Sacred Arts of Orisha Traditions

Special Collections Gallery

https://www.library.georgetown.edu/exhibition/sacred-arts-orisha-traditions

July 5, 2017

September 30, 2017

Orisha religions are a world-wide network of spiritual traditions originating among the Yoruba people of Nigeria and spread across the Americas by enslaved Yoruba men and women in the nineteenth century. Orishas themselves are spiritual powers associated with royal lineages, forces of nature, and, often, the saints of popular Catholicism. 

Sacred Arts of Orisha Traditions features objects collected over nearly forty years by Joseph M. Murphy, the Paul and Chandler Tagliabue Distinguished Professor of Interfaith Studies and Dialogue. For devotees of Orisha religions, these items represent and invoke sacred powers as emblems of particular Orishas. They illustrate the religious pluralism which is a distinctive and creative feature of many Orisha religions. 

The creativity revealed by these objects reflects the diversity of the Catholic experience and its embrace of dialogue among religious traditions.

Acknowledgments: 

Guest Curator: Joseph M. Murphy, the Paul and Chandler Tagliabue Distinguished Professor of Interfaith Studies and Dialogue

Liason from the Booth Family Center for Special Collections: Christen E. Runge, Assistant Curator, Art Collection

With assistance from Special Collections Intern Charles T. Cooper (C

SELECTIONS FROM THE ONLINE EXHIBITION

Ochún Mazo

Initiation necklace for the oricha Ochun
Martin Tsang
Glass and plastic beads
Miami, FL, USA, 2017
L.2017.2.9

These magnificent necklaces are worn by new devotees during their
initiation. This one marks the wearer as a devotee of Ochún Ololodi, the
diviner Ochún. When not worn the mazo necklaces decorate home
altars.

Kélé Todos Orixás

Necklace for all the orixás
Glass beads
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 1991
L.2017.2.14

This necklace is a composite of symbols for fifteen orixás. Each is
indicated by color and pattern.

Ferramentas de Oxum [set of 4]

Set of tools for the orixá Oxúm
Afroarte Indústria
Brass and copper
Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 1991
L.2017.2.1

These items form part of the regalia for the orixá Oxúm. They are worn
or carried by new initiates when they are first presented to the
community and when they incorporate the orixás in ritual dance.

Adé Ochún with Tinaja

Altar crown for the oricha Ochún
Juan Gonzales (crown)
Brass crown with ceramic vessel
Miami, FL, USA, ca. 2000
L.2017.2.4

These crowns are placed atop vessels that hold the fundamental symbols
of the orishas, often stones and shells. This crown shows the color and
number of Ochún. The finial is her avatar, the Virgin of Charity.

Altar for Ochún

Altar for Ochún featuring statue of the Virgin of Charity. Vessels,
yellow flowers, honey, and beaded necklaces reference
Ochún. All is brilliant, golden, rich, and fecund.
Washington, DC, 2010
Photograph by Joseph M. Murphy

Adé Oya with Tinaja

Crown for the orisha Oya, mounted on blue vase
Antonio Salas (crown)
Copper crown with ceramic vessel
Miami, FL, USA, 2002
L.2017.2.35

As many of the orishas are royal figures their fundamental symbols – held
in porcelain vessels – are crowned with royal emblems. Here the orisha
Oyá is symbolized by red‐metal copper, nine tines, and nine miniature
“tools” showing her mastery of lightning, death, and the cemetery.

Adé Iemanjá Asésú

Initiation crown for the oricha Yemayá Asésú
Painted cardboard with applied fabric trims, plastic beads,
and shells
Miami, FL, USA, 2017
L.2017.2.29

This crown would be worn by new initiates into the devotion of Yemayá.
On the middle day of the initiation period, the new initiate is presented
to the community in the finery of his or her patron orisha.

Garabato Eleggua

Hook for the oricha Eleggua
Glass beads, cowrie shells, wire, wood
Miami, FL, USA, ca. 2000
L.2017.2.2

The garabato is a stylized hook used by Eleggua to clear paths of
vegetation. In dance Eleggua will brandish the garabato and sometimes
use it to trip unsuspecting onlookers.

Oché Changó

Axe for the oricha Changó
Alberto Druyat
Acrylic paint on wood
Matanzas, Cuba, ca. 2005
L.2017.2.33

The double‐headed axe is the preeminent symbol of Changó the orisha of
royalty, thunder, and lightning. This bright piece would adorn one of
Changó’s elegant altars and might be taken up by one of his mediums
and carried like a powerful wand in ceremonial dance.

Oxé Xangó

Copper double‐headed axe for the orixá Xangó
Copper
Salvador da Bahia, Brasil, 1991
L.2017.2.34

In Brazil as in Cuba the double‐headed axe is the premier symbol of the
orisha of royalty, thunder, and lightning. As a “red metal” this copper
oxé highlights Xangó’s embodiment of fire and hot energy.

Plandemic: how the debunked movie by discredited researcher Judy Mikovits went viral

Jason Wilson

Australia’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been better than most but the ‘infodemic’ presents another challenge as millions watch conspiracy theory video online

Thu 14 May 2020
 

Anti-vaxx protestors at a Covid-19 lockdown protest in Melbourne last Sunday. The anti-vaxx movement has been behind the spread of debunked movie Plandemic featuring discredited researcher Judy Mikovits. Photograph: Speed Media/REX/Shutterstock

The coronavirus emergency, and the pressure cooker of the lockdowns, have fused a number of conspiracy theories in the minds of believers. They have also drawn a number of conspiracy-minded movements closer together.

A snippet of an upcoming film, Plandemic, went viral with astonishing speed when it was released last week. In the process, it showed how false beliefs generated within the anti-vaxxer movement have become interwoven with familiar far-right conspiracy narratives.

It also demonstrated that by combining the efforts of grassroots believers and charismatic influencers, anti-vaxxers have become adept at producing and disseminating viral propaganda to mainstream audiences.


Australian celebrities and ordinary social media users were central to last week’s disinformation surge.

The piece of film which researchers say received millions of Facebook interactions in just a few short days was an interview with the discredited virologist, Judy Mikovits, by a Californian film-maker and new-age “wellness” advocate, Mikki Willis.

Mikovits’s scientific career began falling apart from 2009, when she published a paper in Science attributing chronic fatigue syndrome to the effects of a virus. The paper’s claims did not hold up, it was retracted, and ensuing conflicts between Mikovits and her employer, a private lab, culminated in her arrest in 2012 on charges of being a fugitive from justice, after she allegedly absconded with notebooks and proprietary data. Criminal charges were later dropped, according to reports.


Since then she has alleged she has been the victim of widespread corruption in the scientific community, and has presented antivaxx-friendly autism conferences with baseless theories about how viruses play a role in causing the disease. Many anti-vaxxers believe that vaccines such as the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism in children, a claim that has been extensively debunked.

Now she has a book, Plague of Corruption, outlining these alongside other theories and grievances.

Willis, the interviewer, who has described himself on Facebook as a “father, film-maker, activist” has been an actor and an eclectic film-maker for some years.
His work often has a political flavour – he made videos in support of the Bernie Sanders campaign in 2016 and did the same for Tulsi Gabbard during her presidential campaign (his Facebook wall reveals him to have been a vocal supporter of both politicians).

He has also made yoga and meditation videos, and the film nonprofit he founded in 2006 co-produced a film on the wellness effects of psychedelic drugs. Willis told the LA Times he made the Plandemic film himself at little cost; researchers have pointed to fundraising by prominent conspiracy theorists aimed at publicising Mikovits’s book.

The claims Mikovits made in the interview – about her own career, the possibility that the virus was engineered by humans, and the proper epidemiological approach to containing it – were serially debunked, not least in Science, which also did a sweeping 2011 postmortem on what led to the publication of her later-retracted 2009 paper.


They also played directly into established anti-vaxxer beliefs, which have become integrated into broader, conspiracy-minded, mostly rightwing anti-lockdown narratives.

These include the idea that the virus was human-made, possibly in the Wuhan laboratory; that mandatory vaccination is a project by big pharma profiteers that will kill millions; that public health authorities (including Dr Anthony Fauci) are corrupt and not to be trusted.

There is no evidence for any of this, as many outlets have shown. In some cases, as with the claim about bioengineering, the best science indicates the opposite to be true.

On their own, her claims don’t sound plausible, but her specialist qualification is a boon for anti-vaxxers who generally find no support among professional medical researchers.

And Willis is a skilled film-maker, as revealed in a showreel released under the Elevate brand earlier this year.

Erin Gallagher, an independent researcher who specialises in the real-time analysis of viral disinformation outbreaks, said that in this case, the fillm-maker’s art was a central factor in propelling the film to every corner of Facebook.

“The documentary was very well made with professional lighting, nice camera angles, dramatic music,” she said in a social media direct message. “It looks legit. We tend to accept anything in documentary format as fact, especially when it looks good,” she added.

But also crucial was the large number of Facebook groups, and anti-vaxx and “wellness” influencers who were primed to spread the message. In this respect, Australian anti-vaxxers had a global impact.

Gallagher’s research shows that an Australia-led Facebook group, “99% unite Main Group ‘it’s us or them’”, was one of the central nodes which spread links to the video, and Judy Mikovits’s name, across Facebook.

At the time of Gallagher’s analysis, that group had 32,052 members; now that figure has shot up to 43,588.

Other groups spreading the video include those devoted to the false idea that aircraft vapour trails are “chemtrails” containing dangerous chemicals; groups in support of conservatives such as Donald Trump or broadcaster Rush Limbaugh, and another group associated with the “QAnon” conspiracy theory.

The spread of disinformation during the pandemic has also been aided by charismatic influencers. Australian celebrity chef Pete Evans, who recently lost a lucrative on-air role at Channel Seven, has spread both anti-vaccine and QAnon-related material on his social media accounts in recent days.


On Facebook and Instagram, Evans posted a diagram claiming to show that Bill Gates is connected to health authorities, universities, international organisations and pharmaceutical companies who have played a role in fighting the pandemic, inciting his audience to “Comment if you like ... and join the dots”.

In a since-deleted Instagram story, he presented his followers with a notorious diagram including the conspiracy claims of the QAnon movement, and also suggesting the existence of “inner earth civilizations”, a slave colony on Mars and that the arrest of a “cabal” will lead immediately to the technology of “wireless energy”.

On 7 May, at the height of its viral spread, he also posted a copy of the “Plandemic” video on Facebook, telling followers, “Would love to know your thoughts as the person being interviewed has a fascinating story.”

The video was shared 218 times from Evans’s account.

Around the world, anti-vaxxers have been increasingly prominent participants in, and even organisers of, anti-lockdown street protests.

One of the moderators of the “99% Unite” was arrested along with nine others at a similar protest in Melbourne last weekend, after giving a speech in which he said, among other things, that he had promised his father that he would never be implanted with a microchip.

The crowd at the protest at one point chanted “arrest Bill Gates!” – referencing an increasingly prevalent conspiracy theory which asserts that the tech billionaire and philanthropist is involved in a coronavirus-centred plot to bring about mass vaccinations and population control.

In the streets of US cities, anti-vaxxers have marched shoulder to shoulder against shutdowns with a wide spectrum of mostly rightwing organisations – including armed extremists.

Research published by an FBI-associated nonprofit argues that given the obstacle they present to herd immunity, in a pandemic, anti-vaxxers may constitute a US national security risk.

The problem of medical misinformation is more acute in the US, which has a much more serious epidemic, a poor federal response, greater inequalities in healthcare and more pronounced social tensions.

But Australians, too, will need to grapple with the fact that local conspiracy movements are now nimble enough to route around whatever safeguards still exist against misinformation.

In “cholera riots” in 19th century Europe, the historian Richard Evans wrote, sometimes “the medical profession came under attack … mainly because it was medical officials who were usually in charge of the implementation of government measures such as the isolation of victims once an epidemic had actually broken out”.

From Russia to Britain, doctors were accused of spreading the disease to deliberately kill the urban poor, to obtain cadavers for vivisection, or to claim fictitious government bounties on dead bodies.

By fire-hosing conspiracy-minded content inside Facebook groups, or through the agency of trusted celebrities, anti-vaxxers, too, are turning misinformed people, dealing with enormous psychological pressure, against health experts and science itself.

The hammer blows being landed on higher education, quality media and the public health system will only make it more difficult to keep our heads on straight.

Australia’s response to the pandemic has been better than most but the infodemic may not be so kind.

Jason Wilson is an Australian journalist living in the USA