Shango of The Oyo Empire
Shango was the fourth king of the Oyo clan in Yorubaland who brought prosperity to the Empire he inherited. Many stories have been told about him, and several myths surround him. He stands as the cornerstone of a good part of Afro-Caribbean religion and worship.
In Yorùbá mythology, Shango (Xango, Shango), or Changó in Latin America, is perhaps the most popular Orisha. He is a Sky Father, spirit of thunder and one of the principal ancestors of the Yoruba people. In the Lukumí (O lukumi = "my friend" or "one who joins with me") religion of the Caribbean, Shango is considered to be the focal point as he represents the Oyos of West Africa. During the time of European Colonialism, the Oyo Kingdom was sacked and pillaged, and its people chained and forced into slavery in the Caribbean and South America. It is primarily for this reason that every major Orisha initiation ceremony performed in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela within the past few hundred years has been based on the traditional Shango ceremony of Ancient Oyo. Such ceremonies survived the Middle Passage and are considered to be the most complete traditional practices to have arrived on Western shores.
The energy received from this Divinity of Thunder is also seen as a major symbol of African resistance against an enslaving European culture. Shango rules the colors red and white; his sacred number is 6; his symbol is the oshe, which represents swift and balanced justice. He is owner of the Bata (3 double-headed drums) and of music in general, as well as the Art of Dance and Entertainment.
Shango is venerated in Haitian Vodou, as a god of thunder and weather; in Brazilian Candomblé Ketu (under the name Xangô); in Umbanda, as the powerful loa Nago Shango; in Trinidad as Shango Lord Of Thunder, drumming and dance ; and in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela - the Santería equivalent of St. Barbara, a traditional colonial disguise for the Divinity known as Changó.
In art, Shango is depicted with a double-axe on his three heads. He is associated with the holy animal, the ram, and the holy colors of red and white.
Legend also states that he initiated the style of plaiting men's hair. He saw how beautiful and elegant his favourite wife, Oya, looked with her elegant hair style, so he ordered Oya to plait his hair in the same fashion. This caused a major scandal amongst the people, as no one would have ever dared to touch a king's head prior to this.
Read more about this topic: Legends Of Africa
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