Greg Doyle

TAP: Altars of the Black Atlantic

Professor Brennan

9/15/17

Reflection

In the recent weeks of class, we have discussed the religions of the African continent, their cultures and traditions, and how they came to the Americas during the Mid-Atlantic Slave Trade. Specifically, we have been talking about Syncretism/Hybridism and how it has became apparent in many of both the practitioners and hybrid traditions in many African religions, mainly the Yoruba tradition. In many of our readings, we have discovered that many traditions originated on a specific continent, such as the Yoruba Tradition, in Africa, or Santeria, or Candomble, have been traveling from their original place of creation, to new lands, and even blend with existing religious traditions in these “new lands”. The prime example of this process, referred to as hybridization is described by Steve Engler as: “The way in which social boundaries that are activated and reworked within system of religious beliefs and practices, and how they reflect, retract, and combine with homologous boundaries present in a given society”. Many practitioners of Yoruba culture, were taken to the America’s, and despite the fact that they left their home, the memories of culture and sacred traditions never left their memories and hearts; as one practitioner stated in the video we watched: “Although we left Africa, Africa never left us”.
This blending of religious practices, can be understood as a process of evolution, in faith, almost a renaissance, as described in the video. A renaissance in essence, is a rebirth. With the blending of these religious practices amongst people of different backgrounds, ethnic belongings, lifestyles, etc. These religions which were long thought to have been laid to rest once the practitioners were taken and sent away from their homes of worship, are now beginning to see the light of a new dawn, a new day. These religions are growing, in strength and numbers each and every day, because their practitioners are now seeking safe, and nurturing places to practice their newly formed faiths, and to introduce their cultures to the world and the rest of its inhabitants. An emphasized example, of the blending of many religious traditions, is in the Osun-Osogbo festival, as seen in the video required for this assignment.
We can observe the Osun-Osogbo festival, that occurred in the video, and identify certain aspects of the ritualistic traditions occurring, and how we can relate the aspects of this particular tradition to other traditions of separate religious practices. For example, although not in the actual festival itself, there is a ceremony, where a child is taken to the side of a river and ran water over their heads and asked blessings from the goddess Osun. This ceremony is incredibly similar to the tradition of Baptism in Christianity/Catholicism, where a child is bathed in holy water and receives God’s blessings. Also, during the festival, candles, incense, and bells are used to both call the attention of the goddess into a ritualistic space, but also to center her attention amongst two initiate priestesses of the Osun tradition. Third, there are many instances where altars are sed to place various objects, offerings, statues, etc. That call the attention of the divine, and create a space to worship their presence and their influence. Again, in many modern monotheistic and polytheistic religions, altars are used to worship a god (s) or goddess (es).