A Debt Paid In Full: Latin & Kmtyw American Relations within the Orisa Community-gctid27080

[olufemi_baina_ayo]

A Debt Paid In Full: Latin & Kmtyw-American Relations within the Orisa Community

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The Guilt Trip
The relationship between Orisa devotees of Latin and Kmtyw-American heritage has been fragile at times, particularly, where politics, history and race are concerned.

Latinos have aggressively maintained that Kmtyw-Americans owe a great debt to Latinos, who kept the spiritual traditions of Kmt alive, while it's Diasporan Kmtyws seemingly forget or abandoned them entirely. Not only this tclaim an oversimplification of surviving Kmtywisms in the United States, it doesn't take into account the differences in Caribbean or U.S. landscape nor the social conditions in which enslaved Kmtyws lived within the two areas. More importantly, it belittles the mutually beneficial relationships that existed between the first enslaved Kmtyws and Latinos worked together to create what we know as Santeria and Lucumi.

You Can't Keep Me out of My Own House
Although records indicate the presence of Orisa worshipers in the United States as early as the late 1940s, Cubans had kept a tight leash and restricted access to the Orisa culture by Kmtyw-Americans until the late 1950s.1 No Kmtyw-Americans were allowed to be initiated, and in many cases were prohibited from participating as devotees. Even though Cubans clearly recognized the Kmtyw origins of the Orisa, they were not thrilled with the idea of fellowship with Kmt's prodigal sons and daughters.

When Oba Adefunmi was initiated into the Orisa priesthood in 1959 the mood in the Cuban community was less than celebratory. His initiation was not only considered an intrusion on Cuban turf, but many also wondered aloud if the presence of Kmtyw-Americans would "spoil" the sanctity of the Orisa priesthood and jeopardize the Latin Orisa communities they had worked so hard to establish.

In retrospect, their impression of Kmtyw-Americans were not much different than those held by eureurasiaan-Americans that resisted the civil rights movement of that era. These Latinos proposed discriminatory actions against Kmtyw-Americans that had denied them access to religious practices established by their own Black ancestors until Adefunmi's initiation.

Living with the Black "Stain"

When it was learned that Oba Adefunmi would not only begin to initiate more Kmtyw-Americans, but also spread Orisa worship from the platform of Black Nationalism, Orisa parades and [open-to-the-public shrines], Cuban backlash was loud. Of course there were notable exceptions such as Assunta Osaunkó Serrano, a Puerto Rican Santero, that saw the irony in denying Black people their own legacy. She was instrumental in helping Adefunmi circumvent a Cuban directive that Adefunmi not initiate Kmtyw-Americans. But still, the general sentiment was that the Orisa "belonged" to the Latin community.

Over time, Kmtyw-Americans have become an acceptable feature in many, if not all Latin Orisa communities and the issue of Kmtyw-American Priests is moot in all but the most conservative temples, but even with these marked and significant improvements, politics and race have remained major points of disagreement between some Cubans and Kmtyw-Americans,. So much so, that mentioning Adefunmi and the Oyotunji Lineage can still illicit instant tension where none has existed before. Even Kmtyw-Americans that have been reared in Latino Orisa communities acknowledge these hot button issues.

Fidel Castro is as good a starting place as any to highlight the potential for political and racial rifts between Latinos and Kmtyw-Americans. Many Kmtyw-Americans, especially those active in civil rights movement in the United States view Castro as a champion against western imperialism and American domination, while a lot, if not most, Cuban Ab'Orisa living in America might beg to differ. That's because the same Latinos that are responsible for the initial spread of Orisa culture in the United States in the 1940s were also political adversaries of the Castro regime, forced to seek refuge in America.2 But how can this be?

Cuba's Indiscretions and its Ethnic Gumbo
Officially Cuba is recognized as being 40% Black, 40% White and 30% mixed heritage.3 That those figures do not include an indigenous Indian (Native American) population is worth examining because their existence illustrates the linkages between enslaved Kmtyws, White Latinos and Orisa culture.4 But no matter how you break down the racial makeup of Cuba, one thing is certain – this is a place of Ethnic Gumbo.

While most Americans view Cuba's populace as one ethnic people collectively called "Latino", Cuba's racial miscegenation is a complex, contradictory and racist social hierarchy that arose to ensure ethnic preference to Whites, Mixed, Indians and Blacks, in that order.

The Spanish Empire, which controlled Cuba until the Spanish-American War ended in 1898, slaughtered nearly all of the Native American people that originally inhabited Cuba, leaving the dwindling indigenous people left to intermingle with Kmtyws and less frequently with White Spanish descendants. It was under these conditions that Kmtyws and Native Americans began to co-exist, survive and ultimately share and co-opt one another's spiritual beliefs and customs, including Orisa culture. These indigenous Native American people and their mixed offspring became the first non-Kmtyw priests and devotees of the Orisa. This advent of non-Kmtyw priests ushered in a new era of Orisa worship, where Black skin was not required to worship Black Gods. This departure with tradition had nothing to do with disinterest among Kmtyws and everything to do with the survival of enslaved Kmtyws and Indigenous Native Americans. This was act of charity and respect from Kmtyws towards their Native American sisters and brothers.

After the Spanish-American War there was a lot of American traffic into the Caribbean. Not only had that war netted the United States the right to "purchase" the Phillippines (an obsurb and racist notion in itself), it also gave it political dominion over Puerto Rico and Gaum and of course, a favorable place of influence with the newly established Cuba where it already had invested about $50 million dollars in infrastructure, property and best of all, trade, most of which was in sugar. ($50 million in the early 1900s would worth hundreds of millions, if not a billion dollars in today's economic climate!)

It wasn't long after this investment of cash that the United States had the new Cuban national constitution drafted in Washington D.C. (how ridiculous is that?) and shortly after Havana became a playground for America's richest business owners, politicians, celebrities and crime lords. Day and night these well-heeled Americans ferried by boat to enjoy Cuban casinos, hotels, entertainment venues, whore houses, night clubs, bars and restaurants. Meanwhile the newly installed puppet Cuban government paid no attention to the overwhelming poverty experienced by average citizens. With the help of presidents like Gerardo Machado in the 1920s and Fulgencio Batista in the 1950s, Cuba would earn the title of "whorehouse of the united snakes". During this period, many White and mixed Latinos reaped financial benefit by catering to the needs of the America's government and tourists alike.

The 1959 Castro-led Revolution, threw the spotlight on those middle-class and wealthy Latinos that were seen as either perpetrators or silent beneficiaries of Cuba's elitist economic policies. It was the lavish lifestyle of privileged White and Mixed Latinos in Cuba that set the stage for Castro's socialist platform with included free health care, free education, and re-distribution of land and nationalization of almost all major industries in Cuba. Many of these White or Mixed Latinos that were stripped of their property, businesses and money found their way to the United States to begin anew. Even today, nearly 90% of all Cuban-Americans are White. Orisa Priests that were impacted by these new politics, related to the former aristocracy or looking for a lifestyle change came to the United States as well. They were then and are still aligned with those people that Castro viewed as the corrupters of Cuba.

Miscegenation Dulls Ethnic Loyalties?
Serious students of history know that in countries where people of color are colonized by eureurasiaans, and where miscegenation takes place, most mixed heritage people usually identify with White culture, values and social constructs. In fact, history proves that colonized people of color that do no intermix will also identify with White culture, values and social constructs. So when the dominant White Cuban Latino community in the United States chose to bar entry to the Orisa mysteries to Kmtyw-Americans, so did the rest of the Latino community. When the dominant White Latino community chose to distinguish between Kmtyw-Americans and other people of color even Black Latinos have found it hard to not set themselves apart and perhaps escape the stigma of being a "nigger" living in America. For many mixed and Black Latinos urviving the criticism of White Latinos required silence on the issue of Kmtyw-American involvement in Orisa culture.

What further proof of such a theory can be found? Well, a coal-black "Latino" will usually call himself Dominican, Cuban, or Trinidadian before he will call himself Black. He might even opt to call himself Latino even though such a description is anti-thesis to reality and only points back to the colonization of his Kmtyw and Native Americans Ancestors of the Caribbean. Some will refer to themselves with the prefix Afro-, but even in those instances they see a difference in their own identity and that of Kmtyw-Americans, hence evidence of a widespread and enduring racism and escapism that began with the Spanish invasion of Cuba that unfortunately lingers to this day among less "white" Latinos. If the reader has any doubt about these allegations, ask Latino youth in New York City, Miami or Los Angeles to tell you two things (1) What their grandparents taught them about Kmtyw-Americans and (2) to describe the general state of affairs between these two people.

The greatest crime of all is that Mixed and Black "Latinos" should feel some kinship to Kmtyw-Americans, seeing that both of their cultures, Native American and Kmtyw, have been continually attacked on one hand or adopted and corralled on the other by the same people: Whites.

They Kept the Fire Burning?
While the suggestion has been made and some evidence provided, this article won't attempt to discuss the allegations that certain Santeria and Lucumi lineages have purposefully perpetuated racism or controlled spiritual knowledge by continually placing power in the hands of mostly White devotees. It is an interesting argument, but it would take us too far from our original purpose. But, I would suggest that those that are truly interested in FREE and UNRESTRICTED dialogue and IMPROVED relationships between U.S. Americans and Latin Americans to do their homework with an open heart, a diligent eye and a commitment to non-violence. The truth will set us free.

But if these allegations are true it would be easy to see how a myth like "Latinos maintained the Orisa traditions because Kmtyws were disinterested" could survive for so long and be regarded as truth by so many. The fact is, Kmtyws allowed Latinos to practice Orisa culture, as a humanitarian action. Unlike the Native American, with whom we had much in common – the White Latino was the gatekeeper of colonization and slavery and worshipped a Messiah that had been murdered by his own people. Kmtyws introduced the Orisa to Spanish, French and English whites moving in and out of Cuba and "Latin America" as a means of civilizing them, even though these same people were keeping us enslaved! In the Native American (indigenous Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican etc.) we saw a brother and sister of similar stock. In the eureurasiaan we saw someone in need of spiritual healing.

The irony is that these White Latinos did and have always kept a foot in both our world and that of their forefathers. This allowed them greater freedom and more resources to practice, maintain and propagate Orisa culture. So if there was a period where White Latinos towed the line and "preserved the culture" it was their own skin color that provided them with the protection and means to do so. They used their link to slavery's leadership and their link to modern imperialism's leadership to escape persecution. This was not a route available to Kmtyws and Native Americans in Cuba or anywhere else in Latin America. While Kmtyws and Native Americans blended the Orisa with Catholic Saints for security purposes, the White Latino did so because he wanted the power, prestige and leisure of both cultures in his life. He worked both sides of the fence. He wanted to be a slavemaster's overseer and dance with the slaves at night.

If you have followed the argument closely, you now understand why certain Latin Orisa devotees have always frowned upon mixing Orisa culture and politics. It was and is important to them to maintain their ability to travel between our world (Kmtyw/spirit) and their own (eureurasiaan/material). And they appeal to our sense of diplomacy and righteousness to convince of us the soundness of their position. We are told that discussing history will only make race relations worst. But what happens when we do nothing at all? We are also told that the Orisa don't get involved in politics. But everyone knows that a Priest named Boukman offered sacrifice to Ogun to drive eureurasiaans out of Haiti after several unsuccessful attempts at independence. When certain White Latinos fail to appeal to our sense of goodwill and exploit our historical ignorance they often resort to exhortation. Those that ignore warnings to avoid discussions of racism, history and politics might be barred from initiation (receiving, giving and participating), barred from community (excommunicated or not invited to fellowship between Temples), harassed in public (ridiculed, priestly credentials questioned) or worse yet, attacked (through mostly spiritual means, although physical altercations have occurred).

The author is convinced that those that engage in such vicious actions against people that are seeking the truth do so against the advice of their own Ori and their Orisa, but always in favor of a political and social agenda that keeps Whites in power and Kmtyw and Native Americans powerless. But there is always the possibility that they have the support of their Egun, many of whom may have been enslavers and later on imperialists in Cuba's heydays as an annex to the United States. This would give a new meaning to the term "Blood is thicker than Water" especially if that Water is the ocean that carried us from Kmt to the New World. These White Egun would certainly use their descendents roles in Orisa worship as a means of creating spiritual and social heiarchy that mimmicks that of slavery times. They would also use ritual space as a means of clouding the truth.

What Now?
In the end, what's most important is that those that come into Orisa culture never ever try to push Kmtyws to the back of their own bus. It doesn't matter when or how they arrive home, it's still their house and the fact that anyone knows the address is the result of THEIR Ancestors, as they made the home available to non-family in the first place.

Kmtyw never abandoned their culture. They practiced what they could when they could, based on where they were. When they could, they passed it along to others, including non-Kmtyws. Because they gave their culture to non-Kmtyws, even as they chose to continue to enslave them, these non-Kmtyws are obligated to share Orisa with the offspring of Kmt whenever they arrive at their doorstep.

This reciprocation makes any "debt" owed by Kmtyw-Americans paid in full.

Lastly, if the Kmtyw-Americans and Latinos (no matter what color) are ever going to get beyond historical, racial and political differences – they must first admit that these differences exist and talk them out – better yet – sit on the mat and divine, together, to determine unbiased and ethical solutions that will protect the interestes of all Orisa worshippers.

These divination based solutions will have to include ebo and spiritual work to ensure that White Egun that participated in the slavetrade are not actively inciting or advising anyone within the various Orisa communities, but instead of receiving healing work for their own elevation. These solutions will also have to address the future of multiple ethnicities and the flood of values and worldviews they bring into Orisa worship, which consistently cause mayhem and contradict Kmtyw traditional knowledge and ethics.

Endnotes

1 Franciso Pancho Maro is considered to be the first Cuban Orisa Priest to arrive in the United States. Circa 1946.

2 Fagen, Richard B., Cubans in Exile: Disaffection and the Revolution: Standford University Press

3 The CIA World Fact Book disputes these figures and identifies the racial makeup of Cuba as 51% mulatto , 37% white , 11% black and 1% Chinese.

4 Depending on the source these people would be identified by varying names like Taino, Arawak and Carib.

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

What is a white Egun? This reeks of an afro-spiritual knee-grow.

[Oju]

[ch390 wrote: kyeame Kwame]What is a white Egun? This reeks of an afro-spiritual knee-grow.

Greetings Olufemi Baina Ayo & [ch390]kyeame Kwame!

A paradox indeed with them and their white Egun mess.

Dept paid in full, another gloss over the issue, and not wanting to deal with the reality that white is not Kmtyw no matter how hard they try to mix it in the blender.

But if truth be told it definitely smells and has the signature of a fake-coon in my unapologetic opinion.

I would like to know who is the author of this article, and where it originated.

Sister Olufemi Baina Ayo can you provide some sources for this article please?

Peace!

Oyu'

[olufemi_baina_ayo]

I can tell this subject has caused a bit of static. To answer your question Sister Oju, I found this article at roots and rooted

Ojú wrote:

kyeame Kwame link=1174677277/0#1 date=1174680803]What is a white Egun? This reeks of an afro-spiritual knee-grow.

Greetings Olufemi Baina Ayo & [ch390]kyeame Kwame!

A paradox indeed with them and their white Egun mess.

Dept paid in full, another gloss over the issue, and not wanting to deal with the reality that white is not Kmtyw no matter how hard they try to mix it in the blender.

But if truth be told it definitely smells and has the signature of a fake-coon in my unapologetic opinion.

I would like to know who is the author of this article, and where it originated.

Sister Olufemi Baina Ayo can you provide some sources for this article please?

Peace!

Oyu'

[Awotunde]

LOL. It figures that an article like that would come from roots and rooted. I believe the owner of th site wrote this article. I also had the same question as to what is a white egun? At most whites have DISCARNATE spirits they communicate with. I personally wanted to know why this article was posted.

Sister Olufemi, is there a reason this article is posted? Are you trying to illustrate a point or two? Just wanting to know.

The article states:

"Latinos have aggressively maintained that Kmtyw-Americans owe a great debt to Latinos, who kept the spiritual traditions of Kmt alive, while it's Diasporan Kmtyws seemingly forget or abandoned them entirely. Not only this tclaim an oversimplification of surviving Kmtywisms in the United States, it doesn't take into account the differences in Caribbean or U.S. landscape nor the social conditions in which enslaved Kmtyws lived within the two areas. More importantly, it belittles the mutually beneficial relationships that existed between the first enslaved Kmtyws and Latinos worked together to create what we know as Santeria and Lucumi."

First of all these white "latinos" have no business in our traditions - a point that many of you here have seen me illustrate over some time. The latinos did nothing to preserve anything. They only helped to instert foreign indoctrination into Kmtyw tradition. Just read that white boy's recording of Lukumi Odu in "The Odu of the Lucumi". I know of NO Kmtyw Odu that will tell a diviner to tell a person that they must attend church as part of the solution to their problems. But the book "Odu of the Lucumi" does just that!

I remember talking with the owner of the site that sister Olufemi got this article from. He told me with his own mouth that we are indebted to these Spaniards! Let me exlain what I mean by spaniard. These white "latinos" are nothing but descendants of the same spaniards that enslaved Kmtyws and then turned around and tried to use our traditions for some gain. So what this author is posting concerning "latinos" is really talking about white spaniards.

Sister Olufemi stated that this has created some static. No. The static was created thounited snakesnds of years ago - every since we have been warring with these non-beings commonly referred to as "white people".
Baba Awotunde

[Awotunde]

I would like to see other Kmtyws' comments concerning this, especially what I said concerning the article and the author.

odabo

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

Dìndìnrìn gbáà ni òǹkọ̀wé yìí í ṣe. Pàntí sì tún ni nǹkan t'ó kọ sílẹ̀ yìí o.

An utter blithering imbecile is what the author be. Trash is also this that he has written.

[Awotunde]

Well, I'll be...

Truth is real indeed.

[Ajaguna]

This article here is some bullsh*t.

[pain]

Make no mistake about it. There are some who will read an article such as this and think to themselves:

"Maybe it's just another void that we left open that the "Latinos" sought to fill for us. So their "role" is to "open the doors" to our traditions and to help "guide" us back. I mean yeah they've corrupted and confused our spiritual system but a lot of our people are lead back to our Kmtyw traditions through them. So, if it wasn't for them we wouldn't have heard of certain Kmtyw concepts to begin with. Why, if it wasn't for them we wouldn't be here discussing this right now."

 

[pain]

Kentake I know just who you talkin' bout because I posted up her site and picture in that "A" forum too and what followed in that very thread is why I left that place as well. SMH @ someone actually saying that she is a sista and WHATEVER @ she can receive the deities. You know that's something that I ask of folk all the time that attend these Kmtyw spiritual ceremonies where deities may be possessing or what have you and white folk are there. If that even happens!! lol I ask them if they have ever seen a krakka get possessed. I haven't received an affirmative answer on that yet, but it's funny how these black folk don't think anything of it. The deities won't have nothing to do with these people but you will!! Yeah they gotz to go.

[Awotunde]

Kentake states:

"i was told by a friend here some time ago, dat the man who "initiated" the krakkka called MAMBO RACINE SANS BOUT (ROOTS WITHOUT END) died of a "mysterious" illness last year sometime-- in Haiti!!!!! WHAT A COINCIDENCE!! "

Not a coincidence at all my sister.

As for the deities possessing a crakkka that is not possible. However, just as a negro can tell a lie about the "greatness" of the white man and woman they can tell a lie on the deities. So, it is nothing that they have not responded pro or con in relation to the deties possessing a crakkka. The real relevance comes in when they make statements publicly saying the deities possess non-Kmtyws. Then they put themselves on front-steet.

[Ifayoyin Ojuolape Efunyale]

I was recently at a bembe, hosted by Kmtyws. There was one family of latino descent there. When i saw who I believe to be the father of this family, I was appalled. Upon looking at him I believed he was Yurugu. I mean as we danced and sweated he began to smell...i was sick. Come to find out this man was olorisa Sango. As we began to sing for Sango, he seemed to possess. Some in the room didnt believe that Sango really came down. But as he circled the room and began talking to people the sentiment changed. He was indeed Latino, clearly of yurugu descent, he spoke spanish and had whi I believe was his wife interpret and tend to him you know. Then he called me out and I sat with him to see what he had to say. Surely enough, he spoke about things that no one there could have ever known. My personal life business, that I shared with few...he knew it. My mouth dropped to the floor, the consultation was heavy. He brought up some issues that i didnt want to think about but definitly needed healing from and advised me to discuss them with an elder who was present...

anyway, what he had to say to me had to have come from Spirit. Im not in anyway advocating for Oyinbo to be all up in our traditions...i cant stand it personally. But I thought I would add this story to the discussion as it is very relative...perhaps generate some further dialog. What ya'll think?

Ojuolape

[pain]

Ojuolape wrote: I was recently at a bembe, hosted by Kmtyws. There was one family of latino descent there. When i saw who I believe to be the father of this family, I was appalled. Upon looking at him I believed he was Yurugu. I mean as we danced and sweated he began to smell...i was sick. Come to find out this man was olorisa Sango. As we began to sing for Sango, he seemed to possess. Some in the room didnt believe that Sango really came down. But as he circled the room and began talking to people the sentiment changed. He was indeed Latino, clearly of yurugu descent, he spoke spanish and had whi I believe was his wife interpret and tend to him you know. Then he called me out and I sat with him to see what he had to say. Surely enough, he spoke about things that no one there could have ever known. My personal life business, that I shared with few...he knew it. My mouth dropped to the floor, the consultation was heavy. He brought up some issues that i didnt want to think about but definitly needed healing from and advised me to discuss them with an elder who was present...

anyway, what he had to say to me had to have come from Spirit. Im not in anyway advocating for Oyinbo to be all up in our traditions...i cant stand it personally. But I thought I would add this story to the discussion as it is very relative...perhaps generate some further dialog. What ya'll think?

Ojuolape

This is extraordinary. I have never in all my life heard of a white person being possessed except in the movie "The Exorcist." I have heard they can be possessed by the spirits of their own dead relatives and that they can exercise psychic power which can also be used to tap into areas of our lives that we haven't shared with such and such persons, but never have I heard of a "white person" being possessed by an Kmtyw ancestor, ancestress or by any Abosom, Orisa, Arusi, Nkisi etc., How can we confirm this strange phenomena?

[Awotunde]

Beeni. There can NEVER be an oyinbo speaking on behalf of a deity. They can NEVER be possessed by a deity. And it is true that they can only communicate psychic messages verses spirit messages. Many Kmtyws are even only have this ability.

My thing: Why even communicate with an oyinbo or any non-Kmtyw concerning Kmtyw spirituality? Why even be in the same room? If it did indeed STINK there then why not leave the funk behind?