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Oya, the Yoruba orisha of storms and cemeteries. I received this in the mail earlier this month.
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178,898
Abibitumi Points
What do those crosses at her feet represent?
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Those are cross headstones. They represent her connection with cemeteries. Oya guards all cemetery entrances.
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178,898
Abibitumi Points
Are cross headstones part of Yorùbá culture?
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No. These cross headstones are a reflection of the Cuban Santerian aspect of Oya. Actual crossroads are true Yoruba symbols since shrines honoring the orishas are often set up at those type of locations.
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Those crosses really made me question this picture! The Christian Cross!
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Yes,a Celtic Cross on the left and a Latin Cross on the right. The Cuban Santerian “touch.” To make it totally Yoruba Ifa, the bottom part should just have Oya standing at a crossroad.
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The danger is not recognizing the Eurocentric symbolism when it’s combined with Afrikan. These crosses reflect Oya’s Santerian aspect. Cuban Santeria is a combination of Yoruba and Catholicism. I bought this for I saw far more Yoruba symbolism than Catholic.
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a corrupted image is still an corrupted image. that symbolism in the background does what to our minds?
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It stings our minds. Even with something as minor as this. When I first saw this , I was attracted to the Yoruba symbolism in the foreground, but I felt a slight sting once my eyes moved to the European crosses at the bottom. This kind of thing can also inspire one to find an item that’s 💯% Afrikan. In the future, I hope I can order ftom Abibitumi an Oya shirt that totally reflects Yoruba. If a cross symbol is to be featured, use a crossroads image.
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ah, you wrote, you want to order this item. now, there is one place i found state side
https://www.owamarket.com/
does anyone know of this place?
with a huge population in Nigeria, we should be able to find that shirt with no issue. Can anyone find a shop that sells shirts/items on Youruba?-
I thank you for informing me about Owamarket. They didn’t have an Oya shirt on display. So, I emailed them about the availability of such a shirt.
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Right on!!!
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🖤
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