Santería

History

The historical roots of Santería can be traced to 16th-century Cuba, where slaves were imported from modern-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic and from later African nations, primarily Nigeria and the Congo. Subjected to the harsh realities of the slave trade, these individuals were forcefully baptized into Roman Catholicism and prohibited from openly practicing their native religion, which involved the worship of God, or Olorun, and lesser deities, or orishas. Noticing similarities between their native orishas and the various Catholic saints, and in an effort to retain their distinct religious belief system, the slaves created a new and complex religion in which each orisha was equated with a specific saint from the Roman Catholic faith. For example, the orisha Agayu is equated with Saint Christopher and the concept of fatherhood; while the guardian and provider of wisdom is Orula, who is associated with Saint Francis of the Roman Catholic Church.

Later, the works of Allan Kardec, a 19th-century French educator and philosopher, gained widespread [Page 872]readership and following among the Cuban people. By 1890, Kardec's belief in a spiritual hierarchy, where saints could be invoked through a medium and ascend to a higher spiritual level, was assimilated into the existing philosophy, beliefs, and practices of Santería. Kardec's belief that human invocation of the spirits could be accomplished through the use of hypnosis, or being placed in a trance state, was incorporated into Santerían practices and rituals as a way for followers to receive direct guidance from the orishas.

Isolated Santerían practices were documented in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. However, the emergence of Santería gained widespread attention and an increased following as a result of the Mariel boat lift of 1980, in which more than 100,000 Cubans entered the United States. Many of these Cuban refugees were later detained on federal immigration charges, thus importing the practice of Santería into the federal prison system. Today, Santería is more common in large urban areas with ethnically diverse populations that include greater numbers of Cuban, Caribbean, and Latin American immigrants. Followers of Santería can be found among members of all social classes; however, the practice is more prevalent among individuals residing in the more impoverished inner-city districts, barrios, and ghettos. Santería is practiced by both males and females. Unlike many other religions, females exert an equal role both as worshippers and as leaders. While priests are referred to as santeros and priestesses are called santeras, both are referred to by the gender-neutral term olorisha.

Beliefs and Practices

The basic principles and centrally important practices of Santería revolve around the followers' relationships with the orishas. Historically, prior to being imported into Cuba as slaves, the African Santeríans recognized between 400 and 700 unique orishas. Today's Cuban followers worship 16 orishas, with many American practitioners recognizing only 7 orishas, which are collectively referred to as the “seven African powers.” The role of the orishas within the Santerían belief system is to rule over and act as guardians of the forces of nature and human activities. For example, Elegba acts as the intermediary between the human and spiritual worlds; as the gatekeeper, this orisha must be contacted first before communication with the other orishas is permitted. Ogun is the owner of war, labor, and technology; Oya is the ruler of the winds; and Oshun is the guardian of streams and rivers, embodying love and fertility.

...