Abstract This paper discusses Santeria, an African religion passed on through Cuban slaves. It describes the history of the religion, its rituals, and the major deities of the religion. The paper then discusses membership among Santerian communities and the rituals and holidays that members are expected to observe. Finally, the paper discusses Palo, which is considered to be a sect of Santeria.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
History and Sources
Major Deities
Membership and Community
Rituals
Holidays
Palo
Conclusion
From the Paper "Witchcraft, or brujeria, is not often employed among santeros. Palo means "branch" or "wooden stick" which is appropriate because their rituals often employ the use of wood and herbs. There are two main sects within Palo: Palo Monte and Palo Mayombe. Palo Mayombe is considered the "good" sect and Palo Monte is the "bad" sect. Palo Mayombe feel that a Catholic baptism in necessary to join the sect, and anyone who has not been baptized is evil. Palo Monte are not baptized and work for the devil. All Palos work with the spirits of the dead, but the Palo Monte group work exclusively with the spirits of suicides, criminals and evil witches. A practitioner of this sect can be identified by the razor cuts along their skin. Their source of power comes from their cauldrons, also called nganga, in which are kept items such as human skulls, bones, graveyard dust, crossroad dust, branches, herbs, insects, animal and bird carcasses and hot spices. Followers of the Palo sect are very secretive, especially in comparison to most Santerians. This is because their rituals involve human remains, a practice most people do not agree with. Chango is the god they worship most often because they believe he came from the Congo, not Nigeria, and most Palo worshipers are from the Congo."
