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Biography
about|the Yoruba divinity|other usesIn the Yorùbá religion , ?àngó ( also spelled, Sango or Shango , often known as Xangô or Changó in Latin America and the Caribbean, and also known as Jakuta cite book | last =Bascom | first =William Russell | title =Sixteen Cowries: Yoruba Divination from Africa to the New World | publisher =Indiana University Press | year =1980 | pages =44 | url = http://books.google.com/books? id=CfmDsiI7TbgC& pg=PA44& d | isbn =0-253-20847-5 ) (from '=shan, 'to strike') is perhaps one of the most popular Orisha ; also known as the god of fire, lightning and thunder. Shango is historically a royal ancestor of the Yoruba people|Yoruba as he was the third king of the Oyo Empire|Oyo Kingdom prior to his posthumous deification. In the Lukumí (Olokun mi = "my dear one") religion of the Caribbean, Shango is considered the center point of the religion as he represents the Oyo people of West Africa, the symbolic ancestors of the adherents of the faith. All the major initiation ceremonies (as performed in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela for the last few hundred years) are based on the traditional Shango ceremony of Ancient Oyo. This ceremony survived the Middle Passage and is considered to be the most complete to have arrived on Western shores. This variation of the Yoruba initiation ceremony became the basis of all Orisha initiations in the West
Historical Shango
Following Oduduwa , Oranyan and Ajaka, Shango (or Jakuta) was the third Alafin (king) of Oyo.cite book | last =Lum | first =Kenneth Anthony | title =Praising His Name in the Dance | publisher =Routledge | year =2000 | pages =231 | url = http://books.google.com/? id=OvLBLzXQ1eYC& pg=PA231 | isbn =90-5702-610-4 In Johnston's mythological account of racial heroes and kings, contrary to his peaceful brother Ajaka, he was a powerful and even violent ruler. Moreover, he is said to have had supernatural forces because he could produce thunder and lightning. He reigned for seven years, the whole of which period was marked by his continuous campaigns and his many battles. The end of his reign resulted from his own inadvertent destruction of his palace by lightning.Johnson, http://books.google.de/books? id=7XSiGw4_qlAC& printsec=frontcover& dq=johnson,+history+of+the+yorubas& hl=de& ei=HB6YTZ-LHIPxsgaO7aTNCA& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=1& ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage& q& f=false History of the Yorubas , 149-152.
Veneration of Shango
In Yorubaland
The religious ritual of Shango was possibly designed in order to help the devotees of Shango gain self-control. Shango's beads tell the story of "his" essence, the logic of Obatala (white) alternating in balance with the fire of Aganyu (red) in passion towards some goal. Historically, Shango brought prosperity to the Oyo Empire during his reign. After his deification, the initiation ceremony of the cult of his memory dictates that this same prosperity be bestowed upon followers, on a personal level. According to Yoruba and Vodou belief systems, Shango hurls bolts of lightning at the people chosen to be his followers, leaving behind imprints of stone axe blades on the Earth's crust. These blades can be seen easily after heavy rains. Veneration of Shango enables& mdash;according to Yoruba belief& mdash;a great deal of power and self-control.
Shango altars often contain an often-seen carved figure of a woman holding her bosom as a gift to the god with a single double-blade axe sticking up from her head. The axe symbolizes that this devotee is possessed by Shango. The woman's expression is calm and cool, expressing the qualities she has gained through her faith.Charles Spencer King.,"Nature's Ancient Religion" ISBN 978-1-4404-1733-7Visona, Monica B., Robin Poynor, Herbert M. Cole, Michael D. Harris, Suzanne P. Blier, and Rowland Abiodun. A History of Art in Africa . New York: Prentice Hall, Inc. and Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2001. p.& nbsp;253
In America
Shango is venerated in Haiti an Haitian Vodou|Vodou , as a god of thunder and weather; in Brazilian Candomblé Ketu (under the name Xangô ).
In art , Sango is depicted with a double-axe Drewal, Henry John & Pemberton, John III. Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought . The Center for African Arts in association with Harry N. Abrams Inc. 1989. p.& nbsp;13 on his three heads. He is associated with the holy animal, the ram (sheep)|ram , and the holy colors of red and white.
Jakuta distinct from Shango
"Shango usurped the duties of an older deity, Jakuta, who hurled fire stones to punish people when they acted against the wishes of Olodumare, the Supreme God". http://www.jstor.org/pss/3337575 Norma H. Wolff and W. Michael Warren : "The Agbeni Shango Shrine in Ibadan", p. 36b. In :- AFRICAN ARTS , vol. 31, no. 3 (Summer 1998), pp. 36-49 The name "Jakuta, "Hurler of stones", or "Fighter with stones" ( Ja to hurl from aloft, ... and okuta , stone)" is an allusion to "stone implements ... believed to be his thunderbolts." Jakuta was "associated with a fellowship of meteorites". http://docs.google.com/viewer? a=v& q=cache:nqMR_qKWu5AJ:ejour-fup.unifi.it/index.php/res/article/view/1460/1395+Jakuta+Shango+different+OR+distinct& hl=en& gl=us& pid=bl& srcid=ADGEESiAD_YcZpNZOVLVVXI6u1xZjEEmmRFEzgRbjs1xG2cDlZxLfwMLiqLvuLZEmoRo9uUAgYAUgM8IpYQxwkI1GCdkrbIvzCeBYaQRSsK3oWNwfIha0T0W4yAyzaUqJFH7F9RrCn9Z& sig=AHIEtbS9gstbnvj-nbBQUN7YZLAQirr2qQ Luis Nicolau Parés : "Shango in Afro-Brazilian Religion", p. 21, fn. 3. In :- RELIGIONI E SOCIETÀ , vol. 54 (2006), pp. 20-39
Implements of Shango
Shango, like other Orishas have many implements. His colours are red and white, his numbers are four (4) and six (6) and he wields a double-headed axe. http://www.tribeofthesun.com/chango.htm Tribe of the Sun Thunderstones, are often found at the site where lightning from Shango has struck earth, most usually a tree. It is said that Shango creates thunder and lightning by casting these stones to the ground. Wherever lightning strikes, priests search the surrounding are for the thrown stone which usually has a double-headed axe shape, like his weapon. These "thunderstones" are believed to have mystical power based on Shango and are often placed in his temples and shrines. http://www.mamiwata.com/shango.html Mami Wata West African Diaspora Vodoun
See also
Lukumí|Santería - Caribbean-originating belief system that combines Catholicism with Yoruba religion
Saint Barbara - Catholic saint used as representation Shango in Santería .
Shango Baptist - Trinidad and Tobago originating belief system that combines Orisha worship with Christianity
Shango (DC Comics)|Shango - A member of the Orishas (DC Comics)|Orisha Pantheon published by DC Comics .
References
reflist
Bibliography
Johnson, Samuel, http://books.google.de/books? id=7XSiGw4_qlAC& printsec=frontcover& dq=johnson,+history+of+the+yorubas& hl=de& ei=HB6YTZ-LHIPxsgaO7aTNCA& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=1& ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage& q& f=false History of the Yorubas , London 1921 (pp.& nbsp;149–152).
Lange, Dierk: http://dierklange.com/pdf/LOST_TRIBES_OF_ISRAEL.pdf "Yoruba origins and the 'Lost Tribes of Israel'", Anthropos 106 (2011), 579-595.
Law, Robin: The Oyo Empire c. 1600 – c. 1836 , Oxford 1977.
Seux, M.-J., Épithètes royales akkadiennes et sumériennes , Paris 1967.
Tishken,Joel E., Tóyìn Fál?lá, and Akíntúndéí Akíny?mí (eds), Sàngó in Africa and the African Diaspora , Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2009.
Further reading
Charles Spencer King , "Nature's Ancient Religion: Orisha Worship & IFA" ISBN 1-4404-1733-4
Charles Spencer King , "IFA Y Los Orishas: La Religion Antigua De LA Naturaleza" ISBN 1-4610-2898-1
http://www.douglasyaney.com/y2755-9-main.htm Mid to late 19th century Shango figure from the Yoruba People of Nigeria
http://www.alawoye.com Ifa & Sango site
http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/CHANGO/index.html Chango - Africa's Greatest King
Tishken, Joel E., Toyin Falola, and Akintunde Akinyemi, eds. http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php? products_id=93169 Sango in Africa and the African Diaspora. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009.
Orisa-IfáYoruba Theogony Category:Yoruba gods Category:Sky and weather gods Category:Thunder gods Category:African traditional religions Category:Yoruba divinities Category:Santería
