Santeria: Latino/a Religiosities

To the Latino/a people, religion is one of the centerpieces of community. Religion unites diverse people for the common purpose of nourishing the soul. But within the Latino/a community, the religious hierarchy of Catholicism regards other non-western forms of religiosity with aversion. For example, the church historically has considered Santeria, a syncretism of African and Catholic religion, to be a practice of ÒprimitiveÓ people. Non-believers historically have misrepresented Santeria and its devotees.

Santeria originates in West Africa and arrived to the Americas with the slave trade. The religion is practiced in the Caribbean as well as in parts of South America. During the slavery era, the slave-owners would not allow the followers of Santeria to practice their religion and essentially tried to not only own their bodies, but also their souls. In order for the people to get around the persecution of their religion, followers would apparently pray to the saints that the slave-owners ordered them to pray to. But instead of offering praise to saints in which they did not believe, the worshippers would pray to the spirits of their own religion; hence the name ÒSanteriaÓ. Olorun, SanteriaÕs principal deity, required this praise, much like any other religion's god-head. The followersÕ ingenuity allowed for the continuation of the belief.

Some of the ceremonies in Santeria are much like those of other religions in that they involve prayer, offerings, and songs. But other aspects contribute to the misunderstanding of the religion, such as trance possessions and sacrifices. Although these beliefs are not as widely held as the dogma that wine becomes blood through a priest's ritual blessing, spirit possesion is essential to the religion of a people who have been displaced and exploited. And instead of celebrating the death of a man, SanteriaÕs followers choose to celebrate the magical world that surrounds us.

For information on Santeria, you can go to any Botanica. There are many in Newark, including Botanica Santa Ana, 293 1st Ave. W, (973) 482-4804 or Botanica San Miguel, 51 Broadway, (973) 481-2104, which is only blocks away from the Rutgers Newark campus.