Orishas in Cuban Santería According to Nelson Marcos Aboy Domingo
Orishas in Cuban Santería According to Nelson Marcos Aboy Domingo

Summary/Abstract: Santería (also called La Regla de Ocha, or The Rule of Ocha) is an Afro-American syncretic religion practiced in Cuba. At the center of this religion is a belief in the Supreme Being, in deity intercessors (Orishas), and ancestral spirits. Orishas are like divine mediators between the Supreme Being and men. They represent the embodiment of natural forces and natural phenomena such as birth and death, health and disease, rain and dew, and trees and rivers. Orishas represent the four great elements of nature: fire, water, earth and air, as well as the three dimensions of nature: mineral, vegetal, and animal. The Orishas are the emanations of the Supreme Being, from whom they have received divine attributes and characteristics. Their task is to help the Supreme Being to govern the world. This study presents the original concept of “Orisha” according to Nelson Marcos Aboy Domingo, the Cuban anthropologist and babalawo, by first presenting how the concept of orishas came about, and then examining the essence, function, and roles of Orishas as well as their cult in Cuban Santería according to concept of Cuban anthropologist.

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