my earlier post. Just further proof you shouldn't take what I say as Gospel! And, as always, your mileage may vary. But I hope this helps you think about how another culture will handle its religions. New perspective is always useful in writing.
Recent Comments