The Controversy of Women Percussionists and their Exclusion from Batá Drumming
Batá drumming is a religious ceremony over five centuries old of Yoruba origin. The purpose of the ceremony is to call upon Orishas, or deities using the drums. There are three drums that participate in the communication with the orishas during the ceremony. These three drums are Iya (mother), dedicated to the Orisha Yemaya, Itotele (father) dedicated to Oshun, and Okonkolo (baby) dedicated to the orisha Chango. Iya is the largest drum, followed by Itotele and finally Okonkolo is the smallest. Each of these drums are made sacred by going through a specific consecration ceremony which may only be attended by males who have had their hands wash to play the drums …show more content…
These religious explanations include reasons regarding the menstrual cycle as well as the types of energies associated with men and woman and the effects these aspects are believed to have on calling upon the heavens. Women cleanse themselves through menstruation and therefore they do not need to play Batá, because playing batá is a cleansing activity. Añá, who is the orisha of the drums is a female and therefore a woman playing the drums creates an imbalance in the gender …show more content…
Due to the monthly bleeding it is thought that is is unsafe for them to approach the consecrated drums in the case that their menstrual blood is mistaken as an offering to Añá.Due to the association of the menstrual cycle with the Aje or “witches” which are antisocial feminine spiritual forces it is believed that female contact with the drums will void their consecration.
Although in the large scale women are prohibited from playing batá there is some evidence that some drummers in Nigeria and Matanzas, Cuba have taught their daughters how to play to pass the tradition through generations. Evidence has led to the suggestion that the prohibition of women playing batá may be a result of Spanish Catholicism on the beliefs of the Yoruba religion. This prohibition of women playing bata, despite its religious or historical reasons still continues today in all known situations although the exact dynamics of the gender prohibition differ depending on the location and
Batá drumming is a religious ceremony over five centuries old of Yoruba origin. The purpose of the ceremony is to call upon Orishas, or deities using the drums. There are three drums that participate in the communication with the orishas during the ceremony. These three drums are Iya (mother), dedicated to the Orisha Yemaya, Itotele (father) dedicated to Oshun, and Okonkolo (baby) dedicated to the orisha Chango. Iya is the largest drum, followed by Itotele and finally Okonkolo is the smallest. Each of these drums are made sacred by going through a specific consecration ceremony which may only be attended by males who have had their hands wash to play the drums …show more content…
These religious explanations include reasons regarding the menstrual cycle as well as the types of energies associated with men and woman and the effects these aspects are believed to have on calling upon the heavens. Women cleanse themselves through menstruation and therefore they do not need to play Batá, because playing batá is a cleansing activity. Añá, who is the orisha of the drums is a female and therefore a woman playing the drums creates an imbalance in the gender …show more content…
Due to the monthly bleeding it is thought that is is unsafe for them to approach the consecrated drums in the case that their menstrual blood is mistaken as an offering to Añá.Due to the association of the menstrual cycle with the Aje or “witches” which are antisocial feminine spiritual forces it is believed that female contact with the drums will void their consecration.
Although in the large scale women are prohibited from playing batá there is some evidence that some drummers in Nigeria and Matanzas, Cuba have taught their daughters how to play to pass the tradition through generations. Evidence has led to the suggestion that the prohibition of women playing batá may be a result of Spanish Catholicism on the beliefs of the Yoruba religion. This prohibition of women playing bata, despite its religious or historical reasons still continues today in all known situations although the exact dynamics of the gender prohibition differ depending on the location and