I have chosen to study the Cuban Santería altar to Ochosi. It is a beautiful altar with a vase decorated with blue, yellow, and coral beads, and it sits next to a bow and arrow, decorated with the same beads. Ochosi is a divine hunter, known for his arrows that never miss their mark. He represents swift and blind justice, and is close friends with Eleggua and Ogun. I would like to find out how followers of Ochosi practice honoring him, and how he impacts the daily life of followers who have either gained his favor or his disdain. For example, I would like to research when, how often, and in what manner his followers worship him, and in what circumstances he brings fortune, misfortune, or other changes to their lives in return. I believe that this research will help my reader try to see an important aspect of Santería culture and religion in Cuba from less of an outsider’s view.

While our readings have focused greatly on the spread of African diasporic religions, I plan on focusing less on how he may have changed as a result of Yoruba religion spreading to Cuba, and more on the immediate impacts that he has on his followers. Robert Farris Thompson’s Flash of the Spirit goes into some detail on the mythology of Ochosi, and even describes, “a strange, bramble-like shrine, the ojubo oshoosi, for sacrifice to Oshoosi”(Thompson, 58). Many of our readings don’t focus in on specific aspects of worship that currently occur in the world, so I believe that researching such topics will provide many interesting opportunities to view the world of Orisha worship.

To complete my research, I imagine that I’ll need lots of primary resources. I anticipate utilizing books and literary works with information about Ochosi and rituals devoted to him. I would also like to be able to find primary resources such as films or interviews that center on actual people that worship Ochosi, to get a first-hand account and hear about the experience of people that aren’t outsiders. I also believe that secondary resources could be helpful, because they could analyze the accuracy of primary sources discussing Ochosi worship, or discuss whether or not sources are written as heavily biased, or from the view of an outsider. With these sources, I believe that I could find a lot of useful information on the worship and actions of the Santería orisha Ochosi.