Divinity Atlas

Sacred Correspondences
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Varies between provinces or member bodies

This page groups denominations by how they recognize a member as a minister. Wikipedia notes that Jehovah's Witnesses "consider an adherent's qualified baptism to constitute his ordination as a minister," a markedly different practice from a seminary-trained clergy. Browsing this way lets a visitor compare how differently denominations of the same religion set someone apart for ministry.

Facts
Overview
What Defines This Grouping
The ramas, or branches, of Palo Monte: an Afro-Cuban religion of Central African origin centred on a consecrated vessel, the nganga, and on relations with the dead and with the forces of the wild. The branches differ by house and by lineage of initiation. 2
Peoples and Traditions Covered
Central African, chiefly Bakongo, in origin, and formed in Cuba. It is a distinct religion from the Yoruba-derived Santeria with which it often coexists, with its own ritual language, its own dead and its own powers. 3
Status
Status Today
Living: an initiatory religion with active houses in Cuba and in its diaspora. What is transmitted in initiation is closed, and this entry records that the branches exist rather than what they contain. 2
Directory
Category
Denominations 1
Origins
Origin of the Name
Palo is Spanish for stick or branch, for the wood and other matter gathered into the nganga; monte names the wild or the bush from which that matter comes. 2
Learn More
The branches of Palo Monte

This small group holds a branch of Palo Monte, an Afro-Cuban religion of Central African (Kongo) origin, developed among enslaved Bakongo people in Cuba. Palo centres on a consecrated vessel, the nganga, and on relationships with the spirits of the dead and natural forces.

The browser will find the ramas (branches) into which the tradition divides. The entries describe the branch in relation to the wider Palo tradition and its Kongo roots, noting that it is a distinct religion from the Yoruba-derived Santeria with which it often coexists in Cuba.

Varies between provinces or member bodies
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Connections

Belongs to Tradition

Palo Monte, Religions

The branches of Palo Monte.

Source Society of the Dead: Quita Manaquita and Palo Praise in CubaTodd Ramon Ochoa
Sources
1. Divinity Atlas Directory Taxonomy, First Edition Category Tree
2. Society of the Dead: Quita Manaquita and Palo Praise in Cuba
Todd Ramon Ochoa, University of California Press, 2010
3. Flash of the Spirit: African and Afro-American Art and Philosophy
Robert Farris Thompson, Random House, 1983View the Source
Divinity Atlas Directory Prose, First Edition Category Descriptions
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