Olookun: Owner of Rivers and Seas [Paperback]

John Mason (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: Yoruba Theological Archminstry; Pap/Cas edition (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881244059
• ISBN-13: 978-1881244059
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Source of Information From an Orisha Priest, March 24, 2000

By 

T-D. Trosclair (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olookun: Owner of Rivers and Seas (Paperback)

John Mason's Olookun: Owner of Rivers & Seas is an excellent souce of information for anyone who is interested in the Yoruba Religious Tradition of Orisha Worship.

Mason's research as exhibited in this work is impeccable. He closely examines the origins and history of Olookun's worship in Africa, and he documents the journey of this Yoruba Deity from Africa to Cuba and thereby to the United States.

Mason not only provides the reader with a history of the worship of Olookun, he illustrates some examples of the rituals associated with the Deity; and he oulines the development of those rituals in the New World. Additionally, the author identifies and provides information about those individuals who were directly responsible for bringing the mysteries of this Deity and his worship to the New World.

Probably the most valuable aspect of this work is the author's explanation of the nature of the Orisha Olookun. Mason not only explains the various symbolisms associated with Olookun, but he outlines the very nature of this Deity and explains what the worship of Olookun represented (and continues to represent) to Africans in the New World and to their spiritual and familial descendants.

Included in this book are wonderful photographs and illustrations, and included is a cassette tape with recorded prayers and songs honoring Olookun in the Lucumi language of the Cuban descendants of the Yoruba people.

This book is an excellent source of information for anyone interested in Yoruba, Afo-Cuban, or African American history. Practitioners of the Yoruba Religion, regradless of the specific tradition they follow, will find this work invaluable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Olokun, September 26, 2005

By 

Yemaya44 "Blessings" (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Olookun: Owner of Rivers and Seas (Paperback)

The book is excellent. There are not many books out there specifically on Olokun. This is book is rare and difficult to acquire. I am fortunate to have been able to purchase one the day after it went on sale. It is a must read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lectura obligada para todo nuevo sacerdote, August 22, 2004

By 

U. Daniel Gonzalez "Adekayin" (Italy, EU) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Olookun: Owner of Rivers and Seas (Paperback)

Este libro es una de las joyas de la literatura sobre la cultura afrocubana/yoruba. Lo recomiendo a todos los iniciados en el culto. Demuestra que esta religión gira alrededor de un cúmulo de leyendas que fundamentan sus ritos. Todos los libros de Mason deberían ser leídos y releídos con detenimiento.