Santeria

Santeria

When he or she feels the need to pray to his god, a Cuban
can be as likely to go to his santero as he would be to go to his priest. For many Cubans, both Santeria and Catholicism
are practiced in a weird duality less common in the rest of the world. It's like spiritual matters are referred to
one of two religious systems which somehow exist side-by-side within the Cuban
culture.

How did this come to be?
Major factors in Cuban history since the arrival of the Spanish have
something to do with it. Cuba is
particularly sensitive to the residual effects of Spanish rule and slavery—having
suffered greatly from both influences longer than all the other new world
countries. Slavery didn't end in Cuba
until 1880, and Spanish domination, with its pervasive corruption continued
until 1898 despite three Cuban wars of independence.

The Spanish, from the time of Columbus oppressed the African
slaves in Cuba to work the plantations.
They required of the slaves faithful participation in the Catholic Church. The slaves, knowing you cannot dominate a
person's mind, gave outward obedience by keeping Catholic shrines, crosses,
saints, etc., but in their minds these symbols represented Santeria orishes
(channeling entities that connect with Santeria's one god, Olorum). Thus a slave girl kneeling in front of an
altar with an idol of a Catholic saint was really communing with Chango, an
orish. The name Santeria was derived
from "santa," the Spanish word for "saint," and because of
the deception involved, was disliked by many as the name of the religion. Some still prefer "the Yoruba Religion"
named for a tribe in Africa.

Common practice is to follow both religions, choosing
between them based on the nature of one's religious need. The Cuban will use the Catholic Church and
the national health system for support during preventative health care, inoculations,
and for surgery, but he would see his santero on spiritual, emotional, or
mental matters. The santero will not
intervene medically beyond giving some herbs, chants, and drumming.

One facet of Santeria widely disliked is the practice of
animal sacrifice. Most sacrifices are
birds and turtles, but goats and sheep are victimized as well. These sacrifices have stimulated opposition
based on animal cruelty laws here in the US.
In the early 1990's a case was taken all the way to the US Supreme Court
with some help from the Humane Society of the US, but the court held the
sacrifices are constitutionally protected as a religious freedom. The Texas court system also upheld a man's right
to religious sacrifice of animals in 2009.

It's too bad that animal sacrifice, one of the most unjust
and unfair of all religious practices, has been upheld in the US. The way I look at it, the animals should have
their own Bill of Rights.

Les Inglis