I’m impressed. Usually, when the media (including blogs) report on Voodoo, Palo, or Santerian (aka Lukumi) religion, the results are often mis-informed articles hinting at dark and evil practices. But some recent reporting seems to be taking a deeper look at these unique faiths which have been quietly growing in America for some time.

Jeff Simmermon, a blogger from the Mt. Pleasant/DC area, has started writing an on-going exploration (part 1, part 2, part 3) of the beliefs of Santeria after finding two decapitated doves near his home. Simmermon is lucky enough to live next door to a Santero (a Santerian priest who happens to be the target of the ritual) and questions him about his beliefs and what the two doves mean.

“We stood out in the road together Friday night, six beers deep into the evening as he explained, flicking the dead doves around with a stick. “This is sloppy work, too,” he said. “Amateur s**t. This is some poorly hidden amateur s**t and an embarrassment to everyone who practices Santeria. The spell was broken the second I laid eyes on this, and it should have been hidden better … in the bushes at least, or wrapped in some brown paper and then hidden where nobody could find it.” … An offering of doves is an offering to Obatala, the owner of all heads who is always dressed in all white. See, the perpetrator of this spell was ordained under Yemaya, mother goddess and creator of the world, same as my neighbor. Since they both have the same guardian angel, a direct attack via spells cast on the spiritual plane would harm both parties. By appealing to Obatala, the attacker hopes to knock off my friend’s “crown”, or cause him to publicly embarrass himself and lose status.”

In the third installment, Simmermon discusses a ritual to eliminate the last vestiges of the broken curse brought on by the doves, and has a surprising experiece with Eleggua (patron of the crossroads).

“The night ended, finally, and I went to bed. Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not ready to convert or anything. But at a time when I needed answers, guidance, something to hang my soul on, I got it. It brought me closer to two great people and I had one of the deepest, most fulfilling experiences that I’ve ever had, and I feel calmer, more relaxed. That’s got to count for something. I’m not done here, either. Eleggua was kind enough to talk to me, even though I’m an outsider. He took me into his house and treated me well. I’m not ungrateful for that, either, so I offered him a small gift in return. He accepted, understanding that it may take me a few days to get the gift together. Now I’ve got it sorted out. So, sometime after work this week, I’m going to run a little errand, then drop by the Santero’s place and leave my offering to Eleggua.”

In more “mainstream” media, The Journal News in Yonkers, New York looks into the remains of a Palo Mayombe ritual that were found at a local cemetery. Instead of getting quotes from police-officers or un-informed bystanders, the paper interviews Miguel De La Torre, an expert on Afro-Cuban religion (and local Pagan John J. Coughlin). De La Torre deconstructs the ritual piece by piece and seems to conclude that is most likely a shoddy job done by an amateur looking for revenge, and not by a reputable practitioner of Palo Mayombe.

“A pierced animal heart, hollowed gourd and other objects found at St. John’s Cemetery Wednesday night look like a crude attempt at a hex ceremony of Palo Mayombe, an Afro-Cuban religion, experts said. But the perpetrators had taken several liberties in an attempt to curse a middle-aged man in a photograph left behind, including the unusual use of a plastic rooster and the toppling of six gravestones.”

Interestingly, the article also touches on splits between the different Afro-Cuban/Caribbean syncretic faiths. It seem the National African Religion Congress, a certifying Board for Priests and Priestesses of African-Based religions (COG would be a rough Wiccan equivalent), doesn’t include Palo practitioners due to their ritual methods.

“Palo, which arrived in Cuba during the West African slave trade, has specific rituals for harnessing power from the dead, using human remains and placing hexes on others. For this reason, the National African Religion Congress has declined to include Palo as an official religion in its directory for the time being, said George Ware, NARC president and a high priest of voodoo and former practitioner of Santeria.”

It would be interesting to hear more about the tensions between the different syncretic African faiths in the Americas, but that would mean reporting would have to dig deeper than stories on animal hearts or candles left at cemeteries (or street corners). These articles point at how coverage can start there, but then evolve into something far more informative and interesting. Lets hope it is the beginning of a trend for better reporting on these often misunderstood faiths.

Tags: Jeff Simmermon, National African Religion Congress, Paganism, Palo, Santeria, Voodoo