Table Of Content

Santeria from Africa to the New World THE DEAD SELL MEMORIES George Brandon Santeria from Africa to the New World Santeria from Africa Blacks in the Diaspora Darlene Clark Hine, John McCluskey, Jr., and David Barry Gaspar GENERAL EDITORS to the New World THE DEAD SELL MEMORIES George Brandon Indiana University Press | Bloomington and Indianapolis First paperback edition 1997 © 1993 by George Brandon All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed ween ANSI Z39.48-1984. © MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Brandon, George, date Santeria from Africa to the new world : the dead sell memories / George Brandon. cm.—(Blacks in the diaspora) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-253-31257-4 (hard : alk. paper) ISBN 0-253-21114-X (pbk.) 1. Santena (Cult) I. Title. II. Series. BL2532.S3B73 1993 299'.67—dc20 92-24251 3 4 5 6 7 01 00 99 98 97 For Iyalosha Oshunfunke, Iyalosha Olurde, Mwedogi, Ewe Babalawo of the village of Kissema, Ghana—be he living or dead, and to the memory of Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) and Vera Mae Green (1925-1982), Ibaaye Tonu. Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 1X I. Introduction 1 THE PROCESSUAL FRAMEWORK 3 PHASES OF RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT 3 CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 7 II. Africa 9 THE OLD RELIGION 11 THREE BROTHERS QUARREL, AND THEIR HOMES ARE INVADED BY STRANGERS 18 III. Cuba: Pre-Santeria and Early Santeria (1492-1870) 37 THE CONQUEST CULTURE 38 THE CATHOLIC RELIGION 45 THE SUGAR BOOM AND EXPANSION OF SLAVERY 52 LUCUMI ETHNICITY 55 SYNCRETISM OF AFRICAN AND EUROPEAN RELIGIONS 59 TRANSFORMATION OF THE OLD RELIGION 74 IV. Cuba: Santeria (1870-1959) 79 AN ECONOMIC TRANSITION 79 THE SUPPRESSION OF THE CABILDOS 82 ESPIRITISMO 85 AFRO-CUBANISM 90 THE AMBIVALENCE OF REPRESSION AND RESISTANCE 95 CUBAN POSTSCRIPT 99 V. Santeria in the United States (1959-1982) 104 SPIRITS IN EXILE 105 NEW FORMS IN NEW YORK 107 vill / CONTENTS VI. Continuity and Change 126 PROBLEMS OF COLLECTIVE MEMORY 127 PROBLEMS OF SYNCRETISM 157 BIBLIOGRAPHY 187 INDEX 203 Illustrations follow page 31 and page 120.