Tag Archives: orixás

Who is Exu of Candomblé?

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Exu is the orixá of communication. He is the guardian of towns, cities, houses, of axé (supernatural forces of energy, power and nature), of things that occur and of human behavior. The word Èsù in Yorubá means “sphere” and, in truth, Exu is the orixá of movement.

He is the one that receives the offerings first in order to assure that everything will go well and to guarantee his function as a messenger between Orun and Aiye, the material world and the spiritual one, be fulfilled. In Africa during the time of colonization, Exu was incorrectly compared to the Christian devil by the colonizers, due to his irreverent and playful style as well as the form in which he is represented in African worship, as an erect human phallus, symbolizing fertility.

By being provoking, indecent, tricky and sensual, he is commonly confused as a Satanic figure, which is absurd according to the Yorubá theology, given that he isn’t in opposition to God, much less is he considered a personification of Evil. In the Yorubá religion, there aren’t devils or even entities commissioned with the single task of doing bad things such as what occurs in the Christian religions, which say that all that is bad is the fault of a single being that was expelled. In Yorubá mythology, just as in that of Candomblé, each of the entities (orixás) have their positive and negative side, just like humans.

In Brazil, in the Candomblé religion, Exu is one of the most important orixás and always the first to receive the offerings, the songs, and the prayers. He is greeted before all other orixás, before all ceremonies or events. The Exu orixá doesn’t show up as a consultant like the Exus of Umbanda but he can be found at the entrances of all houses of Candomblé as a guardian, and in every such house, there is a room for Exu, always separated from the other orixás.

Monday is the day of Exu. His colors are red and black; his symbol is the ogó (a stick with gourds which represents the phallus); his contas (colored beaded necklaces, representing one’s rank in Candomblé) are black and red; the offerings are of goats and roosters, black if possible, and aguardente, accompanied by food made with dendê oil.

Below, is an hour-long documentary (in PT) on Exu, in case you want to learn more.

Dança das Cabaças – Exu no Brasil

Macumba – Black Magic?

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The Brazilian View

Macumba is a word of African (Bantu) origins. Various explanations of its meaning include “a musical instrument”, the name of a Central African deity, and simply “magic”. It was the name used for all Bantu religious practices mainly in Rio de Janeiro in the 19th Century and even today it will be confused with Candomblé (even though in Macumba there are no vestiges of Christianity nor of Orixás, among other things).

The word “macumba” is frequently used in Brazil to refer to any ritual or religion of African origin (as slang), and although its use by non-practitioners remains largely pejorative in intent (referring to all sorts of religious (or otherwise) superstitions and luck-related rituals and beliefs), and is considered offensive, its use among actual practitioners is not viewed negatively. In Brazil one can find expressions such as “chuta que é macumba” (“kick it out, for it is witchcraft!”) to show disagreement with bad luck.

It is quite normal outside of the bigger cities to hear about who in town is doing macumba. I was told that a neighbor of mine was a part-time macumbeiro (a practitioner) and a computer repairman the rest of the time. Also, much like in voodoo, if someone gets a hold of a lock of your hair, it is said jokingly that they will do macumba on you.

African Origins

Macumba is also practiced in equatorial Africa, in particular in both the Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo, where there is some indication this “religion” originated. As the Bantu are found in the Congos, it is reasonable to assume it was transplanted by slaves from Congo to Brazil.

As observed in the Republic of Congo in Brazzaville, Macumba is practiced by females exclusively, who were noted as having set-up tables and selling various herbs to passersby. There is also a link to the usage of various jungle intoxicants by practicers of Macumba.

Example

In the Amazonian city of Santarem, Para State, there is a shop which sells materials related to Macumba in the central part of the city. One symbol of Macumba in Amazonas is that of a Black man wearing a white Fedora hat. There appears to be a relationship with the concept of the Boto (the fresh-water porpoise found in the Amazonas River and its tributaries) having shape-shifting abilities and then while in the form of a human male having sexual relations with young women. This belief was noted in several Indian villages along the Amazonas (Solimoes) River, Rio Negro and Japura River.

As an example of how Macumba functions, if a person desires to receive money, he/she visits a person or a shop specializing in Macumba, such as the one in Santarem. After paying a sum to the specialist, the person is then given a certain herb gathered in the jungle and is told to put the herb in bathwater and told to bath in it daily for seven days. The person utilizing the herb is then supposed to receive money thereafter. In Brazil it appears that males often are involved in the dispensing of Macumba knowledge/spells/materials

Enfim (Ultimately)

It is difficult to pin-point exactly what Macumba is, as it includes a wide variety of beliefs and is not static or defined to any extent. The only absolute statement which can be made in reference to Macumba is that in both Congo and Brazil Macumba uses plants and herbs gathered from the jungle and the knowledge of a person experienced in its usage to bring about an event or a desired effect for the person seeking to use Macumba.

Candomblé – Afro-Brazilian Religion

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Candomblé is an African-originated or Afro-Brazilian religion, practiced chiefly in Brazil. The religion originated in the city of Salvador, the capital of Bahia. Although Candomblé is practiced primarily within Brazil, it is also practiced in neighboring countries and is becoming more popular worldwide. The rituals involve the possession of participants by Orishas, animal sacrifices, healing, dancing and drumming. Candomblé draws inspiration from the African Diaspora, but it mainly features aspects of the religion of the Yoruba Orisha religion. Orishas are religious deities that are said to represent human characteristics such as bravery, love and honor.

The Yoruba Orisha religion is said to be animistic, or mysterious. The highest deity, Olodumare, the Creator, is considered to be an unknowable, distant God. It is only his children that deal in the lives of humans. The Orishas, Orixás in Portuguese, are said to “mount”, or possess the participant during the rituals. The religion came to Brazil from the region of Yorubaland in Africa. Today this is in the area of the countries of Nigeria, Benin and Togo. This was not a single group, but several, united by a common language and some common aspects of culture. The religion was brought over during the Atlantic slave trade by African priests and adherents who were dedicated to the worship of the Yoruba Orishas. Those people were brought as slaves between 1549 and 1850.

The slaves united themselves under the Nago name when they arrived. After the arrival of the Yoruba Orishas in Brazil, there was some association with the Catholic Saints and many of the Orixás are now referenced with their Catholic Saints. This religion, like many African religions, is an oral tradition and therefore has not been put into text throughout the years. Only recently have scholars and people of this religion began to write down their practices. The name Batuque is also used, especially before the 19th century when Candomblé became more common. Both words are believed to derive from a Bantu-family language, mainly that of Kongo Kingdom.

Although originally confined to the slave population, banned by the Catholic church, and even criminalized by some governments, Candomblé thrived for over four centuries, and expanded considerably after the end of slavery in the late 1800s. The idea that the Candomblé church is a unit is incorrect, however. The original Candomble temple, terreiro, was established in early 19th century Bahia. It developed from three freed African women, Iya Deta, Iya Kala, and Iya Nasso, and many call it a true matrilineal society. They first established the Candomble headquarters in Bahia called Engenho Velho. However, this was not meant to last, and after dispute after dispute candombles split from one another; therefore, this established hundreds of different candombles. These different candombles mixed ideas and practices with local Afro-Brazilians and created distinct attributes for certain candombles. The different candombles, today, are known as nacoes, or nations, including Candomble de Ketu, Candomble de Angola, Candomble de Jeje, Candomble de Congo, Candomble de Ijexa, and Candomble de Caboclo. It is now a major, established religion, with followers from all social classes and tens of thousands of temples. In recent surveys, about 2 million Brazilians (1.5% of the total population) have declared Candomblé as their religion. However, in Brazilian culture, religions are not seen as mutually exclusive, and thus many people of other faiths participate in Candomblé rituals regularly or occasionally. Candomblé deities, rituals, and holidays are now an integral part of Brazilian folklore.

Candomblé may be called Macumba in some regions, notably Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, although Macumba has a distinct set of practices more akin to European witchcraft. Candomblé can also be distinguished from Umbanda, a religion founded in the early 20th century by combining African elements with Kardecism; and from similar African-derived religions such as Quimbanda, Haitian Voodoo, CubanSantería, and Obeah, which developed independently of Candomblé and are virtually unknown in Brazil.

Separate Video in Portuguese