Ayomide Ogundele
FIQWS HA23/HA24
Professor David Stoler
Abstract
“The new villagers to arrive were horrified to witness the scene before them. Ogun told the newcomers that he was sorry, and he asked for forgiveness, in which some granted him forgiveness, and others couldn’t. Ogun then tells the people that if they ever need him, he will always be ready to help. Curses could be heard for miles on end”(Ogundele). Ogun is one of the many gods in the Orisha religion, which is native to the Yoruba culture in the country of Nigeria. The story of Ogun may appear differently through different cultures and countries.
This paper will argue the position of the Yoruba deity having a presence in other countries and cultures, it will do so by using evidence from Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture(Vol. 3. ) by Brazeal Brian, to highlight the way religion has traveled to the Americas through the help of slave trade. Further it will discuss the Cuban culture and how it relates to the Yoruba deity using the article Deterritorialization and Reterritorialization of the Orisha Religion in Africa and the New World (Nigeria, Cuba and the United States) by Dianteill Erwan to elaborate on the different ways the orisha religion has influenced Cuban culture. The use of a song lyric will be used to show how the Orishas are being used in modern music. It will also use the narrative paper Ogun written by Ayomide Ogundele to show one of the ways the story of a god of the Yoruba deity has been passed down. The article Shifting Multicultural Citizenship: Trinidad Orisha Opens the Road by Castor N. Fadeke will be used to show the importance of the orisha in the country of Trinidad. It will also use The Orisha Religion In Trinidad by Abc-Clio to elaborate on the previously stated point. The point of view of Bunmi Lawal, a native of the country of Nigeria will be used to further explain the importance of the orisha religion in Nigeria. Also the point of view of a native from Haiti will be used to show how gods are worshipped in Haiti. The point of this paper is to argue/show the importance of the Yoruba deity and orisha religion in many countries other than Nigeria.
Research Paper_A.O
Numerous people from all around the world came to witness the grand spectacle that was before them. As the people around the world came to witness such beauty, they were surprised to see such intricate designs. Grand buildings made out of steel in all shapes and sizes of the world. All that could be heard were whispers. These were people of all different backgrounds, some from South America, some from the Middle East, and some from Africa. A sea of people all with different features could be seen for miles on end.
Who were all these people here to see? A god of war and iron, the great warrior of Yoruba land. Pieces of iron have been kissed in his name.
The Yoruba deity is one of the many deities that can be found all around the world, it has traveled to many different countries from its origin country of Nigeria. Some of the places it has traveled to consist of Cuba, Trinidad, and Haiti. The Yoruba deity has influenced many of these countries’ cultures. It has been incorporated into many other religions to form a hybrid one, like the Santeria religion of Cuba. The Orisha religion has traveled to all these countries though the slave trade which took Africans from their homes and shipped them to other regions. The Africans took with them their culture and religion and found a way to keep them alive in these foreign countries.
Ogun is a famous god from the Orisha religion of the Yoruba people. However, he is not only worshipped in Nigeria, the birthplace of all Yoruba culture. The Orisha religion( Yoruba deity) found its way into other countries through the slave trade. Many of the slaves that were taken from their home in Nigeria took with them their stories and culture, and this gave them an identity in a foreign land. And with this identity, they were able to share it with other people they met along the way. Brian Brazeal, an applied cultural anthropology coordinator at California State University, says, “Ogou/Ogum/Ogun/Gu is one of the most multivalent and well-traveled deities in the African Diaspora. Originating among the Yoruba of present-day Nigeria, his significance quickly spread to the Gbe-speaking people of present-day Benin and Togo where Gbe-speakers worship him as the Vodoun Gu. In the 19th century, wars between the kingdoms of Oyo and Dahomey sent thousands of Africans into the hands of European slave traders. These enslaved Africans brought Ogou/Ogum/Ogun to the Americas” (Brazeal). The enslavement of Africans brought forth the spreading of the Orisha religion.
The Cuban culture and religion have been greatly influenced by the Yoruba deity. Dianteill Erwan, professor of Cultural and Social Anthropology at the Sorbonne says, “From 1492 to the 1860s, over 500,000 slaves were deported to Cuba. Most of these slaves originated from West Africa and Central Africa. Among them were many Yoruba, who were deported in large numbers at the time of the collapse of the Oyo empire during the early nineteenth century. Unlike slaves in the English-speaking Americas, whose religion was almost completely eradicated during the colonial era, the Yoruba in Cuba managed to re-implant some traditional cults, which evolved in a specific way in creole society…Yoruba origin was much more present in the west, especially around Havana, than in the east of the island”(Erwan). Havana, Cuba, is greatly influenced by the Yoruba origin, which includes the deity.
Santeria, which was influenced by the Yoruba culture, impacted Cuban music and culture. Dianteill Erwan says, “According to George Brandon (1993: 106), the first Cuban santero to settle in the United States was Francisco (Pancho) Mora, in 1946. He organized the first drum festival there in 1964. He initiated novices in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Venezuela…”(Erwan). George Brandon was able to expand the Yoruba influenced culture of Santeria to different countries through his music.
The story of a mermaid is one of the many stories that originated from Nigeria, Yemoja is another one of the 400 + 1 Orishas that exist. Many Spanish-speaking cultures call her Yemaya. The story of Yemaya was brought to Cuba by African slaves who were transported through the slave trade. She is described as the ocean mother of the world. The Yoruba orishas have influenced many songs. For example, Yemoja’s beauty is illustrated in many songs like Gum Body by Baba Dee. The song compares her beauty to the other girl in the real world. The song states, “Omo ye ma sa cause you fine like Yemoja come de use me…”(Baba dee). This roughly translates to girl stop running cause you are as beautiful as Yemoja… Similarly, in the Haitian voodoo religion, there is the goddess of water, Ezile. According to Sephora Pierre, who is a native of Haiti, Ezile is a goddess who can be considered as a mermaid. If a good impression has been made on Ezile, she will give her comb; whoever has been granted this comb will be rich for life. Mermaids are commonly known to people from the westernized stories like that of the little mermaid movie. However, the stories of mermaids originated from Africa and have been spread throughout the world and changed over time. But the one thing that stays the same in all of these stories is their beauty and kind-heartedness.
The African diaspora brought with it the Orisha religion, Bunmi Lawal, who was a citizen of Nigeria has a lot of experience with the Orisha. She grew up in Ogun State, Nigeria, which was named after the Orisha god Ogun. According to Lawal, “Ogun is one of the many Orisha but he is very famous in the state of Ogun in Nigeria where he was named after” (Lawal). Even in modern-day life and culture, Ogun is still very relevant. She also says that “the state got its name from Ogun because he is the god of iron and war, Ogun state is a city that has a high concentration of industrialization and manufacturing”(Lawal). These Orishas have a great impact on the everyday lives of the people who worship them, to the extent of them naming a manufacturing state after him.
“Ogun decided it was time for people to witness his glorious works of art. The buildings constructed were of different shapes and sizes, some spherical and some triangular. Each with a different but unique color of steel. In preparation for the people coming to see it, he began to construct a multifaceted bridge. The bridge extended from the hot sand, past the vast mountains, and into the open blue sky” (Ogundele).
Trinidad is another one of the countries that have adopted the religion. The Orisha religion in Trinidad edited by Anthony B. Pinn says, “We can trace the beginning of Orisha in Trinidad back to around 1838 or so, when thousands of indigenous Yoruba peoples arrived in Trinidad; most were freed slaves who immigrated to the island. (Complete emancipation of African slaves occurred in 1838.) The religious landscape of the island was predominantly Catholic at the time due to the colonial and missionary activities of first the Spanish and later the French. Hence, the earliest syncretism in Orisha involved the amalgam of Yoruba and Catholic beliefs and practices.”(Pinn). Further showing the appearance of Trinidad and the Orisha religion is the article Yoruba Tradition written by Akin Alao, who is a professor at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria says “Significant aspects of Yoruba culture are also found in such places as Sierra Leone, the Gambia, Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, and the United States of America. It is precisely this open expression of Yoruba culture in the Americas that has generated great interest in the Yoruba tradition, especially its religious and spiritual dimension, among Black Studies scholars. Indeed, large segments of the Yoruba religious pantheon have been preserved, with Yoruba deities called orishas—like Shango, Yemoja, Ogun, and others—still guiding the lives of many diasporic Africans”(Alao). This shows that Trinidad is one of the countries that has a profound affinity for the Yoruba culture/religion.
Although the gods that are worshipped may appear to be good, that is not always the case. The narrative paper of Ogun, written by Ayomide Ogundele, says, “In between those whispers were judgment and displeasure. Jealousy filled the air like a murky river flowing into the ocean. One man said, ‘how could only one man build this?’. Another said ‘he is using witchcraft to deceive us.’ Ogun could not believe what he was hearing. The anger within him rising like a pot of soup on the stove. That’s when everything changed. The horrifying screams could be heard from miles and miles on end. The humongous and ferocious silver blade was slashing swiftly through the dry air, being tainted crimson red as it moved across the sea of people. Piercing through the people far and wide. When all was done there was nothing left but a sea of dead bodies”(Ogundele). There are some dark sides to some of the gods, which can be seen in Ogun. He killed people because he did get the reaction he was anticipation. Pierre says, “Ogou is known to be a revenge kind of god, the god of war. He is all about warfare, and when he encounters anybody, he usually has a machete. He is one of the gods that should be feared, he always says for those who have wronged me cut their heads off”(Pierre). In the Haitian voodoo culture, Ogun is known as Ogou, and he is a very deviant god. Pierre shows us that even though he is an evil god, people still worship him. This also shows how stories from different families are similar. An Hatitian was able say some of the things that were in a narrative story that she had never read, this is because of the same religion being passed down from family to family and from generation to generation. The beliefs of Ogun were able to travel to Haiti to add to their voodoo religion.
The Yoruba culture and religion were able to travel to many other countries from its origin of Nigeria. These other countries were able to adopt the religion and culture to make it their own. The slave trade made the sharign of religion and culture inevitable. The Orisha religion is the prominent African religion that has found its way into many regions. Similarities can be seen in the family stories that have been passed down. The beauty of the religion manages to stay intact throughout all the travels it has made. The importance of the religion can be seen throughout each country it is in. The Cuban religion of Santeria can be seen as one of the popular religions in Cuba. Each country has found a way to make the religion its own and somehow not forgetting its African roots.
Works Cited
Brazeal, Brian. “Ogou/Ogoun.” Encyclopedia of the African Diaspora: Origins, Experiences, and Culture, edited by Carole Boyce Davies, vol. 3, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA, 2008, pp. 726–727. Gale EBooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2444300377/GVRL?u=cuny_ccny&sid=GVRL&xid=cb9fb6ec.
Dianteill, Erwan. “Deterritorialization and Reterritorialization of the Orisha Religion in Africa and the New World (Nigeria, Cuba and the United States).” International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, vol. 26, no. 1, 2002, pp. 121–137., doi:10.1111/1468-2427.00367. https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/doi/epdf/10.1111/1468-2427.00367
Baba Dee “Gum Body” 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytB5FPnpuqk
Pierre Sephora “Personal Interview” 11/27/2019
Lawal, Bunmi “Personal Interview” 11/16/2019
Ogundele, Ayomide “Ogun” Unpublished Paper. 20 September 2019
Pinn, Anthony B., editor. “The Orisha Religion in Trinidad.” African American Religious Cultures, vol. 1, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA, 2009, pp. 285–290. Gale EBooks, link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/CX2191800058/GVRL?u=cuny_ccny&sid=GVRL&xid=6fcdc8bc.. https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/CX2191800058/GVRL?u=cuny_ccny&sid=GVRL&xid=6fcdc8bc.
Alao, Akin. “Yoruba Tradition.” Encyclopedia of Black Studies, edited by Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama, SAGE Reference, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2005, pp. 481–482. Gale EBooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3439300265/GVRL?u=cuny_ccny&sid=GVRL&xid=53caf78d.
Reflection
Throughout writing this paper I had difficulty writing my Pathos paragraphs because I wasn’t sure how it but with the help of Professor Stoler I was able to write one. I was really struggling with how to incorporate my narrative piece with the research paper. Another thing that I struggled with was my interviews because my first interview didn’t go as planned. At the start of writing the paper I have chosen to interview my neighbor but, that turned out to be a fail of an interview so interviewed my aunts secretary. I also had difficulty writing the conclusion to my piece. I am still not sure if I did any of these correctly. As always my grammar was an issue but i went to the writing center where most of my grammar was corrected. I am not sure about the sentences I wrote after my visit to the writing center. I also struggled with making my paragraphs flow well with each other, i dint know how to tie a previously made point into a ne point to make the paragraphs flow seamlessly.
One of my strengths writing this paper was being able to find evidence for my points, I was also able to trim some really long quotes to fit my paper. I also think I was able to follow the outline decently, I am just worried about the content in my paragraphs. In addition to that I think I did well with getting the information I needed in terms of asking questions in class. I also did well on finishing the paper in the amount of time provided.
Some things I need to work on are:
- Grammer
- Conclusion
- Pathos
- Explanation after quotes
- Getting more sources
- Better interview person
- Putting long quotes into block quotes( the writing center tutor told me to do that but we ran out of time so she wasn’t able to show me how)
My favorite thing about writing this paper is the we were able to write about what we wanted, because we chose our own topic for the narrative and we just had to build on that for the research paper. Also the in class workshops helped me a lot because when I read my paper out loud to my peers, I was able to see and hear my errors. The feedback my peers gave me were a big help to making my paper better.
