Shango

This article is about the spirit. For other uses, see Shango (disambiguation).
Figure of Shango on horseback (c. 1920s or 1930s) carved for the timi (king) of Ede, who kept it in a shrine dedicated to the orisha Shango.

Shango (known as Changó or Xangô in Latin America; and also known as Jakuta)[1] (from '=shan, 'to strike') is an Orisha. He is syncretized with either Saint Barbara or Saint Jerome. Shango is historically a royal ancestor of the Yoruba as he was the third Alafin (king) of the Oyo Kingdom prior to his posthumous deification.

Historical Shango

Following Oduduwa, Oranyan, and Ajaka, Jakuta was the third Alafin of Oyo.[1] Jakuta brought prosperity to the Oyo Empire during his reign.[2] In Professor Mason's mythological account of heroes and kings, contrary to his peaceful brother Ajaka, Jakuta was a powerful and even violent ruler. He reigned for seven years, the whole of which period was marked by his continuous campaigns and his many battles. The end of his reign resulted from his own inadvertent destruction of his palace by lightning. During his lifetime, he was married to three wives namely Oshun, Oba, and Oya.[3]

Veneration of Shango

In the Americas

Shango is venerated in Santería and Haitian Vodou as "Chango". Palo recognizes him as "Siete Rayos", while in Candomblé this Orixa is referred to as "Xango".

His necklaces are composed in varying patterns of red and white beads; usually in groupings of 4 or 6 which are his "sacred numbers". Ceremonies for Shango devotees in the New World are focused on achieving power and self-control over their lives.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bascom, William Russell (1980). Sixteen Cowries: Yoruba Divination from Africa to the New World. Indiana University Press. p. 44. ISBN 0-253-20847-5.
  2. ↑ Lum, Kenneth Anthony (2000). Praising His Name in the Dance. Routledge. p. 231. ISBN 90-5702-610-4.
  3. ↑ Johnson, History of the Yorubas, 149-152.

Bibliography

Further reading

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