The City of Men
2007; School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1953-8103
Autores Tópico(s)Cuban History and Society
ResumoThe Cuban cult of Ifa is an exception to the feminization of the clergy in Afro-American religions, since only heterosexual men can be officiants (babalaos). Although this has been recognized since Lydia Cabrera’s work, its mythological justification is not so well known. This justification is tightly linked to the distinction between menstrual and sacrificial blood. The exclusion of homosexual men is explained by their identification with women and by the fact that they might create confusion in the principles of spiritual descent and brotherhood that serve as the basis for organizing the babalaos as a group. Counterbalancing the exclusion of these two groups is, however, the fact that women and homosexual men have the obligation of interrogating Ifa for those who ask them to do so.
Referência(s)