CASA PAI ROGERIOCarapicuíba/SPGlobal context: Africa, Cuba, the Caribbean and the diaspora
Yoruba and Jeje-Fon roots, Santería in Cuba, vodum in the Caribbean and the presence of African traditions in the Americas.
Roots in West Africa
Documented historyYoruba religion originates in Yorubaland, in southwestern Nigeria, Benin and Togo, and is based on the worship of Orixás, intermediaries between humanity and the creator Olodumarê (also Olorun/Olofi). The Itãs of Ifá are a central oracular system.
Documented historyThe number of deities is uncertain, and the source consulted cites estimates between 200 and 1.700.
Cuba and Santería
Documented historySantería has roots in Yoruba religion, Christianity and the religions of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Enslaved Yoruba peoples brought trance, divination, drums and sacred dances to Cuba and combined them with elements of Catholicism. Their knowledge is largely passed on orally, in stories called patakines.
Vodum and the Caribbean
Documented historyVodum (vodun) is a tradition of the coasts of Benin, Togo and Ghana, with roots among the Jeje-Fon peoples. Related traditions, according to the source, took root in the Americas, such as Haitian Vodou, Candomblé Jeje and Tambor de Mina.
And Umbanda?
Belief / interpretationUmbanda is a religion born in Brazil, which engages with these traditions without being a copy of them. The same terms and practices can have different meanings in each country.
Umbanda beyond Brazil
Documented historyUmbanda exists in Portugal, adapting to local contexts and histories of the movement of people and practices. The page dedicated to Portugal presents a sourced perspective, without turning one terreiro into a portrait of the entire country.