Palo has its roots in the Congo basin of central Africa, from where large numbers of African slaves were brought to Hispaniola and Cuba. Accordingly, a great part of Palo Montes liturgical chants and invocations are in a mixture of the Spanish and Kikongo languages, called lengua or habla Congo, other influences being introduced through their presence in African Spanish-speaking Latin America.[citation needed] During the late 19th century Palo began to spread among the Venezuelan and Afro-Latino communities in the United States as well as many other places outside the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Eventually, members of non-African Latino groups, as well as African Americans, gained access to these traditions. The religion remains fundamentally Afro-Cuban in character. Palo in all its forms originated in the Dominican Republic and Cuba. It may well have been influenced by Haitian religious traditions brought to eastern Cuba through immigration. The Palo belief system rests on two main pillars: 1. The veneration of the spirits of the ancestors. 2. 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 Palos magical rites and religious practice. A certain number of spirits called Kimpungulu (singular: Mpungu) inhabit the Nkisi (sacred objects, also spelled Inquice, Inquise, and Enkisi). Kimpungulu are well known in name and deed, and are venerated as gods. They are powerful entities, but they are ranked below the High God 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 muerto or spirit of the dead (almost never the direct ancestor of the objects 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. One, Chamalongos uses shells or disks of various materials, often coconut shells. A more traditional method, Vititi Mensú, is a form of envisioning or scrying, using a sanctified animal horn capped with a mirror. There are many Ramas that have developed through the ages such as Brillumba - This rama has separated into branches such as Siete Brillumba Congo. The branch born when seven Tatas from Brillumba combined their ngangas to create an Nsasi Ndoki. This rama has grown through the years and is well known today. Note from a resource: Palo, or Las Reglas de Congo are a group of closely related religions or denominations, which developed in the Spanish colonies of the Caribbean amongst Central African slaves of mostly Kongo ancestry. Other names associated with various branches of this religion include Mayombe, Briyumba and Kimbisa. The word palo (stick in Spanish) was applied to the religion in Dominican Republic and Cuba due to the use of wooden sticks in the preparation of altars, which were also called la Nganga, el caldero or la prenda. Adherents of Palo are known generally as Paleros, Ngangeros, or Nganguleros. Membership is by initiation into a house or Temple. The organizational structure follows the model of a family. During slavery when blood families often were broken up by slave holders, this model was particularly significant and taken literally.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 13:09:11 +0000
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