Module 7-Voodoo, Santeria PDF

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Professor Stephen Holmes Lectures Notes Module 7 Voodoo Santeria Black Magic...

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Syncretic belief systems are religions that have combined two or more different cultural and spiritual beliefs into a new faith Afro-caribbean faiths originated during african slave trade when slave owners forbade traditional religions and imposed catholicism Africans disguised their religion by assigning each of their gods the image of a catholic saint Names of religions correspond to locations where they evolved and African regions where they derived from - Santeria- originally called Lucumi emerged in Cuba and derived from Yoruba tribe in Nigeria - Candomble in Brazil - Shango in Trinidad Voodoo evolved in Haiti and emerged in Dahomey (Benin) and practiced in Fon, Yoruba, and Ewe tribes Candomble came from Brazil Shango came from Trinidad Brujeria from Mexico Magic and belief in supernatural intervention occupy a significant place in the worship of occult syncretic religions Several million people in america practice some sort of afro-caribbean faith MOST NOT INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY - Important for law enforcement to become familiar with syncretic religious practices because the incorporate animal sacrifice, human bones, and ritual items that can mistaken for satanic worship - Each religion allows for the possibility of black magic practice Black Magic: Palo Mayombe - Used to curse, threaten, and intimidate perceived enemies (can include cj professionals) - Originated african congo - Uses demonic forces for malevolent intentions - Drug dealers use to aid in trafficking and bring harm to competitors Santeria came to america through the african slave trade - As families got scattered, their beliefs were influenced by their new surroundings - Yoruba became known as Lucumi in Cuba (derived from yoruba word akumi) - Influenced by catholicism in cuba and saints which created santeria - Santeria did not become known in america until cuban revolution in 1959 - Santeria literally means worship of the saints - Initial wave of santeria when cubans left, second wave during 1980 mariel boat lift - Santeria significant numbers in florida, new jersey, new york, and california - Animal sacrifice NOT a part of violent criminal behavior but ritualistic practice - Santeria devotees do not torture during practice (slit throat or break beak/neck) torture is entailed in black magic tradition - Knowledge of santeria beliefs can aid LEO in inadvertently offending practitioners

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or violating their rights during searches Has roots in nature and natural forces Concept of power known as ashen(energy that permeates the universe) Aggun is term for deceased family ancestors (ancestral worship is central to practice) Orishas are santeria gods Ebbo is sacrifice concept Offerings are made to orishas Foundation of santeria worship found in 4 natural elements: water, seashell, herbs, and ritual stones (otanes) Santeria spells, rituals, and invocations are conducted to acquire ashe from the gods Ashe is power to change things, solve problems, subdue enemies, acquire love, etc Diloggun is the divination system with seashells Ancestors must be periodically worshipped Ritual stones contain spiritual essence of gods. Stones aren’t worshipped as statutes but as real living entities with life and power Some “bathe” the stones while others “feed” them (animal sacrifice) When a food offering is made, the blood is poured on the stones Stones kept inside tureens Stones are cleaned Seashells called cowries used in diloggun Each god has 21 cowries kept inside tureen with stones When believer wants to speak with a god, shells must be removed from the tureen and used 500 different herbs have been given attributes and have dual purposes for healing/magic Basis of many spells is herbs, plants, roots, and flowers each having a spiritual entity that guards it (believed to be full of ashe and belongs to an orisha who must be asked for permission when they are used) Santeria rituals also use birds (ebbos) Blood of roosters and goats most common offerings Pigeons, canaries, hens etc are used in rubbing rituals (cleansed where negative energy is passed to bird) Magical practices of santeria are a method for believers to gain control over their lives by invoking the proper gods who will effect changes For santeria every aspect of human life is controlled by the pantheon of gods Conducted to acquire ashe from gods (power to change things, etc) Ebbo is concept of sacrifice and way orishas are worshipped in order for them to give ashe Sacrifice does not always entail a victim (can be flowers, candles, etc) Smaller offerings are addimus Larger offerings are for bigger problems

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A blood offering signifies a significant/dangerous problem or event Ashe means “so be it” Ashe is the problem of the supreme god who created the universe and everything is made of ashe and through ashe everything is possible Gods are repositories of ashe The orisha determines the ebbo needed to solve a specific problem. A priest ascertains what the orisha wants by questioning the god through the diloggun (seashells) Omoorisha yoruba name for santero (child or orisha) Santeria priests have 11 ranks High priests known as babalawos and conduct initiation ceremony sacrifices and settle points of contention among santeros The dead come before the orisha (ancestor worship) Dead in ones family must be fed periodically Water, coffee, food etc placed in house as method of honoring ancestors (often behind doors) Catholic saints are embodiments of yoruba gods (fundamentally antichristian because it is idolatry) Polytheistic that worships many gods (although may attend mass once in a while) - Could never be considered christians bc of this Some scholars argue santeria is monotheistic and orishas are children of god/guardian angels There is no disputing fact that santeria is rooted in polytheistic african beliefs Santeria is considered occult due to belief in magic and ability to effect particularly results by means of supernatural powers Santero considered man with knowledge that can heal, improve finances, attract lovers, etc with aid of orishas - Considered white magician because their intention is to help solve human problems Mayomberos and paleros are the ones that use black magic and evil forces In order for gods to grant favors they need offerings Santeros will keep an altar in their home dedicated to the worship of their favorite god Catholics may view santeria altars as sacrilegious Bovedas can be interpreted as witchcraft, satanism, etc but historically, offerings is common practice. Gods are viewed as living and need to be fed When yorubas identified gods with catholic saints, each saint was identified with a specific supernatural force - Chango is fire, lightning, thunder and symbolizes raw power and control over enemies and difficulties - Oshun is river and water with love, marriage, fertility, and gold - Yemaya is identified with sea and symbol of motherhood - Ellegua is god of crossroads and change/destiny Spells requiring help of a saint must employ materials specific to that orisha

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Example: chango’s colors are red and white, symbols being a double edged axe and mortar castle. His offerings are apples, bananas, red roosters and rams. Used to overcome enemies or dominate a person - If LEO find these items, it can be an indication that a person is being threatened - Knowledge of the particular spells and objects needed can be useful in drug and gang investigations Seven deities have been groupes as 7 african powers - Each is worshipped individually but together are very powerful - Obtala, eleggua, chango, oggun, orunia, yemaya, oshun - Obatala is the king of white cloth and is a symbol of peace and purity. Is the father of mankind and is believed to control mind and thought - Eleggua is destiny and balance in nature. Can create havoc if they behave improperly - Acts justified, never irrational - Trickster - Protects home - Chango is feared and respected. Fire, thunder, and lightning. Patron of firemen. - Represents power in all its form - Domination, passion - Oggun is patron of all metals. Overseer of surgeons, police, and soldiers. Symbol of war. Slaying. Not evil but archetype of violent occurrences from mans weakness - Orunla is master of past, present, of future. African concept of time. - Power strictly of divination - Consulated to determine an individual's patron saint - Yemaya is symbol of maternity - Seawater - Most revered and most popular - Symbol of womanhood - Shells - Oshun is divinity of river - Love, marriage, children, money and pleasure - Life on earth would be impossible without her Everyone has a saint in santeria Santeria is shrouded in secrecy that was not a part of the yoruba religion - While yoruba tried to shroud with the catholic saint imagery, they were eventually persecuted - This is why it is now hidden and misunderstood and perceived as “dangerous” Religious participation occurs as rites or ceremonials Person performs in rite alone or company of a santero Ceremonial is with two or more people present and conducted by a santero

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Afrocuban rituals form a continuum from simple rites to ceremonials with complex ritual performances Divination occurs when orishas speak to human beings, diagnose their needs and open their destinies to fulfillment - Priests ascertain to the will of gods - Reveals the sources of problems - Sntero uses 16 cowrie shells (diloggun) to determine solutions - Opele type is most common with 8 coconut rind medallions - Table of ifa is other type used only in initiation with uefa powder - Both include darle coco al santo (four coconut pieces used to determine orisha wishes [pleased or displeased with offerings and how they should be disposed]) - Disposal sites account for LEO finding sacrificial animals Sacrifice occurs when human beings give orishas the ashe that is the sustenance of life - Usually birds and goats and animals associated with saints - Animals like dogs will be attributed to darker magic - Despojos (animals take on negative vibrations, cannot be eaten, blood offered to saints) - Ebbo offerings (made to eggun or orishas, not always eaten) - Initiation offerings (blood given to saints and meat is eaten bc it has god energy) - Chicken sacrifice has feet and beak cleaned, prayer while holding animal in front of orisha and asks deity to accept it. Coconut by priest and saint must be satisfied. Spirit possession involves fully opening the channels of ashe when human dancers are possessed by saints or ancestors - Ceremonial - Bembes, guemilere, or tambores ceremonies - Fiestas de santo on saint birthdays (coincide with matching catholic saint) - Possession of saint on a believer on these days (subirse el santo a su caballo) and can deliver messages - Possessed loser all consciousness - Feels no pain, can predict future and describes things taking place far away - Experiences santeros can tell if a possession is genuine Initiation involves ceremonial rituals that show to devotee and community the depth of devotee commitment to the religion, the orishas and his/her mastery of techniques of invoking ashe - Based on progressive initiation system (gains protection but increases knowledge) - Most important ritual is asiento (making of the saint) - First rite is recibir los collares - Beaded necklaces to protect against evil

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Alternating beads with colors specific to deity Priest invokes saint and gives blessing before making Washed in river after making and offering of chicken and honey made to oshun at riverside - Necklace placed in omiero (liquid ritual mixture) for 7 days - Necklace presented to initiate (must dress in white) - Initiation of the warriors (receives eleggua and cauldron of oggun) - Will fight the initiate’s human battles and to give him guidance - Prepared by high priest - Cauldron contains war implements with oggun and ochosi - Asiento (making the saint) is the most important and comes after previous two - Lasts 1 year and must wear white clothing the entire time - Costs thousands of dollars - Chooses padrinos that train them throughout the year - Training is unique - Can involve head shaving, food restrictions, spirit possessions - Santero is reincorporated into group cultural life after the year and has a spiritual birthday each year - Botanicas usually sell religious supplies needed for spells and rituals. - The owner is usually a practicing santero - May occasionally serve as a front for illegal activity (black magic supplies like human remains and holding rituals in back rooms) First church of chango v ASPCA ruled that animal sacrifices not protected and could be prohibited Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v Hialeah ruled that animal sacrifice protected by 1st amendment but cannot dispose of animals in public due to health codes Sacrifice in the dark side of santeria associated with grave robbing, drug traffiking, and murder (obtained illegaly) Voodoo is also known as vodun, voudou, vodoun and hoodoo and is derived from vodu (meaning spirit or deity in Fon language). Originated as derogatory expressions to refer to systems of sorcery and magic or to specific spells and charms stemming from these systems - Evolved in Haiti and developed in response to african slave trade - Rituals comparable to santeria but still different - Derived from nagos, ibos, aradas, dahomeans, and others - Share yoruba and kongo influences but assimilated under french culture instead of spanish - Loosely organizes priesthood open to men (houngans) and women (mambos) that limit practice to white magic - Black magic priests called bokors and caplatas (stereotypical portrayal of voodoo in movies) - Rituals involve individual acts of piety to large feasts

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Similar to santeria, initiation, divination, sacrifice, and possession are fundamental to Voodoo rituals - Loa is the collective deities - Rituals are held to invoke a particularly god that best fits the needs of the moment (rada or petro spirits) - Rada is wisdom and benevolence - Petro is power and congo aspects - Voodoo came to US in 1803 (haitian slaves in louisiana) - American syncretism was Hoodoo - Hoodoo doctor is hoodoo leader - Medicine maker and illness treater (not a minister) Brujeria based on merging of native gods and christian symbols (syncretic) - Refers to distinctly mexican religion (merging aztec with roman catholicism and cuban santeria) - Use of magic to appease and control gods/spirits - Traced to mid 16th century mexico when the virgin mary appeared to a native christian convert (juan diego) - Spaniards designated toantzin (sacred mother aztec god) a roman catholic and demanded aztec allegiance but unaware they helped preserve the paganism they wanted to destroy (they christianized toantzin as senora de guadalupe) - Yaqui curanderas were traditional aztec medicine women that were then transferred to brujas along with voodoo and hoodoo when they came to the americas - Brujas practice a magico-religious system that centers around guadalupe and the priestess is her representative on earth - Worship guadalupe as all knowing and all powerful goddess - Brujas work from their own home - Followers entrust her with a problem and want a spell to eradicate the problem - Divination, tarot cards, zodiac signs - Two different types of spirits: elementales (nature spirits that cause problems because their stupidity leaves them open for exploitation by devils. Includes gnomes [earth], undines [water] sylphs [air] and salamanders [fire] evokes spell to make them depart) and diableras (evil spirits under satan’s control and enemy of brujas. Cause promiscuity, disease, homosexuality and brujas must create spell to undo diableras hex) - Bruja’s tools simple in order to keep religion hidden - Knife - Wand (USUALLY TREE BRANCH) - Altar is a dresser with white cloth, white candles, holy water, incense, and statute of guadalupe - Usually solo practitioners but can meet for spiritual worship (similar to witchcraft) - covens/confradias of 13 or less - White robes with silver guadalupe medals - Meet for 13 new moon ceremonies and wiccans sabbats

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Palo Mayombe: combines african congo tradition with yoruba slave practices and catholicism - Is equivalent to satanism in christianity (dark side of santeria) - Magical rituals that manipulate, captivate, and/or control people for practitioner’s malevolent purposes - Most start out in santeria - Santeria practitioners fear mayomberos - Some officers that practice santeria are scared to investigate mayomberos - Centers rituals on spirits of dead using magic to inflict misfortune or death upon enemies - Does not invoke orishas but evil spirits of patrons - Palo derived from “wooden stick” practitioners using pieces of wood for magic spells - Priests known as paleros or mayomberos - Claim intentions are not to harm but use in difficult cases to be more effective than santeria (christian mayombe because cauldrons sprinkled with holy water that “differentiates” them from dark side). Work with good spirits of the dead - Unbaptized paleros work with suicide, criminal and evil witch spirits - Malevolent magic in the context of myths and rituals of congo origins and magic often accomplished with use of human bones - Sacred cauldron (nganga meaning dead, spirit, or super natural force) contains human skulls, bones, graveyard dust, branches, herbs, insects, animal and bird carcasses, coins, hot spices and blood (does what owners order it to do [play]) - 21 wooden sticks - Herbs - Feathers - Skulls - Stones - Iron agricultural tools - Given blood as expression of gratitude when nganga carries out wishes - Chango is orisha most worshipped by paleros (called nsasi and claim he originates from congo) - Brujeria or bilongo is a spell that is achieved when a person is given food or drink or spirit sent to with the intent of causing torment and misfortune - Leave animal carcasses at entrances and prepare dolls with ritual items - Some rituals can be harassment or terroristic threats - Human bones - Palo ritual - Go to cemetery during new moon to get bones from grave - Sprinkle rum in cross shape over grave - Head usually still has brain or a known criminal’s body - Wrap remains in black cloth when removed - Mayombero lies on floor covered by sheet and 4 candles lit on each corner

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- Gunpowder (fula) on knife - Spirit of kiyumba takes possession of mayombero - Asks spirit if willing to work - Gunpowder lit if there is agreement - Places name of dead into cauldron with coins and remains with grave soil - Knife with white handle used to add drops of blood from mayombero - Melted candle wax, ashes, cigar butt, and lime Mark Kilroy was kidnapped and ritualistically killed and sacrificed by drug dealer and mayombero adolfo de jesus constanzo - Adolfo was known as el cubano or el padrino - Cult leader - Would torture and dismember victims - Believed parts taken from suffering victims were more powerful (were alive) - High priestess sara villarel aldrete - 23 documented victims but actual number unknown...