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Palo Monte
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Palo Monte, also called the Reglas de Congo, an Afro-Cuban initiatory religion of Central African (Kongo) origin, formed among enslaved BaKongo people and their descendants in Cuba and now found across the Caribbean and the Americas. The branch grouped here is Palo Mayombe. It is a closed, initiatory tradition; what is set down here is that it exists and whose it is, not its rites, which pass only through initiation.
Facts
Overview
What Defines This GroupingThe 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 CoveredCentral 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 TodayLiving: 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 Origins
Origin of the NamePalo 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.
Cross-Tradition Connections
Belongs to Tradition
The branches of Palo Monte.
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