Oxum is a female Orixá (entity)that is mapped in Candomblé and Umbanda as the Virgin Mary. In São Paulo/SP/BR she is mapped as Nossa Senhora Aparecida. In Bahia she is mapped as Nossa Senhora das Candeias or Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres. She works in the right (positive side) and is one of the entities of light.

Her color is light blue. She is associated with sweet water and her salute is Orayè-yê.

She influences fertility and pregnancy, love, beauty and prosperity.

Her sacrificial food is:
* Beans (feijão fradinho) with onions and shrimp (omolocum)

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Elegbara

Elegbara is one of the names for EXU. Other names are Legbá, Elleguá, Aluvaiá... Exu is the Orixá for the communication. He is the guardian of the villages, towns, houses, of the AXÉ (temple) and of the things that are done from human behavior.

In Brazil Exú was mapped as the devil (satan) by the Catholic Church. But he is the Orixá of communication. He is responsible to carrying people's requests and questions to higher instances.

His colors are red+black.
His salute is: Laròye!

According to his capabilities, he receives specific names:

Exú Tranca Rua,
Exú Caveira,
etc...

Sacrificial food:
* Farofa de Azeite de Dendê
* Cachaça
* Cigars

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Some attributes of Elegbara (Exú):

Exú Elegbára = master of power
Exú Yangi = laterite red stone, first existing proto-form - water + earth
Exú Àgbá = ancestral-father
Exú Obá = King of all
Exú Alakétu = King of Kétu people
Exú Elebo = Lord of the offerings
Exú Ojìse-ebo = The one who is in charge and transports the offerings
Exú Elérú = master of the erú (carrego)
Exú Olòbe = master of the knife
Exú Enú-gbárijo = message explainer
Exú Bara = king of the body (obá + ara) (principle of individual life)
Exú Odara = the one who shows the path

For more information about Umbanda (in English as well as in French) you may follow this link: Caboclo Guaracy

Umbanda is relatively recent and derivate from Candomblé (which is very ancient). There are some ritualistic differences but the principles are the same in both cases.

If there is interest in this topic, I can write further... I found that interesting that WG included afro-american religion references in almost all of his works (Neuromancer: rastafari, Count Zero/Monalisa: voodoo, All Tomorrow Parties: santeria (?) and Spook Country: santeria.

cool posts! keep on the good work

quote:

Originally posted by cbarreto:
Oxum is a female Orixá (entity)that is mapped in Candomblé and Umbanda as the Virgin Mary...

I like how you used that term, mapped. This happened all over the american continent, the 'mapping' of the old deities to the 'new, improved & approved' catholic versions. Easier to just rename an already revered figure than to go all the way to try and uproot it. All that was left was to redress it in fine silk, add a halo and build a church over the pyramid or temple devoted to it.

This is still prevalent in many parts of Mexico, the sometimes uneasy blending of pagan and catholic beliefs and customs. There's the saints you ask for specific favors, adding some pre-conquest rite, maybe with a caribbean voodoo helping on the side...

Catholic church has been lenient with this mixture, but lately there has been some voices in their higher echelons about fighting fringe religions and 'external influences'. But actions like the recent push for reinstatement of mass speeches in latin in some instances don't seem like the way to go.

And yes, the inclusion of religion and its' 'practical uses' by the Sprawl denizens and today's spooky characters seems to me like a really fortunate addition in Gibson's work. Hey, voodoo is just hacking by another name... : )

quote:

This is still prevalent in many parts of Mexico, the sometimes uneasy blending of pagan and catholic beliefs and customs. There's the saints you ask for specific favors, adding some pre-conquest rite, maybe with a caribbean voodoo helping on the side...

You can't forget that during the colonial period (in Mexico) and up to Republic (in Brazil) the Catholic Church was official religion. If you were not catholic you would not be able to work for government and would be subjected to several other kinds of restrictions. For instance non catholic people would be buried outside the cemeteries... could not be treated in hospitals (Santas Casas de Misericórdia)... would not be able to put their children in school (teaching was in charge of the jesuits, dominicans, ...) etc... So it was convenient to hide other religious affiliations using the names of catholic saints.

Here in Brazil, non baptized indians were considered "natural beings" (ie: animals)the same with black enslaved people. The difference is that after baptized the indians became men and the same didn't happen to enslaved negros (that's why we had slaves up to 1888). But here the spirit of the Portuguese left an interesting inheritance: most slave owners had mixed families, black children, etc. So, there was no "racial hate" (as in other parts of the world) but a sense of privilege and heritage. You could be a "mulato", land owner and slave owner...

An interesting video (YouTube) showing the dance of some Orixás can be seen following this url: http://www.youtube.com/v/hrCFtojoy7Q

Continuing, a nice video from the Terreiro de Mãe Dulce. You will able to see that the babalorixá (mãe Dulce) looses sense and the "cambono" (adjutant) have to avoid that she goes out of the place... The people playing the atabaques (drums) are the ogãs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW_nCVVeVOI


Another interesting video showing the "feijoada de Oxum" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z8ZNkL6gfo

This one is nice for the music in Yorubá (language): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAjJUH6qj5g

Interesting question: how they didn't forget Yorubá after, at least 250 years in Brazil ????

An excerpt of the dance of Oxum. Here is clearly visible that in the center of the temple there is a pole (always) where the offerings to the Orixás are left. The ceremony itself is called "gira" because people dance around this pole. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Vr4CXt_VI

Well Ok, today I succeeded in avoiding work at all costs

Hope you enjoy the videos.

I'll prepare something about the cosmology and them map it into the "matrix model" and you'll think how in hell it is possible that it fits so well ...

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Well, I couldn't resisting indicating one more video (unfortunately in Portuguese): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZE4zKyGXaE

One thing you'll see is that people use lots of necklaces which are called "guias" and the purpose is absorption and distribution of energy (spiritual).

The legend of creation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDMRFaYr8IE

In chapter 14 Juanita plays "buzios" with coconut meat. That's new for me. Here it is played with small seashells (the "buzios" themselves) and where they're not available with small chicken bones.

I know that in Africa it is also played with either seashells, chicken bones and pig bones. In Central America I've heard it is played with chicken bones.

I'll try to find some movies showing the "jogo de búzios" (buzios game).

I was going to say that all this can be easily googled, but I realised that it is available almost only in Spanish and Portuguese. And there are some, mainly social, differences between the Cuban and Brazilian santeros.

I have to disagree however with your comment that the Yorubas held to their religion for 250 years.

Most of the Yorubas were taken as slaves in 1840-1850s, when they became the main slave contingent. Previously the Yoruba Empire and its succeeding city states were too strong to be a prey for slavery. However the internecine conflict between the Yoruba city states, combined by the pressure of the Sokoto Caliphate and the Benin Empire, put whole villages and clans, including chiefs and priests, for sale. The slave trade was sorely weakened in the mid XIXth century, so this market opportunity was seized upon, and communities arrived whole in Cuba and Brazil, quickly mingling with the similar Bantu remnants of previous slaves, strengthened by communal belief and the presence of holy men and women.

Both in Cuba and Brazil slaves were forcefully converted to Catholicism, so Santería was born as a mask to keep the traditions under a Christian trapping.

Of the 201 orishas that can be found in Nigeria, only 32 survive in Cuba.

As an example of difference, I think the Guerreros initiation, so powerfully presented in SC, is Cuban specific.

To go back to the first post:

Ochum sounds weird, as the m sound is seldom used in Spanish for ending a word, and the Orishas names are hispanicized. I have found both Ochún and Oshún. The first one probably is more accurate as written Spanish, while the second is how it would be pronounced in Cuba, and then reverted to written form.

She is the ruler of the sweet waters, springs and rivers, personifying love and fertility. She is the helper in money matters. She is the youngest of the female Orishas, but receives the title Iyalode or Great Queen. She is the seducer among the Orishas, saving the world once by seducing Ogún out of his forest. She sees herself in the colors yellow and gold, and her number is five. Vultures and peacocks are hers, and are often used to represent her.

The 8th of September is the day of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, patron protectress of Cuba, and the sincretic equivalent of Ochún.



Ochún is usually presented as an attractive mulatta, dressed in yellow with a peacock fan...

Her collars are always based on yellow or amber beads, complemented by another color (red, green...) depending on the specific way to be followed.

Offerings:

Sweets, specially honey. Also prawns, yellow rice, oranges, yellow melon, peaches, mangoes, parsley, pumpkins, beer. Very often cinnamon and brown sugar, together.

This would be the very similar Oxum, painted by Brazilian painter Francisco Santos...

quote:

I have to disagree however with your comment that the Yorubas held to their religion for 250 years.

Must improve my written English... I said that it is impressive that here in Brazil they held their language for about 250 years. Ok I exaggerated since the traffic was interrupted by the English about 1830 (in Brazil, from March 13th 1830 slave traffic was considered piracy) but persisted until 1857 or so. But I still think that the cultural resistance of black people in Brazil is memorable.

quote:

As an example of difference, I think the Guerreros initiation, so powerfully presented in SC, is Cuban specific.

Here in Umbanda whe have the Caboclos (similar to Guerreros???) the "pretos velhos" and the "pombas-giras". Those entities were "borrowed" from the natives ("índios").

Candomblé atains itself to 16 Orixás (Exú, Lógunnède, Nanã, Obá, Obaluayiê, Ogum, Òrúnmmìlà, Ossaim, Oxalá, Oxóssi, Oxumaré, Oxum, Oyá, Tempo, Xangô e Yemanjá)plus Olorum (which stands for G'd). It is said that the African Panteon has about 401 Orixás.

I also found the way Oxum was graphed strange, because usually in Portuguese words are ended by m and not n. The use of Ch is more acceptable in Portuguese than sh (we don't have this combination).

quote:

She is the ruler of the sweet waters, springs and rivers, personifying love and fertility...

Description fits exactly the one we have in Brazil for Oxum!

It seems it is always the Virgin Mary that is the patron of the country in question:

Virgen de Guadalupe (Mexico)
Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Brazil)
Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre (Cuba)

You have to take into account that my knowledge of Santería comes from reading, rather than any personal knowledge.

In the rule of Osha, the most widespread (but not the only one) version of Cuban santería, initiates receive as the first step the presence/protection of Elegguá, Ogún, Oshosi and Osun (the Orisha Guerreros/Warriors). There is an additional Orisha of the Guerreros, Eshu, but he is an evil force and is never received as such, so actually initiates receive Eshú-Elegguá, so that the powers work as a pair of the positive and the negative, as all change requires conflict.

Then you have the Oshas, or main protective saints, the Head Oshas are Obbatalá, Oshún (Ochún), Yemayá and Shango.

Then there are the minor Oshas and Major Orishas, Oyá, Aggayú Solá, Babalú Ayé, Oduduwa, Orisha oko, Inle, Olokun, Yewa, Obba, Ossaín, Nana buruku, Iroko and many minor orishas, who in some societies exchange places with the major ones.

Iku, Death, was an orisha but lost that status due to his pride. Now commands the Ajogún or evil warriors.

Oloddumare is the supreme being, but does not receive worship. He manifests as Olorun and Olofin, interpreted by Orula, the Oracle of the orishas.

In a future post I'll try to explain the process of "fazer cabeça" aka "assentar o santo" (initiation in candomblé and umbanda). Its initial phase takes from 9 to 21 days (usually only 9 days). The whole initiation takes about three years.

I'll have to make lots of (smart) questions to some friends. I'm quite reliant on Jewish tradition, so all I know comes from public acts/ceremonies/consultations or reading (both my parents were sociologists), but I'm not able to be present in an initiation.

I think that the buzios in chapter 14 were devised by Mr. Gibson, for that is impossible to play it that way (it would be necessary a piece of "coconut" for each one of the 16 ifás... it would be necessary the "tôca" (candle), coins, water... lots of things not present in the plot).

I am owing something about the cosmology and why the candomblé and umbanda vision of the world is adherent to WG ideas of "real" and "virtual". An interesting starting point comes with the answer we get for the question "when the entities are not incorporated, where are they?" and the answer "they're around"... Much alike that ISO Network Protocol Stack Model I used in other topic... That's clear that it is necessary to take into account that "an entity" is not a "being" or "a god" ... rather "an energy", an abstraction for some functionality in Nature.

"Asentar el Orisha" is also the word used in Spanish to indicate the orisha is now inside you after a particular initiation. Seating it on you.

Not all Orishas can be seated. And some require you have acquired another before you can assume them.

There are three oracles in the Rule of Osha-Ifa. The Oracle of Ifa goes far beyond prediction and as in Brazil requires many instruments: Okpele, a bark chain, 16 ikines (kola nuts), nut holder, the Ifá divinatory board (opon Ifá), iroke Ifá (decorated stick, also used with the board as a percussion instrument) and a bead belt, though a simplified form uses only the Okpele.

The Oracle of Diloggún uses 16 sea snails (similar to the shells in Buzio) and is used not only to know the future, but also what has to be done to avoid or face it.

The Oracle of Biagué or aditoto is the simplest, though the hardest to interpret. It uses four pieces of coconut (sound familiar?) and besides the five possible results of white (meat up) and black (shell up) combinations, giving yes, no or maybe answers, the shape they form and any possible overlaps indicate what orisha is talking.

Thanks for your answer.

Here in Brazil we have only the Oracle of Ifá with the 16 seashells each representing one "odú". They are:

1. ÒKÀNRÀN
2. EJÌOKO or OYÈKÚ
3. ÉTAÒGÚNDÁ or ÌWÒRI
4. ÌROSÙN
5. ÒSÉ
6. ÒBÀRÀ
7. ÒDÍ
8. EJÌONÍLE or EJÍOGBÈ
9. ÒSÁ
10. ÒFÚN
11. ÒWÓNRÍN
12. EJÍLÀSEGBORA or ÒTÚRÁ
13. EJÍOLOGBÓN or ÒTÚRÚPÒN
14. ÌKÁ
15. OGBÈÒGÙNDÁ or ÒGÙNDÁ
16. ÌRÈTÈ or ALÁFIA

The first twelve operate on the right side (the side of light or goodness) the last four operate on the left side (usually related to evil).

The odú represent the several tendencies related to the person that can influence the happenings in his/her future. They can be directly or not related to dreams (that's why the "pai de santo" will make questions regarding to what the person has dreamed lately).

Based on the readings (of the seashells), on the description of dreams and reactions of the person, there will be counseling or else one "ebó" ("trabalho") will have to be done. Each singular reading may yield up to 4196 (I didn't know this number previously) results and it is very common to cast the búzios several times before a conclusive result is obtained.


The odú can be considered as pathways. So, the first odú is connected to the 15 remaining. In a way it is very similar to the reading of tarot based in the "tree of life" where we have the 22 ways represented by letters (Jewish alphabet) and the 10 sefirah each one representing one "order" or "instruction" of G'd during the creation. There are other similarities as the concept of right and left (good and "not so good") as in (the Tree of Life): wisdom (right) -> comprehension (left), love (right) -> strenth (left), victory (right) -> splendor (left) ...

I hope Crazy Carlos finds this thread eventually.

In chapter 46 WG mentions a music for Oxum (Oshun). I'll be posting a link for two "pontos de Oxum" and "saudação aos Orixás". I just have to get home (thing that I was unable to do in the weekend) and export the URL.

Psychophant did you advised WG about afro-american religions? You know a lot about the subject...

I am not close to the man for that. I suspect someone from NYC did the Santería advice, as some details such as the church seemed so sincretically right...

As for the details, I tend to have obsessive tendencies. Add that I read Spanish and practise fencing with a Cuban exile, and I am well placed to do some research.

I look forward to Oxum...