Afro-Caribbean Religions
Gerald F. Murray
Department of Anthropology
(emeritus)
University of Florida
The African Slave Trade
The Caribbean
Defining religion: Caution!
• Tendency to give “functional” definitions:
– Definition by purpose or use.
– Some human institutions (e.g. schools, hospitals) have
“a major function”.
– The “major function(s)” of religion are not clear
• Better to give a “systemic” definition of religion.
– Identify the components, the building blocks, of a religious system
– Distinguish between
• The elements found in all or most religious systems
• The elements found in only some religious systems
Universal elements of religious systems
• Spirit beliefs (pantheon)
• Rituals to interact with the spirits
• Specialists with spiritual authority or knowledge
What is religion?
“A cultural system by which people
• are taught about the existence and character of invisible
spirits
• engage in rituals to interact with that spirit world
• under the guidance of leaders who are believed to have
more knowledge, power, or authority to deal with the
spirits.”
Religion worldwide
The concept “religious syncretism”
• A blending of religious elements from two or more traditions.
• In reality even the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam) blend elements from different traditions.
– But the blending is so ancient that practitioners are unaware, or
deny.
– The blending of traditions is more recent.
– Their religious practices are viewed by others as deviant.
• Vodou, Santeria, and Candomble combine elements principally from
Africa and Europe, with some possible indigenous elements.
Some Afro-European religions
of the Caribbean and Brazil
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Cuba: Santeria.
Haiti: Vodou.
Dominican Republic: Baile del Espiritu Santo
Puerto Rico: Espiritismo.
Trinidad: Shango
Jamaica: Obeah
Brazil: Candomble (Batuque), Umbanda,
The Spirit Worlds of
Vodou, Santeria, Candomble
• The concept of “pantheon”: the inventory
of spirits in a particular religion.
• Often called “polytheistic”, VSC are
actually monotheistic, dominated by a
Creator Spirit.
– Generally called God
– Given other names in Santeria and Candomble
– A “Deus otiosus” – uninvolved in daily affairs.
Anthropological encounter with
the rural Haitian spirit world
• Selection of a community
• Initial fears of the villagers
– Blan vin pran tè nou
– Blan se lougarou. La manje pitit nou.
• The rental of the dead houngan’s house
• Ceremony of welcome
Voodoo and Vodoun as
“outsider” names
• Outsiders want nouns and adjectives for religion.
Catholicism / Catholic Judaism / Jewish
• People in our village in 1974 had no noun for the folk
religion nor an adjective for its practitioners.
• Used a verb phrase: sèvi loua (serve the loua).
Practitioners: moun ki konn sèvi loua
• Use of vodoun and vodouisant , now common in the
literaure, do not correspond to what villagers said.
The spirits of rural Vodoun
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Pantheon: Bon-Dye and the lwa
Monotheism “Bon Dye devan – Marasa deye”
Bon-Dye / Gran Met:
Neither trinitarian nor christological
Source of life and fertility
Author of natural disasters
Arbitrary and punitive
Beyond reach of humans and of other spirits
Lesser spirits of rural Vodoun
• Loua (major anthropomorphic spirits)
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Male and female
“sweet” and “bitter”.
Friendly possessions in rituals.
Expect music, food, drink
Bring illness if they are neglected
• Le-mò (the dead)
Danbala Wedo: the serpent spirit
Ezili Freda: the mother spirit
Other preternatural beings
in Haitian folk belief
• Lougarou – vampire
• Zombi -- the dead brought back as slaves
• San pouel: secret societies
Spirit world of Santeria: Yoruba derived
pantheon: the “santos” or Orisha
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Obatala: (Our Lady of Mercy)
Yemaya: (Mary, Star of the Sea)
Eleggua: (St. Anthony or St. Michael)
Oshun: (Our Lady of Caridad de Cobre)
Shango (St. Barbara)
Oya (Our Lady of Candelaria)
Ogun (St. Peter)
Las Siete Potencias Africanas
Spirit world of Candomble
• Similar to that of Santeria.
• Addition of indigenous spirits.
– “Saints of the land”
• Less a kin-based pantheon than in Vodoun
The rituals of rural Vodoun
• Rituals: Catholic rites of passage
• Rituals not found in Catholicism
– Drumming, song, and dance
– Spirit possession
– Animal sacrifice
A chante lwa
Pyè Danbala m se wozo (2)
M pa fatra, ya bale-m jete (2)
Jou lapli a tonbe, ma leve ma wè yo.
Stone of Danbala, I am a reed (2)
I’m not garbage; yet they’ll throw me out (2)
The day the rain falls, I’ll rise and see them
Santeria: Preparation for a ritual
to Oshun: River deity
• Purpose: Goddess of love and money
• Elements: 7 day candles, yellow ceramic plate, oranges,
roses, paper fans, yellow tablecloth, small jar of honey, 5
small pastries, a letter of petition written to Ochun.
• Go to secluded riverbank. Clean the area.
• Spread out the tablecloth, put the plate in the center, with
your letter on the plate. Arrange oranges and pastries. Put
the vase of roses near the plate. Put 5 yellow candles
around the plate and the roses.
The ritual itself
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Stand and face the river.
Hold the jar of honey and pray to Ochun for love and/or money
Open the jar of honey and taste some with your finger.
Pour out all the honey over the pastries and oranges on the plate.
Light the candles
Collect river water in the empty honey jar
Take the water home, mix with spring water and cinnamon and boil
Take a shower , scrub the tub clean, fill with water.
Pour the cinnamon / river water mixture into the tub.
Immerse yourself in the water.
Dry yourself and light a yellow candle in your bedroom.
Santeria shrine to Yemaya:
female sea spirit
Cuban Santeria healing: for
recovery of Fidel Castro
Candomble healing ritual
Candomble pageantry
Common elements and
Abrahamic counterparts
• Animal sacrifice
• Spirit possession
• Glossolalia: Speaking in tongues
Trends
• Demonization by mainstream Chrstian clergy.
• Reverse censorship: Purging out of Christian
elements by pro-African intelligentsia
• Conversion into evangelical Christianity
• Commercialization of the exotic elements.
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