Eli Van Buren

The symbolism of the head has a very powerful meaning in Yoruba and the African Diaspora religions’ culture. It is said that one has two heads: the outer spiritual head and the inner spiritual head. I don’t really care about the outer head. The inner spiritual head is physically represented in the Ile Ori, or the “House of the Head.” I chose to study the Ile Ori in the Spirited Things exhibition because I’d like to realize why ancient Yoruba peoples put such a strong emphasis on the head and how those practices translated to Haitian Vodun across generations and the Atlantic ocean. The inner head is so central to Afro-Atlantic spirituality that people would almost entirely cover their Ile Ori with cowrie shells, the equivalent to plastering the steering wheel of your car with dollar bills. In Black Atlantic spirituality, the head is closely tied to the concept of Ifa; fate or destiny. In understanding the significance of something so culturally important, one can see into the values of a culture to gain a view of a much broader concept: how this specific culture approaches one of humanity’s greatest spiritual questions about fate, destiny, and free will.

A couple class readings evidence and answers can be pulled from include The Yoruba World by Drewal, Pemberton, and Abiodun, as well as Afro-Caribbean Spirituality: A Haitian Case Study by Karen McCarthy Brown. The former article touches on the importance of the inu ori (inner head), ile ori, and the individuality associated with both. “The privacy and uniqueness of a person is the theme of the ile ori (‘house of the head’)…the object holds a symbol…of a person’s inner, spiritual essence.” (Drewal Pemberton Abiodun 27) In contrast to expressing a person’s individuality, the inu ori has much to do with spirit possession; orisa inhabiting one’s head and body. The Haitian case study can lend some insight into showing what methods and symbols have changed from traditional Yoruba worship to Vodun in the context of possession. Both of these two articles provide a wealth of information as a base for my continued external research to expand upon.

To find some answers, or at least the information I need to form my own answers, I should consult our UVM library to find some published sources on the Ile Ori. Ideally some sort of in depth analysis of the sculpture, explaining the different parts and meanings of each, though I may need to look through a few sources to find consistencies. Additionally, I am sure Duke University’s African religions website has quite a few articles on what I’m looking for. Context-providing secondary sources could be anything from traditional stories pertaining to the importance of the Ile Ori, to anthropological articles detailing how people relate to their Ile Ori and treat it in an everyday context.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wn4-n9Ij01RA9pvItlslwNflXLrl7opU4wnmL0PVLr8/edit?usp=sharing

I am studying the Cuban House for Elegguá. It is a wooden model house covered in red and black beads, a wooden face, and cowry shells. It is a representation of the god Elegguá or Eshu who is the crossroads god. Elegguá has the power to make all things happen. He represents all the possible paths of life. He is the messenger for all Orisha (gods). I am researching this object because I want a better understanding of how the crossroads work in the Cuban Santeria religion, and what sociological significance they hold. Understanding the sociological significance of the crossroads will help my reader understand the indigenous concepts of power and how western society demonizes what they cannot fully understand.

In class, we have talked on multiple occasions about Eshu and his powers as the crossroads god. Elegguá/ Eshu is this little god who has the ability to make life problematic or painless. Elegguá has power over everyone due to the fact that he is the messenger for all Orishas. In Flash of the Spirit Thompson talks about Eshu and his characterization as “ ‘The devil’ ”(Flash19) by missionaries. Thompson then continues to describe Eshu and show the reader that he isn’t “The Devil” but is “Outwardly mischievous but inwardly full of overflowing grace”(Flash 19). Thompson caps it off by saying that he cannot be characterized even by his own people “Even his names compound his mystery” (Flash 19). This is due to the fact that Eshu has many different names such as Eshu, Elegbara, Elegguá, and Elegba. He is known as “The childless wanderer” (flash 19) or “owner of power”(flash 19). It is incredibly interesting how Eshu has this power that connects all of these followers with their gods and for the most part binds their society together.

To fully develop my understanding of Elegguá/Eshu and indigenous concepts of power I am going to look at articles on Eshu to increase my understanding of his responsibilities and his ties to other Orisha. I would like to look at journals and recordings of Elegguá festivals and ceremonies so that I can build background knowledge. Finally, I hope to find some sort of interview with a religious figure in which questions are asked about the significance of Elegguá/ Esu in these religions.

Jack Bechtold

I am studying the Votary sculpture for Esu found in the Sacred Arts of the Black Atlantic exhibit. The sculpture is carved from wood, stands two feet tall, and features Esu, with a typical Janus-like projection from the rear of his head, riding a horse and surrounded by ritual assistants. I would like to further understand a concept briefly outlined in the sculpture’s description found in exhibit’s website, the concept of Esu and other Orisha being visually depicted as foreigners. This topic will better allow myself and readers to understand some of the blending and hybridity that occurs in Yoruba religion and culture.

Johnson’s “Syncretism and Hybridity” is particularly relevant to my research. In his writing, Johnson notes that, “This [hybridity] has value for students of religion because it reminds us to distinguish the deliberate efforts towards combining parts of various religious traditions from unintentional or unconscious or interpenetration. “Syncretism and Hybridity” and other writings will allow me to better understand and explain the concept of visual depiction of Esu and other Orisha as foreigners.

To aid my research, I will need to utilize several sources. Primary sources I can utilize include other depictions of Esu or other Orisha as hailing from a foreign land or culture. Other useful sources include documents and readings on cultural blending and hybridity. Sources containing detailed descriptions of the construction and meaning of details in an Esu statue, such as the one found on the Sacred Arts of the Black Atlantic website, will be extremely helpful in furthering my knowledge on the subject.

I am studying an alter crown for Yemoyá from the Santoriá religion. I’m studying this because I want to discover how the object is used, and how it differs from other crowns in the Santeriá religion and how it differs from the crowns in other Yoruba religions, as well as looking at the differences in the crowns at differing levels in the hierarchy and royalty within the gods. The crown is an important part to these religions and to the way that they are used within families and their altars, which is what makes studying the symbolism of the crowns so interesting. Through researching these questions, I will be able to help the reader understand the symbolism of the crown and what makes them so important as well as looking at the different types of crowns and how they differ in the different religions.

Crowns play a role in many of the religions and altars that we have been studying, so this connects my object and the questions I am asking about them perfectly as I am asking about how the crowns differ across the religions that we are studying. When we look at the religions that we have been studying we generally see the crowns in two different places, we either find them on altars as crowns for the soup tureen, or we find them being used as crowns for sovereigns.  “Crown, Ekiti, 19^th-20^th century. The conical beaded crown with veil symbolizes the inner spiritual head of the kind and links him with all his royal ancestors who have joined the pantheon of gods.”  (Drewal, Pemberton & Abiodun, p. 32) This is a demonstration of a crown symbol in another yoruba related religion, which could be used to show the reader the symbolism of the crown and what makes them so important in the religions.

To find information about crowns I will need to use many different resources as I am not just looking at one religion in particular. So, to find enough information I will be looking for articles about them, if I could find something that is written by an altar maker or someone who makes crowns that would be ideal. My secondary sources could be various books or other articles written about the altars or religions to help me to contextualize the types of crowns for that specific religion. If I could find a documentary that studies the altars that would also help to contextualize the altar crowns in relation to their importance with the other parts of the altars.

-Sam Brady

Noah Stommel

I am studying a soup tureen dedicated to the goddess Obba, wife of the thunder god Shango. This tureen is bright pink and is decorated with beads and cowrie shells in symmetrical patterns. This tureen is intended to symbolize the significance of a legend in which Obba was tricked into cutting off her ear by her co-wife, which she then served to Shango in a stew. Of course, rather than an ear in the tureen, traditional stones and cowrie shells would be placed inside to activate it. I am interested in finding out how this tureen is activated in context by people of Yoruba and Santeria faiths. Answering this question will help readers to understand the importance of key aspects of altar activation in Yoruba-inspired religions, as well as the value of the roles a tureen like this one might play in the lives of a dedicated Yoruba or Santeria practitioner.

Answers to these questions may emerge out of several of the class readings, including “The Yoruba World,” by Drewal, Pemberton, and Abiodun, which discusses the importance of Ase in activating art forms in Orisha religion. Ase is the life force possessed by every single thing in this world. Ultimately, “existence, according to Yoruba thought is dependent upon it; it is the power to make things happen and change” (Drewal, Pemberton & Abiodun, p. 16). Consequently, Ase has a big influence on the power of art in Orisha religion, as elaborated up in “Ase: Verbalizing and Visualizing Creative Power Through Art,” by Rowland Abiodun. Specifically related to my object of interest is a reading called “Face of the Gods: The Artists and Their Altars,” by Robert Farris Thompson, which cites an example of tureens symbolizing the presence of multiple orisha, given authority through the placement of stones and within the tureens themselves, similarly to the one in the museum.

In the library, I intend to find further sources to help me find the answer to the question of how this tureen is used by people of Yoruba and Santeria faiths, and how contextualization may influence activation and importance in honoring Obba. One source I intend to consult could be a catalogue of religious artifacts significant to Orisha religions of the Atlantic. Looking through such a catalogue would also give me insight into how similar items may be activated to be of religious significance. Films that investigate first-hand how these items are utilized would also be very valuable in discerning how Yoruba people and their descendants use tureens in their religion. Secondary sources would also be important for conducting research, as they provide an analysis of primary sources that could therefore be helpful for forming ideas. Articles and reviews on films or exhibits are great ways to gather a richer understanding of the items we are trying to learn more about.