Santería

      Santería was ‘discovered’ by Western scientists around 1940. Over the next 50 years, several ethnographic studies were performed among those who practiced the religion. The word ‘Santería’ translates literally into “The Religion”. It was not recognized as an official protected religion until 1993 (Brown 2003: 4-5). This religion was classified as Afro-Cuban and it possessed its own art and music. Today a number of ritual items used by Santería can be found in various museums and galleries around the world. To the left are a couple of ritual objects, a staff for Osain, Babaluaye as St. Lazarus, a Siete Potencias Africans candle, and Yemaya as the Virgin Mary. Photo taken from the Divine Transpositions: Recent Scholarship on Vodou and Santería Religious Art by Debora Wyrick from North Carolina State University. She has an in depth study of various religious art pieces having to do with both Vodou and Santería in her published work. Yemaya, or Yemoja is an Orisha and is said to be the mother of all Orishas. She is also representative of the Virgin Mary as well as Our Lady Regalia and Stella Maris. Orisha is a Yoruban word for divine being. Through cultural appropriation, a number of aesthetic features of Santería art and music were used by artists in ways that no longer supported their intrinsic meaning to the Santería community. 

            Santería was and still is often seen as a malign witchcraft by many and pop culture twisted that opinion even further with things such as the movie Santeria: The Soul Possessed. “Ostensibly based on a true story, Revelation (another name for the movie) is a claustrophobic account of what happens when you accept food from a stranger. Nine year-old Ricky Banda is given a cursed Eucharist, and returns home only to be locked in a room by an evil force, along with his Aunt and Cousin. Only one, however, will emerge…” This is the plot summary provided by IMDB. Even the cover gives the title negative connotations and makes someone who will hear of the religion later look upon it with bias that may not have been there prior to watching this horror film. In cases like this film, artistic license can ultimately have damaging effects on those who wish to be recognized as a religion and a culture. According to responses given by those who saw the movie, it is inaccurate to call the movie Santeria because it barely references the religion and has nothing much to do with the religion itself.

            A Eucharist is a ritual which celebrates the Last Supper in which the blood and body, or bread and wine, is consecrated and then consumed. Most often in the Christian interpretation of the ritual, it is treated as a liturgy, or bloodless sacrifice. This is a practice not uncommon to regular Sunday mass with the bread and grape juice that is passes around. What scares a number of people about such rituals is that some performed involve animal sacrifice and in some cases have involved human sacrifice. Animal sacrifice is considered common in Santería. In Santería sacrifice is a metaphor for gift-giving. It is an exchange between the physical and the spiritual worlds (Brandon 1993: 150). Gift giving is a part of the etiquette in Santería ritual. But, the gift that is being given does not necessarily need to be a sacrifice. “Other appropriate gifts are rum, five small white candles, and a coconut” (Brandon 1993: 149), however, most of what should be given is specified by the ritual in question and only becomes religious because it is needed for a ritual practice. Goods such as fruit or cakes are given to everyone at the end of the celebration Brandon 1993: 149).

            Santería appears to induce a similar level of fear as religions such as Vodou, which is more commonly known. A number of people were persecuted who practiced Santería because people were afraid of what might happen. (Brandon 1993: 94). Santería had been labeled as evil and those who practiced it were treated as thus. There were reported cases of witch hunts being carried out in Cuba in order to eliminate Santería worshippers. “Afraid of being labeled “devil worshippers” or thought of as members of a cult, people who are drawn to Santería often continue to hide their beliefs,” (Vega 2009: 4). In a society where religious freedom is preached, there should be little reason to fear oneself, however, people are cruel; a bias does not disappear overnight. As Vega mentioned people who were drawn to Santería hid themselves, they did not want to be ostracized from their friends who possessed alternate beliefs. Because Santería is not particularly well known, it is a rather misunderstood belief system.

References

Brandon, George

 1993 Santeria from Africa to the New World: The Dead Sell Memories. Bloomington: Indiana

    University Press

Brown, David H.

 2003 Santeria Enthroned: Art, Ritual, and Innovation in an Afro-Cuban Religion. Chicago:

    University of Chicago Press

Vega, Marta Moreno

 2009 Altar of My Soul: The Living Traditions of Santería. New York: One World/Ballantine

    (Random House LLC Publishing Group)

Wyrick, Deborah

 1999 Divine Transpositions: Recent Scholarship on Vodou and Santería Religious Art. North

    Carolina State University. Archived.