Praising His Name In The Dance: Spirit Possession in the Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work in Trinidad, West Indies

by Lum,Kenneth Anthony

• ISBN13: 9789057026102
• ISBN10: 9057026104
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-02-01
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The author provides a detailed portrait of the Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work, two religions that share a common basis in the traditional religion of the Yoruba in West Africa. Specifically, the author studies the phenomenon of spirit possession, an integral aspect of worship in both religions. In the Spiritual Baptist Faith, a person who is possessed by the Holy Spirit retains his or her own identity, while in Orisha Work, those who are possessed by the orishas (spirits), become the spirits. Both types of possession are based on the Yoruba concept of self in which identity is dependent on the spirit which animates a physical body. This common basis of religions enables the respective populations to interact extensively and explains why an individual can experience both types of spiritual possession.

Table of Contents

List of Tables	ix
Introduction to the Series	xi
Preface	xiii
Introduction	1	(24)
I Ethnographies
The Spiritual Baptist Faith: Introduction	25	(24)
The Spiritual Baptist Faith: Beliefs and Rituals	49	(34)
The Spiritual Baptist Faith: Manifestations	83	(8)
Orisha Work: Introduction	91	(22)
Orisha Work: Beliefs	113	(20)
Orisha Work: Rituals	133	(22)
Orisha Work: Manifestations	155	(20)
The Kabalistic Side	175	(18)
II Commentary
The Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work: Histories of Their Populations	193	(24)
The Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work: Histories	217	(26)
Manifestation in the Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work: Exegesis and Comparison	243	(48)
Appendices
I Previous Research on Spirit Possession in the Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work in Trinidad	259	(10)
II Practices Prohibited by the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance	269	(2)
III Orisha Songs	271	(10)
IV On a Person's Relationship with the Orishas	281	(4)
V Pointing on Speech	285	(4)
VI On the Kabalistic Spirits	289	(2)
Bibliography	291	(12)
Index	303