The Arará people form an

Afro-Cuban Afro-Cubans or Black Cubans are Cubans of West African ancestry. The term ''Afro-Cuban'' can also refer to historical or cultural elements in Cuba thought to emanate from this community and the combining of native African and other cultural ele ...

ethnoreligious group An ethnoreligious group (or an ethno-religious group) is a grouping of people who are unified by a common religious and ethnic background. Furthermore, the term ethno-religious group, along with ethno-regional and ethno-linguistic groups, is a s ...

descended from the Dahomey kingdom of West Africa, and retaining an identity, religion, and culture separate from those of other Afro-Cuban peoples. Although, historically, the Arará people have been staunch defenders of their separate heritage and religion, this distinct identity - while it still persists - has, over time, become increasingly blurred and harder to maintain.

History

Origins

The Arará were originally enslaved as prisoners-of-war in the invasions of Dahomey by the

Oyo Empire The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria (including Southwest zone and the western half of Northcentral zone). It grew to become the largest Yoruba language, ...

. Years after enslavement and transport to Cuba, Yoruba slaves descendant from the

began to arrive in Cuba. Due to the pre-existing tensions in West Africa these two groups remained socially distant and developed separate cultures and identities. Despite close similarities in their religious practices both groups retained separate priesthoods. It was not until the early 1900s that Arará and Yoruba Cubans became sufficiently comfortable in each other's company to begin to mix culturally.

Evolution

Currently many Arará traditions have mixed with other Afro-Cuban traditions and retention of a solid Arará identity in heritage and things cultural has become difficult as over time various differing traditions and peoples have melded in a growing sense of Afro-Cuban cultural exchange, especially in religious practices.

Religion

Arará religion is a religion indigenous to Cuba. Its origins can be traced to the Ewe- Fon of Dahomey. Many gods known as "luases" are worshiped, similar to the

Loa ( ), also called loa or loi, are spirits in the African diasporic religion of Haitian Vodou. They have also been incorporated into some revivalist forms of Louisiana Voodoo. Many of the lwa derive their identities in part from deities venerat ...

in Vodou, many of which are borrowed from

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

gods. Some minor

Kongo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...

based rituals are also practiced. Originally the religion had popularity in

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

and

Santiago de Cuba Santiago de Cuba is the second-largest city in Cuba and the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province. It lies in the southeastern area of the island, some southeast of the Cuban capital of Havana. The municipality extends over , and contains t ...

. Even though Vodou gods are venerated rather than Yoruba gods, Santeria practices and linguistics have merged into Arará practices. However, the music and dance of Arará ceremonies continues to be quite different from that of Santeria ceremonies, thus separating the two religions. It has been estimated that around the 1890s or the early 1900s Santeria and Arará religions began mixing, resulting in the Arará adoption of Santeria customs in guidance of ceremonies. Today many practitioners use Yoruba terminology to explain their practices but still continue to use unique ceremonial dances. Some of these dances are noted for their similarity to dances in

Haitian Vodou Haitian Vodou is an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries. It arose through a process of syncretism between several traditional religions of West and Central Africa and Roman Catholicism. There is ...

because of both religion's shared heritage but the dances still remain different.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arara Afro-Caribbean Afro-Cuban Afro–Puerto Rican Beninese diaspora

History

Origins

Evolution

Religion

See also

References