Over the years, culturally and liturgically speaking, Santeria has been a faith that honors women and upholds their importance in community.
A few of the most essential and pivotal numbers inside the reputation of Santeria have been ladies.
Ladies shaped ways our very own faith changed in the new world. Female preserved the lore of one’s faith by passing on techniques in our ceremonies, our very own sacred music, in addition to lexicon of real information present in our divination techniques. Simply set, Santeria are a women’s religion.
The Yoruba comprise usually a matrilineal group. Girls held great-power for the purpose of their lifestyle and politics. Even though the Yoruba people comprise patriarchal in the same way that males conducted the roles of kings and chiefs, the ladies in the tribes ran your family and orchestrated day to day life. The necessity of women could even be seen in the strong feminine orishas which are based in the pantheon of Santeria. Yemaya could be the mommy of all of the residing situations, the master of all oceans and it is king of eden as well as our planet. Oshun, the woman more youthful sis could be the orisha with the lake, the essence of femininity, sensuality, beauty and it is a strong witch and seductress. Oya try a fierce feminine warrior orisha just who rides the whirlwind, wields a machete, throws super and matches by Shango’s part as his equal. Obba could be the king orisha exactly who descended in to the underworld and changed herself from a rejected outcast, to a strong sorceress wielding the abilities of life and death. While not an orisha, Iku – the energy of dying – is usually portrayed as female inside our patakis (tales). Even Olodumare – the inventor deity – is gender-neutral leaning women inside her part as founder associated with the universe. Ladies are often proves to be effective and vital in the middle of Santeria’s spiritual rehearse.
Important Feamales In Santeria
Many women posses played essential parts during the history of Santeria. They are many of the more renowned ladies – many of whom are observed for the moyuba prayer that most initiates recite within religious practise. Realize that when you call upon the names of those great ancestors, you might be contacting upon the pain of females while the important benefits they produced in Santeria.
Oba Tero (Ma Monserrate Gonzalez), a Yoruban servant from the city of Egbado and priestess of Shango, is delivered to Havana, Cuba during the 1840’s and made the girl option to Matanzas after a dispute with Efunche Warikondo and Latuan (just who reigned over Santeria application in Havana). She got the most influential creators of Santeria in Matanzas. She taken the “asiento” design initiation along with her distinctive Egbado-centric methods to Matanzas, setting up the differences between Matanzas lineages and Havana lineages. She had been a prominent oriate within faith.
Ferminita Gomez “Ocha Bi” – preserver from the Olokun custom in Santeria
This lady goddaughter, Ocha Bi (Ferminita Gomez) a priestess of Yemaya was actually important in keeping the Lukumi customs of Olokun praise and a lot of santeros who possess obtained Olokun have obtained their unique orisha from her lineage of descendants. It was especially important because she wrestled the control of Olokun’s mysteries off the Babalawos, protecting an Ocha-centric lineage of his secrets.
Efunche Warikondo (Rosalia Abreu) a strong priestess and mind of the Cabildo San Jose 80 (a shared aid society for slaves) was actually just about the most important figures in developing the asiento design of kariocha (crowning as a priest) in Santeria. The slaves of Havana worked with each other to buy her freedom from bondage. She stated becoming of royal Yoruban bloodstream. She in conjunction with Ayaji Latuan (Timotea Albear – an effective and prominent oriate) at one point organized the whole faith of Santeria’s application within the town of Havana, Cuba. No one could work in the city without their unique affirmation. These two ladies worked with each other to standardize and establish the Oyo-centric “asiento” type of kariocha in Santeria. This kind of initiation, where in fact the new priest get several orishas as well as his tutelary orisha, is just about the common practice pertaining to anyone becoming initiated to the priesthood for 95% of Olorishas. There’s a version that comes from Matanzas as set up by Oba Tero (earlier mentioned) – but that service normally an “asiento” model of initiation.
Aurora Lamar – creator with the Atare lineage
Aurora Lamar (goddaughter of Efunche and a priestess of Aggayu) was actually the creator of the Atare Lineage (Pimienta Lineage) of Santeria known as following the Atare community of Havana, Cuba where she stayed. She have 100s and/or tens of thousands of godchildren that she initiated, and was known for initiating men and letting them spend in installments. This led to this lady nickname of “La Asia del ten-cent” (The Chinese-looking lady with the ten-cent shop) since you could shell out in ten-cent installments to suit your initiation.
Females were oriates and generally are still capable of being oriates in Santeria. Lady happened to be great godmothers initiating countless people. Ladies divined with diloggun and offered orishas to individuals. Female undoubtedly consolidated Santeria’s ways from fragments of various tribal spiritual traditions into one natural religion.