Tag Archive: misconceptions

SAFE Alert! Fraudulent Diloggun Readings / Cold Readings

Categories:

Clarifying Misconceptions, SAFE Alerts

June 29, 2012

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Santeros Against Fraud and Exploitation (SAFE) is an action committee of the Santeria Church of the Orishas

As part of the Santeria Church of the Orisha‘s mission to educate the public about traditional Santeria (Lucumi/Lukumi) practice, we are issuing a SAFE Alert regarding fraudulent diloggun readings and non-traditional Santeria practices in the greater Long Beach, California area.

Recently, members of SAFE (Santeros Against Fraud and Exploitation) visited an occult store located near our church in the greater Long Beach, California area. Upon visiting this store we were told that they offered Santeria classes as well as cowrie shell readings (diloggun readings) and initiations. We will not reveal the name of the store at this time, but we will discuss what is taking place at this store and the nature of their “Santeria” practice that is not in line with traditional practices as held by the culture bearers of Santeria (Lucumi/Lukumi).

Red Flags

While present at the store we were allowed to see their orisha room. The orisha room consisted of a series of shelves each containing a statue of a modern depiction of each orisha and some trinkets. There were no pots present with the items required for a shrine to be a legitimate orisha shrine. (otas, diloggun and tools were absent.)

Their resident Babalawo (who does all the readings and teaches the classes) spoke to me for a bit and told me some information about Santeria. About 60% of the information was accurate, the other 40% of it was completely incorrect and was either from poorly researched books or incorrect web sites. He also then explained that his lineage does not believe in animal sacrifice and that the religion has evolved past that.

Additionally he claimed that their classes work in such a way that after 12 weeks in their class you’ll receive the elekes initiation and be a Padrino or Madrina (a title only conferred upon a person when they have initiated ANOTHER person – i.e. once they are an olorisha and have godchildren). His class structure made it sound like a wiccan class with three degrees of initiation, only calling them “padrino, santero and babalawo“. He clarified that women were not eligible to be babalawos, but they do initiate gay men as babalawos – something HIGHLY non-traditional and not accepted in Santeria Lucumi. This babalawo claimed to be one of a small handful of gay babalawos in the United States.

The Cold Reading

This is the kind of statue in the store’s orisha room. This is NOT Oshún as received in Santeria.

The reading was conducted by their resident babalawo who apparently is the only person allowed to divine with the cowries in their store. This is not in alignment with traditional Lucumi practice (although they claim to be Lucumi). Babalawos do not read with cowrie shells – Olorishas do. Babalawos read either with a diviner’s chain called an okuele, or with palm nuts and the table of Ifá (ikin and the opón Ifá). During the reading this babalawo never asked for my name, nor did he pray the stipend required for the reading (as is traditional in Lucumí diloggun divination). He did not recite a traditional moyuba prayer where a person’s spiritual lineage is called out to invoke their ache in assistance for the reading. These are required traditional steps for divination with either diloggun or okuele. Instead the babalawo proceeded to touch his cowries to his own body mimicking a Cabbalistic Cross from Ceremonial Magic, transposing improper words in African for the traditional Hebrew words. This is completely illegitimate practice and is not considered valid in any form of Santeria, or other form of Orisha worship.

The reading was conducted on a table covered with a round brown rug. Diloggun readings and Ifá readings are traditionally conducted on a grass mat called an até, or estera in Santeria. This is due to the fact that the até calls down the presence of the orishas to speak. A brown rug does not do this nor is it any part of traditional Lucumi worship.

Additionally, this was supposed to be a reading to discern a person’s tutelary orisha (something they were very enthusiastic to discover). There are two and only two legitimate ways to divine a person’s tutelary orisha in traditional Santeria Lucumi/Lukumi practice.

  1. A minimum of three babalawos need to be present and use the palm nuts (ikin) and the opón Ifá (table of Ifá) to discern a person’s tutelary orisha by consulting Orunmila himself as witness of destiny.
  2. An olorisha, preferably an Obá Oriaté (although an oriaté is not required), sufficiently educated in odu can divine this using either Elegguá’s cowrie shells (diloggún) or the diloggún of the person’s godparent’s tutelary orisha. This is done on a woven grass mat wrapped in a white sheet.

This is Oshún’s pot as received in Santeria. The orishas are made of stones, shells and tools – not statues.

In both instances the divination is done on the floor because the earth is a sacred and holy place and the most important divinations are done seated on the mat. The reading performed by this babalawo was done with cowrie shells (not used by Babalawos), on a table (not done for readings to determine a person’s tutelary orisha), on a brown rug (not used in Santeria for readings), with no ibos (no token items like a stone, efun, aye, goat astragalus bone) which are required for the client’s orí (higher self) to be engaged in the reading and lend its voice. It is also not usually considered a good thing to know your tutelary orisha until you are already making preparations and saving money for your kariocha initiation.

The babalawo threw the shells on the mat only once (two casts are required in Santeria Lucumí practice), he never counted odu, and instead began to perform a cold reading (a technique used by fraudulent readers and “spiritualists” that uses very general statements and watches a person’s reaction until something clicks) telling me general, unfocused and totally inapplicable statements about my past lives (a concept that is not a part of Santeria’s cosmology).

Traditional diloggún divination is a numerical system where the number of cowries that are mouth up are counted to discern an odu (from 1 to 16 – let’s use and example of 5), the shells are tossed a second time to get another number (again, 1 to 16 – let’s say the second toss was 7) and these two numbers become the composite odu. In this example our composite odu is 5-7, and contains a myriad of information, patakis, ebós, taboos, strengths and weaknesses. After the composite odu is determined, the diviner should hand the client two ibo (small items like a stone and a piece of cascarilla/efun) and tells the client to shake the two and separate them with one item in each hand. One represents yes, the other no. The diviner will manipulate the cowries and tell the client which hand to reveal. This indicates if the reading comes with blessings or misfortunes (Iré or osogbo). This also allows the client’s orí (higher self) to partake in the reading and give its opinion. To reiterate, this babalawo used NO IBO in his reading at any time and only threw the shells once.

The diloggún of Eleggua with the four ibo depicted. This is a proper set of diloggun.

After he was done giving me a cold reading the babalawo then declared who my tutelary orisha was. (The entire reading was done without ever having me manipulate any kind of ibo) He also identified the wrong orisha as my tutelary orisha. Had he taken a moment to ask me about my past or about my involvement in Santeria he might have found out that I am an initiated olorisha of ten years, crowned with Shangó instead of with the orisha he was claiming.

Harmless or Harmful?

What pained me the most about this experience is that the staff at the store and the babalawo were very friendly people. They were willing to show me what they had and genuinely have love for the orishas, but their practice was completely incorrect according to the traditions of Santeria. This leads me to believe two possible scenarios. In the best case scenario we are looking at people with real love for the religion being led by someone who was never taught nor initiated properly. At worst case we have a situation where someone is misinforming others who genuinely want to learn about Santeria and giving them fraudulent initiations for money.

While we cannot discern what their intentions may be, it is clear that they are trying to portray this operation as the only legitimate practice of Santeria in Southern California. What we perceived is that the followers of this babalawo seem to be people who come from neo-pagan backgrounds, are primarily anglo in their ancestry and are not familiar with the cultural elements of Santeria and don’t know what warning signs to look out for, but have genuine heart and want to learn. He is offering them an “experience” of the orishas with none of the uncomfortable things their pagan tenets won’t accept: like blood sacrifice or the dedication required of a year in white as an iyawo, etc.

The spiritual practices of this lineage (ilé) are not traditional according to those who bear the cultural values of Santeria, nor is it in alignment with the core concepts of Santería Lucumi/Lukumí. Yet, these individuals who have paid for classes and been initiated consider themselves Santeria initiates and will never be accepted by the public for what they practice. Worse, they’ll go into the public touting their “credentials” and be quickly shamed once they realize they are not practicing African-based spirituality, nor do they have a true priesthood in Santeria.

Education To Prevent Abuse

At the Santeria Church of the Orishas, we seek to educate the public about what proper practices look like in Santeria so that you have the tools needed to discern what is legitimate practice and what is unconventional, untraditional, illegitimate practice. We hope with this SAFE Alert that you’ll have a better understanding of what a real Santeria diloggún reading looks like versus this fraudulent practice being conducted at this store in our area.

Keep in touch with our SAFE Alerts and read all about our Santeros Against Fraud and Exploitation church action committee by clicking on the “SAFE Alerts” category on the right hand navigation.

**Follow Up**

We recently revisited the shop and discovered that they no longer offer Santeria classes nor do they have a Babalawo reading at their shop.

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The Importance of Women in Santeria

Categories:

Clarifying Misconceptions, History

June 27, 2012

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Powerful women have always been at the center of Santeria

Historically, culturally and liturgically speaking, Santería has always been a religion that honors women and upholds their importance in society. Some of the most important and pivotal figures in the history of Santeria have been women. Women shaped the way our religion evolved in the new world. Women preserved the lore of our religion by passing on the secrets of our ceremonies, our sacred songs, and the lexicon of information found in our divination systems. Plainly put, Santería is a women’s religion.

The Yoruba were always a matrilineal people. Women held great power in the function of their culture and politics. While the Yoruba tribes were patriarchal in the sense that men held the roles of kings and chiefs, the women of the tribes ran the family and orchestrated daily life. The importance of women can even be seen in the powerful female orishas that are found in the pantheon of Santeria. Yemayá is the mother of all living things, who owns all waters and is queen of heaven and of the earth. Oshún, her younger sister is the orisha of the river, the essence of femininity, sensuality, beauty and is a powerful witch and seductress. Oyá is a fierce female warrior orisha who rides the whirlwind, wields a machete, throws lightning and fights by Shangó’s side as his equal. Obba is the queen orisha who descended into the underworld and transformed herself from a rejected outcast, to a powerful sorceress wielding the powers of life and death. While not an orisha, Ikú – the force of death – is often portrayed as female in our patakis (legends). Even Olodumare – the creator deity – is gender-neutral leaning female in Her role as creator of the universe. Women are known to be powerful and important at the heart of Santeria’s religious practice.

Influential Women in Santeria

Many women have played important roles in the history of Santeria. These are some of the more well known women – many of whom are found in the moyuba prayer that all initiates recite in our religious practice. Know that when you call upon the names of these mighty ancestors, you are calling upon the ache of women and the important contributions they made in Santeria.

Oba Tero (Ma Monserrate González), a Yoruban slave from the city of Egbado and priestess of Shangó, was brought to Havana, Cuba in the 1840’s and made her way to Matanzas after a conflict with Efunché Warikondo and Latuan (who dominated Santeria practice in Havana). She was one of the most influential founders of Santeria in Matanzas. She carried the “asiento” style initiation and her unique Egbado-centric practices to Matanzas, establishing the differences between Matanzas lineages and Havana lineages. She was a prominent oriate in our religion.

Ferminita Gómez “Ocha Bí” –  preserver of the Olokun tradition in Santeria

Her goddaughter, Ocha Bi (Ferminita Gómez) a priestess of Yemayá was instrumental in preserving the Lukumí tradition of Olokun worship and most santeros who have received Olokun have received their orisha from her lineage of descendants. This was especially important because she wrestled the control of Olokun’s mysteries away from the Babalawos, preserving an Ocha-centric lineage of his mysteries.

Efunché Warikondó (Rosalía Abreú) a powerful priestess and head of the Cabildo San Jose 80 (a mutual aid society for slaves) was one of the most influential figures in establishing the asiento style of kariocha (crowning as a priest) in Santeria. The slaves of Havana worked together to buy her freedom from slavery. She claimed to be of royal Yoruban blood. She along with Ayají Latuán (Timotea Albear – a powerful and prominent oriaté) at one point controlled the entire religion of Santeria’s practice within the city of Havana, Cuba. No one could operate in the city without their approval. These two women worked together to standardize and establish the Oyo-centric “asiento” style of kariocha in Santeria. This style of initiation, where the new priest receives multiple orishas in addition to his tutelary orisha, has become the standard practice for those being initiated into the priesthood for 95% of Olorishas. There is a minor variant that comes out of Matanzas as established by Oba Tero (previously mentioned) – but that ceremony is also an “asiento” style of initiation.

Aurora Lamar – Founder of the Ataré lineage

Aurora Lamar (goddaughter of Efunché and a priestess of Aggayú) was the founder of the Ataré Lineage (Pimienta Lineage) of Santeria named after the Atare neighborhood of Havana, Cuba in which she lived. She had hundreds or even thousands of godchildren that she initiated, and was known for initiating people and allowing them to pay in installments. This resulted in her nickname of “La China del Ten Cent” (The Chinese-looking woman of the ten-cent store) because you could pay in ten-cent installments for your initiation.

Women were oriates and are still able to be oriates in Santeria. Women were mighty godmothers initiating hundreds of people. Women divined with diloggún and gave orishas to people. Women truly consolidated Santeria’s practices from the fragments of various tribal religious traditions into one cohesive religion.

The Decline of Women’s Power in Santeria

As the Lucumi people were immersed in Spanish colonial culture, there was a marked clash of values between their women-centered native culture, and male-centered Cuban culture. This along with the interference of Ifa’s male-centered culture in the early 1900’s caused women to lose power and position in Santeria over time.

Spanish colonial influence is also evident in the roles that women are typically assigned in modern Santeria. Women are usually left to be cooks, cleaners in the igbodu (sacred room) or as seamstresses for garments and altar decorations. While all of these roles are sacred and important, historically women were the leaders and lore-keepers of Santeria. They were oriates, they officiated initiations, sacrificed animals with the knife, butchered animals, and performed all of the other tasks stereotypically relegated to men. Women were some of the most powerful diviners using the diloggun, yet this role is now typically assigned to men.

Clearing Up Misconceptions About Women in Santeria

There are many misconceptions about women in Santeria and many superstitions have arisen around what women can and can’t do in the religion. At the Santeria Church of the Orishas we strive to dispel any misconceptions that are not firmly rooted in our cultural, historic or liturgical traditions. We also work actively to restore women to their honored role as leaders in Santeria (Lucumi/Lukumi).

Misconception: A woman cannot be an oriate
Truth: Due to the patriarchal Cuban culture that pervades modern Santeria, women have been mistakenly taught that they cannot be oriates (masters of ceremonies). Women like those mentioned above were oriates in the past and women can still be oriates today. In fact there are currently female oriates in the United States (at least two that I know of) and there are several more in Cuba. There is nothing to prohibit or prevent a woman from being an oriate. Often people will claim that a menstruating woman cannot be an oriate. This is a misconception as well. When women are on their period they cannot be near the sacred vessels of the orishas – this is true. There is a traditional taboo that prohibits menstruating women from touching our sacred orisha vessels and implements, but women are not constantly on their period. When they are not actively bleeding, they can still participate fully in religious ceremonies: they can divine and they can be oriates, including sitting on the mat and performing itá. This misconception is probably rooted in the misogynist taboos inherited from Spanish male-centered culture or from fear around the natural processes of a woman’s body.

Women can give warriors to their godchildren

Misconception: Women cannot make an Eleggua, give Warriors or wash Eleggua
Truth: This is a misconception with roots in Ifá and in Cuban patriarchal culture. In Ifá the construction of Eshu (mistakenly equated with Eleggua) is relegated to Babalawos only. But this is not Eleggua. Eleggua of Ocha is constructed by an Olorisha not a Babalawo. It is birthed in a special ceremony by olorishas (not babalawos) and is used in the Kariocha ceremony when a person is made a priest/priestess in Santeria. The Eshu of Ifá is not used in that ceremony and should never go to a person’s head in Kariocha (ordination ceremony). Elegguá of Ocha can indeed be made by women. Women can be initiated into the sect of Eleggua as a priestess. Women can initiate another individual as a priest or priestess of Elegguá as well. If they can do these things, they can most certainly make the “small version” of Eleggua given in the reception of The Warriors (Guerreros). They can also wash Elegguá in the sacred room when he is being birthed, and can wash his diloggun too. There is no taboo against women doing this, and the excuse that “the energy of a man must be present to make Eleggua” is misogynistic superstition perpetuated by Ifá and patriarchal Cuban culture. Many will argue this point and I expect to receive much backlash on this point alone.

Misconception: Women cannot read diloggún
Truth: Women can indeed read diloggún and have been some of the most powerful readers in our religion’s past. Women also have the ability and right to perform itá (a life reading), providing they are not actively on their period. They can read on a table or on the mat. Some will dispute this claiming that a woman of menstruating age cannot read on the mat. To refute this claim I offer patakis that describe both Oshún and Yemayá reading with diloggún on the mat. There’s even a pataki (legend) describing Yemayá performing ebó até (ebó of the mat) which requires the reader to be seated on the mat. If these powerful female orishas did it, then women can certainly do it. In fact, because of her mastery of the tool, the diloggún was given to Yemayá for her to use, and her husband (at the time) Orunmila, was given the okuele by Olofi to divine. Women can read diloggun, always have, and should always be allowed to. (Keeping in mind the exception for women who are actively having their period.)

Misconception: Women cannot sacrifice animals with the knife
Truth: Women can receive the initiation of Pinaldo (Pinadu) where they receive the knife and are given the permission to sacrifice animals with the knife. As part of this initiation, the initiate must sacrifice animals with the knife. If a woman can receive pinaldo she must sacrifice an animal as part of the initiation and therefore is given license to sacrifice animals. Some will dispute and say that sacrificing animals carries to “hot” or chaotic of spiritual energy to it and it could cause the woman to have menstrual issues. This is particularly damning evidence of misogynist patriarchal misunderstandings of women’s menstruation, perhaps fear of a woman’s mysteries, and is total nonsense. In traditional African society women sacrificed animals and butchered them for food. If a woman can receive the knife or be crowned as a priestess of Ogún (the embodiment of the knife’s cutting edge) she can certainly wield the knife for eyebale (blood sacrifice).

A traditional oshe depicting a woman propitiating Chango by holding her bare breasts up in supplication.

Misconception: Women cannot be initiated as a priestess of Chango. It will give her manly characteristics or make her into a lesbian.
Truth: The fact that this misconception even exists is ridiculous. The orisha to whom one is initiated does not change one’s sexual orientation. It does not change a person’s characteristics either. In fact, a person’s tutelary orisha is the one in best alignment with that person’s natural energy and destiny. You aren’t changing someone by initiating them, you are lining them up with their destiny. If a woman is legitimately a child of Changó then she should be initiated as a priestess of Chango. Additionally, in Yoruba practice women lead the worship of Chango. They would kneel before his shrine and hold up their bare breasts to him in supplication. Any men crowned as priests of Chango would grow their hair out long and braid it like women, then wear skirts when worshipping Chango. The thought was that Changó was such a “ladies’ man” that he would only answer the prayers of a woman. The misconception that women will become manly if crowned as a priestess of Chango is something that flies in the direct face of cultural tradition and historical evidence. It is nothing more than misogyny and homophobia in action.

At the Santeria Church of the Orishas, we strive to educate others about the misconceptions that are commonly found in Santeria and to give historical and cultural evidence to disprove these misconceptions. We hope that you’ll think about what we’ve provided here in this article and determine for yourselves what makes sense and what is just superstition. Women have always been at the heart of Santeria and they, like our powerful female orishas, deserve to be treated with respect, honor and held in the highest regard.

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Ifá versus Ocha

Categories:

Religious Differences, Terminology

June 3, 2012

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An Olorisha wears the Idé of Orunmila

Does your spiritual lineage work with Ifá or is it an Ocha house? (Ocha is a Spanish contraction of Orisha) This is a common question you’ll hear among santeros and it is a topic of great debate. There seem to be two major ways of working the religion of Santeria: spiritual lineages who work with Ifá and Babalawos, and those who don’t. Both are legitimate and valid practices but what is the difference, and why does this disparity exist in Santeria?

What is Ifá and Who are Babalawos

Ifá is the name of the sect of Orunmila within Santeria. Orunmila (also spelled Orunla or Orula) is the orisha of divination who knows how our fate will unfold. Some practitioners also call Orunmila by the name Ifá. The reason I specifically call out Ifá as a separate sect is because the ritual functions within the Ifá sect can only be accomplished by priests of Orunmila – called Babalawos (or Oluwos if they were orisha priests prior to passing to Ifá – which many are). Only Babalawos can give the Eshu that is received in Ifá. Only Babalawos can give the Idé of Orunmila (bracelet of Orunmila), which is always worn and keeps the spirit of Ikú (death) at bay. Only Babalawos can divine with the okuelé (diviner’s chain) and the ikín (palm nuts) – and these are the ONLY divination tools used in Ifá. Only Babalawos can give Kofá or Awofakán (Mano de Orula), giving a smaller shrine of Orunmila for people to have in their home (note this is not a consecration as a priest of Orunmila – it is a reception of his mysteries into your life for balance and to learn one’s destiny). Only Babalawos can consecrate other Babalawos as priests. A Santero or Santera cannot do these things.

But the inverse is also true. A Babalawo cannot do many of the things a Santero or Santera can. They cannot give addimú orishas (token Orishas) to others except for the Warriors (Eshu, Ogun, Ochosi, Osun), Osain, Olokun and Oduduwa – and even then they can only give the Ifá style ones that can never be passed on by that individual (unless they become a Babalawo in time). They do not read diloggún (cowrie shells) – they stick only to the use of the diviner’s chain and palm nuts. There is a pataki (legend) that Orunmila surrendered the cowries to Oshun and the orishas to use after she mastered the skill simply by watching him – and he swore that he would create a new system only for men, and only for his priests; that was the okuelé and ikin. Babalawos cannot give the initiation of Elekes (necklaces) – but they can give Orunmila’s eleke to people. They cannot initiate people in the Kariocha ceremony to be priests of other Orishas. They can perform sacrificial rights, or entrance readings leading in to a kariocha but they cannot be in the sacred room when the initiation is taking place. They do not birth orishas.

So in many ways, the Ifá sect is a subdivision of Santería. A cloistered sect of diviners with membership limited to heterosexual men, who dedicate their lives to the mastery of divination, the science of Ifá and the knowledge of Odu. Babalawos are not the high priests of our religion. That is a misnomer perpetuated in many of the early books on Santeria written by outsiders to our faith. They are the masterful diviners in our religion who focus solely on the function of Ifá.

Lineages that Work with Ifá

A Babalawo performs Ifá divination using Ikín and Opón Ifá

Many of the spiritual lineages, or “houses”, that work with Ifá will regularly go to Babalawos or include them in their ritual functions. Babalawos are consulted when determining the tutelary Orisha of an individual. In this ritual, three Babalawos (minimum) gather together and use the ikin (palm nuts) and the Opón Ifá (table of Ifá) to determine that person’s tutelary Orisha. This is often done when a person received their Kofá or Awofakán (mano de Orula, hand of Orunmila). Ifá believes that only a Babalawo can determine a person’s tutelary Orisha because Orunmila witnessed destiny unfold. (Orisha priests will argue this point and explain that it was Orunmila and Elegguá who witnessed fate together and that Elegguá actually preceded Orunmila, so Elegguá can also tell us who a person’s tutelary orisha is.) Houses that work with Ifá will also employ Babalawos to perform sacrificial rites during ceremonies, and they will have Babalawos perform the entrance reading and the Ebó Até (cleansing at the mat) during a person’s life reading.

A person becomes a Babalawo when they are told they have a destiny in the sect of Ifá through divination. This can be through the life reading when receiving Awofakán, or it can be through a life reading received after their Kariocha. Not everyone can become a Babalawo. Women and gay men are strictly prohibited from being initiated as Babalawos in Santería Lucumi (Lukumí). Some individuals go from being an Aborisha directly into the sect of Ifá as a priest of Orunmila. Most others end up being initiated as an Olorisha to their tutelary orisha (Elegguá, Ogún, Oshun, Yemaya, etc.) and then later in life “pass to Ifá” and become ordained as a priest of Orunmila (Babalawo). These individuals are called Oluwos (Oluos). The moment they pass to Ifá they no longer function as an Olorisha and can no longer participate in the rituals that an Olorisha officiates (elekes, warriors of ocha, kariocha, etc.). They dedicate their lives to the sect of Ifá and the ritual functions to which they are limited.

Lineages that Do Not Work with Ifá

Many spiritual lineages, or “houses”, do not work with Ifá at all. In these houses the Obá Oriaté will officiate all ceremonies. The Oriaté is an orisha priest who has been specially consecrated due to his knowledge of divination and all of our ceremonial rituals, to officiate rituals in the sacred room (igbodú). Since the Oriaté is a Santero or Santera, he/she can do much more for an orisha initiate than a Babalawo can – but he cannot perform the special functions that are restricted to Ifá. An Oriate can determine the tutelary Orisha of an individual (actually any orisha priest can, provided he or she is a skilled diviner). This is performed either using the cowrie shells of the godparent’s tutelary orisha, or with the diloggun of Eleggua (because Elegguá witnessed all destiny and knows everything taking place – and is truly neutral). Houses that do not work with Ifá argue that Olorishas are the only ones who should truly determine a person’s tutelary orisha because they actually birth orishas and crown people as priests, where Ifá does not. (Personally I do not think this is a determining factor because you can cite the impartiality of Ifá as an equally valid reason to let Babalawos do this.) In non-Ifá houses, the Oriaté performs sacrificial rites (so can any individual who has received Pinaldo – the sacred knife), the Oriaté does the entrance readings prior to Kariocha and the Ebó Até (cleansing at the mat) during a person’s life reading. The Oriaté officiates the kariocha ceremony where a priest is initiated. Oriatés can birth and give addimú orishas (token orishas) or any other function in the religion. They are the Orisha High Priests.

Why the Division? Where Did This Originate?

The separation between Ifá and Ocha lineages has historical roots. When the slave trade of the Yoruba began, the spiritual practices of the Yoruban tribes were just starting to solidify into one religion. As millions of Yoruba people, especially Olorishas, were sold into slavery, the Yoruba populace was divided by the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The religion continued to evolve back in Africa, and evolved differently here in the Americas. This accounts for this disparity between the two religions and explains why Yoruba Traditional Religion has commonalities with, but cannot be compared directly to Lucumi/Lukumí Religion. The followers of Ifá in Africa were relatively untouched by the slave trade, and the sect of Ifá in Africa grew in prominence and ritual function. In Traditional Yoruba Religion, Ifá is deeply intertwined with Orisha worship and plays a different role than in Lukumí. The followers of Ifá, as a population, were the last group taken in slavery and brought to Cuba.

In Cuba, as Santeria Lucumi started to take form, there was a marked absence of Babalawos and the Ifá sect. The style of initiation performed in the Yoruba city of Oyo became the most prominent style of initiation in Santeria. This initiation includes the reception of the “four pillar” orishas of Santeria regardless of that person’s tutelary orisha: Obatala, Oshun, Yemaya and Chango. The Obá Oriaté functioned as the master of ceremonies in all rituals. Women were the strongest leaders in Santeria and every lineage will honor mighty women in their Moyuba prayer. Santeria Lucumi unified in practice and purpose in the late 1800’s. There is historical evidence that by 1860, Lucumi people were performing ordinations to priesthood. Santeria, without the influence of Ifá, was functioning strongly in Cuba up until the early 1900’s.

The Idé of Orunmila can be worn by anyone to protect them from Ikú (death) but only Babalawos and Oluwos can give the bracelet and confer this protection

In the early 1900’s, women who were once the strongest and most powerful leaders in Santeria, began losing prominence as the Babalawos and sect of Ifá rose in power. In the sect of Ifá, when a Babalawo marries a woman Olorisha, she becomes an Apetebí Aya Ifá (slave of Ifá) and is forbidden from performing diloggun divination. Divination becomes the sole domain of the Babalawo in that house, and women are subjugated. Many of the most powerful women in Santeria were getting married to Babalawos because of the status associated with the position, but in the process, women lost power in Santeria. Babalawos became the master of ceremonies in those houses, and thus began the difference between spiritual lineages that work with Ifá versus those that  are Ocha-centric. The office of Oriaté, once traditionally held by the most influential women in our religion, became dominated by men. To date there are two, perhaps three, female Oriatés left in the United States, and a few more in Cuba. In modern times, most Apetebís know very little about Ocha, and mainly defer to their husbands about knowledge of Ifá.

Therefore, the lineages that do work with Ifá typically introduced this sect into their Santeria practice through marriages in the past. A female Olorisha likely married a Babalawo and he began divining for everyone and running the show. Lineages that don’t have Ifá strongly involved in their practice likely never experienced this phenomenon. Both are traditional practices according to the culture bearers of the religion of Santeria.

Everyone Comes to the Feet of Ifá

In spite of the division between Ifá and Ocha-centric lineages, everyone will eventually come to Ifá for some need. Some go to Babalawos to get their Kofa or Awofakán (Mano de Orula, Hand of Orula) and that’s it. Others come for an occasional reading from time to time, or to receive the Idé of Orunmila (bracelet of Orunmila that keeps death at bay). Some will visit Babalawos when facing a very difficult spiritual obstacle to employ the tools of Ifá to break through it. While it is not required to participate with Ifá, at some point everyone will come to the foot of Ifá for assistance. For this reason alone, regardless of the divisions between us, we should all respect Orunmila and his special sect of diviners, the Babalawos.

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