Hon Bisi Oluranti Urges Traditional Worshipers to Promote Harmony and Inclusion

An incredible collection of postcards from Bahía.

A Yoruba myth recounted using clay images

Jorge Ortega, Ewín Sholá is a priest of Obatalá who resides in Miami. Ewín Sholá was ordained to Obatalá as a teenager by Conrado García, Odurosinmí, during the early repressive days of the Cuban revolution when ordaining minors was forbidden. Anyone caught doing so would face imprisonment and have their orishas confiscated and destroyed. Ewín Sholá arrived to the U.S. via the 1980 Mariel boatlift and soon after, began manufacturing orisha garments and panels, and installing thrones for his Babalorisha, and eventually for the community.

The use of garments, in almost all contexts ceremonial, varies according to the type of ritual performed. On the second day of an olorisha’s ordination, known as el da del medio, usually loosely translated into English as the middle day, the newly ordained iyawo (lit. wife of the gods; a novice) wears two outfits that are especially commissioned for the ritual. These garments are made in the specific colors of the person’s tutelary or principal orisha: red for Shango, blue for Yemoja, white for Obatala, and so on.

Elena was ordained as a small child in Cuba. She is from Susana Cantero, Omi Toke’s lineage. Interestingly, Elena’s outfit was a dress and not the typical jacket and “bombacho” pants we are used to seeing today. The reasons for this are not clear.

Part of an orishas paraphernalia includes metal or wooden implements that olorishas call herramientas, or tools. As implied by the word, herramientas empower an orisha. Although many elements encountered by the Lukumi in the New World were adopted and reinterpreted for and in their relationship to the orishas, this art form was not created in the Americas. Many elements that conform an orishas herramientas have counterparts in Yorubaland, for example, Oshun’s edan, similar to those used by the Yoruba Ogboni society; Shango’s oshe, a double-headed axe; and the ashabas, charm chains used by various orishas that are reminiscent of the shabas used by Yoruba hunters and hunting deities and the pencas used in Brazilian Candomble, Lukumi religion’s Brazilian sister.

“My grandfather and his brother were blacksmiths and my first introduction to metal work came from them. I started making objects in metal as early on as 12 years old. I later gained an apprenticeship with a local silver/goldsmith when I was 16. I built my own forge and travelled all over Ireland, meeting blacksmiths in order to learn the old traditions of metalworking as opposed to modern electrical methods of metal fabrication.

Tami Jo Urban, Omí Lana was ordained to Yemojá in 2006. Originally from Detroit, she currently lives in Miami where she is working as a freelance artist, web developer (including Eleda.org) and tattoo artist. In addition to her full-scope commercial design services, Tami is accepting commission work for orisha and orisha-related items. The slideshow below profiles some of the work she has created. More information, her biography, resume and full body of work can be found at Tamityville.

The evolution of Lukumi Orisha religion in Miami has impacted the creative process of the thrones and the artists that produce these textile microcosms. Materials from different parts of the world are permanent components in the installation of a Lukumi throne. The artists creating these thrones are able to express their art form in more elaborate and creative manners than their Cuban predecessors due to the mass availability of textiles and other materials as well as the demand from patrons of more unique, often sensational designs. The artist or designer is in charge of displaying the colors, materials, objects or attributes, and any other references appropriate for the specific deity for whom the throne is built. The Lukumi build three types of thrones which are identified according to the ritual for which they are intended: the consecration (ordination or initiation) throne, the observance throne, and the ritual throne.

Norberto Fernández, better known as “El Nene,” has been installing Orisha thrones since the 1960s. He was ordained in Cuba to Yemojá, in 1958 by Armando García, Shangó Dina, a very well known Obá Oriaté, who also eventually migrated to the U.S. El Nene was one of the pioneer throne makers in the U.S., and possibly the first to actually begin installing thrones as a specific function within the religious realm. Though he had installed many thrones in Cuba since the 1960s, he did so for his friends and religious relatives, but he was not considered a throne maker per se. He simply had the creativity to express himself in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Jorge Ortega, Ewín Sholá is a priest of Obatalá who resides in Miami. Ewín Sholá was ordained to Obatalá as a teenager by Conrado García, Odurosinmí, during the early repressive days of the Cuban revolution when ordaining minors was forbidden. Anyone caught doing so would face imprisonment and have their orishas confiscated and destroyed. Ewín Sholá arrived to the U.S. via the 1980 Mariel boatlift and soon after, began manufacturing orisha garments and panels, and installing thrones for his Babalorisha, and eventually for the community.

Like the textile panels, beads bring out the beauty and magnificence of the orishas. In ancient Yorubaland, beads were considered a status symbol: a marker of power, hierarchy, and economic well-being. Many beads are highly valued for their specific relation with an orisha. Ivory and mother-of-pearl beads are status markers for Oduduwa and Obatala, the two most respected orishas in the pantheon because of their proximity to Olodumare, the Supreme Being. Coral, although attributed specifically to Oshun and Yemoja, is considered a symbol of prosperity, believed to bring luck and fortune to the wearer. Azabache (jet) beads are believed to guard the wearer from envy and the evil eye, a belief found among many cultures, including the Spanish culture encountered by the Lukumi in Cuba. Erinle, considered a refined orisha par excellence because of the often exquisite nature of many of his attributes, wears a necklace of coral, jet, and gold beads. Ibu Ikole, a road of Oshun, uses a necklace made of jet, coral, and amber.

Elegbá (also known as Eshú or Eshú-Elegbá), Ogún, Oshosí, and Osun are the orishas commonly referred to in Spanish as “Los guerreros-the warriors.” Elegbá is the first orisha that is received, and is worshiped first in all religious acts. He is Olorun’s gatekeeper and is entrusted with opening and closing all ceremonies. He is also the orisha that tests man’s faith in Olorun and the deities. If one’s earthly conduct is proper, Elegbá aids and prizes humankind by allowing iré-blessings to visit the individual and distancing the osobo or negative energies. On the other hand, if one’s conduct is improper, Elegbá allows the negative forces of the universe to attack the individual without coming to his or her defense.

Elegbá (Também conhecido como Eshú ou Eshú-Elegbá), Ogún, Oshosí, e Osun são os orixás comumente designados em espanhol por “Los guerreros – os guerreiros”. Elegbá é primeiro orixá a ser recebido e adorado em todos os atos religiosos. É o porteiro de Olorun e lhe são confiados a abertura e o encerramento de todas as cerimônias. Também é o orixá que prova a fé humana em Olorun e nas divindades. Se a nossa conduta na Terra for apropriada, Elegbá ajuda e valoriza a humanidade permitindo que as iré-bênçãos visitem o indivíduo e distanciando as osobo ou energias negativas. Por outro lado, se nossa conduta for inapropriada, Elegbá permitirá que as forças negativas do universo ataquem o indivíduo, sem lhe prestar alguma defesa.

Al mes de haber nacido, mi padre, sentado en un sillón, me mecía sobre su pecho para que yo durmiera. El sueño lo venció a él más rápido que a mí. Al poco rato se despertó al oír los gritos de mi madre al ver mi cabeza y la camiseta de mi padre totalmente embarradas de sangre: mi sangre. De inmediato, corrieron a la Casa de Socorros en Arroyo Apolo pensando lo peor.

Ao mês de ter nascido, meu pai, sentado num sofá, me balançava sobre o seu peito para que eu dormisse. O sono o venceu mais rápido do que a mim. Pouco tempo depois, despertou ao ouvir os gritos da minha mãe ao ver minha cabeça e a camiseta do meu pai, totalmente encharcadas de sangue: meu sangue. De imediato, correram à Casa de Socorros em Arroyo Apolo pensando o pior.

The presence of Africans in the Americas dates back to the arrival in 1492 of Christopher Columbus and his three ships of discovery. Soon after Bartolomé de las Casas’ sixteenth century defense of the indigenous populations of the Americas and simultaneous condemnation of Africans to slavery, the presence of enslaved Africans in the Americas increased until its eventual abolition in 1888 in Brazil, slavery’s last bastion.[1]

El nacimiento de una persona puede indicar su orisha tutelar sin necesidad de consultar al oráculo para definirlo. Es de suma importancia que el babalawo u oriaté que vaya a identificar el orisha tutelar de una persona pregunte acerca de las circunstancias del nacimiento de una persona antes de proceder a preguntar el orisha tutelar al oráculo. En muchas oportunidades se han cometido graves errores y han marcado un orisha con el oráculo que no es el indicado para la persona de acuerdo a su nacimiento. A veces esto puede traerle consecuencias nefastas al individuo.

Miami has been rocked by a recent incident involving Lukumí and traditional Yoruba priests and priestesses. At least two people already ordained in the Lukumí priesthood, have been re-ordained by a group of traditional Yoruba priests that have been causing unfortunate and destabilizing waves in this city. Despite the controversial nature of the ceremonies, to add insult to injury, the rites counted with the active participation of Lukumí olorishas and a Lukumí apuón and babalawo who has become relatively well known in the community since his arrival from Cuba three or four years ago.

Un incidente que involucra a sacerdotes y sacerdotisas lukumíes y yorubas tradicionales ha impactado a Miami recientemente. Al menos dos personas ya ordenadas en el sacerdocio lukumí, han sido reordenadas por un grupo de sacerdotes yorubas tradicionales que han estado causando situaciones lamentables y desestabilizadoras en esta ciudad.

The discovery of iron by early human civilizations some 10,000 years ago permanently transformed humankind. Iron became fundamental in tool-making, but even more so in agriculture, with the invention of the plow. This new tool revolutionized agricultural production, and by extension human society, by exponentially multiplying the amount of food that people could produce. The technological advances that followed had a direct effect on human intellectual development by placing greater demands on the brain that allowed for the expansion of the existing knowledge base. Humanity crossed a major intersection.

Since the very first humanitarian flight that departed to Cuba in 1979 after negotiations with the Cuban government allowed Cuban exiles to return to the island to visit their families, Diasporan Cuban Olorishas and their multi-national religious descendants have made countless visits to the island for religious purposes. Today, many younger Olorishas from the United States, Puerto Rico, Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, and other areas of the Cuban-Lukumí Diaspora are traveling to Cuba, infected by the nostalgic virus that we, the earlier generations of Cuban exiles disseminated, that idealized or romanticized the religion in Cuba. Under this assumption, bitten by the Lukumí-Mecca-in-Cuba bug, they seek religious knowledge and orthodoxy in the island. In many, the virus spreads and becomes a malignant cancer that cannot be extirpated.

Um grupo de adeptos do candomblé fez uma homenagem à Iemanjá nas areias de Copacabana por volta das 20h desta quinta-feira. A estátua do orixá, considerada como a rainha do mar por seus devotos, foi carregada na frente do cortejo, que passou pelo palco principal montando nas proximidades do Hotel Copacabana Palace.

Eleda.Org will be offering the video version of its workshop on Obí divination in English for Lukumí olorishas and aleyos. If you’re interested in participating, you must reserve as soon as possible. Click here to register for the workshop: Obi Divination

This seminar, open to all duly ordained Lukumí olorishas, is indispensable. The growing degree of almost total unfamiliarity exhibited by olorishas during our religious ceremonies is disturbing, given the significant growth Lukumí religion has experienced in the past 50 years. The number of myths and legends that have originated and are exhibited by ordained priests and priestesses because of this lack of proper preparation is even more disturbing. This course will help to lay the valuable foundations that an olorisha needs by explaining not only the ritual processes, but also the significance and historical basis for these. It is an essential class for all serious olorishas.

Este seminario cubrirá detalladamente los rituales de la ceremonia de iniciación lukumí, desde los pasos que anteceden las ceremonias hasta el procedimiento ritual de la salida del iyawó a la plaza del mercado a los 7 días de la iniciación.

The next class will discuss the traditional Lukumí ileké ceremony and the variants that have arisen. It will take place on Sunday, December 10, 2023, starting at Noon, EST.

Eleda.org presentará esta importante clase que explica la importancia de la cabeza y los conceptos teológicos asociados con su esta tan delicada fase de la espiritualidad y personalidad del lukumí. Además, la clase describirá el ritual del eborí, comúnmente conocido como “rogación de cabeza”, y más importante aún, su significado.

This seminar, open to all duly ordained Lukumí olorishas, is indispensable. The growing degree of almost total unfamiliarity exhibited by olorishas during our religious ceremonies is disturbing, given the significant growth Lukumí religion has experienced in the past 50 years. The number of myths and legends that have originated and are exhibited by ordained priests and priestesses because of this lack of proper preparation is even more disturbing. This course will help to lay the valuable foundations that an olorisha needs by explaining not only the ritual processes, but also the significance and historical basis for these. It is an essential class for all serious olorishas.

This seminar, open to all duly ordained Lukumí olorishas, is indispensable. The growing degree of almost total unfamiliarity exhibited by olorishas during our religious ceremonies is disturbing, given the significant growth Lukumí religion has experienced in the past 50 years. The number of myths and legends that have originated and are exhibited by ordained priests and priestesses because of this lack of proper preparation is even more disturbing. This course will help to lay the valuable foundations that an olorisha needs by explaining not only the ritual processes, but also the significance and historical basis for these. It is an essential class for all serious olorishas.

The next class will discuss the traditional Lukumí Ayé feeding ceremony (la comida a la tierra) and the variants that have arisen. It will take place on Sunday, June 2, 2024, starting at Noon, EST.

Morton MarksScience of the Concrete(This article first appeared in “En torno a Lydia Cabrera,” edited by Isabel Castellanos and Josefina Inclán. Miami: Ediciones Universal, 1987)

Brilliant article by Dr. Joseph Murphy that looks at the sensationalized depictions of African religions in America. Though the author focuses on Vodún, the insightful analysis is applicable to all African religions in the Diaspora.

Beier: I wanted to talk to you about Yoruba religion, because you seem to be the only writer who has seriously tried to come to terms with it. Even many of the Yoruba scholars, who do research into language, literature, history of the Yoruba shy away from the subject – as if they were embarrassed about it …

En el Primer Taller Internacional sobre los problemas de la cultura yoruba en Cuba[1] organizado por la Asociación Cultural Yoruba de Cuba y la Academia de Ciencias, en 1992, se constató la existencia de una tendencia que coloquialmente se denominó “yorubización de la Santería”. Indagué sobre la cuestión y me explicaron que se pretendía la recuperación de lo que se denominó “ortodoxia ritual”; ello significaba una vuelta a África, en especial a la liturgia reconocible en el culto de los orichas practicada en Nigeria e implicaba conceptualmente la reapropiación del corpus de Ifá. Algunos iyalochas, babalochas y babalaos[2] me comentaron que allá estaban nuestras raíces y nuestras verdades; que el culto a los orichas era anterior al cristianismo y por ello se hacía muy significativo reapropiarse de la historia y también de la lengua yoruba -de la que aún quedan personas que pueden hablarla en Cuba.

Na Primeira Oficina Internacional sobre os problemas da cultura ioruba em Cuba[1] organizada pela Asociación Cultural Yoruba de Cuba e a Academia de Ciências, em 1992, constatou-se a existência de uma tendência que coloquialmente se denominou “iorubização da Santeria”. Indaguei sobre a questão e explicaram-me que o que se pretendia era a recuperação do que se denominou “ortodoxia ritual”; o que significava um retorno à África, em especial à liturgia reconhecível no culto aos orixás praticada na Nigéria e implicava conceitualmente a re-apropriação do corpus de Ifá. Alguns iyalochás (iyalorixás), babalochás (babalorixás) e babalaos (babalawôs) [2] comentaram-me que lá estavam as nossas raízes e nossas verdades; que o culto aos orixás era anterior ao cristianismo e que por isso se fazia muito significativo o re-apropriar-se da historia e também da língua ioruba – da que ainda restam pessoas que podem falá-la em Cuba.

From Lydia Cabrera’s “El Monte,” the chapter titled “La Ceiba-Sus leyendas. Culto. Su importancia en la Magia y en la superstición del pueblo cubano. Los malos ojos. Los mayomberos y la ceiba. Jueves, Viernes Santo y Sábado de Gloria. El árbol sagrado por excelencia.”

A modo de introducción: En el presente capítulo se analiza la valoración de las culturas y religiones africanas efectuadas por Juan René Betancourt, Gustavo Urrutia, y Fernando Ortiz, entre otros, con la finalidad de hallar semejanzas, diferencias y la vigencia de algunas de esas consideraciones. Para ello he rastreado fuentes documentográficas: periódicas, libros, folletos y realizado encuestas e investigaciones de terreno entre santeros, babalaos y aleyos para intentar precisar la africanidad o cubanidad de la santería, o al menos determinar los elementos característicos que la pueden calificar como un fenómeno eminentemente cubano. Con ese propósito arribamos a conclusiones que permitirán enjuiciar mis puntos de vista sobre este apasionante y debatible tema.

National Geographic on Assignment, spent two weeks criss-crossing the West African nations of Benin and Togo with Wade Davis, an anthropologist and National Geographic Society Explorer-In-Residence, and Chris Rainier, a National Geographic photographer and co-director of the Society’s Ethnosphere Project. Their quest: to explore the roots of the voodoo religion in the cradle of its origin.

Tenho ido a muitas casas para recopilar dados e fotos. Agora o faço em melhores condições, mas, nos primeiros dois anos o fiz a pé, em guagua ou em bicicleta. O mesmo a Guanabacoa que a Párraga. Uma vez, sob o tremendo sol de agosto e com escasso alimento no estômago, questionei-me o sentido desta obsessão. Porém, reconforta saber que jamais alguém deixou de atender-me, mesmo quando, geralmente, chego sem prévio aviso.

He ido a muchas casas para recopilar datos y fotos. Ahora lo hago en mejores condiciones, pero los dos primeros años lo hice a pie, en guagua o en bicicleta. Lo mismo a Guanabacoa que a Párraga. Una vez, bajo el tremendo sol de agosto y con escaso alimento en el estómago, me cuestioné el sentido de esta obsesión. Pero reconforta saber que jamás alguien me ha dejado de atender, aún cuando, generalmente, llego sin previo aviso.

San Lázaro No povoado de Pedro Betancourt, em Matanzas, existe um santuário para honrar a São Lázaro ou Babalú Ayé, como muitos o chamam.

Santa Bárbara nasceu na Nicomédia, capital da Betânia, na Turquia asiática. Dióscoro, seu pai, de origem judia, militar de carreira, rico, orgulhoso e brutal, encerrou-a em uma torre que só tinha um fosso e duas janelas por onde entrava o sol, seu único privilégio.

Santa Bárbara nació en Nicomedia, capital de Bitinia, en la Turquía asiática. Dióscoro, su padre, de origen judío, militar de carrera, rico, orgulloso y brutal, la encerró en una torre que sólo tenía una poceta y dos ventanas por donde entraba el sol, su único privilegio.

Santa Bárbara nasceu na Nicomédia, capital da Betânia, na Turquia asiática. Dióscoro, seu pai, de origem judia, militar de carreira, rico, orgulhoso e brutal, encerrou-a em uma torre que só tinha um fosso e duas janelas por onde entrava o sol, seu único privilégio.

The long-awaited translation and expanded edition of the Spanish-language Orí Eledá mí ó…Si mi cabeza no me vende. The book provides the reader with vital information about the significance of the head in Orisha Religion, in Yorubaland and the Diaspora. The author compares the rites and wisdom of the three major Orisha centers–Yorubaland, Cuba, and Brazil. In addition, the book contains much historical and ritual data that will afford modern-day olorishas with considerable knowhow and understanding about the numerous complexities of Orisha religion. Readers have referred to the Spanish version of the book as “…a small encyclopedia of Orisha religion.”