In this Book
- Worldview, the Orichas, and Santería: Africa to Cuba and Beyond
- Book
- 2007
- Published by: University Press of Florida
Cros Sandoval's authoritative introduction to the Afro-Cuban religion called Santeria explores how it emerged and developed in Cuba out of transplanted Yoruba beliefs and continues to spread and adjust to changing times and contexts. Systematically exploring every facet of Santeria's worldview, Sandoval examines how practitioners have adapted received beliefs and practices to reconcile them with new environments, from plantation slavery to exile in the United States.
Offering a distinctive perspective based on a lifetime of extensive research and firsthand knowledge, Cros Sandoval illuminates Santeria as a theological system and as a vital, continuously evolving community. The adaptation process that gave birth to Santeria was not the singular result of cultural resistance, she argues, but a successful attempt to find meaning linked to alien religious elements in a way that appealed to a diverse following.
Beginning with the transatlantic history of how Yoruba traditions came to Cuba and were established and adapted to Cuban society, Sandoval provides a comprehensive comparison of Yoruba and Cuban mythologies, followed by an overview of how Santeria has continued to diffuse and change in response to new contexts and adherents--with an especially illuminating perspective on Santeria among Cubans in Miami. As a reference work and historical treatment of Santeria, Sandoval's work will appeal to both scholars and nonscholars alike, ranging from anthropologists and students of religion and the African Diaspora to psychologists, social workers, and those curious about or inspired by this remarkably durable and adaptable belief system.
Table of Contents
- Title Page
- p. iii
- Informants
- pp. xi-xii
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xxi-xxii
- Note to the Reader
- p. xxiii
- Introduction
- pp. xxvii-xxxvi
- 4. Beliefs and Practices of Santería
- pp. 83-92
- 5. Priesthood
- pp. 93-105
- 6. Illness and Death
- pp. 106-110
- 8. Oracles
- pp. 120-139
- Conclusion to Part 1 [Includes Image Plates]
- pp. 140-160
- 10. The Origin of Good and Evil
- pp. 176-180
- 11. Orishas/Orichas
- pp. 181-185
- 15. Shango/Changó: God of Thunder and Fire
- pp. 223-236
- 19. Ogun/Ogún: God of Metals and War
- pp. 269-278
- Conclusion to Part 2
- pp. 302-306
- 23. Santería in the Twenty-First Century
- pp. 323-342
- 24. Santería’s New Ways and Current Trends
- pp. 343-355
- Conclusion to Part 3
- pp. 356-358
- Appendix A. Paths of Obatalá
- pp. 359-362
- Appendix B. Paths of Elegbara, Elegguá, Echú
- pp. 363-364
- Appendix C. Paths of Changó
- pp. 365-366
- Appendix E. Paths of Yemayá
- pp. 368-369
- Glossary of Lucumí and Spanish Terms
- pp. 387-395
- References
- pp. 397-405
- About the Author
- p. 418