Orisha Essays

Oshun the goddess Just how much of a role does Oshun play in the Orishas? Yoruba mythology originated in the Yoruba tribe, in West Africa around 5,000 years ago. This mythology is known for the presence of the supreme being and other more minor “gods" or “spirits” known as Orishas which are both male and female, which continues to influence Southwestern Nigeria (Ogbado). Oshun is the Yoruba deity of love, sensuality, femininity, and is known for the myth of the creation (Jeffries). According to

Culture is defined as a set of ideas, customs and social behavior of a particular people or a society. Every nation has its own specific culture, which exhibits one’s own traditions, beliefs and values. It is the totality of the thought and practice by which a people creates itself, celebrates, refrain and develop itself and introduces itself to history and humanity. The African culture is divided into greater number of ethnic cultures that include African arts and crafts, folklore and religion

in nature being more important than humans against Yoruba belief in humans being more important than nature. First, the Iroquois people believe in nature as a concrete and unchangeable, while the Yoruba see nature as intelligently designed by the Orishas, humanlike gods. One example of this is found in the two myth’s explanations of why men are different, blind and seeing, left or right handed. In the Iroquois myth, there are two types of people,

historians indicate that slaves from countries currently known as Nigeria and Republic of Benin brought this religion to the country. The Candomblé followers worship the deities, who are gods or African deities representing the forces of nature, the Orishas. The Candomblé designation is most popular in the state of Bahia, in Brazil, where the African culture is stronger than in other states. The rituals of Candomblé are led by “mãe-de-santo” (woman) or “pai-de-santo” (man), and there is a definite hierarchy

Santeria worships orishas, similar to how the Vodou religion worships loas. Santeria is a very secretive religion with strict religious rules, unless you have been initiated into the religion your involvement in the practices is very limited. Santeria does not use symbols

learning about Santeria because each time she learned and talked about an Orisha she was able to apply it to her own life. For instance, as Marta was preparing for her initiation wrote down what she was learning in a journal as she narrates “My journal became my bible, helping me to understand Orula’s advice, and the guidance of the orishas that were now essential principles in my life….We must internalize the teachings of the orishas and use them in our lives” (233). Marta having guidelines to follow

In both the Iroquois and Yoruba creation myths, a sky world exists before life on earth did. The beings that live in these sky worlds both depend on their trees. However, the sense of connection within these two groups differs. Although both respect nature, the Yoruba are more considerate towards others. To begin with, the sky people in both myths rely on nature. In “The World on the Turtle’s Back,” the sky gods worship a sacred tree. They forbid harming the tree, which “stood at the center of the

life in interrelation with the representation of his being, a previous life, with the Oshas, Orishas, Eggún, etc. and the environment. People consecrated under the rituals of Santeria. They are priests and priests who descend spiritually from the Yorubas. For santeros is important to venerate and exalt Olodumare and their Orisha. Santeria is based on different rituals, such as the reception of the orishas. It is based on the belief of God through the elements of Nature, a distinctly African philosophy

prominent culture embodied in the visual exclusive would be that of the Yoruba people in Nigeria and Benin. Beyoncé, due to her ancestry, is keen on putting forth the culture and religious beliefs of the Yoruba people. The artist therefore alludes to two Orishas of this religious system by the means of visual representation

start of the planet was a formless Chaos that was neither ocean nor land. Orisha Nla, additionally known as the nice God, was sent down from the sky to the Chaos by Olorun, the supernatural being. His obligatory mission was to form solid land and to assist him within the accomplishment of this task; he was given a snail shell, a pigeon, and a five-toed hen. After the world and land were separated, a chameleon was sent with Orisha Nla to examine his work and report back to the supernatural being. Olorun

The Orisha That I was assigned was Ogun Lagaaye. Ogun is a warrior and a powerful spirit of mental work and Rum making. The primary symbols of Ogun are iron, the dog, and the palm frond. They symbolize Ogun 's role in transformation, mediation, and function. Iron is the primary emblem of Ogun. Ogun altars and ceremonies use iron objects across the African diaspora. Often the followers of Ogun wear chains of iron out of respect for him. Ogun festivals feature the display of knives, guns, blacksmith

the upbeat rhythm produced by the usage of 3 different hand drums called tambors. These drums are thought to have a soul and stem from Santerian rituals. Each drum is believed to communicate with a voice specific to itself and are the voice of the orishas. One such drum is the bata. This drum is used to produce rhythms known as a "conversation." It is played at

was, was the sky overhead and the waters beneath. The sky and waters was ruled by the mighty Orisha, the authority of all gods. Furthermore, Olorun ruled the sky overhead and Olokun controlled all life in the waters beneath Sooner after, a god named Obatala decided to establish dry land with Olorun and asked for his permission and asked for advice from Orunmila who is the wisest of the authority of Orisha. Orunmila gave some advice to Obatala. “You’ll need a long gold chain, a snail’s shell filled

whether someone is soon to pass, as well as whenever drastic change is required in someone’s life (Onilu). Ọya’s description as a “goddess of… transformation from one state of being to another” (Nicholson 56) encapsulates her explanatory function as an orisha: She was essentially formed to help ancient Nigerian peoples cope with the loss of loved ones and disasterous environmental events, such as West African tornadoes or tropical cyclones that have wreaked havoc on entire communities (Jackson;

correlate with that. Rumba means “a dance/a party” and the modern performances show the enthusiasm of the participants having fun and flowing with the music. Since rumba likes to continue with the old tradition and introduce new concepts, maybe the old orishas of Ifa can be represented by the styles of

Yemoja is known as the Queen of the Sea, Queen of the Waves, Lady of the Sea, Mother of Water, Mother of all Orishas, and Patroness and Protection of Children and Fishermen, in the Yoruba religion. The Yoruba religion ingenerated and is progressing in Southwestern Nigeria, parts of Benin and Togo. The religion has one major self-existing God or deity, Olodumare, whose status of supremacy is absolute . Olodumare is said to be the creator of the earth. He created Obatalá (father and creator of human

Hinduism Hinduism is a religion that uses chanting of mantras as part of prayer rituals or puja. (Prothero, 140; 157-159) Additionally, they practice yoga to find and activate the centers of energy, thus raising their dominant spiritual power. (Prothero, 137; 148) For that reason, domestic rituals or puja are an essential part of Hindu life as well as pilgrimage. (Prothero, 157-159) Another important aspect is having a shrine of a divine figure. (Prothero, 153, 158) Generally, a shrine consists

systems. These concepts share the quality of being beyond human comprehension, emphasising the vastness and ineffability of the divine. Moreover, both religions recognise the presence of intermediary entities. Yoruba religion employs the concept of Orishas, who serve as divine forces of nature and act as intermediaries between humans and the ultimate reality. Similarly, Hinduism acknowledges a pantheon of gods and goddesses who serve as manifestations of different aspects of the divine, allowing devotees

Ashanté Charles 4U Ms. Hauch November 13th, 2017 The term Afro - Cuban refers to Cubans of mostly West African ancestry and, consist of four major ethnic groups of the African population; Bantu, Yoruba, Igbo, and Arara. This convergence of African and Cuban descent was prompted by the slave trade, thousands of Africans were transported to Cuba. The people of Cuba were reluctant to accept the cultural and religious beliefs of Africans into their nation. Soon oppression commenced in the West African

Santeria, meaning “Way of the Saints”, is a syncretic, Afro-Caribbean religion that grew out of slave trade in Cuba, and is based on Yoruba traditions and Roman Catholic incorporations (BBC). The initiation of Santeria can be dated to roughly the early sixteenth century during the bustling transatlantic slave trade, which involved Cuba. In this period, cultural diffusion was not uncommon, as African slaves from Nigeria and Benin were keen on maintaining the religious practices of their home country