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Santeria: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America

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Santeria; The beliefs and rituals of a growing religion in America,
by Miguel A. De La Torre.



Mr De La Torre writes in the preface that his approach to the topic will be "from the social location of a former believer.

Mr De La Torre also writes that his mother and father are members of the priesthood.

There is far too much in his book to indicate that he knows nothing at all about this religion and if his parents were consulted in the writing of this book and they did not correct the heinous amount of misinformation to be found in this book, then it is clear to me that either his mother and father are not Olorisa (members of the priesthood) or if they are Olorisa then they are two of the most ill-informed Olorisa I have ever heard tell of.

As a point of information, I am writing from the social location of a believer and an Olorisa (members of the priesthood).

I have been a "believer" since 1969 and an Olorisa (members of the priesthood) since 1978.

I offer the following examples to make my case:

In the chapter on the creation, Mr De La Torre writes about the Santeria concept of the creator, he states that Olodumare is the name of the creator and that Nzame and Baba Nkwa are the other two manifestations of Olodumare.

This is completely inaccurate, Olodumare IS the name of the creator but Olofi and Olorun are the other two manifestations of Olodumare.

Olodumare, Olorun, Olofi are more than just respectful terms of address. While Olodumare, Olorun, Olofi could be perceived as a "Trinity" of sorts these three names are not comparable to the Christian trinity, in that all three are equally the "father-creator." All there are also gender neutral. Also, there is no "father," or "Son" of that "father," or "Holy Spirit."

Olódùmarè - God the Omnipotent, God Almighty

Olófin or Olófi or Olófin/Olófi - lawgiver

Olórun - Owner of the Sun

Olodumare, Olorun, Olofi represent three equally important manifestations of the Creator.

Olodumare is the universe and all of its elements. All of the laws of nature and of the universe are subject to the will of Olodumare. All that exists, be it physical or spiritual comes from Olodumare. The power of Olodumare is so great that as to be beyond human understanding. Olodumare has no particular festival days. Every day belongs to Olodumare therefore every day is holy.
No priests are concentrated to Olodumare.

It is through Olofi by way of the works of the Orisa that humankind benefits from the unlimited power of Olodumare. All that exists in the world be it a disruptive force or a constructive force comes from Olodumare. It is for this reason that the proverb Odu (divination verse) Okana tells us: "Obi tele ofo tele," "There is gain and there is loss, from one the world was born from one the world was lost. There is no well being in the world without danger or problems.
Olofi is the emanation of the divine power of the universe that is the reason for and cause of all things. Olofi, like Olodumare does not work directly with anyone. Without Olofi nothing would happen and nothing would exist.
All offerings that are called for by the Orisa ultimately go to Olofi, and it is from Olofi through the Orisa that blessings return. Olofi made the world, the Orisa, animals and humankind. Olofi imparted to each Orisa various powers and responsibilities. Therefore, all of the Orisa are messengers of Olofi.

Olorun, lord of the sun, is owner of light. The light and warmth of Olorun gives us vigor and the ability to work. The light and warmth of the sun is one of the most tangible signs of the power of Olodumare and Olofi. Life on earth would not be possible without the blessings of warmth, light


In my 39 years as a believer in had never in countered the words Nzame or Baba Nkwa before I came across them in Mr. De La Torre's book and there is no letter Z in the Yoruba language thus the word Nzame would not even be in the Yoruba lexicon.

In the Rituals chapter Mr. De La Torre writes ceremonies that one must undergo in order become a believer.
One of the rituals is receiving Elekes of the Orisa.

Mr. De La Torre writes that before one can receive Elekes of the Orisa a bajar of Orunla must be done in which the cowrie shells must be read by a Babalawo in the presence of other Babalwo in order to determine which Orishas
claim the person.


Once that is done then the Madrina makes the Elekes.


A bajada of Orunla means that divination is done invoking the Orisha Orunla/Orunmila the Orisha of destiny and division and that this is done by a Babalawo and priest of the Orisha Orunla/Orunmila with Dilogun, 16 cowry shells.

16 cowry shells divination is never done by a Babalawo, priesthood of the Orisha Orunla/Orunmila have other means of divination at there disposal.
The priesthood of the Orisha Orunla/Orunmila perform divination with either 16 palm nuts called Ikin or a divination chain called Opele.
Further more there is no need for divination to be done in order to receive Ileke (Eleke) Orisha.
Everyone receives the same basic 4 Ileke Orisha 1 for the Orisha Obatala, 1 for the Orisha Oshun, 1 for the Orisha Yemonja, 1 for the Orisha Shango.

An Ileke Orisha for the Orisa Elegba if the addition ceremony to receive Elegba is done and the new believer would receive and Ileke Orisha representing the Orisha of the priest that is initiating them into the religion, in my case since I am a priest of the Orisha Aganju, all new believers initiated by me would be given an Ileke Orisha for the Orisha Aganju.

Also in the chapter about rituals, he writes that a particular divination called
the Ita is done before the "Asiento" in order to disclose the life
and times and the ultimate destiny of the individual specifically their life
long responsibilities as a priest.
The following day the initiate's head is prepared to serve as a seat of the
Orisa.


The proper term is Kari Ocha "placing Orisha on the head" Asiento is the Spanish misnomer for the priesthood ordination ceremony.

In the Kari Ocha ceremony a new priest receives vessels containing the sacred object of Obatala, Oshun, Yemonja, Shango and each Orisha has 16 cowry shells ritually consecrated to act as their tools of divination, the Ita is a comprehensive reading of the cowry shells that are the "voice" of the Orisa each Orisha.
But this can only be done after the Kari Ocha (Asiento) because before the Kari Ocha (Asiento) the person is not a priest nor do they have Orisha with 16 cowry shells ritually consecrated to act as their tools of divination. If Mr. De La Torre's parents are members of the priesthood as he claims that would have known about all that have just stated.

To close I must mention that Mr. De La Torre used material from 3 of the worst books written on Orisha worship in the Cuban Diaspora" Cuban Santeria: Walking with the night, by the late Raul Canizares, Santeria: African Magic in Latin America, Migene Gonzalez Wippler; Santeria: A practical guide to Afro-Caribbean magic by Luis Manuel Nunez.

If I could have given this book no stars I would have.
Reading Santeria; The beliefs and rituals of a growing religion in America by Miguel A. De La Torre will only leave you grossly misinformed about the religion that I have served as a priest for 30 years.

Temujin Ekunfeo

Santeria the Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America is a well written book, but to be honestly it has all been written before. Nothing really new and if you already have two or three books on Santeria, then you are sure to have all the information that is within this book. The chapters are as follows.
Santeria What is it? This goes into giving you a general idea of what Santeria is, a description of it's followers and members, a small description of it's initiations. It explains the Energy Ashe, and the Eggungun. "The Dead Ancestors."
Chapter Two; gives you a few versions of the Patakis, "Folklores or Legends" of the Creation of the World. Other legends such as the Flood is also within this section. There are a few Charts within this section. One for the many names of God. A comparison chart of the Orishas with Roman and Greek Gods. A chart describing each Orishas major influence. Colors of the Orishas. Most Likely Children of the Orishas. And another chart on the Orishas and their Catholic Identities. (Saint Paths)
Chapter Three, is a description of the Major Orishas, their attributes and their Patakis "Legend". Of the Orishas included are the major, Obatala, Eleggua, Oggun, Ochosi, Ochun, Chango, Yemaya, Aganju, Orunla, Osain, Babalu Aye, Oya, Orisa Oko, Osun, Inle, Obba and the Ibeji. Each gets a quick discription, and a legend, which really reminded me of Migene Gonzales Wippler's earlier works.
In this chapter are more charts. Each deducted to a particular Orisha and their many "caminos" their avatars, roads or paths.
Chapter 4 gives you a quick description or ceremonies and rituals, Bembe, Ilekes, Asiento, Ebbos and so on. Oh and more charts. (Days and Numbers of the Orishas) (Food offering for the Orishas) (Medical Properties of some plants) The author went a little chart crazy with this book. Again if you have two books on Santeria, you will not learn anything new.
Chapter 5 touches quickly on Oracles used within Santeria. The Coco, the 16 Caracoles, Cowrie Shells, and the Table of Ifa. Oh and we can't forget the Chinese Numerology. Yep you read that correctly. Chinese Numerology.
Chapter 6 and 7 gets boring with the History, and Roots. But if you have never picked up a book on Santeria and this is your first, then it is informative and you will learn something new. Again if you already have books on Santeria, trust me you have read it before.
All in all the book is not a bad book if it is your first book on the Basic of Santeria. The religion is a beautiful experience, one you can not learn through any book. But I kind of wish that authors of Santeria books would right a bit more of their personal experiences, give us some flavor.
I recommend this book to those who never read a ook on this beautiful and mysterious religion. But to those who are initiated or have other books on Santeria, trust me it has all been said over and over and over again.

I checked this out for recreational reading (I like interesting non fiction) and it was one of the best written non fiction books I've read. The voice is easy to read, engaging and doesn't distract from the content with an overly dry academic tone. I have no particular investment in the subject so I can't say if this is the best book on the subject but for someone without much background knowledge on this religion its a good introduction. It very effectively explains not only practices and beliefs, but the way of thinking that fundamentally describes the basis of the religion. I think the author was a particularly good source for this knowledge because though both of his parents are priests of the religion, he is an anthropologist (if I'm remembering correctly, it's something like that) giving him the insider access rarely afforded to non members and the objective analytical perspective members of any religion rarely have for their own belief system.

recommended for those interested in anthropology, non western culture, perspective and religion

I have been looking every where for information on Santeria and this book was the best that I found so far. It doesn't just cover the basics like other books do, it goes in depth about the history of this religion and why it is so secrete in the U.S. It also tells the reader much more about each Orisha, like thier favorite food, color, power, ect. than any where that I have found. This book by far is teaching me a whole lot more than any thing else. I highly recomend this book for those who are getting to know Santeria, it is perfect.

This book is really informative as it gives you a glimpse of the spiritual side. However what makes this gem stand out is that it explains Santeria from a scientific, scholarly viewpoint as well. It provides the spiritual symbolism and delves deep into it's origins and provides a great observation on the religion. It will be a great introduction ushering you into the great ways of the Orishas, and backing it with sound theroies that validate the Santeria as an equal religon to the major religons of the world.

Although I'm not a Santera, I do practice Santeria. I have a great respect for the religion and many of my friends are Santeras and Santeros. I picked up this book along with a few others to have a more clear understanding about the practice of this amazing religion. This book I loved. Although I've practiced some of it there was a lot I did not know or really understood. I found this book very informative. The way the author breaks down the information with charts is very helpful. It makes going back for any type of reference very easy.
I recommend this book to anyone who is serious about understanding the practice and the religion. Now always keep in mind that there are several traditions depending on where you live and the culture. So there may be some rituals that seem different.

Santeria is a growing religion in America with Caribbean origins, and Miguel De La Torre offers an informed and informative history of the beliefs, rituals and culture of Santeria in Santeria: The Beliefs And Rituals Of A Growing Religion In America. Santeria's Afro-Cuban roots are traced to cultural clashes, with its evolving spiritual roots receiving close explanation by an author who was reared in Santeria and clearly provides a basic understanding of its myths, rituals, and its modern role in both Latin and American communities today.

this book is perfect for people who have no idea what this religion is about and what it stands for. it says three or four things about the ceremonies and what is awaiting the people that arent already initiated into the religion. if you already know all these steps and are looking for something more complex, i do not recommend it.

This is a nicely written book, although I do not know if it's factual or not, due to the author's stance today. I think something of credibility is lost by stating at the start that you no longer believe in this faith yourself, as the author has. I'd like to find a book on this subject that is written by an author who still embraces the faith.

I picked up this book recently. The cover caught my eye so I decided to read it. I have to say that I was more impressed with the cover than I was with the content of the book. The author gives an over abundance of charts and correspondance tables and not really any information which hasn't already been discussed in other books. The author also appears to have taken some correspondance tables from another book called THE HANDBOOK OF YOUROBA RELIGOUS CONCEPTS by Baba Ifa Karade and did not credit Baba Karade in his bibliography. I gave this book three stars because it seems to present some information which someone interested in Santeria might find usefull but once one moves beyond mere interest this book is obsolete.