Santería: A Living tradition

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Santeria Photo: @ Stephan Mo and Anne Engh

Today there are Santerí followers throughout the population. The religion has become a visible part of Cuban street life, especially in the big cities. Until recently Santería and other Afro-Cuban religions had a low sta- tus in Cuba. After the colonial period Afro-Cuban religions were criminalized by the authorities. The police confiscated objects from rituals and worked to control its spread. At the end of the 20th century there was a gradual change to a more positive understanding of Afro-Cuban religions.

From oppression to national heritage

In 1987 the religion received a new status when the Cuban authorities defined a group of Santería objects national heritage. Today many objects that were used earlier in Afro-Cuban religions, such as Santería im- portant examples of material culture and exhibited in Cuban museums, such as Casa de Africa and Museo de Regla (both in Havana).

As an Afro-Caribbean religion, Santería illustrates the Caribbean’s distinctiveness – a mix of different groups beliefs and traditions. There are several other religions in the Caribbean area that all carry the mark of the meeting between the religions of the slaves and the colonial power. The most known are Condomblé in Brazil, Voodoo in Haiti, and the Chango cult in Trinidad.

In Santería both the names of the santos (saints) and their attributes can be traced back to the Yoruba in Nigeria, and they can also be found in Brazil and elsewhere in the Caribbean. In Nigeria the goddess of the sea is named Yemoja, while in Cuba her name is Yemayá, in Brazil Iemanjá, and in Trinidad Emanjah. In the case of Yemayá there are only small variations in the name, but her connection to the sea is the same in all of the mentioned countries.

In Cuba there are several other religions that have roots in Africa. The male society Abakuá is often men- tioned even though it bears more distinction of being a secret brotherhood than a religion. Palo Monte, which has it roots in Congo, is also relatively common in Cuba.

Santería’s past: A new religion is formed

Rituals and myths that slaves brought with them over the ocean from Africa was gradually tied together a new belief system called Santería. This Cubanization occurred in the meeting between the different eth- nic groups from Africa and the Spaniard’s catholic beliefs. Santería has many catholic and Spanish traits. Among other things the African gods compared with the catholic saints.

Social anthropologist Anne Engh has connected the objects on this Santería altar during fieldwork in Cuba in 2000. One of her informants explained the use of catholic elements in santería with the following story:

"The slaves were sent to the church to become Christian. The Spanish hoped that they would go away from their old beliefs. But it did not turn out the way that they slave owners and churchmen imagined. Instead of throwing away their own gods, the slaves continued to worship them even in the church, hidden behind the cultivation of catholic saints. The slaves found out that it each of their African gods could be concealed behind a similar catholic saint figure. In this way Changó (the saint of lightening and thunder) became disguised behind Saint Barbara and Ochún (the saint of love) disguised behind the Our Lady of Charity. The slaves could therefore continue with their own beliefs and worship within the walls of the catholic church, however hidden from the men of the church.”

Santería is often described as an animistic religion. For example the saint or goddess Yemayá represents the sea and at the same time Yemayá is the sea. The saints communicate through natural objects, such as shells, coconut shells, nuts and powders.

Each of the santos is represented by a small stone, through a special ritual, receives some of the power (aché) of the actual santo. One could say that the santo’s intangible power is often transferred to something material and therefore something more tangible for the believers. Consequently, the stone is placed in the container: a ceramic vessel, iron pot or soup tourine.

Blood sacrfice for Elegguá Photo: @ Stephan Mo and Anne engh

Santería’s Pantheon (world of gods)>

According to the cosmology of Santería the world is steered by Olofi, the almighty deity, often compared to the Catholic God. Olofi is an understated and abstract god; contact with people occurs through a number of santos (gods). The santos function as messengers between Olofi and people. The believers relate to the santos through prayers, when they are initiated, through offerings and during celebrations. Olofi does not receive material offerings from the believers.

The origins of the santos

When those who were sold as slaves in the Caribbean left Africa, the Yoruba pan- theon consisted of 401 orichas, gods. In Cuba today there it consists just fewer than 20 and the Santería deities are referred to as santos or orichas. The reference to oricha comes from Nigeria. Use of the catholic reference saint, which can be translated as saint, comes from the catholic influence. Just as Olofi is compared to the Christian God, the deities (santos) are compared to catholic saints.

Each santo governs parts of nature: thunder, storms, the sea, the forest and rivers. Simultaneously, they reign over human skills and qualities: love, intelligence and drunkenness. In this way the santos represent both nature and humans.

“There is a santo for every which ever situation, for whatever one seeks and fears!” says santera – the re- ligious expert – Ana. The santos relationship to nature and the human qualities are explained through old myths.

The myths tell among other things, that Olofi received help of the santos to create the world and that there- after the saints were transformed into the natural elements that they help to create.

The santos – attributes and desires

The santos were living people a long time ago and therefore kept human temperaments and characters. “They are just like us, party, argue, drink and love and often do wrong. And who has not experienced that?” That is how santera Ana described the relaxed and friendly relationship that believers have to the santos. Some believers recognize themselves in Changó’s chase for women, others in Ochún’s vanity and still others in Elegguás mischievousness or Obbatalá’s tendency to take an extra drink.

The warriors (guerreros) of the santos include the door opener saint Elegguá, the saint of metal Oggún, the saint of hunting Ochosi and the protector Osún. These are the four first santos that believers receive on their path into Santería.

Elegguá is the smallest of the santos but also one of the most important. All rituals and celebrations begin with greetings to Elegguá and ask permission to begin the celebration.

Elegguá governs the crossroads and doorways. He protects the home and you find him therefore as a little stone figure inside the doorway of the believer.
Elegguá’s colors are black and red. His necklace consists of alternating red and black beads.
The catholic saint the Niño de Antocha (the child of Antocha), is tied to cane alcohol or fresh rooster blood.

Ochosi is the santo for hunting and law, but also for fairness and prison.

Ochosi prefers wild game in addition to sweet honey.
Ochosi’s necklace consists yellow and blue beads.

Obbatalá lives in the mountains near heaven. At home with the believers he lives in a white vessel on the top of the altar.

The catholic saint that is associated with Obbatalá is Our Lady of Mercy in a white costume.
White is the color of Obbatalá and therefore coconut, meringue and eggs are considered foods that one can offer to the deity of peace.
Obbatalá prefers as animal offerings white doves and white hens.
White, for peace, is the color of Obbatalás necklace.

Changó is one of the most popular deities in Cuba. He is strong, dances wildly and powerfully and knows the art of seducing women. Changó furthermore likes to tell stories but they often surpass reality.

His strength is associated with his control over lightening and thunder. Sword and axe are symbols of his power. The axe-symbol is also found in Nigeria, but the sword comes from the catholic St. Barbara.
That the strong masculine Changó is associated with a female catholic saint can seem strange. The explanation could be the old story of when Changó had to disguise himself as a woman to escape from an enemy that wanted to kill him.
His favorite foods are cooked okra, goat, hens and green bananas. In addition he enjoys both cigars and a little rum.
His color is red. People use necklaces with alternating red and white beads when they want his protection or want to show that they are his sons or daughters.

Yemayá – the santo of the sea (hers is the blue costume in the display case) Yemayá stands out as one of the most powerful santos in Cuba. She is considered to be mother of both saints and people.

She reigns over the sea and all salt water in the world
As the saint of the sea she is associated with the patron saint of the bay of Havana, the Virgin of Regla.
Yemayá’s favorite dishes are fried pork skin and desserts made from coconut and sweet potatoes.
Her colors are blue like the sea and the beaded necklace has series of seven blue and seven white beads.

Ochún – the saint of love and beauty Ochún stands out often as the ideal women for many Cuban men. Therefore many Cuban women wish to be as beautiful and seductive as Ochún.

Ochún reigns over rivers and streams.
She prefers food that is as sweet and seductive as her. In addition to honey and yellow cakes she loves eggs and squash, which symbolize the woman’s stomach and fertility. When it comes to drinks, she prefers champagne, but she can drink both bear and brown rum.
Ochún’s status in Cuba is clearly reflected in the catholic saint that is associated with Caridad de Cobre (Charity of Copper) – Cuba’s own patron saint of the coast.
The sunflower is the flower that is most sold by the flower sellers in the streets of Havana. If you have problems with a boyfriend or desire a boyfriend or girlfriend, it often helps to offer a sunflower to Ochún.
Ochún’s color is yellow like the sunflower and many Cubans make offerings to her in the name of love. Her necklace has a series of six light yellow and six dark yellow beads.

Oyá – the saint of the graveyard (her burgundy costume is on display in the case) Oyá reigns over storms and bad weather, which often hits Cuba. She takes care of all graveyard gates and sees that all of the dead remain where they should. She also has a lighter side as the saint who is responsible for the rainbow and all of its colors. Oyá is associated with the catholic Saint Teresa.