Santeria: An Outsiders Look In
By Riqui Gardner
I first became interested in Santeria, from an
intellectual stand-point, while I was living in
Orlando and happened upon a wire service report
in the Orlando Sentinel.
The article was on a federal case in the Hialeah
area; the Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. The City
of Hialeah, and dealt with the prohibition of ritual
animal sacrifice.
After a little research I discovered similar cases
such as the First Church of Chango v. American Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in New York.
Having scant information on the Santeria sect, mostly
culled from the Hollywood misinformation machine, it was
necessary to learn accurate information about this folk
religion sect in order to fully understand the legal
cases.
Most of the information here in is gathered from comparative
theology and religious history texts, numerous internet web
sites and discussions with a few practicing santeros.
This information is in no way comprehensive or complete, but
a general overview into a religion rich in tradition, ritual,
and history.
History:
Santeria, "the way of the saints" is a synthesis of Nigerian
Yoruba folk religion and Roman Catholicism. It's origins can be
traced to the first slave importation to Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico,
Trinidad, and the Gulf of Mexico islands, where slaves desperate
to retain their religious heritage hid those pagan beliefs behind
the trappings of the Catholic slave owners theology.
This camouflage allowed for an overlapping of identities in the
Orishas and Saints.
Santeria has been preserved by oral tradition from its inception
until approximately 100 years ago, when practitioners, no longer
fearing repercussions, started keeping written records.
Although the evolution of Santeria is a mosaic of two religions,
most practitioners today are trying to reclaim the original Yoruba
folk religion and eliminate the catholic overtones. Thus, the term
'Santeria' is oft regarded as derogatory, and some members prefer a
wide range of other names such as La Regla Lucumi', Candomble,
Umbanda and Quimbanda.
Basic Belief System:
Santeria has one supreme god Olorun, the source of ashe', the
spiritual energy that makes up the universe. He is head over a large
pantheon of "orishas" or lower gods. For the most part his is a passive
role and not the center subject of the Santeria mythos and worship.
There are numerous orishas, each of which has their own attributes,
feast days, and myths. Santeros believe that they have direct contact
with their orishas and, on their behalf, the orishas will appeal their
case to Olorun.
Orishas:
Orishas are a combination lower pantheon and Arch Angels, who
act as ambassadors to man from Olorun. Communication with orishas
is achieved through ritual, prayer, divination, song, trance
possession and ritual sacrifice or "ebo'." In Santeria, as with
Catholicism, some saints or orishas are more venerated, while others
have passed into obscurity. Most sects recognize at least the high
seven orishas:
Eleggua.
Obatala.
Oloddumare.
Oshún.
Oya.
Yemalla.
Shangó.
Unfortunately, due to the oral nature of Santerias' heritage, the
Pataki, or legends, of even these seven, have become muddled and
confused. Where as one sect will attribute certain powers to one
orisha you will likely encounter another sect that grants
those abilities to a different orisha.
Initiation:
All initiates must follow strict regimes; they answer only to Olorun
and the orishas for their actions. Before a person can even be
considered for initiation they must have an intricate knowledge of
the rites and myths, not unlike Catholic confirmation. Initiation of
a new santero is very structured and well defined. Each stage has it's
own rules and requirements for advancement. For example, the first
year and seven days of initiation into the priesthood, the 'Iyawo'
or 'bride' (initiate) of the orisha must dress in white, can not wear
make up, can not be touched or touch anyone, and can not look upon
their image in a mirror. The secretive nature of the initiation into
Santeria is do mainly to the negative media hype. To protect itself
and it's members, many sects will not allow just anyone to join. A
prospective initiate must first be sponsored by a practicing member
who has already made a priest. However, being sponsored is no
guarantee of acceptance, for that must come from the orishas who also
determine how high in the religious structure you are allowed to go.
It is not uncommon for a person to be allowed to be initiated only to
the first or second level.
Sacrifice or Ebo'
Sacrifice has taken on a stereotypical Hollywoodized interpretation
in relation to Santeria. In reality the term "ebo'" only loosely
translates to sacrifice in English. It also means the offering of
gifts, the demonstration of love and fellowship, and the willingness
to obey.
Sacrifices in Santeria can and do include candles, fruit, candy,
actions, inactions, and the presentation of animals. Where animals
are heavily featured in ritual, they are only sacrificed in the most
dire of situations. In some cases the orisha may require the petitioner
not to sacrifice the animal but to take it home and care for it. In
these instances the animal is deemed an emissary of the orisha and
thus granted almost regal status in the home. When blood animal
sacrifice is called for, if the ritual performed is not for
the removal of illness or misfortune, the animal is prepared and
eaten after the ceremony. If the animal was used to banish illness
or bad luck then the animal must be respectfully buried for it has
given it's life so that the petitioner may have a better one.
One other instance where ritual blood sacrifice is called for is the
final stage of initiation into the priesthood. Santeros view the
initiation into the priesthood as a rebirth from the orisha and as in
every birth there is blood.
Trance Possession or The Mounting of the Horse:
Trance possession or "the mounting of the horse" plays a vital role
in Santeria. It is not too dissimilar to the Wiccan tradition of
drawing down the moon where witches unite their essence with that
of their chosen deity. In the mounting of the horse, a drumming party
or bembe' is given for the orishas and the orishas are then
invited down to enter the body of one of the priests dedicated to that
orisha. Being mounted by an orisha is considered a great honor and
blessing and is often described as a profound feeling of joy, spiritual
awareness and enthralling sense of wisdom and oneness.
Orishas rarely possess a neophyte or an aleyo, one who has not
been initiated as a priest. In those rare instances where they do, it
is usually to indicate this person should become a priest or priestess.
The images vivid in the laymans mind are those planted by popular
contemporary movies such "The Believers" and "The Exorcist."
Both portray trance possession as an evil entity overpowering an
individuals will. These images are the antithesis of the reality of
Santeria trance possession. One can be assured, if you are ever lucky
enough to see a trance possession by an orisha, you will miss out on
the spinning heads, green pea soup, and glowing red eyes.
Synopsis of Legal Cases:
First Church of Chango v. American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals ruled that ritual animal sacrifices were not
protected under the freedom of religion act because, in this instance,
the act of worshipping violated a neutral, generally applicable statute
in New York. In Lukumi Babalu Aye v. The City of Hialeah, a lower
court decision banning animal sacrifice was overturned because it was
based on laws and statutes passed by Hialeah for the sole purpose of
prohibiting Santeria. Thus it was a local law which was suborning both
Amendment I of the United States Constitution and Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Even today the conflict between the court and practitioners of various
religions is intense and complicated. Even though our fore-fathers
sought to effectively prohibit the same religious discrimination that
caused many of our ancestors to flee their home lands, the language
of these laws is vague and open to judicial interpretation.
While as individuals we may not approve or even understand another
persons religion and mode of worship, we can not prohibit one
religion's rituals without opening the door wider for our religions
persecutors. Be we Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist or Pagan, now is
the time for all open minded individuals to stand together.
Sanctuary for one is sanctuary for all.
Legal Mumbo Jumbo:
Comments and questions may be emailed to riqui_g@juno.com.
(but only if the comments are good and the questions easy)
All Rights Reserved.
Permission for reproduction of this material in part or whole MUST be
obtained from Ashlynn's Grove. All information contained herein
was obtained from public domain sources.
Riqui's Bio
Email Riqui at riqui_g@juno.com
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