Santeria Birthday Altar Display

Religion and Identity in the Americas: Agendas for the Future
51st Annual Conference April 10-12, 2003
University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Constructed by: Mary Ann Clark (right)
2003 Rockefeller Scholar
Center for Latin American Studies and Ade Ofunniyin (left)
Ph.D. Candidate
University of Florida, Anthropology with the help of
Chango Lade (center)

This display is a representation of a Santeria birthday altar or trono (Sp. throne). A Santeria priest called a santero or a santera would build a display like this on every year on the anniversary of his or her initiation into the priesthood--his or her "birth" in the religion of Santeria. Generally these altars are displayed in the home of the priest and for a seven-day period beginning on the anniversary date which is celebrated by a feast for the santero's or santera's religious family and friend.

The trono that a santero/a builds as part of his or her birthday celebration can be as simple or elaborate as the priest's taste and finances allow. Tronos may be slipped into a corner, as this on does, or it may expand to fill an entire room so that a visitor can only stand at the doorway.

With special thanks to percusionists (l to r) Charley Rivas, John Armstrong, Rafael Maya, and Kurt Schultz and my godfather, Tony DeQuinzio (Chango Lade), singer.

Lecture as part of Unveiling of Trono at the Institute for Hispanic/Latino Cultures (La Casita) University of Florida. Mary Ann Clark (far left) and Ade Ofunniyin (far right).

History of Santeria

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, thousands of Africans were brought from the West Coast of Africa to the Americas to work as slaves on the plantations created by European colonists. After 1762, when the English captured the Spanish port of Havana and after the Haitian revolution of 1794, the European passion for sugared foods was increasingly met by sugar from Cuban plantations. Hundreds of thousands of Yoruba were brought to the New World to work these plantations.

By 1888 nearly 10 million African men and women had made the middle passage to the Americas. It is estimated between 500,000 and 700,000 of these Africans were brought to Cuba. Peoples brought from the Yoruba areas of West Africa developed the religion of SanterÃa. It is part of a religious system generically called Orisha worship that has spread from Africa to the Americas and around the world. More than 70 million African and American people participate in or are familiar with the various forms of Orisha worship.

SanterÃa practitioners in the United States are most commonly found in Miami, New York, and Los Angeles (those metropolitan areas that received large numbers of Cuban immigrants in both the 1960s and 1980s). However communities can also be found in many large and medium-sized cities including Chicago, Oakland, Seattle, Houston and Gainesville.

World View

Yoruba cosmology is complex and not centered in one deity or principle. It is possible to understand it by seeing it as organized according to three main elements located at several levels. In the Yoruba cosmology there is no other world, only this world that contains both visible and invisible elements, that is that which is seen and that which is not seen. There is an interface between the visible and invisible worlds. In the invisible world (Orun) we find Olodumare, the great god to whom little or no ritual attention is given; the Orisha, the deities who are the focus of Yoruba-based religions; and the Ancestors. In the visible world (Aye) we find living humans, animals and plants, rocks, dirt, water and other natural and manufactured objects. People, who migrate between the visible and invisible worlds as ancestors reborn into their descendents, are the center of creation and the link between the visible and the invisible.

The Orisha as knowable aspects of Olodumare represent a level of power that is approachable though ritual action and so provide one very important focus for Yoruba religion. There are an innumerable number of Orisha: 201, 401, 200 -- as many as you can think of--plus one more. The Orisha are multi-dimensional beings who represent the forces of nature, are described as archetypes, and function as sacred patrons or "guardian angels" for their devotees. They have attributes and stories similar to the stories and attributes used to describe the ancient Greek and Roman deities and their stories tell us how the world came to be the way it is (why thunder and wind are often found together) and how to live a good life (sometimes you can persuade better with honey than with a sword). Unlike the Greek gods, the Orisha are not remote deities living high on a mountain peak, rather they are living beings present in the everyday life of their followers. Since they represent the forces of the universe and are elements of Olodumare, there is an Orisha associated with every natural and manufactured thing, including rivers, hills, the forest, the ocean, the crossroads, love, children, wealth, occupations like blacksmith, farmer and hunter, as well as phenomenon like thunder and lightning, wind and rain. They can be identified by colors, numbers, natural elements, icons, drum rhythms, and dance steps.

The Orisha

Enthroned on this display are (highest) Obatala, (back row l-r) Shango, Yemaya, Oshun and on the floor Eleggua, Olokun and (hidden in photo) Ogun.

Each display enthrones a group of deities, known as Orisha, which are worshipped by the priest. There are an innumerable number of Orisha: 201, 401, 2001--as many as you can think of--plus one more. The Orisha are multi-dimensional beings that represent the forces of nature. They are described as archetypes, and function as sacred patrons or "guardian angels" for their devotees. As knowable aspects of Oludumare, the great God, they represent a level of power that can be approached though ritual action and provides one very important focus for Yoruba religion.

Each trono is dedicated to the principal Orisha worshipped by the priest who constructed it.This trono is dedicated to Yemaya, the patroness of the ocean and the great mother of the pantheon, the symbol of maternal love and protection who is represented by the colors blue and white along with seashells and other marine symbols. As the ocean, Yemaya represents that which nurtures physical, psychological and spiritual growth; she is the soothing and comforting sense of the transcendent many people find at the ocean. She is beautiful, the "ocean of all women". She offers "stability, preserves life, provides guidance and the means for social mobility, and holds the keys to the reservoir from which all human beings draw success." She also represents all that is female and "cool," subdued, peaceful, soft, the antithesis and the antidote to the "hot," volatile, violent, tough and destructive power of men. Like the ocean, which includes both gentle waves lapping on the shore and the raging storm, Yemaya represents both the loving and the wrathful mother figure. They say one can hide from one's enemies under her skirts, but if you provoke her anger, there is nowhere you can hide.

Eleggua is a trickster, the messenger of the Orisha and the owner of the crossroads. Of all the Orisha he is the most recognizable because he most closely fits our conception of an "idol". In his most common form his representation looks like a head with eyes and a mouth. He is often the only anthropomorphic figure found on African as well as American altars. Of all the Orisha Eleggua may also be the most well known. He is the first called upon and fed in every ritual; his fundamentos are the first received; his presence radiates from the divination texts. He is "the opener of ways, the master of the roads" who brings "health, luck, tranquillity, and all the good things of life." Eleggua is one of the most complex of the Yoruba deities. Christian missionaries, in their early encounters with Yoruba religion, tended to equate him with the concept of the Devil, but this is most unfortunate and distorts his nature. He is a trickster, and a mischief-maker, the one who punishes misconduct and rewards upright behavior; he is a also the source of wisdom and knowledge, as well as the one who can confuse situations. In many ways he is similar to the devil in the Biblical story of Job, in that he tests peoples resolve and committment to their spiritual path, but he is not an inherently evil deity.

Osun is the protector deity associated with a devotee's destiny. Osun is represented small cup mounted on a metal rod surmounted by a rooster and decorated with four small bells. The bells warn of impending danger.

Obatala, whose name means "the chief of the white cloth," is the symbol of wisdom, intelligence and purity. The term "white cloth" is understood to represent the substance that forms the physical universe, the light energy that is transformed through the process of evolution into a planetary environment. Obatala is the essence of this light. Everything white is associated with Obatala including white chalk (Yr. efun, Sp. cascaria), white birds (particularly doves), the sky, and, of course, white cloth. As the essence of "whiteness" he embodies the concepts of coolness, purity, patience, creativity, the wisdom that comes with age (white hair) and spirituality. As one of the oldest of the Orisha he is often considered to be the father of them all. He represents ritual and ethical purity and thus is associated with the highest morality, holiness and sanctity.

But Obatala is not perfectly good. After the Orisha has lived on the earth for some time, Obatala was instructed by Olodumare to mold the bodies of men and women so that Olodumare could breathe the breath of life into them. Unfortunately while he was working he became thirsty and began to drink palm wine. As the liquor took effect his hands became clumsy so some of the figures he produced were twisted and malformed. When Obatala's intoxication wore off and he saw what he had done, he swore never to touch liquor again.

Shango

Shango, whose colors are red and white, is believed to have been the fourth Alaafin (that is, king) of the city of Oyo and is considered to be the essence of male sexuality and power. Whereas Obatala is generally thought of as an elderly man, Shango is always imagined as a young man in the prime of his life. Whereas Obatala is associated with cool white, Shango is red--the hot fire, passion, blood, and creative and destructive forces in action. But Shango's colors are always equal amounts of red and white to indicate his association with the balance between hot passion and cool composure.

Ogun

Living at the boundary between town and bush is Ogun, the blacksmith, ironworker and patron of metals and all technology. Representing the triumph of technology over nature, he is the patron of all those type-A folks who live to work. A small iron pot containing railroad spikes and other iron objects represents Ogun. Like Eleggua, Ogun is also ambiguous. His power is the power of transformation. Iron ore leaves the earth to be transformed first in the smelting furnace and later at the forge. In the hard work of the blacksmith and the torture he inflicts on the metal as it is transformed from earth-stuff to tool, Ogun's followers see a metaphor for the hard and often painful work of personal transformation.

He is associated not only with surgeons, policemen, soldiers, automobiles, and railroads but also all acts of violence and war especially those caused by metal implements (arrows, knives and swords, and later guns and cannon). Today Ogun is represented on the nightly news in the form of satellite-guided missiles and Abrams tanks as well as in the person of those fighting.

Ogun represents the triumph of technology over raw nature. According to one story when the Orisha first came to earth they were unable to pass through the dense thicket until Ogun opened the way using his trademark machete. For this reason he is often invoked to clear the way or remove obstacles to physical, emotional or spiritual development. Rugged individualism characterizes much of Ogun's mythology. But his stories remind us of the destruction caused by an over-dependence on individualism. In the mythology he has cursed himself to always work, day and night, without rest. Although he has relationships with various female Orisha, he has no wife, no family. He stands alone, working at his forge.

Whereas Yemaya is associated with the top of the ocean, the waves and foam, Olokun is the Orisha of the deepest depth of the ocean. He or she (some SanterÃa communities consider this Orisha to be male while others consider her female) owns all the natural riches of the oceans as well as all the wealth that has been lost at sea. Olokun is also the special patron of the Middle Passage and those Africans who died and were buried at sea. Olokun's color is the deepest blue.

Oshun is youngest of the Orisha, who represents female sexuality and is associated with love, wealth, children and all the good things in life. Among the Yoruba she is associated with the Osun River, but in the Americas she is the patron of all the sweet, that is not salty, waters. Her color is yellow reminiscent of her trademark honey as well as the gold and champagne she loves.

As the goddess of the flowing river, Oshun exhibits its qualities. She is vivacious, fresh, quick, lively, the most beautiful of the Orisha. Her lush figure and sensuous hips embody the divine spark of erotic life. Her name is related to the word for "source" and she is associated with basic concerns and the sources of life itself. As the beautiful woman who reveals the wisdom of pleasure, she is graced by her priests with rich gifts: silks and perfumes, sweet foods flavored with her own honey (and in the New World, sugar), jewelry, coral, amber and all the red metals (copper, brass and gold, although in the New World copper is usually associated with Oya). She is especially partial to champagne, the pale yellow drink that represents fine, even extravagant, living. She is the lithe young woman in the full bloom of her womanhood. Thus we find that in the New World, Oshun is often considered to be the young, sexual woman juxtaposed to Yemaya's more maternal form

Sponsored by:

Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Florida in collaboration with the Departments of Religion and Political Science and the Center for World Arts

Mary Ann Clark
Comments to: drmaryann49 at mac dot com
Revised: February 2007

	Eleggua is a trickster, the messenger of the Orisha and the owner of the crossroads. Of all the Orisha he is the most recognizable because he most closely fits our conception of an "idol". In his most common form his representation looks like a head with eyes and a mouth. He is often the only anthropomorphic figure found on African as well as American altars. Of all the Orisha Eleggua may also be the most well known. He is the first called upon and fed in every ritual; his fundamentos are the first received; his presence radiates from the divination texts. He is "the opener of ways, the master of the roads" who brings "health, luck, tranquillity, and all the good things of life." Eleggua is one of the most complex of the Yoruba deities. Christian missionaries, in their early encounters with Yoruba religion, tended to equate him with the concept of the Devil, but this is most unfortunate and distorts his nature. He is a trickster, and a mischief-maker, the one who punishes misconduct and rewards upright behavior; he is a also the source of wisdom and knowledge, as well as the one who can confuse situations. In many ways he is similar to the devil in the Biblical story of Job, in that he tests peoples resolve and committment to their spiritual path, but he is not an inherently evil deity.
	Osun is the protector deity associated with a devotee's destiny. Osun is represented small cup mounted on a metal rod surmounted by a rooster and decorated with four small bells. The bells warn of impending danger. Obatala, whose name means "the chief of the white cloth," is the symbol of wisdom, intelligence and purity. The term "white cloth" is understood to represent the substance that forms the physical universe, the light energy that is transformed through the process of evolution into a planetary environment. Obatala is the essence of this light. Everything white is associated with Obatala including white chalk (Yr. efun, Sp. cascaria), white birds (particularly doves), the sky, and, of course, white cloth. As the essence of "whiteness" he embodies the concepts of coolness, purity, patience, creativity, the wisdom that comes with age (white hair) and spirituality. As one of the oldest of the Orisha he is often considered to be the father of them all. He represents ritual and ethical purity and thus is associated with the highest morality, holiness and sanctity. But Obatala is not perfectly good. After the Orisha has lived on the earth for some time, Obatala was instructed by Olodumare to mold the bodies of men and women so that Olodumare could breathe the breath of life into them. Unfortunately while he was working he became thirsty and began to drink palm wine. As the liquor took effect his hands became clumsy so some of the figures he produced were twisted and malformed. When Obatala's intoxication wore off and he saw what he had done, he swore never to touch liquor again.
	Shango, whose colors are red and white, is believed to have been the fourth Alaafin (that is, king) of the city of Oyo and is considered to be the essence of male sexuality and power. Whereas Obatala is generally thought of as an elderly man, Shango is always imagined as a young man in the prime of his life. Whereas Obatala is associated with cool white, Shango is red--the hot fire, passion, blood, and creative and destructive forces in action. But Shango's colors are always equal amounts of red and white to indicate his association with the balance between hot passion and cool composure.
	Living at the boundary between town and bush is Ogun, the blacksmith, ironworker and patron of metals and all technology. Representing the triumph of technology over nature, he is the patron of all those type-A folks who live to work. A small iron pot containing railroad spikes and other iron objects represents Ogun. Like Eleggua, Ogun is also ambiguous. His power is the power of transformation. Iron ore leaves the earth to be transformed first in the smelting furnace and later at the forge. In the hard work of the blacksmith and the torture he inflicts on the metal as it is transformed from earth-stuff to tool, Ogun's followers see a metaphor for the hard and often painful work of personal transformation. He is associated not only with surgeons, policemen, soldiers, automobiles, and railroads but also all acts of violence and war especially those caused by metal implements (arrows, knives and swords, and later guns and cannon). Today Ogun is represented on the nightly news in the form of satellite-guided missiles and Abrams tanks as well as in the person of those fighting. Ogun represents the triumph of technology over raw nature. According to one story when the Orisha first came to earth they were unable to pass through the dense thicket until Ogun opened the way using his trademark machete. For this reason he is often invoked to clear the way or remove obstacles to physical, emotional or spiritual development. Rugged individualism characterizes much of Ogun's mythology. But his stories remind us of the destruction caused by an over-dependence on individualism. In the mythology he has cursed himself to always work, day and night, without rest. Although he has relationships with various female Orisha, he has no wife, no family. He stands alone, working at his forge.
	Whereas Yemaya is associated with the top of the ocean, the waves and foam, Olokun is the Orisha of the deepest depth of the ocean. He or she (some SanterÃa communities consider this Orisha to be male while others consider her female) owns all the natural riches of the oceans as well as all the wealth that has been lost at sea. Olokun is also the special patron of the Middle Passage and those Africans who died and were buried at sea. Olokun's color is the deepest blue.
	Oshun is youngest of the Orisha, who represents female sexuality and is associated with love, wealth, children and all the good things in life. Among the Yoruba she is associated with the Osun River, but in the Americas she is the patron of all the sweet, that is not salty, waters. Her color is yellow reminiscent of her trademark honey as well as the gold and champagne she loves. As the goddess of the flowing river, Oshun exhibits its qualities. She is vivacious, fresh, quick, lively, the most beautiful of the Orisha. Her lush figure and sensuous hips embody the divine spark of erotic life. Her name is related to the word for "source" and she is associated with basic concerns and the sources of life itself. As the beautiful woman who reveals the wisdom of pleasure, she is graced by her priests with rich gifts: silks and perfumes, sweet foods flavored with her own honey (and in the New World, sugar), jewelry, coral, amber and all the red metals (copper, brass and gold, although in the New World copper is usually associated with Oya). She is especially partial to champagne, the pale yellow drink that represents fine, even extravagant, living. She is the lithe young woman in the full bloom of her womanhood. Thus we find that in the New World, Oshun is often considered to be the young, sexual woman juxtaposed to Yemaya's more maternal form