#palomonte

I see a lot of references to and posts about Vodou and Santería online, but there are so many more African traditional religions (ATRs) that almost never get discussed! For anyone of African descent who wants to learn more about the diverse set of African-based traditions around the world, here’s a still incomplete but much longer list. If any information is incorrect, message me.

AFRICAN RELIGIONS & CULTURAL APPROPRIATION

🔴Closed  |  🔶Semi-Closed/Initiatory  |  ✅Open

The vast majority of ATRs are semi-closed/initiatory, meaning that you cannot fully engage with and practice the religion without being initiated into it or at least joining an in-person community of initiated practitioners. Some of these communities will choose to initiate people regardless of their ancestry or race and some will not. The only way to find out is to respectfully find a community of practitioners and ask about the possibility, but if the answer is no then it’s no. If you are a part of the culture and/or have a significant amount of heritage from the group that developed the religion, it’s okay to worship/interact so long as you do so in a way that’s appropriate for non-initiates. If you aren’t initiated, aren’t a part of the culture, and don’t have any heritage related to it, please treat it as a completely closed religion!

RASTAFARI 

➡ Abrahamic, monotheistic, originated in Jamaica

🔴Closed religion, must be of African descent to practice

An Abrahamic spirituality that developed in Jamaica during the 1930′s, Rastas don’t refer to their faith as a religion or “-ism” because that would be contrary to its core ideas. They worship one God, whom they call Jah, and many regard Haile Selassie, the former emperor of Ethiopia, as a messiah. As an Afrocentric movement, Rastafari focuses on the African diaspora and the oppression of black people in Western societies. They refer to Western Society as Babylon and Ethiopia or Africa as a whole as the Promised Land of Zion. Smoking cannabis, wearing dreadlocks, and living naturally are all a part of livity, which is what they call the Rasta lifestyle and sacred practices.

YORUBA IFÁ 

➡ Indigenous, shamanism, diffused monotheism, originated in West Africa

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to those of African descent

A form of West African indigenous shamanism. Many thousands of years ago, the Yoruba people of West Africa (primarily in Nigeria) developed an oral tradition and sacred literature called Ifá, which through the slave trade would become the origin of many diasporic ATRs around the world. Worship of the orishas as well as olorisha, babalawo, and iyalawo/iyanifa all come from the Yoruba people’s Ifá traditions in West Africa. The orishas are spirits of nature representing certain personalities and divine powers of the one supreme deity Olodumare. Though many people in the US practice Santería, there are also plenty who choose to practice Ifá traditions the Yoruba way and even fly to Nigeria to be initiated by Yoruba priests.

SANTERÍA/LUCUMÍ 

➡ Afro-Cuban, Catholic syncretism, shamanism, diffused monotheism

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to Africana/Latinx people

Also called La Regla de Ocha (”Way of the Saints”), Santería developed as a distinct Afro-Cuban religion when the slave trade brought many Yoruba people practicing Ifá traditions to Cuba. Those Yoruba descendants in Cuba became the Lucumí people, who developed their own version of the religion syncretized with Catholicism. Most slaves were forced to practice Catholicism, and so pretending to worship saints was a survival tactic to preserve ancestral traditions in a new form. Santería is still widely practiced in Cuba, the US, and many other parts of the world.

PALO

➡ Afro-Cuban, Catholic syncretism, animism

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to Africana/Latinx people

Also called Las Reglas de Congo (”Ways of the Congo”), Palo is another Afro-Cuban religion with several different denominations including Monte, Mayombe, Briyumba, and Kimbisa. While many ATRs are derived mostly from West African traditions, Palo's roots are in Central Africa and the Congo Basin. Developed by the ancestors of many Kongo slaves brought to Cuba, Palo's liturgical language is a mix of Spanish and Bantu languages called habla Congo or lengua. Palo Cristiano are practitioners who syncretize with Catholicism and Palo Judio are those who do not. The Kimpungulu and Zambi are worshipped not orishas.

CANDOMBLÉ 

➡ Afro-Brazilian, Catholic syncretism, shamanism, diffused monotheism

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to Africana/Latinx people

An Afro-Brazilian faith derived from Yoruba Ifá traditions as well as Fon and Bantu practices. The way Santería developed in Cuba out of Yoruba Ifá practices through the slave trade is very similar to how Candomblé became a distinct religion in Brazil. Like Santería, Candomblé is also blended with Catholicism, using saints as covers for the worship of African deities. Some noticeable differences between Santería and Candomblé include the orisha Nana Buruku and unique Brazilian terminology and spellings (i.e. orixa).

WEST AFRICAN VODOU

➡ Indigenous, shamanism, diffused monotheism, originated in West Africa

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to African descent

Acceptable spellings of Vodou include Vodun, Vodon, Vodoun, Vodou, and Voudou (not “voodoo”). It is the traditional religion of many West African cultures including the Fon, Ewe, and Kabye peoples. Vodou has many similarities to Yoruba Ifá in that spirits called the loa or lwa similar to orishas are worshipped who represent the natural divine powers of one supreme deity called Mawu or Mahu similar to Olodumare. Some loa and orishas are similar or even nearly identical, but Vodou beliefs and practices with the loa are very different and particular to the religion’s traditions. West African Vodou also spread through the slave trade around the world and became the originating religion for many diasporic traditions. It is possible to travel to Benin or other countries to be initiated into Vodou by an Africa priest or priestess, so West African Vodou is practiced primarily in West Africa but also worldwide.

GLOBAL DIASPORIC VODOU RELIGIONS

➡ Haitian Vodou, Dominican Vudú, Cuban Vodú, Brazilian Vodum

🔶Initiatory for everyone, partially open only to Africana/Latinx people

As listed above, West African Vodou spread around the world and developed into many different diasporic traditions just as Santería and Candomblé developed from Yoruba Ifá traditions. The most well-known diasporic branch is Haitian Vodou, where the religion’s formation by African slaves in Haiti also played a role in helping liberate the nation from French colonial rule. However, Vodou can also be found in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Brazil, and the United States (particularly Louisiana where the term Voodoo is also popular). Across the many different diasporic Vodou traditions, Catholic syncretism and using the saints as a cover for worshipping loa is also significant. 

KEMETICISM & KEMETIC ORTHODOXY

➡ Reconstructed, polytheistic, monolatry, originated in Northern Africa

✅Kemeticism is open, but Kemetic Orthodoxy has a conversion process