- Palo (religion)
Palo, or Las Reglas de Congo are a group of closely related denominations or religions of largely
Bantu origin developed by slaves fromCentral Africa inCuba . Other names associated with various branches of this religion include Palo Mayombe, Kimbisa or Santo Cristo Buen Viaje. The word "palo" ("stick" in Spanish) was applied to the religion in Cuba due to the use of wooden sticks in the preparation of their altar, also called "laNganga ", "el caldero" or "la prenda". Adherents of Palo are known generally as "Paleros"or "Ngangeros" or "Nganguleros". Membership is by initiation into a "house" or "Temple". The organizational structure follows the model of a family. During slavery when blood families often were broken up by slave holders, this model was particularly significant and taken literally.History
Palo has its roots in the Congo basin of
central Africa , from where large numbers of African slaves were brought toCuba and theAmericas , as well as to the colony of Santo Domingo, the present capital of theDominican Republic . Accordingly, a great part of Palo Monte's liturgical chants and invocations are in a mixture of the Spanish andKikongo languages, other influences being introduced through their presence in Black Spanish-speakingLatin America .During the mid 19th century Palo began to spread out among the
Hispaniola Island (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) and Afro-Latino communities in theUnited States ,Venezuela ,Colombia , andPuerto Rico . Eventually, members of non-AfricanLatino groups, as well asAnglo-America s, gained access to these traditions. The religion remains largely Afro-Latino in character. The most traditional form can be found in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.The number of followers of Palo in Cuba and the Dominican Republic is not known. In Puerto Rico the Palo Religion has grown among non-black people. In this Caribbean island, a commonwealth of the United States, an extensive study by Prof. Eric M Miletti, revealed that over 5,000 people are active as "paleros."
Belief system and rituals
The Palo belief system rests on two main pillars: 1. The veneration of the spirits of the ancestors.2. The belief in natural ("earth") powers.
Natural objects, and particularly sticks, are thought to be infused with powers, often linked to the powers of spirits. These objects are known as "nganga" and are the ritual focus of Palo's magical rites and religious practice.
A certain number of spirits called Mpungu inhabit the
Nkisi (sacred objects, also spelled Inquice, Inquise, and Enkisi). Mpungu are well-known in name and deed, and are venerated as gods. They are powerful entities, but they are ranked below the High God Zambi or Nzambi.The main worship and practice of Palo focuses upon the religious receptacle or altar known as a "Nganga" or "Prenda". This is a consecrated filled with sacred earth, s ("palos"), human remains, and other items. Each Nganga is dedicated to a specific spiritual
Nkisi . This religious vessel is also inhabited by a muerto or spirit of the dead (almost never the direct ancestor of the object's owner), also referred to as "Nfumbe", who acts as a guide for all religious activities which are performed with the Nganga.The
divination methods used in Palo are various. One, called "Shamalongos" utilizes shells or disks of various materials, often coconut shells. A more traditional method, "Vititi Mensú", is a form of envisioning orscrying , using a sanctified animal horn capped with a .yncretism
Religious
syncretism , in particular the use of theChristian cross and images of Catholic saints as representations of the Nkisi, can be seen in some houses of Palo, called Palo Cristiano, but in other houses, called Palo Judio, there is no syncreticization with Catholic imagery. The name Palo Judio literally meansJewish Palo, but the term "Jewish" as used here does not refer to the religion ofJew s; rather it is metaphorical shorthand for "refusing to convert to Christianity," that is, in the case of Palo, "purely Congo African." It is important to note that because of European economic pressure theKingdom of Kongo had officially converted toCatholicism while still an independent nation during the late 1400s and that the African-Catholic syncretic movement extended well into the era ofslavery , reaching its height under the leadership ofKimpa Vita (1684 – 1706), who promotedSaint Anthony of Padua as "a second God." Thus it is obvious that much of Palo Cristiano's Christian syncretism, as well as Palo Judio's resistance to Christian syncretism, originated in "colonial" Africa, not in Cuba.The identity of the Nkisi is further clouded because authors, either outsiders to the religion or coming from houses of Palo Cristiano, have attempted to associate the Nkisi with the
Orisha s ofSanteria , a different religion. Thus the entity "Nsambi Munalembe" (also known as "Nsasi", "Siete Rayos" and various other names) may be said by these authors to be the equivalent ofSaint Barbara in Catholicism or Chango (Shango ) in Santeria.Because of Kardecian syncretism in many houses of Palo, a spiritual Misa is often held before the initiation, in order to identify the main spirits which will help to develop one's life. These guides often speak also through
possession , and may give direct advice.Related religions
The religions of the Congo reached the Americas by other paths than through Cuba. In
Brazil Congo religions are known asUmbanda ,Quimbanda ,Candomblé de Congo, or Condomble de Angola. The one most closely related to the Cuban Palo Tradition is Quimbanda.In
Jamaica , theBahamas , and theVirgin Islands , Congo based religions are calledKumina , or when seen as a form of magic without liturgical worship, asObeah .Closely related to Palo in practice, but like Obeah, lacking Palo's theological and liturgical aspects, is a form of
African American folk magic known ashoodoo , conjure, or rootwork, which developed out of slavery in the United States. The reason for the striking similarity between these traditions is that the core beliefs underlaying hoodoo derive from Congo/Angola. While inHaiti there exists a Vodou denomination known as the Makaya, that shares many similarities to Palo.Pantheon
The highest level of the Palo pantheon is occupied by the
creator god , Nzambi. The Mpungu (plural "kimpungulu") of Palo Mayombe are spirits or deities encapsulated in sacred vessels (Nkisi ), representing aspects of nature, such as thunder, agriculture, wind. [ [http://palomayombe.netfirms.com/beliefs.html Palo Mayombe beliefes] ] Other spirits that can inhabit the Nkisi are "Nfuri" (wandering spirits or wraiths), "Bakalu" (spirits of ancestors), and "Nfumbe" (anonymous spirits).Higher gods
*"Nzambi" (Nsambi, Sambia, Nsambiampungo, Pungun Sambia, Sambia Liri, Sambia Surukuru, Sambi Bilongo) - not an actual Mpungu, but a higher god, creator of the cosmos. Equivalent to Yoruba
Olorun .
*"Lungombe" (Lukankanse, Kadiampembe) - negative aspect of Nzambi, equivalent to yorubaEshu .Mpungu
*"Kobayende" (Cobayende, Pata Llaga, Tata Pansua, Tata Nfumbe, Tata Funde, Tata Fumbe, Pungun Futila, Tata Kañeñe) - king of the dead, god of diseases, associated with San Lazaro, eq.
Babalu Aye .
*"Mariguanda" (Pungu Mama Wanga, Centella Ndoki, Yaya Kengue, Mariwanga, Mama Linda, Campo Santo) - gatekeeper between life and death. Associated with Santa Teresa & OyaIansan
*"Gurunfinda" - god of forest and herbs. Associated with San Noberto non Nato or San Silvestre, eq.Ozain .
*"Nkuyu" (Nkuyo, Mañunga, Lubaniba, Lucero) - Deity of woods and roads, guidance and balance. Associated with San Antonio, eq.Ellegua .
*"Má Lango" (Madre de Agua, Kalunga, Mama Kalunga, Pungo Kasimba, Mama Umba, Mbumba Mamba, Nkita Kiamasa, Nkita Kuna Mamba, Baluande) - goddess of water and fertility. Known also as the Virgin of Regla, the patroness of Havana harbor, eq,Yemaja .
*"Chola Wengue" (Mama Chola, Chola nengue) - goddess of richness and pleasures. Associated with La Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre, the Patron Saint of Cuba, eq.Oshun .
*"Kimbabula" (Kabanga, Madioma, Mpungo Lomboan Fula, Nsambia Munalembe, Tonde, Daday, Munalendo, Padre Tiempo) - god of divination and winds. Associated with Saint Francis, eq.Orunmila .
*"Watariamba" (Watariamba, Nkuyo Lufo, Nguatariamba Enfumba Bata, Saca Empeño, Cabo Rondo, Vence Bataya) - god of hunt and war. Associated with John the Baptist, eq.Oxossi
*"Nsasi" (Nsambi Munalembe, Siete Rayos, Mukiamamuilo, Nsasi) - god of thunder and fire, equivalent to Santa Barbara, eq.Shango .
*"Ma Kengue" (Yola, Tiembla Tierra, Pandilanga, Mama Kengue) - spirit of wisdom and justice. This mpungo is associated with La Virgin de las Mercedes &Obatala .
*"Sarabanda" (Zarabanda, Rompe Monte) - deity of work and strength. Associated withSaint Peter , eq.Ogoun .References
*
Lydia Cabrera . 1993 " "El Monte". La Habana: Editorial Letras Cubanas.
*Lydia Cabrera . " "Palo Monte Mayombe: Las Reglas de Congo" .
*Lydia Cabrera . " "La Regla Kimbisa del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje".
* Jesús Fuentes Guerra and Armin Schwegler 2005."Lengua y ritos del Palo Monte Mayombe:..."
* Natalia Bolívar Aróstegui. " "Ta Makuenda Yaya"
* Miguel Barnet. "AfroCuban Religions".
* Robert Farris Thompson. "Flash of the Spirit".External links
* [http://www.palo.org The Palo and Lukumi Organization - General Palo Kongo information and Web Forum.]
* [http://www.nganga.org Nganga.org] , an introduction to Kongo religions including Palo by Dr. Eoghan Ballard.
* [http://www.palomayombe.com Palomayombe.com] , general Palo information.
* [http://dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/African/Diasporic/Palo,_Congo,_Inkisi/ DMOZ Open Directory - Palo, Congo, Inkisi]
* [http://www.cubanfolkloricdance.com/cutumba.php Video of "palo" dance performed by Cutumba]
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