This paper is an exploration into why communities of people would seek spiritual or religious guidance in their lives. Using experiences from the city of New York, I will be visiting people in their homes and viewing their practice, taking into account what is done, who was there, how they dressed and how they behaved. The process of creating this paper will take up to 3 weeks. I will go to the event of my choosing, record each item, device, taboo, or common trait that I see, and relay my experience and methods.
My focus will be looking at the Yoruba culture as practiced by African-Americans. It is a belief system like shamanism in which the practitioners believed each and everything in life was an “Orisha” an aspect of god. I was familiar …show more content…
The Altar in itself took up nearly 2/3 of the hallway, the many offerings and gifts given to them stretched out along the walls, giving off a sort of aura of authority, like a guardian. There lay swords, rapiers, saws, bows, arrows, the majority of which are rusted, and many metal (assumedly steel) pots. Although they were not like pots for cooking, but more like miniature cauldrons, they were slick and packed with all the oils, liquids, and offerings given inside and what seemed to be over them as well. The altar stood on a black bookcase beside a mirror, wooden statues not only surrounding the bookcase and mirror but riddled through the bookcase itself. Inside lay the Yoruba physical embodiments of these warriors, multiple Iron or steel bowls with shells of multiple kinds and other earthy materials residing around and inside of them. The once bright white shell now slicked orange with what I soon learned to be palm oil, the trademark food that is always accepted amongst all Orisha. I asked why the altar was put there, remembering the times I was younger where I could swear the statues were watching me. They told me that the altar and the offerings, and statues that resided around it represented “The Warriors” Orisha in the household that would watch over the home, always watching everyone who leaves or enters their
My focus will be looking at the Yoruba culture as practiced by African-Americans. It is a belief system like shamanism in which the practitioners believed each and everything in life was an “Orisha” an aspect of god. I was familiar …show more content…
The Altar in itself took up nearly 2/3 of the hallway, the many offerings and gifts given to them stretched out along the walls, giving off a sort of aura of authority, like a guardian. There lay swords, rapiers, saws, bows, arrows, the majority of which are rusted, and many metal (assumedly steel) pots. Although they were not like pots for cooking, but more like miniature cauldrons, they were slick and packed with all the oils, liquids, and offerings given inside and what seemed to be over them as well. The altar stood on a black bookcase beside a mirror, wooden statues not only surrounding the bookcase and mirror but riddled through the bookcase itself. Inside lay the Yoruba physical embodiments of these warriors, multiple Iron or steel bowls with shells of multiple kinds and other earthy materials residing around and inside of them. The once bright white shell now slicked orange with what I soon learned to be palm oil, the trademark food that is always accepted amongst all Orisha. I asked why the altar was put there, remembering the times I was younger where I could swear the statues were watching me. They told me that the altar and the offerings, and statues that resided around it represented “The Warriors” Orisha in the household that would watch over the home, always watching everyone who leaves or enters their