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

by Kenneth Anthony Lum

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815347132
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/14/2018
Series:	Studies in Latin America and the Caribbean , #1
Pages:	292
Product dimensions:	5.81(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Part 1 Ethnographies: The Spiritual Baptist Faith: Introduction. The Spiritual Baptist Faith: Beliefs and Rituals. The Spiritual Baptist Faith: Manifestations. Orisha Work: Beliefs. Orisha Work: Rituals. Orisha Work: Manifestations. The Kabalistic Side. Part 2 Commentaries: The Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work: Histories of Their Populations. The Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work: Histories. Manifestation in the Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work. Exegesis and Comparison. Part 3 Appendices: Previous Research on Spirit Possession in the Spiritual Baptist Faith and Orisha Work in Trinidad. Practices Prohibited by the Shouters Prohibition Ordinance. Orisha Songs. On a Person's Relationship with the Orishas. Pointing on Speech. On the Kabalistic Spirits