The document is a presentation about the Orisha tradition, a living culture originating from Africa that was brought by slaves to the Caribbean. It discusses the origins of the tradition in Trinidad, how the practices were conducted secretly under persecution but have lasted 500 years. It describes some of the deities, ceremonies, syncretism with Christianity, and how the tradition has evolved, influencing music genres like reggaeton. It provides videos of Orisha ceremonies and music as examples.

1. THE ORISHA
TRADITION: A LIVING
CULTURE
A PRESENTATION BY PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 842-74-3010
Background Music by:
YO SOY BABALU
Bobby Cruz & Richie Ray Orchestra: The Best
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON ENGLISH 6488 DR. FIET 1

2. THE ORISHA TRADITION: A LIVING CULTURE
The Orisha Religion in
Trinidad
The overwhelming
“He gone Moruga Road,
need to retain the
memory from
boy. He gone to look for
obeah man - come, le we go, generation to
generation of
he gone Moruga Road.”
African traditions,
notions of divinity
and complex
The old lavvay ran round
pantheons of Orisha
and round in my head as
(the gods), so as to
we drove further and
maintain meaning
and purpose in lives
further into the south
now so terribly
lands of Trinidad.
displaced.
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 2ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

3. THE ORISHA TRADITION: A LIVING
CULTURE
The Orisha Religion
in Trinidad

ORIGINS
PRACTICES

DIASPORA
CEREMONIES

PERSECUSSION
SINCRETICISM

DEITIES
12/10/13
EVOLUTION
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 3ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

4. The Orisha Religion in Trinidad

ORIGINS: The retention of African traditions and religion
has defined the lives of untold hundreds who have been the
culture-bearers and the culture-sharers over the first two
centuries of the African presence in this island. Such a person
was a remarkable man called Carrie Nelson. A powerful
African, leader, a Babalao, high priest, who was orthodox to a
fine point. When I met him many years ago at Mayo, he had a
large family, several sons and daughters. They worked with
him at the great “feasts”, serving in the various roles of the
rituals. He was known as a diviner and a healer. J.D. Elder in
a paper given during the Black History Week of 1987
remarked that he was a great organiser and was something of
a missionary for the Orisha religion.
http://caribbeanhistoryarchives.blogspot.com/2011/11/orisha
-religion-in-trinidad.html
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 4ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

5. THE ORISHA TRADITION: A LIVING
CULTURE

DIASPORA: As the colonizers from different European
countries were coming and inhabiting different islands in the
Caribbean, the Africans were spread among al of them;
including South regions of the North American Continent (The
South of USA).

PERSECUSSION: Their ancestral traditions as well
as religious practices were conducted secretly. Hidden from
their “Masters”, specially during nigh time. But even thought
their practices were banded their desires for keeping their
traditions alive, lasts up after almost five hundred years of
been persecuted.
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 5ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

6. The Orisha Religion in Trinidad


SINCRETICISM: Corrie Nelson was a devout
Roman Catholic and much involved in the work of the Mayo
church. However, he did not allow his belief in Christianity to
interfere with his allegiance to the ancient Orishas. To him,
the supreme one, whether called Olorun, Yahwe or Chukwa
Acko, was one and the same creator, known and recognised
by all. To him, the supreme one, the great spirit, reveals itself
to various men in various ways. There was no conflict
between African and Roman traditional religions as far as he
was concerned.
Dr. Elder remembers that when Corrie Nelson died, “we
buried him with true African ceremonials after the Roman
Catholic priest from Tortuga had performed the sacred mass
for this great leader.”
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 6ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

7. The Orisha Religion in Trinidad


DEITIES: There were old people who come to talk on
African religious practice, the Spiritual Baptist (John work),
Independent Baptist (Mt. Elvin) and about the religious jubilees
(spirituals) of the Fifth Company “Merikins” people. At that time,
there were still people who could remember themselves as Haussa,
Yoruba, Congo, and Ibo, retaining from one generation to the next
traditions handed down.
Dr. Elder recounts memories of the Congo priest Jeanvill
Pierre, present with his large family at Shango feasts, ready to
assist with the beating of the Bata drums for Shango. The
memory of some of the most beautiful chants and orikis to
Shango will forever stay with those who heard those lovely
children sing that day, now so long ago.
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 7ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

8. The Orisha Religion in Trinidad

PRACTICES: The Congo people sang their
own strange sacred litanies over the grave as the
sun went down, the twilight lingering, the echo of
the drums reverberating in the long valley which
seemed to be calling “the old people” to take their
“sunnyboy home”.

We took the Manyhambri Road in Princes Town
and drove into undulating countryside, looking for
stories of the African remnant of long ago. The road
eventually took us to sleepy Lengua Village.
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 8ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

9. The Orisha Religion in Trinidad


CEREMONIES: It was he (Carrie Nelson) who
along with his brother spread the religion into the Oropouche
district during the migration of cocoa farmers from the
Montserrat Valley during the serious famine of the 1930s. Up
until the 1960s, there were shrines to Orisha divinities all
through Fyzabad, Duncan Village and Bamboo Creek, all
established as the result of his hard work. His Mayo Hill shrine
was a centre piece from which radiated his powerful
intentions. Elder recounts Nelson’s “mastery of the Orisha
liturgy. From Indian Trail, the old Carib footpath, to Moruga
Road, scores of devotees came to celebrate the yearly
anniversaries to the powers.”
http://caribbeanhistoryarchives.blogspot.com/2011/11/
orisha-religion-in-trinidad.html
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 9ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

10. The Orisha Religion in Trinidad

CEREMONIES: In the following links we have
videoclips in which an Orisha Ceremony is conducted.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9lGVF6jYN4&list=PLEE9CBAE8DF9BE362&index=1
The Ifa Divination System
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEE9CBAE8DF9BE362
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQZtXmnl28Y
The Yoruba, Ifa, And Santeria Systems. The History And The Basics
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 10
ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

11. THE ORISHA TRADITION: A LIVING
CULTURE

EVOLUTION: Trinidadian Steel Pan Music

http://www.historical-museum.org/exhibits/carib/carib.htm
#Trinidad


The instruments that North Americans usually refer to as “steel
drums” are called “pans” in Trinidad, the country in which they
were invented. The making of pans is a complex process in which a
craftsman first pounds the bottom of an oil or chemical drum into a
concave shape. On this surface individual sections are then grooved
to form distinct notes. There are several types of pans, each with a
specific range of notes, in a standard steelband.
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 11
ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

12. THE ORISHA TRADITION: A LIVING
CULTURE

EVOLUTION: Indo-Caribbean Percussion

At the religious and social events of Trinidadians and Guyanese of East
Indian descent in South Florida, the double-headed dholak drum is one of
the most popular musical instruments. The dholak is generally played in an
ensemble that also includes a harmonium (a small hand-pumped organ)
and a dhantal (a metal rod played with a striker). Other percussion
instruments, such as the mangeera and the jhal (different sized pairs of
cymbals), are frequently played as well. Dholak-based ensembles
accompany group or solo singing at Hindu religious services, weddings and
festivals, such as Divali and Phagwa. Among the musical genres performed
are bhajans (hymns) and “classical” songs that are distinctively Caribbean.
Another type of Indo-Caribbean percussion is the tassa ensemble, which
includes conical tassa drums, a double-headed bass drum and a jhanj (a
large pair of cymbals).
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 12
ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

13. THE ORISHA TRADITION: A LIVING
CULTURE


Puerto Rican and Cuban Secular Percussion
Two of the best-known forms of music from Puerto Rico are bomba
and plena. The African-derived bomba features highly expressive
dancing and singing, traditionally accompanied by two barrelshaped bomba drums, a cuá (any hard surface that is struck with a
pair of sticks) and maracas (gourd rattles). Plena songs, valued for
their commentary on Puerto Rican life, are typically performed by
an ensemble that includes three or more panderos (small frame
drums), a cuá, a güiro (gourd scraper), and one or more nonpercussive instruments, such as a sinfonia (harmonica) or guitar. In
Miami bombas and plenas are played and sung at birthday parties,
Christmas celebrations and other community gatherings. They are
also presented by ensembles in choreographed shows.
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 13
ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

14. THE ORISHA TRADITION: A LIVING
CULTURE


EVOLUTION: Haitian Percussion:
At the heart of Haitian percussion in Miami are the rich African-derived
religious and artistic traditions of Vodou. In Vodou ceremonies, drums and
other percussion instruments enable devotees to establish contact with the
lwa (deities). The lwa are divided into several nations, the two main groupings
of which are Rada and Petwo. This basic division is reflected in drum
ensembles. The three drums of the Rada ensemble have cowhide covers that
are attached with wooden pegs, while the two or three drums of the Petwo
ensemble have goatskin covers attached with cords. Petwo drums have a
sharper sound, which reflects the aggressive temperament of their lwa. Other
Vodou instruments are the ogan (a piece of iron played with a metal striker),
the tcha-tcha (a small rattle), the ason (a calabash that is covered with a
mesh of beads) and Cuban congas. In Miami Vodou percussion is used not
only in ceremonies but in the staged presentations of misik rasin (roots music)
bands and folkloric troupes. By drawing on folk music and other traditional
arts, these groups create performances that celebrate Haitian culture and
comment on the political experiences of the Haitian people.
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 14
ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

15. THE ORISHA TRADITION: A LIVING
CULTURE


EVOLUTION: Nowadays we find traces of the Orisha
Tradition, especialy in music. This musical video represents the
evolution of the music devoted to the Orisha tradition, using musical
elements such as “Regueaton”, integrated to Calipso and other
Caribbean rhytms.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=TBg3Vj_DZZ4&list=PLF6E70EA62E2F9457
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 15
ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

16. REFERENCES
Besso, Gerard A., The Caribbean History Archives, Paria Publishing Co. LTD.
The Orisha Religion in Trinidad http://caribbeanhistoryarchives.blogspot.com/2011/11/
orisha-religion-in-trinidad.html Monday, 7 November 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9lGVF6jYN4&list=PLEE9CBAE8DF9BE362&index=1
The Ifa Divination System
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEE9CBAE8DF9BE362 ,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQZtXmnl28Y
The Yoruba, Ifa, And Santeria Systems. The History And The Basics
City of the World | Trinidadian Orisha
Meeting of Orisha Shrines in Trinidad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4Mrn3jkjJ0
Por qué será? -Ari, Roldan(Orishas), Jotamayuscula
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBg3Vj_DZZ4&list=PLF6E70EA62E2F9457
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON 16
ENGLISH 6488 DR. F

17. Thanks for your
attention
I hope you all enjoyed this presentation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBg3Vj_DZZ4&list=PLF6E70EA62E2F9457
12/10/13
PABLO FERNANDEZ COLON ENGLISH 6488 DR. FIET17