Santería

Cuba Once seen as an enemy of the United States of America, Cuba is now a new partner with this country. The question too many may be how did that happen and what is next? Senior Leaders need to understand the history of Cuba and how the relationship was ruined with the United States of America so we can overcome these differences to help strengthen relationships within the region. This paper will discuss the background, government, strategic importance, and future direction of Cuba.…

(everyculture.com) Of the total population, 50 percent are classified as mixed African and European, thirty-seven percent is classified as black or negro and one percent Chinese (everyculture.com). History tells African slaves were brought to Cuba and some have married their masters, which resulted to Cuban mulattos (cuban-culture.com). Other races have also come to Cuba in the past such as Russian, Chinese and European. Three dominant bloods are present in Cubans makeup: “First of these roots…

In, “Native American Religious Liberty: Five Hundred Years After Columbus,” by Walter R. Echo-Hawk, he writes about the religious oppression of native americans. According to Echo-Hawk, United States settlers used religion to justify the Indian Removal Act. He writes that, “a basic goal of federal Indian policy was to convert the “savage” Indians into Christian citizens…” (Echo-Hawk 277). This drove the white settlers to implement different laws that banned Native American religious practice.…

In the opening foreword to the book, Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously: Spiritual Politics on America’s Sacred Ground, prominent author and Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies at Harvard University Diana L. Eck highlights the importance of pluralism in the United States. “Pluralism is much more than the simple fact of diversity. Pluralism is not a given, but an achievement. It is engaging that diversity in the creation of a common society.” In a way, this statement…

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…

Anthropological scientific studies have extensively grown within the last 30 years, though; it is still fairly new to understanding the elements of all the different cultures the world has to offer. Colonialism has provided substantial starting point and has acted as a base for anthropologists’ views and concepts. Anthropology and colonialism have always gone hand in hand when examining the beginnings of societies and cultures. Colonialism offers and clear understanding of policy and practices…

Major Societies The major societies and states of sub-Saharan Africa started with Ghana in the 4th or 5th century. Ghana was a state of west Africa whose kings controlled trade of gold by tax so they could gain money to build a army and strong society. This state was later Mali, after a group of new individuals took it over. These new individuals kept the strong practices of Ghana until it was invaded and became Songhay. Songhay was developed in the 15th century and traded salt, textiles, and…

Hispanics/Latinos are the largest and most rapidly growing ethnic group in the United States, and Latinos/Hispanics accounted for 50% of the total population growth. The Hispanic population covers people from 26 countries. “The Hispanic culture is one of the fastest growing cultural groups in the United States. The U.S. Census data indicates that Hispanics will be the largest minority group by the year 2050” (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1992). Hispanics in the United States includes any person of…

honors this statue with perfumes, flowers, honey, and prayer daily. _____ carries a walking stick with the same figure given to ___, and has carried this with him for over fifty eight years. ____ contributes his success to this figure. I believe Santeria is the name of the religion practiced and is a mixture of Catholic and African…

Orientation Identification: The terms “Hispanic” and “Latina/o” are normally interchangeable, even though most governmental and scholarly documents have a preference for the use of “Hispanic”, while religious affiliations and grassroots incline to the latter one[ Suzanne Oboler, Ethnic Labels, Latino Lives: Identity and the Politics of (Re)Presentation in the United States (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1995), 3.]. In the past decades, those terms have come into general use in the…