Orisha in Cuban Santeria: From the Ritual Site to the Museum and Back Again

Abstract

The paper is based on the author's field work in Cuba in 20132016. It discusses the methods of visualization and, more broadly, the materialization of orishas, the deities of the Afro-Cuban cult of Santeria (Regla Lucumi, Regla de Ocha-Ifa). After analyzing the contexts and models of the materialization of spiritual agents, as well as the practices of interaction with them, the author considers their historical dynamics and connection with certain discourses and ideological narratives. The focus is on the situation of the mid-2010s. This time is characterized by significant processes in Cuban culture and public life, in particular, the emergence of tangible results of the change in attitudes towards both religion and African heritage that began in the 1990s.