Santería

Santería is a syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, or Lukumi.^[1][2] Its liturgical language, a dialect of Yoruba, is also known as Lucumi.

Clergy

The priests are known as babalorishas, "fathers of orisha", and priestesses as iyalorishas, "mothers of orisha", and serve as the junior Ile or second in the hierarchical religious structure. The Babalorishas and Iyalorishas are referred to as Santeros and Santeras, and if they function as diviners of the Orishas they can be considered Oriates. The highest level of achievement is to become a priest of Ifá (ee-fah). Ifa Priests receive Orunmila who is the Orisha of Prophecy, Wisdom and all Knowledge. Ifa Priests are known by their titles such as Babalawo or "Father Who Knows the Secrets". In the recent years, there have been initiations of Iyanifa or "Mother of Destiny", but their role as Ifa diviners is not generally accepted per the Odu Ifa Irete Intelu which states women cannot be in the presence of Olofin or Igba Iwa Odu and so cannot be initiated as divining priestesses. Instead, women are initiates as Apetebi Ifa and are considered senior in Ifa to all but fully initiated Babalawos. There is little to no evidence of Iyanifa existing in West Africa until very recently, so the existence of the Iyanifa is likely to be of modern origin in Yorubaland and therefore does not appear in the Cuban variant. The foremost Western academic authority on Ifa William Bascom traveled throughout Yorubaland studying the Ifa cult in a series of visits in 1937-38, 1950–51, 1960 and 1965, and never encountered a single Iyanifa nor was he told of their existence by any of his informants.^[3]

Orishas

The most well known Orishas are; Eleggua,^[4] Oggún, Oshún, Changó, Oyá, Obatalá, Yemayá and Orula. These are the most common Orisha names, especially in Cuba.

History

Santería is a system of beliefs that merge the Yoruba religion (brought to the New World by slaves imported to the Caribbean to work the sugar plantations) with Roman Catholic and Native American traditions.^[2] These slaves carried with them various religious traditions, including a trance for communicating with their ancestors and deities, animal sacrifice and sacred drumming.

In Cuba, this religious tradition has evolved into what we now recognize as Santería. In 2001, there were an estimated 22,000 practitioners in the US alone,^[5] but the number may be higher as some practitioners may be reluctant to disclose their religion on a government census or to an academic researcher.

Of those living in the US, some are fully committed priests and priestesses, others are "godchildren" or members of a particular house-tradition, and many are clients seeking help with their everyday problems. Many are of Hispanic and Caribbean descent but as the religion moves out of the inner cities and into the suburbs, a growing number are of African-American and European-American heritage. As a religion from Africa was recreated in the Americas it was transformed.

"The colonial period from the standpoint of African slaves may be defined as a time of perseverance. Their world quickly changed. Tribal kings and families, politicians, business and community leaders all were enslaved in a foreign region of the world. Religious leaders, their descendants, and the faithful, were now slaves. Colonial laws criminalize their religion. They were forced to become baptized and worship a god their ancestors had not known who was surrounded by a pantheon of saints. The early concerns during this period seem to indicate a need for individual survival under harsh plantation conditions. A sense of hope was sustaining the internal essence of what today is called Santería, a misnomer for the indigenous religion of the Lukumi people of Nigeria.

"In the heart of their homeland, they had a complex political and social order. They were a sedentary hoe farming cultural group with specialized labor. Their religion based on the worship of nature was renamed and documented by their masters. Santería, a pejorative term that characterizes deviant Catholic forms of worshiping saints, has become a common name for the religion. The term santero(a) is used to describe a priest or priestess replacing the traditional term Olorisha as an extension of the deities. The orishas became known as the saints in image of the Catholic pantheon." (Ernesto Pichardo, CLBA, Santería in Contemporary Cuba: The individual life and condition of the priesthood)

As mentioned, in order to preserve their authentic ancestral and traditional beliefs, the Lukumi people had no choice but to disguise their orishas as Catholic saints. When the Roman Catholic slave owners observed Africans celebrating a Saint's Day, they were generally unaware that the slaves were actually worshiping their sacred orishas.[1] In Cuba today, the terms "saint" and "orisha" are sometimes used interchangeably.

The term Santería was originally a derisive term applied by the Spanish to mock followers' seeming overdevotion to the saints and their perceived neglect of God. It was later applied to the religion by others. This "veil" characterization of the relationship between Catholic saints and Cuban orisha, however, is somewhat undermined by the fact that the vast majority of santeros in Cuba today also consider themselves to be Catholics, have been baptized, and often require initiates to be baptized. Many hold separate rituals to honor the saints and orisha respectively, even though the disguise of Catholicism is no longer needed.

The traditional Lukumi religion and its Santería counterpart can be found in many parts of the world today, including the United States, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Panama, Nicaragua, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Great Britain, Canada, Venezuela, and other areas with large Latin American populations. A very similar religion called Candomblé is practiced in Brazil, along with a rich variety of other Afro-American religions. This is now being referred to as "parallel religiosity"^[6] because some believers worship the African variant that has no notion of a devil and no baptism or marriage, yet they belong to Catholic or mainline Protestant churches, where these concepts exist.

Lukumi religiosity works toward a balance in life on earth (androcentric) while the Christian European religions work toward the hereafter. Some in Cuban Santería, Haitian Vodou or Puerto Rican spiritualism (Afro-Latin religions) do not view a difference between saints and orishas,^[7] the ancestor deities of the Lukumi people's Ifa religion.

There are now individuals who mix the Lukumí practices with traditional practices as they survived in Africa after the deleterious effects of colonialism. Although most of these mixes have not been at the hands of experienced or knowledgeable practitioners of either system, they have gained a certain popularity.

In 1974, the first Santería church in the US was incorporated as the Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye.^[8]

Controversies and criticisms

• In 1993, the issue of animal sacrifice was taken to the United States Supreme Court in the case of Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah. The Supreme Court ruled that animal cruelty laws targeted specifically at Yoruba were unconstitutional;^[9] the Yoruba practice of animal sacrifice has seen no significant legal challenges since then.
• There have been a few highly publicized cases where injuries allegedly occurred during Lukumi rituals. One such case reported by The New York Times took place on January 18, 1998 in Sayville, New York, where 17-year-old Charity Miranda was suffocated to death with a plastic bag at her home by her mother Vivian, 39, and sister Serena, 20, after attempting an exorcism to free her of demons. Police found the women chanting and praying over the prostrate body. Not long before, the women had embraced Lukumi. However, Lukumi doctrine does not postulate the existence of demons, nor does its liturgy contain exorcism rituals. The mother, Vivian Miranda, was found not guilty due to insanity, and is currently confined in a New York State psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane.^[10]
• There have been some horror thrillers about the religion, such as the 1987 movie, The Believers based on the 1982 novel The Religion, and the 1997 Spanish-Mexican-American movie Perdita Durango, which portray Santería beliefs and practices as sorcery (including mind control) and worship of various deities, encompassing human sacrifice and criminal amorality.

In popular culture

• The 2008 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show featured Special Musical Guest Jorge Moreno [2] performing "Babalu".
• In an episode of the TV show First 48 titled "House of Santería", the detectives find a doctor murdered in Miami and discover one of his closets contain numerous Santería items, mainly items related to control/pacification of his gay lover. In another closet, they discover items related to his desire to cast spells to obliterate the lover's existence, which they believe to be a possible motive for his murder.
• Next Day Air (2009) shows Yasmin Deiz "Chita" performing a ritual for protection.
• The episode "Double Vision" of the The Flash television series touches on Santería, with the Flash himself being mistaken for an orisha.
• "Moaning Stones", a third season episode of The Real Ghostbusters involves a Santería priestess counseling the main characters on their most recent case.
• In 1996, the band Sublime released a song named "Santeria"
• The episode "The Gift" of Law & Order: Criminal Intent concerns a Santería cult.
• The episode "Ritual" of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit touches on the sacrificial aspects of Santería. The episode "Baby Killer" makes a brief reference to the Charity Miranda case.
• The episode "Curse of the Coffin" of CSI: Miami deals with Santería.
• In the TV series Third Watch's final season the character Maritza Cruz (played by Tia Texada) seems to embrace the religion after being diagnosed with cancer.
• In the episode "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses" of The Simpsons Moe gestures to a small altar beneath the bar and thanks Santería for returning Barney to alcoholism.
• Santería is a central theme in the novel The Devil in Gray by Graham Masterton and the novel The Religion by Nicholas Conde.
• The novel Casa de juegos (House of Games) by Cuban-American author Daína Chaviano involves the world of Santería. Chaviano creates a surreal universe where human beings and Afro-Cuban gods coexist. The orishas try to explain the island's destiny through strange erotic rituals and playing cat-and-mouse games with the main character.
• William Gibson's novel Spook Country features a major character (Tito) who combines being "mounted" by the various orisha with a peculiar form of deliberately induced dissociative identity syndrome to achieve impressive feats of concentration and skill.
• The Héctor Lavoe song, "Aguanile", is based on Santería religious beliefs and practices. Scenes of an actual performance of Santería is also displayed in the biopic El Cantante, which is based on Hector's life.
• UK based Cuban Reggaeton singer Kid Afrika has a song called "Yemayá" in which he sings about her and references more Orishas in the song itself.
• The episode "Whatever works" of the second season of Miami Vice deals with Santería.
• The popular Cuban-European band Orishas has its name from the gods of Santería. They also actually broach the issue of Santería in many of their songs.
• The most popular song by Cuban-born Desi Arnaz, as "Ricky Ricardo" in the popular 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy, was "Babalu". It was an homage to the orisha Babalu-Aye.
• The popular progressive rock/Latin band The Mars Volta have credited Santería as an element of their 2008 album, The Bedlam In Goliath.
• The movie Major League shows Pedro Cerrano practicing Santería.
• The Night of the Jaguar is a novel by Michael Gruber featuring many aspects of Santería.
• In the novel Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen, the character of Avila practices Santería and asks for protection through Chango.
• In the novel Notes on a Scandal the narrator Barbara Covett makes a reference to the Santería cult when discussing a friend's zealous embrace of Catholic ceremony.
• The film Jarhead features a scene where the soldiers have scorpions fighting each other. When the Cuban soldier's scorpion wins, the others begin to chant Shango, the saint of thunder, and he is wearing both the Chango necklace and orunmila bracelet.
• The novel Dexter in the Dark has a brief explanation of Santería, after a series of occult murders.
• The film The Devil's Advocate makes reference to a Santería rite during the main character's defense of a man's First Amendment right to protected religion.
• Isobel Bird's 'Making the Saint' book #10 from the series 'Circle of Three' focuses on three pagan religions, one being Santería.
• The Jill Kismet novel 'Flesh Circus' by Lilith Saintcrow involves characters practising Santeria.

See also

• Candomble
• Haitian Vodou
• Obeah
• Religion in Cuba
• Umbanda
• West African Vodun
• Winti

References

Further reading

• John Mason and Gary Edwards, Black Gods — Orisa Studies in the New World, Yoruba Theological Archministry, 1985. ISBN 978-1-881244-02-8
• John Mason. Olokun: Owner of Rivers and Seas ISBN 1-881244-05-9.
• John Mason. Orin Orisa: Songs for selected Heads ISBN 1-881244-06-7.
• Charles Spencer King,"Nature's Ancient Religion" ISBN 978-1440417337
• Cabrera, Lydia (1995). El Monte: Igbo — Finda, Ewe Orisha/Vititi Nfinda. Ediciones Universal. ISBN 978-0-89729-009-8. 
• Chief Priest Ifayemi Elebuibon, Apetebii: The Wife of Orunmila ISBN 09638787-1-9.
• J. Omosade Awolalu, Yoruba Beliefs & Sacrificial Rites ISBN 0-9638787-3-5.
• Baba Ifa Karade, The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts.
• William Bascom, Sixteen Cowries.
• David M. O'Brien, Animal Sacrifice and Religious Freedom: Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah.
• James T. Houk, Spirits, Blood, and Drums: The Orisha Religion of Trinidad. 1995. Temple University Press.
• Baba Raul Canizares, Cuban Santería.
• Robert Farris Thompson, Flash of the Spirit.
• Miguel A. De La Torre, Santería: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America.
• Miguel R. Bances, Santería: El Nuevo Manual del Oba u Oriaté.
• Baba Esù Onàrè,, Tratado Encilopedico de Ifa.
• Mozella G. Mitchell, Crucial Issues in Caribbean Religions, Peter Lang Pub, 2006.
• Andres I. Perez y Mena" Speaking With The Dead: Development of Afro-Latin Religion Among Puerto Ricans in the United States" AMS — Press 1991 ISBN 0-404-19485-0.
• Anthony M. Stevens Arroyo & Andres I. Perez y Mena, Editors "Enigmatic Powers: Syncretism With African and Indigenous Peoples'Religions Among Latinos" Bildner Center for Western Hemisphere Studies 1995 ISBN 0-929972-11-2 (hbk.) & 0-9657839-1-X (pbk.)
• Andres I. Perez y Mena, "Understanding Religiosity in Cuba" in Journal of Hispanic/Latino Theology. February 2000. Vol 7 No. 3 Copyright: The Order of St. Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota.
• Andres I. Perez y Mena, "Cuban Santería, Haitian Vodun, Puerto Rican Spiritualism: A Multicultural Inquiry Into Syncretism." 1997. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol. 37. No.1.
• Andres I. Perez y Mena, Santería: in "Contemporary American Religion", an encyclopedia. Wade Clark Roof, Editor in Chief. Macmillan Reference, Macmillan Publishing. New York, New York, Fall, 1999.
• Andres I. Perez y Mena, Animal Sacrifice: in "Contemporary American Religion", an encyclopedia. Wade Clark Roof, Editor in Chief. Macmillan Reference, Macmillan Publishing. New York, New York, Fall, 1999.
• Andres I. Perez y Mena, Religious Syncretism. 1996. "The Latino Encyclopedia" by Salem Press, Suite 350, 131 North El Molino Avenue, Pasadena, California, 91101.
• Andres I. Perez y Mena, John Paul II Visits Cuba, in "Great Events of the Twentieth Century." 2000 Edited by Salem Press, Pasadena, California.
• Andres I. Perez y Mena. 1982. "Socialization by Stages of Development into a ‘Centro Espiritista’ in the South Bronx of New York City." Special Collections, Gottesman Libraries Archive Historical Dissertations. Teachers College, Columbia University.

External links

• OrishaNet — In depth Santería page written by a Babalawo (High Priest)
• At the Crossroads — firsthand account of a Santería divinatory reading
• Eleda.org: Directory Reputable Internet Literature
• Furius Santería DB: A database of the rhythms and chants found in recordings

American religions with African roots Religions Abakua · Candomblé (Bantu · Jejé · Ketu) · Hoodoo · Kumina · Obeah · Palo · Quimbanda · Santería (Lukumí) · Spiritual Baptist · Umbanda · Haitian Vodou · Louisiana Voodoo · Winti Deities Babalu Aye · Eshu · Iansan · Mami Wata · Obàtálá · Ogun · Ọlọrun · Orunmila · Ọṣun · Shango · Yemaja Roots West African Vodun · Ifá, Oriṣa (Yorùbá) · Lwa (Dahomey) · Odinani (Igbo) · Nkisi (Kongo) · Catholicism (Portugal, Spain) Related articles Christian-Voodoo relations · LGBT topics and Voodoo

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