Oshun

In Cuba there are two religions rooted in African traditions: Santería and Palomonte. Santería (also called Regla de Osha or Lucumi) comes from the Yoruba people and identifies one of the main African ancestries of the Cuban people. Palomonte is rooted in Central African traditions. These popular paintings (2750/1-5) portray four orishas: Oyã, Oshun, Obbatalá and Shango. Orishas are said to have been ancestors a long time ago, and thus carry human attributes. Oshun and Obbatalá are almost symmetrical orishas. Obbatalá is Shango’s mother, but unlike him she rules with reason by seeking peace and offering justice, renewal and new beginnings. As the head orisha, Obbatalá is the only one who can be both male and female. Oshun, the youngest of all orishas, is concerned with love and passion and controls fertility. Before becoming the second wife of Shango, she was a partner to Ogun, Orunmilla and Oshosi.

Unframed painting on small rectangle of canvas cloth depicts the personification of Oshun, a spiritual power in Afro-Caribbean Santeria religion. A female in a long yellow dress and yellow, white and black crown, holding a flower, is painted onto an orange background with a border of white and black designs.