- Although most people think of Santeria as a religion, they would be incorrect in thinking so. Santeria is the ignorant term for a more complex and unique religion which has managed to survive and withstand the test of time.
- Santeria is the incorrect term for the heritage and religion. The correct and proper name of the religion is unknown, and one that dates back to Lucumi, the people of one part of the west region of Africa. The word 'santeria' refers to its Latin root, sant, which stands for saint, and it's a word given after the result of slavery, when the Spanish conquistadors enslaved the people of Africa, and exported them to the Americas and parts of the Carribean.
- The slaves, in order to continue worshipping their gods and stay loyal and faithful to their native land's deities, would "charge" the statues and artifacts that the Spanish slave traders forced them to worship, with elements from their own religion.
- In other words, when they would pray to the Saints dating back to the Catholic Spanish faiths, they were really praying to their owns gods, unbeknown to the Spanish slave traders and masters.
- The Yoruba Culture is derived of tribes (families), Ifa (the book of Odus and the Way of Life), the Lucumi language, and its influences from surrounding cultures.
In this transitional phase of the religion, is where the simple term "santeria" came to be the most commonly used word to reference the heritage, and unfortunately, it stuck.
No comments:
Post a Comment