Shango in Trinidad and Tobago
In Trinidad and Tobago, the African derived ritual is known as Shango, though other ethnic groups like the Mandingo and the Arada were also brought into the islands during slavery. The fourth king of Oyo among the Yoruba, Shango is one of the most popular Orishas in the Caribbean and the Americas. The spiritual entity of thunder and lightning, he is also worshipped in Haiti, Brazil, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Argentina. Shango is the embodiment of justice and the symbol of resistance to enslavement. He also embodies the principle of double vision, as symbolized in the "oshe" (double-headed axe) that he carries, endowing him with the ability to see the past and the future. As lightning and thunder, his voice resonates in the double-headed bata drums that he "owns", and since he traded his gift of vision with Ifa for the ability to dance, he is also said to be the owner of music and dance.
In the Americas, Shango is one the anchors of the religion. Conflagrated with Santa Barbara, his initiation rituals, based on the traditions of the Ancient Oyo, are among some of the most complete. In 2001, in the village of Sangre Grande in Trinidad, I was fortunate to participate in an impressive Shango celebration at a temple whose babalorisha (priest) had worshipped with Cuban and Haitian practitioners in New York. The ceremony, attended by hundreds, lasted most of the night. The priest, representing Shango, did most of the dancing while the drumming and singing were provided by a chorus of worshippers.
Shango drumming follows the West African model of the three drum chorus, bell, and rattles. The lead drum is called "kongo mother drum", the middle-sized is "bembe", and the small drum is "umele" and is played with a curve stick similar to the one used for the armpit talking drum. The ensemble features rattling gourds called "shack-shack", the "ogan" bell, and hand clapping by the choir of "hunsi", members of the "palais" as the temple is called.
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"Shango Cult: Annual Ceremony in a Rural Area"
Overt and positive recognition of African-based forms of spiritually is of recent date in Trinidad and Tobago which became independent in 1962. The Black Power revolt in the 1970s brought a better climate for African culture, and upper middle class people became less embarrassed by African cultural practices. Due to pressure from the colonial legacy, many people in Trinidad and Tobago converted to Christianity, but they retained their African identity through combining Shango traditions with Protestantism. They are known as Shango Baptist, and their rituals are not unlike those of the Sanctified Churches in the US whose music they blended with local percussion practices.
The choreography of the Rumba is highly pantomimed and improvisational and is characterized by the movement known as Vacunao, which is a pelvic movement or erotic symbolism. This movement is directly derived from the fertility dance or Congolese origin known as Yuka.
