This thesis examines and initiates the process of filling a gap in the academic study of Orisha Music, a subfield of Africana Religions. Despite the integral role that akpons – the song leaders – play during Lucumi drumming ceremonies, most of the major works focus on drums and/or drumming, while relegating akpons to little more than footnotes in them. This work is approached from the perspective of a scholar-practitioner and an apprenticing musician in the Lucumi tradition to consider who these song leaders are to their communities. After reviewing the aforementioned texts and analyzing the context in which akpons are situated, this thesis offers a preliminary treatise on how exactly akpons contribute to drumming ceremonies and Lucumi practice. / Religion

Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Entwicklungsprozess der Santeria im Rahmen der Afrikanischen Diaspora. Dabei werden die pluralen Formen der Orisha-Religion der Yoruba in Afrika im Hinblick auf ihre Funktion als religiöses Fundament der Santeria untersucht. Im Folgenden wird die Entstehung der Santeria auf Kuba, bedingt durch die Einfuhr einer Vielzahl von Yoruba Sklaven, analysiert. Dabei spielt die Vermischung des kubanischen Volkskatholizismus mit den Orishas der Yoruba, die in einer neuen synkretischen Religion - die Santeria - mündet, eine hervorgehobene Rolle. Auch der Einfluss von anderen Glaubenssystemen (Spiritismus) wird an dieser Stelle deutlich gemacht. Im Mittelteil der Arbeit stehen die Emigrationen zahlreicher Kubanern nach der Revolution von 1959, welche somit die Santeria in die USA exportierten. Inwiefern sich die Santeria im Kontext der USA weiterentwickelte bzw. welche neuen Religionsvarianten entstanden sind, wird an dieser Stelle untersucht. Auch die zunehmende Kommerzialisierung der Santeria-Varianten wird kritisch analysiert, besonders im Hinblick auf die wachsende Bedeutung von Botanicas. Der letzte Teil der Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den gegenwärtigen Entwicklungstendenzen der Santeria zur Lifestyle-Kultur im Rahmen des spirituellen Shoppings und geht auf die öffentliche Wahrnehmung in den USA ein. Dabei wird auch die ‚breite Massentauglichkeit’ der Santeria im Vergleich zu anderen Immigrantenreligionen herausgestellt und ihr Potential als kulturell-religiöse Identifikationsmöglichkeit für diverse Migrantengemeiden in einer zunehmend globalisierten Welt untersucht. / This paper deals with the development of Santeria within the framework of the African Diaspora – rooting in Africa, emerging in Cuba, advancing in the USA. At first, the plural variants of the Yoruba Orisha religion in Africa are explored with regard to their function as religious basis of Santeria. In the following, the genesis of Santeria in Cuba, caused by the import of many Yoruba slaves, is analysed. In this process the blending of Cuban popular Catholicism with the Orishas of the Yoruba, which led to the emergence of Santeria as a syncretic religion, plays a major role. The influence of differing belief systems, such as Spiritism, on Santeria is highlighted as well. In the middle section of this paper the mass emigrations of Cubans, who brought Santeria to American shores, especially after Castro’s revolution in 1959, are examined in detail. The issues of how Santeria advanced within the American context and what kind of new religious variants emerged out of it are broached at this point. With particular regard to the growing importance of botanicas, the increasing character of commercialisation among different forms of Santeria is critically scrutinised. The final part of this paper deals with contemporary trends in the USA, where Santeria develops from an earlier religious character to a lifestyle-culture, clearly influenced by the process of spiritual shopping. At this point the broad attraction of Santeria, which appeals to multiple social groups in contrast to other immigrant religions, is emphasised. Due to her potential as cultural and religious opportunity for identification among several immigrant communities, Santeria advances to a source of identity among diasporic communities all over an increasingly globalised world.

Texte remanié de: Thèse de doctorat--Sociologie--Paris--EHESS. / Bibliogr. p. 277-281. Glossaire.

Recognizable by their cunning exploits and gray morality, tricksters can be found in mythology, folklore, and religions throughout the world. Two tricksters were familiar to the Yoruba people in West Africa, Ajapa and Eshu, and their stories and abilities provide insight to the functions fulfilled by trickster characters. Upon the introduction of Regla de Ocha (or Santeria) to Cuba following the transatlantic slave trade, a new figure emerges, known for his tricks and adaptability. Due to the West African influence in Santeria religious practices, the original roles and traits of Eshu and Ajapa are analyzed for comparison, but Eleggua, the Santeria trickster, has become his own entity. Through ethnographic observations, personal conversations, and a collection of various sources and manuals, this project explores Eleggua and the trickster presence in Cuba. Although his role as a trickster has changed throughout the past few centuries, Eleggua and the trickster identity persists in modern Cuba, visible in religious practices and secular exchanges.

Ce mémoire s'intéresse au lien qui existe entre la danse et la spiritualité. Son but est de faire la lumière sur le rôle que la danse peut jouer dans une quête spirituelle. Pour illustrer ce propos, je me suis intéressée à deux formes de danse que je pratique et qui tirent leurs origines du Brésil : la danse des orixas, qui appartient au rituel afro-brésilien du candomblé, et à la technique Silvestre, qui emprunte au candomblé certains symboles gestuels. Cette recherche est de type qualitatif; elle entre dans la catégorie ethnographique parce qu'elle tente d'interpréter, de décrire et de comprendre une expérience, un phénomène. Témoignages, notes de terrain, observations sont les outils de cueillette de données que j'ai utilisés. Cette réflexion tente d'éclairer, entre autres, les questionnements suivants : pourquoi utilise-t-on la danse pour accomplir une quête spirituelle? Est-ce que le dépassement des limites physiques procurerait un dépassement des limites psychiques de la personne, et vice-versa? Pourquoi l'homme occidental moderne éprouve-t-il une attirance pour un ailleurs traditionnel? Ce travail met en perspective les deux types de sociétés auxquelles il s'intéresse. Il questionne certaines valeurs véhiculées par l'une ou l'autre de ces deux sociétés. Au terme de ce parcours ressort un paradoxe propre à l'homme occidental moderne : son goût pour l'ailleurs, son envie de se projeter vers l'extérieur serait intimement lié au besoin de mieux se connaître et de se connecter avec ce qu'il y a de plus profond en lui-même. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Danse des orixas, Technique Silvestre, Transe, Possession, Spiritualité.

Submitted by Oliveira Santos Dilzaná (dilznana@yahoo.com.br) on 2013-11-04T14:59:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dário Ribeiro de Sales Júnior.pdf: 848404 bytes, checksum: b5aabb553c60d611eebb9f7560a5022c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Portela (anapoli@ufba.br) on 2013-11-18T17:13:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dário Ribeiro de Sales Júnior.pdf: 848404 bytes, checksum: b5aabb553c60d611eebb9f7560a5022c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-11-18T17:13:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dário Ribeiro de Sales Júnior.pdf: 848404 bytes, checksum: b5aabb553c60d611eebb9f7560a5022c (MD5) / FAPESB / O objetivo geral desta dissertação é propor uma alternativa teórica para a compreensão dos processos de aprendizagem, tendo como ponto de partida a observação e análise de como as crianças candomblecistas aprendem a lidar com as demandas implicadas no pertencimento religioso. Entenda-se por demandas: (1) as habilidades que as suas posições na hierarquia sacerdotal solicitam, bem como (2) as relações que são estabelecidas com as entidades espirituais e com outros membros do grupo religioso e (3) o enfrentamento de episódios de intolerância religiosa. Durante aproximadamente quatorze meses eu desenvolvi pesquisa etnográfica junto a nove crianças em dois terreiros de Candomblé da região metropolitana de Salvador, Bahia. A partir da análise das relações que as crianças estabelecem com outros membros mais habilidosos e com o ambiente no qual elas habitam, busquei compreender o que as crianças querem dizer quando afirmam que aprendem olhando. Defendo que, para elas, obervar alguém é o mesmo que participar de uma atividade. Observar é o mesmo que seguir os passos de outros seres humanos e não-humanos e, portanto, não pode ser definido como uma atitude meramente passiva. Aponto que as brincadeiras infantis que envolvem aspectos religiosos são fundamentais para o desenvolvimento de um habitus. Além disso, as cerimônias públicas do Candomblé constituem excelentes oportunidades para que as crianças possam desenvolver e refinar algumas de suas habilidades. Conclui que as crianças aprendem a partir de seu envolvimento diário nas dinâmicas do terreiro e o que elas aprendem são disposições corporificadas para agir e não representações acerca do mundo. Esse tipo de aprendizado está assentado em um senso de familiaridade que precede o processo formal de iniciação religiosa. Por fim, procuro evidenciar como o engajamento religoso e sua consequente objetificação do sujeito implica ter que lidar com episódios de intolerância religiosa na infância. Dados etnográficos e o paradigma da corporeidade neo-fenomenológico alicerçam e guiam as reflexões aqui esboçadas. This thesis’ main aim is to propose an theorical alternative for understanding the religious learning processes, taking as its starting point the observation and analysis of how children who follow the Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion, handle the demands of their religion. By demands I mean: (1) the skills that are required by their positions in the sacerdotal hierarchy of that religion, (2) the relationships that are established with spiritual entities and other members of the religious group and (3) dealing with episodes of religious intolerance. During almost fourteen months I carried on an ethnographic research in two terreiros (cult house) of Candomblé in the metropolitan area of Salvador, the capital of the State of Bahia, Brazil. Based on analysis of the relations that the children establish with others more skilled Candomblé practitioners and the environment they dwell in, I sought to understand what the children mean when they say that they learn by observing other people’s actions. I claim that for them to look at someone is a synonym for taking part in an activity, it means to follow other (human and non-human) beings’ paths and, therefore, cannot be defined as a simple passive attitude. I point out that the children’s games which involve some religious aspect are fundamental to the development of a habitus. Besides, the public rituals of Candomblé are notably opportunities for kids to develop and refine some of their skills. I conclude that the children learn through their daily engagement in the terreiros’ dynamic and what they learn are embodied dispositions to act and not representations about the world. This kind of learning is grounded on a sense of familiarity which precedes the formal process of initiation in the religion. Finally, I intend to demonstrate how the religious engagement and its consequent objectivizing of the subject implies learning how to struggle against religious intolerance in the childhood. Ethnographic data, the theory of practice and a neo-phenomenological embodiment paradigm ground and guide the reflections here outlined.

This study explored the origins, evolution and influence of the tradition of San Lázaro as it currently pertains to the Cuban-American Santeria community in Miami. The main argument of the study is that in the context of the contemporary religious culture of Santeria in Miami, San Lázaro is a hybrid spirit. Many manifestations of healing entities have come to merge in the person of this spirit. Though practitioners identify with specific manifestations of this spirit, the processes of transmigration have blurred the lines of deep-rooted faiths and created a fusion of meanings from disparate traditions, making San Lázaro an ambivalent personality. San Lázaro’s ambivalence is the very quality that makes him such an important Orisha. As a deity whose personalities demonstrates the combination of a diversity of qualities, including those that contradict each other, San Lázaro is deployed in a very broad range of healing context, making him a versatile Orisha. This study clarified the contrasting qualities this deity embodies and traces the socio-historical context in which the deity acquires the layers of meanings it is currently associated with. Drawing on interviews with Lázaranian worshipers [Lázarenos] in Miami and engaging in Bourdieu’s concept of Habitus, the study provided a window into the nature of the tradition of San Lázaro and how its usage is linked with the African heritage of the worshipers.

Cette thèse a pour objectif de montrer un des impacts de l'esclavage sur l'histoire des peuples africains et leurs descendants. Comment ce fait a pu façonner la vie spirituelle des diasporas des Amériques, et en particulier du Brésil, et de quelle manière ces différentes populations ont su dialoguer entre elles, mais aussi s'approprier et transformer les valeurs culturelles des peuples qui les ont soumis. Tout en s'adaptant à ces nouveaux contextes, elles ont préservé leurs mémoires spirituelles en créant des intermédiaires cultuels comme l'entité du Seja Hundê, Candomblé jeje de Bahia, le vudum Lebabimibome, qui fusionne le singe et le Messager des religions ancestrales fon et yorouba Eshu-Legba. Par l'adoption de cette nouvelle manifestation religieuse, elles ont également su recycler l'image utilisée par les colonisateurs à l'encontre des Africains, associé à des singes et décrit comme un chaînon manquant entre l'homme et l'animal, ainsi des individus ont pu échapper à l'esclavage en refusant l'usage de parole. Aussi, par la ruse des singes des contes populaires, l'histoire sociale des esclaves et des libres subalternes vivant dans cette société est racontée ce qui constitue une archive de l'époque. / This dissertation aims to show how the enslavement of African peoples on the African continent and in the Americas has deeply influenced the spiritual and intellectual lives of Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora, particularly in Brazil. African peoples learned from the beginning how to dialogue with other Africans ethnicities and how to assess the cultural values being imposed by those people who dominated them. They could transform those values to their needs. Also they managed to safeguard their ancestral spiritual heritage, creating a vudu, known as Lebabimibome, merged with the Messenger of the Fon/Yoruba religion Eshu-Legba, and with a monkey. In this way they wittingly illustrated the European idea that Africans were the missing link between men and monkeys. Some Africans strategically accepted this image and used it to escape slavery by refusing to use spoken words in their relationship with Europeans and Native Americans. By using the monkey's guile, as described in these animal tales, the oral tradition could integrate the hermeneutical aspect of Eshu-Legba to translate the social history of the enslaved and subaltern peoples within these fables which function as archives in Brazilian society. / O objetivo desta tese é de demonstrar um dos impactos da escravidão na historia de povos africanos e afrodescendentes, de como este fato marcou a vida espiritual e intelectual das diasporas nas Américas, e da brasileira em especial Também, teatamos mostrar como estas populações souberam dialogar primeiramente entre elas e em seguida apropriar-se e transformar e transformar os valores culturais dos povos que os subjugaram Ao mesmo tempo que adaptavam aos novos contextos, estas populações souberam preservar suas memorias espirituais e conseguiram criar intermediarios sagrados como aquele do Seja Hundê, Candomblé Jeje da Bahia, o vudum Lebabimibome, hibrido do Messageiro das religiões ancestrais fon e ioruba Exu-Legba e de um macaco Pela adoção desta nova manifestação religiosa, esses povos souberam estrategicament reciclar ao mesmo tempo uma velha idéia construida pelos colonizadores sobre os africanos, que os associavam aos macacos, que eles eram o elo que ligava o homem ao animal, mas para poder escapar à escravidão certos grupos africanos utilizaram a mimica como meio de comunicação com os estrangeiros; por outro lado pelas artimanhas dos macacos dos contos populares, a vida social dos escravos e dos livres subalternos desta sociedade é também contada, transformando-os em arquivos de suas épocas

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Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished