Discussion 12: Afro-Spiritist and Afro-Disasporan Religions

LATINO JEWS, AFRO-LATINOS, AND AMERINDIANS

leveloping our Jewish identity," Kaire, 25, college in the United States, he said " 1e audience. "Now we do, but it's a slow · · " · I don't what the so Iuhon 1s, Berner said. [ ] L_

l\llOI, s." It's hard to form a community, he said, According to Bertha Delgado F · : · . arin, 23 ,e so many young Jews go to college outside tiago de Cuba, the challenge on h . ' 0 fSan.

. 1· . er is1and . nala City-either elsewhere in Guatemala 1._ to rev1ta 1ze a Jewish community that IS"""

he United Sates. Those who stay don't nec­ mant for years. After the Cuban was dor. revolur .r join the student group. That worries the 101959, about 90 percent of Cuba's Je ft n I Ill . ws e £s president-elect, Joseph Mejia. nomIC reasons, and Jewish life in th oreco.

. e country '-•-e need to unify the community of young ther dwmdled after the govern ' 111 . • . . ment beo~-•,," Mejia, 21, said. "If not, we're going to d1scouragmg re11g1ous practice. There still _-.,...

te customs." It's not always easy to live a permanent rabbi in Cuba, but Jewish re . 15 ~ . . Th . life in Guatemala, Mejia and Kaire agreed. 11e 1s thriv. mg agam. e synagogue m Santiago d

exico, if you want to keep kosher you have located more than 500 miles from Ha e Cuba, vana on the . restaurants to choose from. If you don't southwestern part of the island was red d" . . ' e teated~osher in Mexico, it's because you don't m 1995 after havmg been closed for 16 ye

UL o," Kaire said. "But here, it's very difficult." DI e ga d o Farin did not learn she was Jewish until hough Mexico has 50,000 Jews, the over­ she was 12. She remembers her mother lighting ting majority are in Mexico City. Outside small candle each Friday night, but she didn't 1cncn: pita!, the communities are small and iso­ why._ Now she attends synagogue on Fridays and -more similar in some ways to Guatemala studies Torah on Saturdays. She said she worries tan Mexico City. about how to get those younger than her involved 1ardo Berner is from Monterrey, a city of in the community. Intermarriage also is an issue, :han 3 million people-including some 120 she noted, since there are only about a dozen Jews families-in northern Mexico. He said that between the ages of 13 and 30 in Santiago de Cuba. every Jewish person he knows, including Though her own husband is not Jewish, Delgado

1er and uncles, has had to go to Mexico City Farin says she is determined to provide a Jewish I a Jewish spouse. He probably will do the upbringing for their daughter, Sophia, 2. "We have said Berner, a 23-year-old student. Main­ a lot to learn about Judaism," she said. "But ever, ~ a community of young Jews in Monterrey day I'm determined to learn more-and I feel .allenge because many young people go to extremely, extremely proud to be Jewish."

140. Black Religion in Cuba

~steban Mon_tejo (c. 1860-1973), remarkably, lived long enough to see in the Cuban revolu­ tion a meaning and purpose behind his long arduous life. Sought out by Miguel Barnet (b. _1940), Cuban anthropologist and writer, Montejo dictated episodes of and commen­ taries on his life, which Barnet shaped into a biography of"an authentic actor in theprocess 0[ history in Cuba" (from "Introduction" to the first edition of Barnet's Biografia de un c_u~arr6n [19661). Montejo's long life included working as a slave on a sugar plantation, livz~g as a maroon in the forests of Cuba, fighting (1895-1898) for independence from Spam, and witnessing U.S. occupation ofCuba.

The excerpts below deal with the whole range of religions in Cuba, during the period of

~ - 1994),3'- ; iguel Barnet, Biography ofa Runaway Slave, trans. W. Nick Hill (Willimantic, Conn.: Curbstone Press, 8. Reprmted by permission of Curbstone Press.

BLACK RELIGION IN CUBA

slavery (ending in 1886) and up to the 1960s. What is that range ofreligion? In the syncretic religions, how strong is the African strain? What aspects ofCatholicism have been absorbed by those religions in which the African strain predominates?

J understand it, at that time the guajiros ever tried to work a hex on me because I have usic using only a guitar. Later, around the always been a loner, and I've never cared to know

90, they played danzones on those piano las too much about other people's business. ordions and gourds. But the white man Witchcraft is more common with the Congos ys had music different from the black. than with the Lucumis. The Lucumis are more

man's music has no drum at all. Tasteless. allied to the Saints and to God. They liked to get same thing more or less happens with reli­ up early with the strength ofthe morning and look The African gods are different although at the sky and pray and sprinkle water on the m to resemble the other ones, the gods of ground. When you least expect it, the Lucumi is

ests, which are stronger and less decorated. doing his work. I have seen old blacks kneeling on ow, if you up and go to a Catholic church, the ground for more than three hours speaking in no apples, no rocks, no rooster feathers. their tongue and telling the future. The difference

an African household those are the first between the Congo and the Lucumi is that the you see. The African is more down to earth. Congo does things, and the Lucumi tells the ew about two African religions in the bar­ future . He knows everything through the dilog­ ' the Lucumi and the Conga. The Conga gunes, which are snails from Africa. With mystery more important. At Flor de Sagua it was inside. They're white and a little lumpy. Eleggua's

own because the witches put spells on peo­ eyes are made from that snail. ey gained the trust of all the slaves with The old Lucumis would lock themselves in the rtune-telling. I came to know the older rooms of the barracoon, and they would clean the

more after Abolition. [ ... ] evil a person had done out of him. If there was the work of the Congo religion they used some black man who had desire for a woman, the

and animals. They called the dead nkise Lucumi would calm him down. I think they did es majases, or emboba. They prepared that with coconuts, obi, which were sacred. They

s and everything, and that's where the are the same as the coconuts today, which are still make hexes was. They were called ngan­ sacred and can't be touched. If someone dirtied

the Congos had their ngangas for may­ the coconut, he would get a severe punishment. I The ngangas had to work with the sun. always knew when things were going good

he has always been the intelligence and because the coconut said so. He ordered Alafia to ngth of men. As the moon is for women. be pronounced so everyone would know there sun is more important because he gives was no tragedy. All the saints spoke through the e moon. The Congos worked with the sun coconuts. Now the master of all of them was

every day. When they had a problem with Obatala. Obatala was an ancient, so I heard, who son, they followed that person along any was always dressed in white. They said that

d gathered up the dirt they walked on. Obatala was the one who created you, and who :\'edit and put it in the nganga or in a secret knows what else. People come from Nature, and

er. As the sun went down, the life of the so does Obatala. ,would leave him. And at sunset the person The old Lucumis liked to have their figurines,

dead. I say this because it happens that I their gods, made of wood. They kept them in the lot during slave times. barracoon. All those figurines had a big head.

u~ink about it, the Congos were murder­ They were called oche. The Eleggua was made of if they killed someone, it was because cement, but Chango and Yemaya were made of

Was being done to them, too. No one wood, and the carpenters made them themselves.

339

LATINO JEWS, AFRO-LATINOS, AND AMERINDIANS

)n the walls of the rooms they made marks of treat them different because th kn . . [ ] ey ew allsaints with charcoal and whitewash. They were re I1g1on. . . . atio..

~ lines and circles. Even though each was a Ifa man went to a witch to ask b . h or help gctti-.t, they said the marks were secret. Those woman, the w1tc sent him t ·--aa

, b . o get som f:ks kept everything a secret. Today they've woman s to acco 1f she smoked y e o the :1ged a lot, but back then, the hardest thing in the tobacco and a bottle fly tho· ou ground 11p

, se green sf . world was to get them to trust you. ones, enoug h to make a powder wh. h ' 'nsioc 'he other religion was Catholicism. It was the woman in water. That's how t~~ ;~ugave to oduced by the priests who wouldn't go into seduced. man barracoons during slavery for love or money. Another treatment was taking th h

. b" d . . e eartpriests were very neat and tidy. They had a hummmg ir and gnndmg it into d 1

Jus look that didn't sit well in the barracoons. put it in the woman's tobacco And _pfow er. Yoa · 1 you wanted

y were so serious that there were even blacks to make fun of them, all you had to do was lead , hung on their every word and obeyed them off to the store for barley. Any woman would die 1e letter. They learned the catechism, and then of shame on account of that barley because r would read it to the others. With all the would put a little where she was going to sit a._ ·ds and the prayers. Those were the house and no sooner than it touched her behind, es, and they met with the other slaves, the field woman would begin to break wind. That es, in the bateyes. They came to be the priests' sight to see-those women fart ing with their ,sengers. Truth is, I never learned that doctrine all powdered up. mse I did not understand it at all. I don' t think The old blacks entertained themselves with house slaves did either but because they were kind of nonsense. When they were over sixty, efined and so well-treated, they became Chris­ stopped working in the fi elds. Though, truly, .s. The household slaves got consideration never knew their real age. But it happened that n the masters. I never seen a severe punish­ black man got tired and set himself apart, then it for a one of them. When they were sent to overseers said he was ready to be a doorman. 'n. fields to cut cane or take care of the pigs, they they put that old man at the gates of the b ended to be sick and didn't work. That's why or at the pig sty, where the big litters were l slaves didn't want to see them at all, not even duced. Or, if not that, he helped the women iD painting. Sometimes they went to the barra­ kitchen Some of them had their conucos,

n to visit with a family member. And they took they sp~nt their time gardening. Doing those · k fruits and 'taters for the master's house. I gave them time for their witchcraft. They 't know if the slaves made gifts from their punished or paid much attention to. But thcr ucos or if the house slaves just took them. A lot to be quiet and obedient. That's for sure.[.· .J •roblems with fighting in the barracoons were One should respect religions-even

th ,ed by them. The men arrived and wanted to you might not be much of a believer. In _ ose

a behevel', and fool around with the women. That 's even the most clever man was f. tbll

15 ,n the worst pushing and shoving began. I was Spaniards were all believers. The proo t

· d Santa An3 3 bably twelve years old, and I figured out the the feast days of San Diego an The ile mess. there was no work. The mill took a res~ It ~here were other tensions, too. For example, ers were cold and the fields were ~esert~e ·

The pnests veen the Congo witch doctor and the Christ­ you t~ink of a sanctduary. Y· They prayed there was no getting along. One was good and mornmg and starte to pra d"dn't t I other bad. That still goes on in Cuba. The long time I learned little. 1aJmoS er

· . , I've nev umi and the Congo don't get along either. attention. And 1t s because Th

. ·nals even. Y bickered over saints and witchcraft. The only priests. Some were cnmi ' "th th

d slept w1 s who didn 't have troubles were the old timers pretty white women an . They n-

.__,1

n Africa. They were special, and you had to were both lecherous and pwus.

A NIGHT OF UMBANDA

called him a godchild or a nephew. They even look at you. A lot of Spaniards and Canary

under their robes. They never said, "This Islanders are like that, not the Galicians. Priests and lawyers were sacred in that period'd."

kept track of the blacks. If a woman gave of time. They were highly respected because of

bad to call for the priest before the baby their titles. Even a university degree was some­

days old. If she didn't, a serious com­ thing special. Blacks were none of these things,

lodged with the owner of the mill. That least of all priests. I never seen a black priest. That

all the children were Christians. was for the whites, and the descendants of the

apriest passed by, you had to say to him, Spaniards. essing, father." Sometimes they didn't

141. A Night of Umbanda

the excerpt below, Lindsay Hale, Ph.D. in anthropology (University of Texas, 1994), "bes a ceremony he attended while doing research in Brazil in 1991. He supplies the fol­

·ng contextual orientation:

pretos velhos-literally "old blacks"-are of central importance to Umbanda ritual. · to be the spirits ofAfrobrazilian slaves, the pretos velhos are revered for their wisdom,

ness, and empathy; millions ofBrazilians have sought their advice and spiritual inter­ tion for problems ranging from illness to marital difficulties to loss of employment or ·ness setbacks. And many Umbandistas, especially those who identify themselves as brazilians, feel an ancestral connection with the pretos velhos and equate the spirits' · of suffering in slave times with their own contemporary experiences ofracial and class tice. n the Saturday night that falls closest to May 13, Umbanda centers throughout Rio per­

the festa dos pretos velhos, the feast of the old slaves. The date commemorates the Iabolition of slavery in Brazil in 1888. The following vignette (1991) comes from the ual celebration of the pretos velhos at an Umbanda center that places particular hasis on its Afrobrazilian heritage.

y may this ceremony be considered profoundly spiritual? Does it share any of the char­ . ·cs of Catholic or Protestant Christianity? Is there a spiritual dimension to Jorge's · nal response to the somber presence ofthe hungry Afrobrazilians at the ceremony?

ee o'clock in the morning. I was tired, over the sheets, and there were big clay pots full of

rthe refreshing cool of the night. Jorge food-com, okra stew with peppers and shrimp,

old, a successful hydraulics engineer, boiled eggs, bananas, papayas, pineapples,

le beginnings in Rio] and I stood near oranges, even some grapes (an expensive delicacy,

'Watching as about thirty of the medi­ imported from Chile) , bean fritters, fish, yams,

in trance and all dressed as old slaves, rice, an enormous steel pot of black beans. The

little stools around a big rectangle of food had been brought down from outside in a

on the ground. Leaves were strewn joyous procession as the drummers played and

Y Hale, vignette provided to editors for inclusion in this anthology.

341

LATINO JEWS, AFRO-LATINOS, AND AMERINDIANS

one sang African words of which very few because they remember ho h the literal meanings. The old slaves circled they cry because we reme;bt ey suff"ecli

30d several times, in a hobbling, shuffling them this out oflove. They c frer thern Incl e, ry om p · bent over on their canes, shaking with from happiness. They cry be ain,

cause th . And then they sat to partake of the spiritual ey 1,..._.,_ • are free, not slaves like they

were Thce of the food (being spirits, the old slaves do food, all we need. · at wt ,hysically consume the food). They seemed Jorge's voice was cracking b' in memories, their eyes were far away. And silent with a lump in my throat aH It and I I noticed several of them were quietly weep- . h . e went

t hmgs ave really changed We' fr OIL · re eel W, and daughters of Africa have plenty• Th· e

urned to Jorge. Jorge, at the time in his vigor­ changed, right? Jorge looked at m · dlllp . e, an arly sixties, prized his African roots. Samba his

drew mme to look out at the better th . . an 100-.eligion were big in his life. Jorge, I said, the pIe out there s1ttmg on the benches . th ~ h aves are crying. Why are they crying? He put . . c in e

ence, wa1tmg 1or t e old slaves to finish t,aln- ,d on my shoulder and leaned close. They're the spiritual essence of the food. Most --.

.. h g, my gringo, because they're remembering. were regu1ar v1s1tors to t e center. Most I could

.vhen they were in Africa, they never were fr~m their clothing were poor; many were too, ry. There was always plenty, and they were ~hm. Here they were, at three o'clock in the mar. When our ancestors were brought over mg; they had sat on those benches for hoW'I. To

-those ancestors we represent as old slaves celebrate their ancestors, yes, but when their hese-the worst thing about their lives was ancestors had their fill , they would get theirs. 1 unger. Even worse than the beatings, you feast of good, good food, protein and vitamim ·er from those. But the hunger was always and fats and fibers which comes very rarely far . The food was terrible, just enough to keep people in their circumstances. Yes, my griJIID alive from one day to the next, sometimes friend, Jorge went on, his arm now on my fir

hat. When they dreamed of freedom, of a shoulder, holding me close, things have chanpcl life, they dreamed of food. So they see this, but things have not changed so very much at aD. )oks to them like heaven, like home. They cry

142. Catholic Mass and Candomble in Bahia

Kathleen de Azevedo, born in Rio de Janeiro, has taught English for over a decade at Skyline College in California. Her account (1997) of Catholic and Candomble services in Sao Salvador, Bahia, suggests the intense yet easy religiosity ofBrazilians in the suffering nor~h­ east section of their country. She describes a Catholic Mass, an ex-voto devotion (loving depictions of miracles restoring health after sicknesses and accidents), a popular cult of a "martyr-saint" and a Candomble ceremony.

Her report portrays several significant aspects ofpopular Brazilian religiosity: (1 ) Some0~

those who "followed the Mass with familiar ease" are revealed to be unabashed devotees ~ Oxala. What does this dual commitment indicate about Brazilian understanding of reltf

0rd 0gion? (2) Some believe in miracles and express that belief in ex-voto devotion to Our ~ 1

the Good End (Outcome). What is the relation of that devotion to that of Babalu-Aye.

7 :E: Kathleen de Azevedo, "True Believers," Brazzi! Magazine, April 1997, 24, http://www.brazzil.com/pZ

4 aPr9 .blJII

;ed on I 0/07 /05). Reprinted by permission ofBrazzi IMagazine.

CATHOLIC MASS AND CANDOMBLE IN BAHIA

some "canonize" Anastacia the Slave as "martyred-saint." What does this suggest about brazilian perception ofthe Catholic Church in Brazil? (4) Participants in the ceremony, tever the level of their involvement, leave with a feeling of cleansing, renewal, well­ g, and joy. How might these emotions compare with those that might be felt by olics after attending Mass? at are the similarities between the Catholic Mass and the Candomble ceremony? How

are Azevedo' s final comments about Brazilian religiosity being "the glory of three conti­ ts" and her remaining remarks about the inevitable joining of "the white of the harist and the white ofOxala's robe"? What is the significance ofthe "white"?

Bonfim, a large crowd for Friday Mass

0 aisles and doorways. I stood in back of and scanned the heads, a sea of morena

·ety so Brazilian: tight oiled curls, free­ waves, straight course manes. Black men en dressed in white, took the empty seats e altar. These seats used to be reserved

ealthy, but times have changed. Now in the standing-room Mass, the congrega­ these seats vacant on purpose. It was hot.

ive murmur of the Gloria mingled with flutter of missals. The worshippers in

llowed the mass with familiar ease; the thes boldly displayed their devotion to e most powerful Yoruban deity of the

orixd are worshipped by practitioners of hie, the African-Brazilian religion of ere are many theories of its origin, but

· f is that mankind sprang from a single , and some of the descendants achieved which enabled them to control natural ch as disease, thunder, and the oceans. cestors with special powers make up the d their spiritual energy, or axe, enters

ntemporary descendants during a ceremo­ ce. [...] orixa and the saints were honored side by

gradually taking on the identity of the he official laws forbade the practice of hle, and in an act of resistance that for-

ed Brazilian culture, the faithful "hid" in the identity of the saints, and contin­

icing their African religion at will. For • Oxala is often portrayed wearing white

and a silver crown. Oxala's reputation beauty, purity and as the creator of man

syncretize him to Jesus Christ/the Lord ofBonfim. When the Portuguese placed O Menino Jesus dressed in a white gown and small imperial crown on their altars, it was as if master and slave ironi­ cally spoke in almost the same spiritual tongue.

Historical habits don't survive without present need. Worshippers don't necessary choose between Christ and Oxala, on the contrary, the two deities are often worshipped together, their divine forces combined. It is a way to "cover your bases" so to speak. Brazil has endured a history of political instability and poverty. The belief in divine intervention, common to both Catholicism and the Candomble, often provides spiritual sus­ tenance to fragile lives. [ ...]

The patience of many here put me to shame. The ex-voto room at the side of the main church is an example of this faith. This room, sweetened with the resin smell of incense, filled my ears with pleadings and prayers. On the ceiling hung the ex­ votos, molded plastic arms and feet and heads and hearts, translucent and yellow-offered by faith­ ful parishioners whose prayer for cure had been answered. The walls of this chapel were covered with photos and with testimonials on slips of paper thanking Senhor do Bonfim for His mira­ cles.[ ...]

The portrayal of suffering is prominent in Brazil's churches, but oftentimes, the torment of slavery remains in the periphery. In the cobble­ stone square of the Pelourinho [a whipping post for slaves] stands the Igreja Nosso Senhor do Rosario dos Pretos [Church of Our Lord of the Rosary of the Blacks] painted in bright porcelain blue. The church was built by blacks for blacks. I stepped into a late afternoon Mass. The congrega­ tion clapped and sang to music belting out of an

343

1

t

LATINO JEWS, AFRO-LATINOS, AND AMERINDIANS XANGO AND THE HOLY GHOST

the sign of the cross. Remarkably, the munion. He was gregarious, if not a bit jolly. I y-eyed danced so gracefully, while thrash­ wondered what he did during the day when he was d shuddering and sinking down onto their not functioning as a pai de santo. Outside, voices The old equede caught the celebrants before coming from the lighted houses on the hill tinged opped and eased them down. One of the the cool and quiet evening. beautiful lean woman, collapsed with her The practice of Candomble and Catholicism

ing forward; her turban slipped off, let- varies between Brazilians. Some ignore the ose beautiful thick wavy hair. An old African element completely. Others see the gently picked her up, and pulled her locks African religion as a source of identity, resistance

om her sweaty neck, then helped her to the and liberation. In the case of Candomble, I saw a The more lucid celebrants looked at each joy that is a part of worship. The strength and

owingly and murmured the names ofvar­ drama of these two religions make the spirituality . s. The pervasive drums and singing had found in Brazil unique. In a sense, the religious

ge ability to grow on me, and though I history of Europe and Africa came together and ed un-tranced, I felt cleansed. formed a third religion in the New World. The ceremony ended as everyone returned to a glory of three continents! state. They looked happy, relieved, their No wonder the white of the Eucharist and the iny with sweat. They stroked each other's white of the Oxala' s robe could not help but come dembraced. As people left the terreiro, the together in celebration of misery and hope, santo stood at the door with the bags of enslavement and freedom, and death and resur­

and handed each one a roll, a bit like com- rection.

143. Xango and the Holy Ghost

ther Iverem, journalist, author, and poet, is founder and editor of SeeingBlack.com, a Web site dedicated to the black perspective. The following brief excerpt concludes her 2001 article on Candomble.

Consider carefully Iverem 's final sentence, especially the phrase "the Holy Ghost . .. same African spirit." Might the Candomble Xango indeed be considered the Christian Holy Ghost?

e return to Opo Afonja [a Candomble her or kissing her hand. When the dance reaches a und], again wearing white, for the Xango crescendo, some of the members get possessed by The main house for ceremonies is packed. the spirit and go into a trance. These people eat d women are separated on opposite sides fire-Xango is the god of fire. They pass a bowl of

seating area. The women from our group fire from head to head. or squeeze into the upper rafters on the It reminds me of my childhood growing up in 's side. The members of the terreiro pro­ the Church of God in Christ [a Black Pentecostal by Xango dance in a circular motion denomination]. Those folks got the holy ghost. the center of the floor in wide white skirts, These people tonight in Bahia are possessed by

accentuated with bright fabric. Many stop Xango. But it looks like the same spirit, the same e honor to the spiritual leader of the com­ African spirit, with a different name in a different Mae [Mother] Estella, by kneeling before place on the globe.

Esther Iverem, "Land of the Orishas: Candomble in Bahia," SeeingBlack.com (April 9, 2001); http://www.seeing lll/x040901 /orishas.shtml. Reprinted by permission of Esther lverem, author, edito r, and publisher of ck.com.

345

:tric organ. [ . .. ] In a courtyard off to the side the church, I found the shrine of Anastacia rava (Anastacia the Slave). The weathered pic­ e painted on tiles showed Anastacia Escrava h her mouth strapped in a muzzle. Small jars of N"ers had been set at [the] foot of the picture Ismall candles burned in her honor. Anastacia, Angolan princess, was brought to Rio as a slave l became the mistress of her white master. 1en his wife found out of the affair, she had 1stacia "silenced" with a ceramic disk secured 1 leather strap. This form of torture eroded the uth which led to starvation. Anastacia is sancti- 1, though not considered a "saint." In other rds, many followers regard her as holy and m miracles on her behalf, but she has not been .onized by the Catholic church. Nevertheless, 1stacia's attempt to voice her oppression and martyrdom became an inspiration to other

:ks who pay their respects. To get a sense of the African voice, I needed to J away from the churches and look to the ter­ ·os around Salvador, where Candombie cele­ .tes black heritage and the vigor of their nmunity. [ ... ] From outside, the terreiro, was much like other 111 red brick homes; a small iron gate opened to orch where everyone removed their shoes. The ;er terreiros have several rooms, with the peji, or 1r, being in one room, and the dancing taking ce in the adjoining barraciio. Many poorer nmunities have the peji and dancing in one a. This terreiro was one small oblong room. 1ged white crepe paper flags covered the ceil­ . The men and women were separated and tructed to sit on the benches alongside two ls, facing each other. Two conga drums stood ne end of the room near the front door. On the er end, the peji was covered with vases of flow­ a statue of the Virgin Mary, a brown bottle of

:er, ceramic dishes and paper bags of bread. Iden in every peji are the stones which con- 1ed the axe, the spirit of the orixd. The ia6s, the young women who have been ini­ ed into the religion, the "brides of the gods," eted each other before the ceremony. They re white lacy blouses, colorful graceful skirts

swept just above their ankles, and scarves

tightly wrapped around their h d the dark bold beauty of their fu~; ts, einphasizii,g ful cheekbones. Three elderly w aces and gra~

. omen th ._. moved with confidence as they pl ' e equ,,1_

aced th · .·---, on the young women's shoulde .. e1r ~

. rs, giving d .The equedes act hke priests supe • . a VJce. . , rvis1ng d tectmg the ceremony. an Pro-

. A large man with strikingly white skin his way through the crowd a bit du . Wofked

1 front of the altar, and covered hi· °;st Y, ~elt in

s ,ace with his hands. Two young men drumme

' rs, set th selves at the congas and their fin h' ern.

. gers Lt th leather, rollmg out a rhythm. The three d e eque es 111together near the drums. One by one th · , b , e young iaos reverent y 1 owed low to the grou d .i. _

'C n at UICIde ers ,eet, brought their hands to thei·r 1ips, · then. with the same hand stroked their own hai if . . h ru anomtmg t emselves. With the same motion th

'd hpa1 respects to t e drums. I~

With the drums' constant rhythm, the younger women began dancing gently, gracefully lifting their elbows so their arms helped to undulate their ribcages. The tall man rose from his meditation, and started dancing. I recognized him to be the babalorixd, more commonly called the pai dt santo, the spiritual leader of the Candomble. He stamped his feet and lunged forward, hooted and whirled around, his dark loose curls flopping over his eyes and the sweat flinging off his skin. Mean­ while, a young man who had been sitting in the sidelines began to waver, his eyes half-closed. Sud­ denly he jolted up. An equede led him to the floor. He gave another jerk then began spinning, el~­ gantly bent forward and sweeping the air with his curved arm. He stopped, dazed and the old woman gently guided him back to his seat.

. , . d went toThe babalonxa stopped dancmg an . ds, one of the young ia6s, took her face into his_hand· and chanted a short incantation. Othe~s, in~!ued ing the practitioners sitting in the sidelines, in as up and he cradled their faces and blessed the':nd well. The pai de santo picked up_a small_b~~d by lifted him high. The little one gnnned, uc the crepe paper fringe on the ceiling. 'ffallin8

The ia6s began slipping into trances a~ i thefS · · while 0

asleep, some nodded back resistmg, druJIIS- istentlet themselves be taken by the pers . others

People broke out singing samba songs,

LATINO JEWS, AFRO-LATINOS, AND AMERINDIANS

144. Santeria

The charts below use the Spanish version of the names for the orishas (seconda ry gods)

rev~red _by the ~oru~~n Afri~ans wh_o were brought to Cuba and ~uerto Rico and who maintained their religious beliefs during and after enslavement. Their religion, called S teria, ulti":ately spread to o~hers in t~e Caribbea~,. and is very closely related to the pr:: ously considered Candomble ofBrazil. (The Brazilian Portuguese versions of the names f

0 the orishas differ slightly.)

Omitted from the charts is Olodumare, who may be understood as prime mover, ultimat source, first cause, designer ofall that exists, neither created nor begotten. Within him ar: many different facets or persons, one ofwhom, Olofi, god on earth, serves as humanity's per­ sonal god who is worshipped. For believers in Santeria, "Jesus Christ is the mask of Olofi" (De la Torre).

How do the Santeria commandments compare with the biblical commandments of the ancient Hebrews? Do they suggest that both societies had similar needs?

What does the Greco-Roman-Yoruban equivalency chart indicate about human culture and religion?

Consult the next chart, which delineates the actual function of the Yoru ban orishas. Are they indeed equivalent to Western culture's well-known Greco-Roman deities?

To be able to judge the equivalencies of the orishas and the Catholic saints (last chart) knowledge ofthe lives, legends, and attributes of those saints is necessary.

The Commandments

1. You shall not steal. 2. You shall not kill, except [in] self-defense. 3. You shall not eat the flesh of humans. '1. You shall live in peace with your neighbors. 5. You shall not covet your neighbor's posses­

sions. 6. You shall not use the name of your God in

vain.

7. You shall honor your mother and father. 8. You shall not ask for more than what I have

provided, and you shall be content with your fate.

9. You shall neither fear death nor commit sui· cide.

10. You shall keep and respect my laws. 11. You shall teach my commandments to your

children.

Comparison ofYoruba Mythology to Greek and Roman

YorubaFunction Greek Roman Obatala Ruler of the Gods Zeus Jupiter

The Gods' Messenger Hermes Mercury Eleggua OrunlaGod of Divination Apollo Faunus

God of Thunder Gebeleizis Fulgora Chang6 OchosiGod of the Hunt Artemis Diana

ids Mich-, ..,.i nd Riorn;anY• G­DURCE: Miguel A. De La Torre, Santeria: The Beliefs and Rituals ofa Growing Religion in A merica (Gra

:ambridge, U .K.: Eerdmans, 2004), 40, 46, 48-49, 52, 54-55, 124-25. © 2004 Wm. B. Eerdmans Pubhshing

apids, Michigan. Reprinted by permission of the publisher; all rights reserved.

SANTERIA

ction Greek Roman Yoruba ofWar of Healing of the Sea dess of Love

Ares Asklepios Poseidon Aphrodite

Mars Aesculapius Neptune Venus

Oggun Babalu-Aye Yemaya Oshun

of the Underworld of Nature

Hades Pan

Pluto Inuus

Oya Osain

of the Volcano of Agriculture

Hephaestus Demeter

Vulcan Ceres

Aganyu Oko

of Science Athena Minerva Inle of Wifely Role Hera Juno Obba

venlyTwins Kastor & Polydeukes Castor & Pollux Ibeyi

Has Power Over Patron of Personal Corresponding Characteristics Catholic Saint

All things pertain- Fatherhood Regal; wise; peace- Our Lady of Ran- ingtohuman ful; pure; serene; som heads; bones; all patient things white

Crossroads; fate Doorways; messen- Playful; unscrupu- Anthony of Padua; gers; tricksters; jus- lous; clever; mis- Martin of Porres; tice chievous; childlike Benito, the Holy

Infant of Prague; or Holy Child of Atocha

Human destiny The oracles oflfa Wise; sagacious Francis ofAssisi; St. Phillip; St. Joseph

Fire; thunder and Revenge upon Passionate; sensual; St. Barbara; St. lightning; semen enemies risk-taking; arro- Mark; St. Jerome;

gant; prone to vio- St. Elijah; St. Expe- Jenee ditus; St.

Bartholomew

Hunting; jails; Those seeking legal Impartial; quick- St. Norbert; St. courtrooms justice witted; alert Albert; St. Hubert;

St. James

War; employment; All human effort Militant; belliger- St. Peter; St. James hospitals; minerals; ent; hardworking; (in Santiago); St. iron and other strong John the Baptist; metals St. Paul; the

Archangel Michael

Influence of the Orishas and Corresponding Catholic Saints

~47 46

LATINO JEWS, AFRO-LATINOS, AND AMERINDIANS AFFIRMING AFRO-LATIN AMERICAN IDENTITY

Orisha Has Power Over Patron of Personal Characteristics

Correspond· Catholics _lllg

a1111

Babahi-Aye Smallpox and other Beggars; the sick; illnesses the disabled

Gentle; compas- sionate; humble

Lazarus

Yemaya Ocean Womanhood; motherhood

Maternal; digni- fied; nurturing

Oshun Gold; rivers; lower abdomen; fertility

Eros; love; mar- riage

Seductive Our Lady of Char. tty

Oya Cemeteries; death; Niger River in wind; human respi- Africa; ancestors ratory system

Tempestuous; vio- lent; sensual; authoritarian

Osain Nature; forests; herbs

Houses Solitary; rational; chaste

St. Sylvester; St. John; St. Ambrose; St. Anthony Abad; St. Joseph; St. Ben- ito

Aganyu Volcanoes; earth- quakes

Those with high blood pressure and fevers

Fiery; violent; mus- cular

St. Christopher; Archangel Michael (in Santiago); St. Joseph

Oko Agriculture Delicate matters Peacemaker St. Isidro

Inle Fertility ofwater to produce crops

Fishermen; healing of human illnesses

Studious; scientific; calculating

Angel Raphael

Obba Oba river Human ears and bone structure

Neglected wives; virtuous; gullible

St. Rita of Casia; 5

Catalina of Siena; the Virgin of Car· men

Ibeyi Good luck; child- hood illnesses

Children Innocence Sts. Cosmas and

Damian; Sts. Crispin and Crispinian; Sis. Justa and Rufina

145. Affirming Afro-Latin American Identity

·1 the very last decades of the twentieth century, Latin American nations virtually 'ed the role ofAfro-Latin Americans in their history and discriminated against them in reas oflife. In countries where their presence was profound-Brazil, Cuba, the Domini­ Republic, coastal Colombia, Panama-they were virtually written out of national his­ (save Cuba after the revolution) and did not appear in school textbooks. For black

·n Americans, to "get ahead" meant to ignore the supposed ignominy ofslavery and "act te," marry lighter, and shun black relatives and friends; in other words, to deny black or -Latin American identity. elania Cueto Villaman, sister in the Apostolado order, and Emigdio Cuesta Pino, a ·me priest in the Society of the Divine Word, address this historical reality, which has

lted in widespread ignorance of the achievements of slave culture, of the heroism of rrones, maroons, and their palenques and quilombos, and of the massive contribu­ by Afro-Latin Americans to the colonial and national economies. ow do Cueto and Cuesta, in the first halfof their article, add to the above description of

plight ofAfro-Latin Americans? How do they characterize the church's acknowledgment treatment ofAfro-Latin Americans, historically and in the present? When society at

edoes actually recognize the Afro-Latin American, how do Cueto and Cuesta character­ that recognition? How do the authors determine that "the right to be different is a man­

from Jesus"? Does their brief treatment of Jesus and the Gospels suggest they are 7.gating familiar currents?

· g our identifies as Afro-Latin Ameri­ with respect to the Church and religious life as us men and women is a path that needs instances that allow us to recognize ourselves and rtaken. We need time to reflect on con­ give us more elements to build an Afro-Latin

are part of religious life but do not affirm American religious life. As such, we believe that it tity as Afro-Latin American men and is necessary to present the fundamentals of all reli­

e can begin discussing elements, recog­ gious life, referring particularly to Jesus in whom need to find a way of talking about our we can understand fraternity, apostolic work and a balanced way that identifies, affirms the meaning we try to give our lives and our com­ s us as black men and women, religious munities.[ . . . ] Women descendents ofAfricans. This is a The black population has never fully accepted at is just now under construction. the fact that our ancestors were slaves, but it [slav­

ery] has influenced us in a significant way. It will Introduction take time for black men and women to become

aware of this, shake off this historic weight andgin with some historical considerations, correct the negative vision that has befallen us inthat our own history will let us know order to [be] seen objectively in Latin Americae and help us identify a profile for our and the Caribbean. e also consider some aspect of history

igdio Cuesta Pino and Melania Cueto Villaman, quoted in "Elements to Reaffirm our Afro-Latin American Religious Life," Latin American Documentation 32, no. 3 (January/February 2002): 20-26. Originally published in "Elementos para reafirmar nuestra identidad en la vida religiosa como afroamericanos y afroamericanas," CLAR 4

t, 2001): 55-67. Reprinted by permission of CLAR (Confederaci6n Latinoamericana de Religiosos [Colombia]).