IF you have undergone the ceremony of the beads, are crowned direct with Oduduwa, have received an orisha lavado – basically if you have received any consecrated orisha necklace / eleke – for rhubarb’s sake WEAR THEM. They are designed to be worn, they work when worn, they protect you when worn and they draw blessings…when…
Book Vlog: Manipulating the Sacred: Yorùbá Art, Ritual, and Resistance in Brazilian Candomblé by Mikelle S. Omari-Tunkara
Manipulating the Sacred: Yorùbá Art, Ritual, and Resistance in Brazilian Candomblé by Mikelle S. Omari-Tunkara African American Life Series, published in 2005 Please click on the video below to watch my Vlog. I am getting used to holding a camera in one hand, flipping through the book with the other and remembering what I want…
Matipó: A Bead Color You Should Know
I mentioned this bead in a previous post, it describes a colour somewhere between red and brown. A reddish brown, but definitely a brown (not wine or anything so red). Matipó pictured below is used in elekes for Asojano, Aganju, some Oguns, Oba, and Oya. You will see that there is definitely some red in…
Book Review Vlog of ORISHA by Pierre Fatumbi Verger
Here is my inaugural book review vlog. It can only get better, folks! I decided to pick one of my favourite authors/photographers/researchers/powerhouses: Pierre Fatumbi Verger. This book and most of his others are pretty hard to get but they are worth the trouble. Click above, or if that doesn’t work, Watch the video here There are…
Reason No. 1 Why Collares Bought in a Botánica are no Good
Orisha necklaces, also called collares (Spanish) or elekes/ilekes (Yoruba/Lukumí) need to be tied shut by a Santera/o. The uninitiated can make necklaces, that is, the beads can be strung by anyone but for a necklace to be properly made, it must be knotted by an initiated Lukumí priest. The Santera/o will say a prayer while…
Seed beads
Seed beads, also called ‘rocailles’ and sometimes ‘pony’ or ‘crow’ beads are the most commonly-used type of bead in Lukumi religious practice. The historical centres for their production have been Italy/Venice and also The former Czech Republic and Germany (Bohemia). French also had a nice little seed bead industry going on for a while, too….
Pin ada o (pinaldo), Obe, and Cuchillo
After kariocha, or becoming an olorisha, a further initiation some go on to receive (usually after many years) is the ceremony of knife. It permits the person to sacrifice but is more of a rite of passage to elder hood and symbol of attainment and authority. The obvious deity central to the initiation is Ogun,…
Nana Buruku
Nana Buruku, the mother of Babalu Aye is another austere deity that is connected to the mysteries of the earth and thus she takes pink. She also takes black and accents of coral and mother of pearl.
The Beauty and Power of Coral
Coral is a precious material from the sea which is becoming increasingly endangered due to a loss of the pristine water conditions and natural ecosystem that allows it to grow. If we were to take better care of our environment and minimize pollution, we would all be better off, but that is all for another…
Books, books, & more books
I really can’t get enough of books. I have them scattered like the four winds all over the place. Funny story, my older brother used to tease me as a kid by asking if I had piles. Of course, I would say yes; that I have piles of paper, and piles of books! At this,…
Yewa’s Pink
You might think that Yewa’s primary colour is cute and girly, it is for many of us in the west but in Yoruba culture and religion colours are described and categorised differently than how many of us were taught. Pink belongs to the pupa or red family, the colour of life and vibrancy. Furthermore, many…
Ogun Arere
What is matipo and what are we singing about when we sing for Ogun?
Orisha Books & Beads 