The word “Lucumi” refers to the Afro -Cuban manifestation of Yoruba in Cuba and on the North American continent, as well as to the practitioners of Yoruba in those regions. During the latter half of the 18th century, a large number of enslaved Afrikans were taken to Cuba from the home of Yoruba in southwestern Nigeria. These Afrikans were indigenous to the Yoruba kingdoms of Oyo, Egbado and Ijesha and brought beliefs, traditions and philosophies of Yoruba to Cuba.

There was diversity to the traditions of Yoruba. In Afrika this diversity was seen in the regional variations among the Oyo, Egbado and Ijesha. However, due to the European slave trade and many years of interaction between the diverse groups, the groups merged in the Americas to form one common tradition. The result of this unity was the religious practice of “La Regla de Osha Lucumi” (which translates as “The Rule of the Lucumi Orishas,” or the rule of the Lucumi deities).

This unification of various Yoruba traditions in Cuba did not in any way affect the theology and metaphysics of Yoruba speaking people in southwestern Nigeria or the regional variations in their traditions. Although the elders of this community were enslaved, they still managed to organise and standardise the ceremony and ritual of the present day Lucumi tradition. This organised effort addressed the new geographical and social realities that practitioners of the religion faced in the Western hemispere.

Because of the favourable climate for Afrikan social and political integration in Cuba, the Yoruba in Cuba were able to maintain much of the ritual and ceremonial integrity of the religion. However, on the continent of Afrika, British colonialism fostered Christianity, Islam sent Jihadists into West Afrika and internal conflicts decimated the Old Oyo Empire of ancient Yorubaland. Thus, while the fundamental principles of the Yoruba tradition are adhered to by all practitioners throughout the Afrikan world, including continental Afrika and the diaspora in South America and elsewhere, there are some rituals and ceremonies that have disappeared over time.

Yet Lucumi remains a strong tradition in Cuba. Analysis and comparison of the Yoruba chants, initiations, rites and aesthetics show that Lucumi manifestations are the preserved form of the traditions of Old Yoruba. Because the social and political changes that have taken place on the continent of Afrika have affected the modern day expression of the Yoruba tradition, researchers now claim that Cuba holds an older expression of the religion in the Lucumi tradition.

Today the Lucumi tradition is the most widely practised form of Yoruba. In fact, in the United States, 90% of the Orisha worship originated with the Lucumi tradition in Cuba. Pictured below is the Carlota Lucumi (b.? – 1844) who led a slave rebellion in Cuba in the mid 19th century. It is said that the term “Lucumi” was given to Cuban slaves who spoke the Yoruba language of West Afrika.