Two Forms of Afro-Cuban Divination
Author: William Russell Bascom
Publisher:
Published: 1952
Total Pages: 24
ISBN-13:
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Truth in Motion
Author: Martin Holbraad
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2012-05-04
Total Pages: 346
ISBN-13: 0226349225
DOWNLOAD EBOOKEmbarking on an ethnographic journey to the inner barrios of Havana among practitioners of Ifá, a prestigious Afro-Cuban tradition of divination, Truth in Motion reevaluates Western ideas about truth in light of the practices and ideas of a wildly different, and highly respected, model. Acutely focusing on Ifá, Martin Holbraad takes the reader inside consultations, initiations, and lively public debates to show how Ifá practitioners see truth as something to be not so much represented, as transformed. Bringing his findings to bear on the discipline of anthropology itself, he recasts the very idea of truth as a matter not only of epistemological divergence but also of ontological difference—the question of truth, he argues, is not simply about how things may appear differently to people, but also about the different ways of imagining what those things are. By delving so deeply into Ifá practices, Truth in Motion offers cogent new ways of thinking about otherness and how anthropology can navigate it.
The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination
Author: Ócha'ni Lele
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2000-09-01
Total Pages: 258
ISBN-13: 1594778612
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe first book to provide complete, specific instructions on casting the Diloggún, the cowrie-shell oracle of the Orishas. • Provides step-by-step instructions never before published, detailing requirements and procedure for casting the Diloggún. • Includes a detailed “mojuba” or prayer used to awaken the Orishas (spirit entities) for divination. • Devotes an entire chapter to each of the twelve basic Odu (random patterns in which the sixteen shells fall), providing ritual mechanics and oracular meanings for all possible castings. The Afro-Cuban faith, known to outsiders as Santeria and to adherents as Las Reglas de Ocha de Los Lucumi, is not a static religion but a living conduit of energy for connecting the spirit world to our own. It came to the New World with the slave trade where it has evolved in response to the surrounding culture. For adherents of Lucumi, the Diloggún is the most important focus of worship: the sacred shells reveal the forces at play in an adherent's life. These forces are redefined and placated by the Orisha priest, who makes direct contact with the spirit world in an effort to help the adherent evolve. While many books have been published about Santeria, The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination is the first to provide complete information on how to cast the Diloggún, including opening, reading, and closing the oracle, and how to give a comprehensive reading. With a detailed discussion about why each prayer is offered and insight into the metaphysical core of the religion, this book will bring those seeking the wisdom of the Diloggún closer to the living Orishas than they have ever been.
The Diloggún
Author: Ócha'ni Lele
Publisher: Inner Traditions / Bear & Co
Published: 2003-07-28
Total Pages: 636
ISBN-13: 9780892819126
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe first book on Santer�s holiest divination system, the Diloggun. Explores the lore surrounding this mysterious oracle, the living Bible of one of the world's fastest growing faiths. Examines each family of " odu" and how their actions affect the spiritual development of the individual. An indispensable guide to the mysteries of the orishas.
Divining the Self
Author: Velma E. Love
Publisher: Penn State Press
Published: 2015-06-29
Total Pages: 159
ISBN-13: 0271061456
DOWNLOAD EBOOKDivining the Self weaves elements of personal narrative, myth, history, and interpretive analysis into a vibrant tapestry that reflects the textured, embodied, and performative nature of scripture and scripturalizing practices. Velma Love examines the Odu—the Yoruba sacred scriptures—along with the accompanying mythology, philosophy, and ritual technologies engaged by African Americans. Drawing from the personal narratives of African American Ifa practitioners along with additional ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Oyotunji African Village, South Carolina, and New York City, Love’s work explores the ways in which an ancient worldview survives in modern times. Divining the Self also takes up the challenge of determining what it means for the scholar of religion to study scripture as both text and performance. This work provides an excellent case study of the sociocultural phenomenon of scripturalizing practices.
Santeria
Author: Joseph M. Murphy
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 2011-08-01
Total Pages: 209
ISBN-13: 0807095621
DOWNLOAD EBOOKSantería represents the first in-depth, scholarly account of a profound way of wisdom that is growing in importance in America today. A professional academic and himself a participant in the Santería community of the Bronx for several years, Joseph Murphy offers a powerful description and insightful analysis of this African/Cuban religion. He traces the survival of an ancient spiritual path from its West African Yoruba origins, through nearly two centuries of slavery in the New World, to its presence in the urban centers of the United States, where it continues to inspire seekers with its compelling vision.
Ifa Divination
Author: William Russell Bascom
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 1991-03-11
Total Pages: 608
ISBN-13: 9780253206381
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"The sacred texts of Ifa, repository of the accumulated wisdom of countless generations of Yoruba people, are an invaluable source not only for all students of African oral literature and Yoruba civilization, but also for future generations interested in the continuing vitality of Ifa divination and a Yoruba way of life and thought." —Henry Drewal This landmark study of Ifa, the most important and elaborate system of divination of the Yoruba people of Nigeria, remains a monumental contribution to scholarship in anthropology, folklore, religion, philosophy, linguistics, and African and African-American studies.
Dogs and People in Social, Working, Economic or Symbolic Interaction
Author: L. Snyder
Publisher: Oxbow Books
Published: 2016-07-29
Total Pages: 275
ISBN-13: 1785704265
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis, the final title to be published from the sessions of the 2002 ICAZ conference, focuses on the role of man's best friend. As worker or companion, the dog has enjoyed a unique relationship with its human master, and the depth and variety of the papers in this fascinating collection is a testament to the interest that this symbiotic arrangement holds for many scholars working in archaeology today. The book covers an eclectic range of subjects, such as considering dogs as animals of sacrifice and animal components of ancient and modern religious ritual and practice; dogs as human companions subject to loving care, visual/symbolic representation, deliberate or accidental breed manipulation; as working dogs; and finally as co-inhabitors of human dwelling paces and co-consumers of human food resources. While many of the papers in this volume have a predominant focus, they also demonstrate that the relationships between humans and dogs are rarely , if ever singular or simple. Instead these relationships are complex, often combining the practical, the ideological and the symbolic.
Creole Religions of the Caribbean, Third Edition
Author: Margarite Fernández Olmos
Publisher: NYU Press
Published: 2022-08-23
Total Pages: 388
ISBN-13: 1479803480
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"A comprehensive introduction to the syncretic religions developed in the Caribbean region"--
Afro-Cuban Religious Arts
Author: Kristine Juncker
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Published: 2014-07-15
Total Pages: 217
ISBN-13: 0813055024
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book profiles four generations of women from one Afro-Cuban religious family. From a plantation in Havana Province in the 1890s to a religious center in Spanish Harlem in the 1960s, these women were connected by their prominent roles as leaders in the religions they practiced and the dramatic ritual artwork they created. Each woman was a medium in Espiritismo—communicating with dead ancestors for guidance or insight—and also a santera, or priest of Santería, who could intervene with the oricha pantheon. Kristine Juncker argues that, by creating art for more than one religion, these women shatter the popular assumption that Afro-Caribbean religions are exclusive organizations. Most remarkably, the portraiture, sculptures, and photographs in Afro-Cuban Religious Arts offer rare glimpses into the rituals and iconography of these religions. Santería altars are closely guarded, limited to initiates, and typically destroyed upon the death of the santera, while Espiritismo artifacts are rarely considered valuable enough to pass on. The unique and protean cultural legacy detailed here reveals insights into how ritual art became popular imagery, sparked a wider dialogue about culture inheritance, attracted new practitioners, and enabled the movement to explode internationally.
