Table of Contents
Preface xiii
To The Powers That Be: xiii
Chapter One: 1
HAVANA
Chapter Two:
Mano de Orunla
Chapter Three:
Trees and Branches
Orunmilla
Chapter Four
Odu
Chapter Five:
Santeria Minus The Saints:
Chapter Six
Rank
Chapter Seven:
Washing the Orishas Ceremony
Chapter Eight:
Dreaming with Orunla
Chapter Nine:
Olodumare, Olorun, And Olofi
Chapter Ten:
The Creation of Our World:
Chapter Eleven:
Awo: The making of a Babalawo; Ogbe Sa
Chapter Twelve
Awo: The Making of a Babalawo: Ogunda Di 
Chapter Thirteen
Awo: The making of an Awo; Odi Ka
Chapter Fourteen:
The Ancient Orishas
(Eshu/Eleggua, Obatala and Orunmila):
Chapter Fifteen
The Ancient Orishas Part 2 (Oro Ina, Olokun, Araina)
Chapter Sixteen:
The Ancient Orishas:
Part Three (Aggayu, Odduadua, Osanyin, Orisha Oko)
Chapter Seventeen:
The Ancient Orishas Part 4 (Orun (Arun), Babalu Aye, Yemaya)
Chapter Eighteen:
Itutu: Death of a Babalawo:
Chapter Nineteen 186
Nogales and my Thrones 186
194
Chapter Twenty: 194
The Orishas: (Oya, Shango, Ibeyi)
Chapter Twenty-One:
The Orishas: Part Two (Oggun, Ochoshi, Oshun, Okie, Osun)
Chapter Twenty-Two:
Wanaldo: The Ceremony of the Knife
Chapter Twenty-Three:
Two Pataki: The 16 Kings and Orisha Tears
Chapter Twenty-Four
Frank Discussions
Epilogue:
Glossary
Building Your Library
Santeria
The Odu of Lucumi, James J Kulevich, Ile Orunmila
Communications, San Bernardino, Ca. Mr. Kulvich’s offering is an important one yet for students of IFA as opposed to those outside our faith or those new to our faith. It is one of the most important books written on IFA in the Lucumi or Santeria branch of the tree. It is one of the precious few books in English with a complete set of all 256 Odu in English that I have seen. It was painstakingly translated from the manuals on IFA that are available in Spanish and are found in Cuba. What is interesting is that it is published by Chief Fama (see below) who is from the African branch. Also the forward is written by Professor Wande Abimbola (see below) who is also of the African branch. 268
My speculation is that Mr. Kulevich (who is a Babalawo) started in the Cuban Lukumi branch and at some point became acquainted with Professor Abimbola who influenced and perhaps mentored him. However this offering is Lukumi not African. It is comprehensive and is an excellent translation for serious students of IFA. It is solely a reference book and there is no conversation to speak of. Let me add that Mr. Kulevich’s wife is also credited with a significant part of the translations yet does not co author the book. The book is only about the 256 Odu and it is singular in its purpose to present them. I recommend this book highly for the English speaking Babalawo, or student of IFA who is following the Lukumi tradition. 268
The Altar of My Soul, Marta Moreno Vega, One World, The Ballantine Publishing Group, New York. Ms. Moreno Vega is an interesting story and her book is an enjoyable read. It is a straight autobiography and offers her beautiful story along with a precious few concepts of our Santeria or Lukumi faith. It is the story of how she was reminded of her childhood memories in her Grandmother’s apartment and how the Orisha’s and ancestors found her and put her on her own path. Ms. Moreno Vega not only found her roots and faith but she ends up founding The Caribbean Cultural Center, The African Diaspora Institute, and Amigos del Museo del Barrio. Due to discovering her faith, Ms. Vega becomes instrumental in founding these all important cultural entities in New York. She is well respected and known as a builder of Orisha Worship and is credited for helping many African Americans and Mullatos find their roots. While her book is not a nuts and bolts book on our faith it is important and she is important and I would recommend it for those outside our faith and those new to it. Offerings of Ms Moreno Vega include:
The Altar of My Soul
When the Spirits Dance Mambo
Voices from the Battlefront: Achieving Cultural Equity 269 The World of the Orishas, Arisel Arce Burguera and Armando
Ferrer Castro, Cuban Institute of Books. The book is illustrated by Jose Luis Posada. This is one of the first books the Cuban Institute has produced in English, it is not what we would consider a mainstream publication in the USA because it is hard to find as it is produced by the Cuban government. Yep, it is another sad result of failed policies the Cuban embargo. However I would like to applaud the Cuban Institute for its fine publication. The book itself is well worth a read and I recommend it. It is a collection of Pataki that offers more than just the standard regurgitated ones we often read or hear.
One of the outstanding features of this book is the remarkable illustrations by Jose Luis Posada. I should mention that this is a different person than Luis Posada Cariles the terrorist. Mr. Posada has a real gem in the illustrations he provided for this book. The English in the book is excellent and I presume the book is published in Spanish as well. Also from Mr. Ferrer Castro is Conexion en Cuba: Un testimonio del caso Ochoa-La Guardia (Coleccion Documento)
Oc ha’ni Lele is a bilingual author who writes in English and Spanish. Mr. Lele writes on Cuban Santeria as well as Palo Mayombe from the Congo. It is unclear what initiations he has received, yet he seems to be a Santero in Santeria and an initiate of Palo Mayombe. His books are published by Destiny Books in Rochester, Vermont in their well designed style. Mr Lele offers books as opposed to booklets and there is some very useful information in his books for the aspiring Santero or Santera. Other offerings by Mr. Lele include:
The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination: How to Cast the Diloggún, the Oracle of the Orishas
The Diloggun: The Orishas, Proverbs, Sacrifices, and Prohibitions
of Cuban Santeria
Obi: Oracle of Cuban Santeria
Obi: Oraculo De Santeria Cubana/ Superstition of Cuban Oracle
(Nueva Era)
The African branch of Authors.
We have certainly discussed how fragmented Orisha worship and
IFA have become. Much the same as Judaism is the root followed by Catholicism and then fragmented further with the many branches of Protestantism. The root of The Bible is the Old Testament. The New Testament comes with the birth of Christ and advent of Catholicism and later Protestantism. The question becomes is Catholicism an improvement on Judaism? Furthermore is Protestantism an improvement on Judaism or subsequently its Catholic mother? It is a big question that while many have opinions on there really is no right answer. Finding a specific branch of the religious tree that attracts a respective believer’s ideals is complex and highly personal. The same is true in Orisha worship and IFA. 272
There is no doubt that the root of our tree is Yoruba and little controversy regarding that fact. But once we move forward from there the waters do become murkier. Most scholars agree that Ife Ile is the center of our religion just as Jews and Christians alike agree that Jerusalem is the center for their respective religions. While Ife Ile has its own beliefs these vary somewhat region to region or within what were called the Yoruba City States. Principally this happens within Yoruba in the famous city of Oyo and in what is now Benin and to a lesser extent in almost all the former City States. Further on in Africa, we see locations such as The Congo have other offshoots of our religion that are less uniform in their respective beliefs.
We have discussed how Orisha worship and IFA was forced westward through enslavement and as a rule combined with Catholicism all throughout the Americas. Was this combination religion stronger, weaker or equal? That of course is a matter for debate and various opinions abound. We have discussed how some in the West are trying to purge the Catholicism from Orisha worship and IFA and you have learned that I am one of these. Naturally, there are major differences in not only the beliefs but the methodology of all of the various branches. Therefore, when we separate authors, it is a delicate matter. Here in the appendix, I am only using one separation, African and Santeria yet there are many more such as Brazil, Haiti, New Orleans, Cuba and more from the West. Within Africa there are respective Yoruba authors following their respective individual systems most notably Ife Ile, Oyo, and even Congo. While we need to recognize these differences, I do not want to labor on that point or this appendix could be even larger than the book!
Chief Fama aka (Aina Adewale- Somadhi) is an interesting story and unique for several reasons; one is that she and her husband Chief Ifabowale Sohama Somadhi are also publishers as well as authors. Two chiefs in one family seems confusing to me, and I only know the credentials these Chiefs put out in their own literature. In fact I am confused what exactly the procedure to wear the title of Chief is. This Awo has much to learn, but I think these are the types of things that also confuse Cuban followers of our religion. Generally we think of a Chief as a leader of a significant group of a people who won their title in battle, were born with it, or were elected by their people. Perhaps it is different in Yorubaland, but here we have not one but two Chiefs living outside their homeland and married! It is remarkable to an unenlightened Awo like me and many in the west as well. Despite this, Chief Fama has a wealth of information for the novice and the seasoned Orisha worship or IFA adherent. Reading her section about herself; she was born to a family worshiping Oggun the Orisha of iron in Nigeria (Yorubaland) and became active in IFA in 1984. She mentions being trained by four other Chiefs (not inclusive of her husband). She immigrated to the US six years later in 1990.
She has written several books that I have enjoyed, her first being Fundamentals of the Yoruba Religion Orisa Worship (notice the spelling of Orisha in the African lettering). The book is published by her Ile Orunmila Communications in San Bernardino, Ca. It is a fine book full of useful information. She is perhaps the leader in promoting women in IFA, a somewhat controversial campaign, but one that I personally support. Her Orisa Yoruba Dictionary is the most recognized and popular within our religion and a significant contribution. I would recommend her highly, even for Santeria followers. Several of her titles are published in Spanish as well. Her other titles include:
Chief FAMA Fundamentals of the Yoruba Religion (Orisa Worship)
Index
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