Santeria Stories

by Luis Manuel Núñez

For his new book, an elegantly clear and authoritative study of Santeria mythology, Núñez collected the ancient stories told in Santeria, a widely practiced religion resulting from the syncretism of Catholicism and African religion. These stories, which speak about the actions and conflicts of the divine ancestors of the Yoruba slaves of Nigeria have been retold for centuries by native-born Africans and their Cuban-born descendents during their sacred and secular dances, carnivals, and festivals throughout the Spanish and Portuguese colonies.

Genres: Religion

400 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2006

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good: The most complete book of apatakis that I have ever seen. Very well-written. I strongly recommend this book. In addition to fairly general stories, the last section of the book is dedicated to stories relating to the oddun. Also, even though it’s fairly subjective, I really liked the tactile feel of this book — both the covers and the pages seem of high quality and make reading quite comfortable.

The Bad: This book is quite long at around 400-pages. There were some stories which were nearly identical but had a minor change in characters or whatever. I suppose that was to account for the differences in apataki between lineages and whatnot, but I still found it a little annoying.

Overall: Love it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys apatakis or simply wants to get a better understanding of the orisha. Also, it should go without saying, but the reader should remember not to take everything literally…

[Ivon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was filled with wonderful stories. It was very entertaining to read, and also gave different ways that the same stories have been told over the years. It is a must for every African/Yoruba library. It is a good reference to teach children stories that are closely related to our people rather than just 'fairy tales'.