Havana, Cuba, Ca. 1957: Rhythms and Songs For The Orishas

Music is one way Cuban Lucum­ (descendants of African slaves) have retained cultural ties to Africa. During the 19th century these descendants established cabildos, mutual aid and social societies based on African ethnic "nations" under the sponsorship of the Roman Catholic Church. These cabildos, found mainly in urban areas, were officially disbanded in the early 1900s but many continued on, providing an outlet for a Cuban Yoruba religion, combining Catholic and African-based religious elements. The Yoruba pantheon of gods called orishas provided the basis for these religious cults known as Santeria (also called Lucum­) and the drum ensembles that traditionally accompanied religious rituals in West Africa were modified into the Cuban bat¡ drum trios heard in these recordings. (Marks 2001; Rodr­guez 1998)