the Spanish port. La Virgen de Regla then became the patron saint of the city of Regla in Cuba, as well. During Cuba's slave trade, La Virgin de Regla was syncretized with the Orisha (deity ) known as Yemoja, from the Yoruba (Ifa) religion of Africa. The name Yemoja was derived from an abridgement of the Yoruba words Yey Omo Eja, which mean "Mother Whose Children are the Fish." Yemoja is the Orisha of the legendary Ogun River in Nigeria, which is the largest river in Yoruba territory.
As a result of the middle passage (the migration of African slaves across the Atlantic, conducted under the most inhuman conditions), Yemoja became known as the Orisha of the ocean. She is said to have accompanied the slaves through the middle passage. In Cuba's synchronistic Santeria religion, Yemoja became one with La Virgen de Regla, and assumed the name "Yemayá." Below left is picture of the statue of La Virgen de Regla as she appears in Cuba.
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Many ancient cultures, including Yoruba, understood that life began in the sea, as is now affirmed by modern science. Similarly, life in the womb begins in water. That being said, Yemayá is considered to be the Orisha of life's beginning, the mother of all life. She is the ultimate matriarch and the mother of many Orishas, including Ochun (who presides over matrimony and motherhood), Ogun (the deity of fire who presides over hunting, iron, politics and war) and Chango (the deity of thunder who presides over the skies)
It is believed that Yemayá is actually Isis, renamed. Legend holds that Isis came from Egypt, across the African desert, accompanied by the Sun God, known in Yoruba as "Olorun." In Cuba's Santeria religion Olorun is referred to as "Olodumare." Olodumare is believed to be the deity of the skies and the creator of the universe. He is God Almighty, from whom all Orishas are manifest. |
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In my painting of La Virgen de Regla-Yemayá, I incorporated in her crown, images associated with the crown of Isis, fashioned after the hieroglyphic sign for a throne. The symbol which Isis, Yemayá and La Virgen de Regla share in common is the star, indicative of being from the heavens. The moon crescent below the Virgin is another celestial symbol. The three wings on the crescent are symbolic of the three angels that appear in images of many Madonnas, including Regla. I used metallic silver oil paint for the crescent and the stars and moons on Regla's cloak and crown because Silver is the color with which Yemayá is associated.
Another symbol of Yemayá is the cowrie shell. Cowries are symbolic of the sea and were of high monetary value in ancient Yoruba culture, where they were used as currency as well. They are used in Ifa divinations in Santeria and Yoruba. In the spirit of synchronization, I painted cowrie shells for the beads of the rosary in Regla's hand. The rosary also includes a clam shell which is another symbol of Yemayá.
Hiding behind the flora, on the ocean's horizon to the left, I painted a slave ship. This slave ship appears in my other paintings that reference slavery. The bonnet on Regla's head is reminiscent of the fashion in Europe, during Spain's inquisition in 1478, established by the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabela. This was a time in Spain when Catholics persecuted many people, simply because they held different religious beliefs. The bonnet's gentle embrace around Regla's face eulogizes the suffering that so many souls endured at the hands of the Spaniards, both during Spain's inquisition and during Spain's conquering of the New World. I painted the bonnet and gown white and the cloak blue, because white and blue are the colors with which Yemayá is affiliated. Blue, being the color of the ocean and white, the color of the foam on the waves.
The vegetation I painted is intrinsically Cuban. The orange flowers on fern-like leaves at the top of the painting are from the Flamboyante tree which I have seen all over Cuba. The tree's ornate orange and red colors that decorate the Carribbean skyline are symbolic to me of the the Sun God through which Isis migrated across Africa, turning into Yemoja. The flower's colors are also symbolic of the fire which the Spaniards used to ravage the homes and bodies of Caribbean natives. The Flamboyante is the national flower of Puerto Rico. The presence of Puerto Rico's national flower in my painting serves as a reminder that slavery and the slaughtering of indigenous people plagued all of the Caribbean, as well as the Americas. The white flowers at the bottom of the painting are called Mariposa flowers. Mariposa in Spanish means butterfly. The Mariposa is Cuba's national flower.
The red flowers, pointing towards Regla-Yemayá are plantain flowers. Plantains are one of my favorite foods and were a big part of my upbringing. My mother cooked them regularly, even after we had moved from Cuba to New Jersey. Some of my American friends used to quip and say, "Man, don't you Cubans eat anything else besides bananas?!" As my brother Dan once said, "We grew up on Fried Plantains and Kelloggs Corn Flakes." My Mom cooked plantains for us in many different ways, fried, boiled, baked and smashed. My mom called the mashed kind "fufu." It was one of my favorites. Boiled plantains are mashed together with a dash of olive oil, fresh garlic and bacon bits. The texture comes out like mashed potatoes. This dish and its name (fufu) originated in Africa. It is enjoyed in such countries as Ghana where it is called the same name. I found that out when a Ghana friend came over my house and was surprised when I served him fufu. "Hey, this is what we grow up on, back in Ghana," he said with delight. The presence of plantain flowers in the picture is not only reminiscent of a fruit that is widely cooked in Cuba, but of the preservation of African cuisine in Cuba.
I made Regla-Yemayá, emerging from the ocean (over which she presides) and pointing to the baby Jesus as an immediate reminder that Christ is the center in the adoration of Mary. |
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| I made the baby Jesus the same color as his mother as a protest to the cream-colored complexion which appears on the Christ baby in all of the images of Regla that I have seen, such as the one to above right. In his hand the baby Jesus holds the world. If you look carefully at my painting, you will notice that the island of Cuba appears in the center of the globe. |
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