Palo (religion)

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(November 2012)

Palo, also known as Las Reglas de Congo, is a group of closely related religions which developed in
the Spanish Empire among Central African slaves of mostly Kongo ancestry. The branches of Palo
include Mayombe (or Mallombe), Monte, Briyumba (or Brillumba), and Kimbisa.
The word "palo" ("stick" in Spanish) was applied to the religion in Cuba due to the use of wooden
sticks in the preparation of altars, which were also called "la Nganga", "el caldero", or "la prenda".
Priests of Palo are known as "Paleros", "Ngangeros", or "Nganguleros".

Contents

1 History
2 Belief system and rituals
3 Syncretism
4 Pantheon
4.1 Higher Gods
4.2 Kimpungulu
5 Controversy
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links

History
Palo has its roots in the Congo basin of Central Africa, from where large numbers of Kongo slaves
were brought to Cuba where the religion was organized. Palo's liturgical language is a mixture of the
Spanish and Kikongo languages, known as lengua or habla Congo.

During the late 18th-19th century, Palo began to spread from Cuba to Puerto Rico, the Dominican
Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, and Latino communities in the United States.

Belief system and rituals

The Palo belief system rests on two main pillars:
The veneration of the spirits of the ancestors.
The belief in natural/earth powers.
Natural objects, and particularly sticks, are thought to be infused with powers, often linked to the
powers of spirits. These objects are known as "nganga" and are the ritual focus of Palo's magical rites
and religious practice.
A certain number of spirits called Kimpungulu (singular: Mpungu) inhabit the Nkisi (sacred objects;
also spelled Enkisi, Inquice, or Inquise). Kimpungulu are well known in name and deed, and are
venerated as spirits. They are powerful entities, but they are ranked below the Supreme Creator Zambi
or Nzambi.
The main practice of Palo focuses upon the religious receptacle or altar known as a Nganga or Prenda.
This is a consecrated vessel filled with sacred earth, sticks (palos), human remains, bones and other
items. Each Nganga is dedicated to a specific spiritual Nkisi. This religious vessel is also inhabited by a
spirit of the dead (almost never the direct ancestor of the object's owner), also referred to as "Nfumbe",
who acts as a guide for all religious activities which are performed with the Nganga.
Various divination methods are used in Palo. Chamalongos uses shells of various materials, often
coconut shells. A more traditional method, Vititi Mens, is a form of envisioning or scrying, using a
sanctified animal horn capped with a mirror.
There are many spiritual branches, or Ramas, that have developed through the ages such as Briyumba this branch has separated into branches such as Siete Briyumba Congo; the branch born when seven
Tata's from Briyumba combined their ngangas to create an Nsasi Ndoki.

Syncretism
Religious syncretism can be seen in some houses of Palo, called Palo Cristiano, with the use of the
cross and images of Catholic saints as representations of the Nkisi. However, in other houses, called
Palo Judio, there is no syncreticization with Catholic imagery. The name Palo Judio literally means
"Jewish Palo", but the term "Jewish" as used here does not refer to Judaism; rather it is metaphorical
shorthand for "refusing to convert to Christianity", that is, in the case of Palo, "purely Congo".[1]
Due to Kardecian syncretism in many houses of Palo, a spiritual Misa is often held before the initiation,
in order to identify the main spirits which will help to develop one's life. These guides often speak
through possession, and may give direct advice.

Pantheon
The highest level of the pantheon in Palo is occupied by the supreme creator God, Nzambi. The
Kimpungulu (singular: Mpungu) are spirits encapsulated in sacred vessels (Nkisi). Other spirits that
can inhabit the Nkisi are Nfuri (wandering spirits or wraiths), Bakalu (spirits of ancestors), and Nfumbe
(anonymous spirits).

Higher Gods
Nzambi
Lugambe

Kimpungulu

Nkuyu
Kengue
Kobayende
Mariguanda
Gurufinda
Kalunga
Chola Wengue
Kimbabula
Watariamba
Nsasi
Sarabanda

Controversy
Palo has been linked to a rash of grave robbing in Venezuela. Residents report that many of the graves
at Caracas' Cementerio General del Sur have been pried open to have their contents removed for use in
Palo ceremonies.[2] In Newark, New Jersey, a Palo practitioner was found to have the remains of at
least two dead bodies inside pots within the basement, along with items looted from one of the tombs.
[3]

References
1.
""Jewish" and "Christian" Palo in Cuba".
Romero, Simon (2009-12-11). "Palo (Religion) In Venezuela, Even Death May Not Bring
Peace". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
3. William Mcgowan (November 8, 2002). "Resting Without Peace". Wall Street Journal. Just a
month ago, Newark police raided the scruffy tenement at Central and Norfolk. Inside a

basement worship room, 10-gallon Palo pots held at least two sets of human remains, including
two skulls. ...

Further reading

Lydia Cabrera. 1993 "El Monte". La Habana: Editorial Letras Cubanas.

Lydia Cabrera. "Palo Monte Mayombe: Las Reglas de Congo" .
Lydia Cabrera. "La Regla Kimbisa del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje".
Jess Fuentes Guerra and Armin Schwegler 2005.Lengua y ritos del Palo Monte Mayombe:...
Erwan Dianteill. "Kongo in Cuba" (English), Archives-de-sciences-sociales-des-religions, 2002
Natalia Bolvar Arstegui. "Ta Makuenda Yaya"
Miguel Barnet. "AfroCuban Religions".
Robert Farris Thompson. "Flash of the Spirit".
Jeff Lindsay. "Dexter in the Dark". 2007.
Nicholaj De Mattos Frisvold. "Palo Mayombe, The Garden of Blood & Bones". 2010
Todd Ramon Ochoa. "Society of the Dead: Quita Managuita and Palo Praise in Cuba"
University of California Press, 2010.

External links

Kimbisa.org, roundtable discussions of issues in Palo, hosted by Palo Priests.

Nganga.org, general information on Bantu religions in the diaspora.
Palo, Comparative African religions
Palomayombe.com, general Kimbisa SCBV information.
Palo-mayombe.com, general Palo Mayombe information.
Palo, Congo, Inkisi at DMOZ
Video of palo dance performed by Cutumba
Video of Palo ceremony for M Lango, also known as Yemanja, at a beach in Santiago de Cuba
Jul-2014
http://www.angelfire.com/weird/santocristo/intro.html

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Afro-American religion

Religions

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Abaku
Candombl (Bantu
Jej
Ketu)
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Dominican Vud
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Kumina
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Palo
Quimbanda
Santera
Spiritual Baptist
Umbanda
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If
Orisha (Yoruba)
Loa (Fon and Ewe)
Alusi (Igbo)
Winti (Akan)
Nkisi (Kongo)
Roman Catholicism (France
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Netherlands)
Protestantism (England
Netherlands)
Indigenous American mythology

Categories:

Afro-American religion
Afro-Central American
Religion in Cuba
Syncretism

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