Blending religious scholarship with the firsthand impressions of an
initiate, first-time author Murphy offers a fascinating
introduction to Santeria, the mysterious religion brought to the
New World by African slaves. Between the 18th and 19th centuries,
an estimated half-million Africans made the slave passage to the
New World. The majority who landed in Cuba were Yoruba, members of
what was once a mighty kingdom in Nigeria. Sketching life in the
secret societies of freed slaves in Havana, Murphy emphasizes the
complex influence of the Spanish Church. Forced to convert, the
slaves concealed their Yoruba gods, the orisas, in the foliage of
Catholicism; but genuine respect for the saints and the power of
the sacraments flowed into orisa worship, forging a new syncretic
religion - Santeria. In 1959, after the Cuban revolution, santeros
fled to New York and Miami. Murphy inserts himself as one of a new
wave of initiates. Studying with Oba Ifa Morote, a babalewo (a
teacher and diviner, reputedly the founder of Santeria in New
York), Murphy describes the major rites of Santeria: divination by
cowry shells and palm nuts; animal sacrifice (which he justifies by
insisting that all the meat from these clean, quick kills is
consumed); the initiation ceremonies; and possession by the orisas
during drum celebrations - the last he describes as a return to the
source of consciousness, proof of the mysterious energy, that moves
the world. Georgetown Univ. professor Murphy serves Eleggba, the
orisa who travels between two worlds, and his fine book is just
that: a western-oriented introduction to a misunderstood religion
of African roots that is a profound symbol of the force of the
spirit against slavery. (Kirkus Reviews)
"Santeria "represents the first in-depth, scholarly account of a
profound way of wisdom that is growing in importance in America
today. A professional academic and himself a participant in the
Santeria" "community of the Bronx for several years, Joseph Murphy
offers a powerful description and insightful analysis of this
African/Cuban religion. He traces the survival of an ancient
spiritual path from its West African Yoruba origins, through nearly
two centuries of slavery in the New World, to its presence in the
urban centers of the United States, where it continues to inspire
seekers with its compelling vision.
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