Madelaine looked smug, as if she enjoyed the fact that they didnt know what she was talking about. In Santeria there are twelve ranks of people, she said. The first are the omokolobas. They are very powerful priests who have received initiation into the highest mysteries. The twelfth and lowest rank are those who do not believe in the orishas or in Santeria. In between are those who have attained various levels of initiation and understanding.
And why are we in the eleventh rank? Kate asked with interest.
I give you the benefit of the doubt when I say that, Madelaine replied. Those of the eleventh rank believe in Santeria and the orishas but have not received any of the initiations. You do believe in the orishas, do you not?
Kate was taken aback. I suppose I do, she said. Ive never really had any experience with them.
Madelaine laughed. Perhaps that will change tonight, she said.
What level are you? asked Cooper, clearly annoyed at the girls haughtiness.
That is considered a rude question to ask, Madelaine told her. However, since you are not of the religion, I will not be offended.
Gee, thanks, Cooper remarked.
Madelaine ignored her and continued. I am of the seventh rank, she said. I am called an aleyo, which means that I have received certain of the initiations and mysteries. When I receive the asiento , then I will be a santera.
The asiento ? said Annie. What is that, some kind of tool or something?
No, Madelaine said. It is a ceremony"the most important ceremony most people will undergo in the religion. It means making the saint, and it is when you are initiated into the mysteries of your guardian orisha.
When will you do that? Kate asked her.
When my madrina believes I am ready, she said.
You mean your mother? said Annie.
A madrina is the person who performs the first initiations on a person, Madelaine answered. In this case, yes, it was my mother. But she is even more important as my madrina than as my mother. She is my spiritual G.o.dmother.
Your mother said that tonight was a celebration for one of her G.o.dchildren, Kate said. Is that what she meant?
Yes, Madelaine confirmed. My madrina has many G.o.dchildren. Tonight we are celebrating the anniversary of the asiento of one of them. His name is James. Two years ago he was initiated into the mysteries of Oshun.
Isnt Oshun a woman? Cooper asked.
It does not matter, Madelaine said. The orishas dont care what s.e.x you are. James is an omo-Oshun, meaning a child of Oshun. Tonight we will celebrate her.
I take it thats Oshun, Kate said, nodding toward the statue on the altar.
Thats right, said Madelaine. She is the orisha of love and beauty. Her colors are yellow and white.
All of a sudden the drummers began to play in earnest. Madelaine motioned for Kate, Cooper, and Annie to follow her. We are beginning, she said.
They walked with her over to the side of the room, where the other people gathered for the celebration were all standing. There was an air of antic.i.p.ation in the room, and Kate found herself feeling both nervous and excited as she waited to see what would happen next.
The drummers continued to play, the steady rhythms filling the air with sensuous sound. The people standing began to sway to the music. Some stamped their feet, while others clapped. Kate wondered if the songs meant anything in particular or if the drummers were just making them up.
As the drummers played, Evelyn entered the room. She moved slowly and gracefully, pa.s.sing by the people and scattering something on the floor from a bowl she carried in her hand.
What is that? Kate asked Madelaine.
Ground corn, she was told. It is to cleanse the room.
Evelyn made a circle around the room, scattering the corn and saying something that Kate couldnt hear.
Although the ritual was different from any she had attended, she couldnt help but think that what Evelyn was doing was similar to casting a circle. Something about her actions felt familiar, and as she finished making her circle Kate felt as if they were now all standing in sacred s.p.a.ce.
Welcome to my home, Evelyn said to the a.s.sembled guests as the drummers stopped playing.
Tonight we are here to pay tribute to Oshun, who has blessed my ahijado James. Please join me in welcoming the orishas who will visit us tonight.
The drumming began again as Evelyn began dancing. The people around Kate also began dancing, slowly moving their feet and sometimes clapping their hands. Kate found herself moving to the music as *
well, although not as vigorously as some of the others. She still felt a little awkward. She glanced at Cooper and Annie and noticed that they, too, were holding back.
Then a woman broke away from the group and walked to the center of the room. She stood there, her hands on her hips, staring at the others in what seemed almost a hostile way. A moment later she began dancing, stepping confidently and throwing her head back.
It is Oya! Madelaine said excitedly. Oya has arrived.
What do you mean? Kate asked her, confused.
The drums call to the orishas, said Madelaine. When they come they inhabit the body of one of their children so that they can join the party. That is Lucy, an omo-Oya like me. Oya has chosen her to ride tonight.
Ride? repeated Annie, who was listening to the conversation.
Like a horse, explained Madelaine. The orishas ride their children. Lucy is not Lucy right now. She is Oya. Watch.
Kate looked on while Lucy continued to dance. Her movements were sure and almost fierce, and the expression on her face was one of pride and determination. She really did look like some kind of G.o.ddess, and Kate wondered if it was true that the orisha was really controlling the woman. Was that possible? She thought about Annie, and how she had once taken on the characteristics of the G.o.ddess Freya after invoking her in a ceremony. Was this the same thing?
As Lucy moved around the floor she was joined by a man who walked quietly away from the group and stood, facing them, with his head lowered. He moved slowly and gracefully, swaying to the drums as his hands clapped gently. Then he raised his hands above his head and looked up. There was a serene expression on his face.
Papa Obatala! cried several people.
The man held out his hands and beckoned to those who had called him. They rushed forward, touching him.
What are they doing? Cooper asked Madelaine as they all looked on.
That is Obatala, Madelaine explained. He is one of the most beloved orishas. They go to him for blessings.
So they really believe that man is Obatala? Cooper said.
He is Obatala, Madelaine insisted. I would recognize him anywhere.
Kate looked at Madelaine. Something about her face had changed. She no longer seemed so stuck up.
She was smiling at the man she called Obatala, and she looked happy. She really does believe its him, Kate thought. But how can she be so sure?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a deep laugh. Looking around, Kate saw a short, heavyset woman break away from the group around Obatala and begin doing a funny dance where she set first one foot *
and then the other on the ground, stamping like a big, heavy bear. The expression on her face was comical, as if she were trying to appear scary. She laughed again.
What have you for Oggun? she cried out in a low voice.
The orisha of iron and weapons, Madelaine said to Kate and the others. Hes one to watch.
Someone walked up to the woman and offered her a lit cigar, which she took and immediately began puffing on, blowing big clouds of smoke around. The dancers fanned the smoke around their heads.
Oggun loves cigars and rum, explained Madelaine. It is considered lucky to have his smoke touch you.
As if hearing her, the woman turned her attention to the four girls standing at the side of the room.
Walking as if she were much larger and heavier than she really was, the woman strode over to them and stopped. She looked at each one in turn, puffing on her cigar and eyeing them critically. When she looked at Kate she took the cigar out of her mouth.
My child, she said. Why have you not come to embrace me?
Kate looked at Madelaine. Me? she said, surprised.
The woman nodded. I recognize you as an omo-Oggun. Come to me, child.
The woman held out her hands, the cigar still hanging from her mouth. Kate didnt know what to do, but Madelaine urged her forward. Go, she whispered. He will not hurt you.
Kate stepped forward. The woman wrapped her arms around Kate and suddenly she found herself lifted high in the air. Kate was shocked at how strong the woman was, and couldnt believe that she had the strength to lift her so high. Yet the womans grip was sure, and Kate felt no danger as the woman hoisted her up and down three times before setting her back on her feet. Then the woman took the cigar from her mouth and blew a large cloud of smoke into Kates face. Kate breathed it in, surprised to find that it didnt choke her.
Do not forget me the next time we meet, child, the woman said in her strange, rough voice. Oggun has blessed you.
Thank y-you, Kate stammered, not knowing what else to say.
The woman nodded and walked away, stopping to greet some other people who had come to ask for Ogguns blessing.
Kate looked at Madelaine and saw the girl looking at her with a strange expression. What? Kate asked.
That was most unusual, Madelaine told her. The orisha marked you as one of his children.
What does that mean? Annie asked her.
You should speak to my mother when the ritual is over, Madelaine said. She will tell you more.
Kate looked at her friends. The encounter with Oggun had left her feeling both excited and frightened.
What did it mean? Why had Oggun called her one of his children? She wasnt a follower of Santeria.
Before that week she had never even heard of it. How could she possibly have any connection with one of its G.o.ds?
It was probably just a mistake, she told herself. Clearly the woman was having some kind of spiritual experience, but why had she singled out Kate to talk to? It was all too weird. She was sure that Evelyn would tell her to just forget about it.
For the next hour the dancing continued. Several other orishas arrived and took over the bodies of the dancers, but none of them approached Kate or spoke to her. Finally, at the end, Oshun came. As Madelaine explained it to them, she was the guest of honor and therefore was the last one to arrive and dance. When she came she appeared in the body of a beautiful woman dressed in yellow. She went immediately to James and embraced him. He offered her several gifts, which she admired and placed on the table near her statue. Then she took some of the food that had been laid out for her and offered it to the people around her, who took it eagerly.
That food is considered blessed by the orisha, Madelaine told Kate and the others. It is very lucky to eat it.
The ritual continued for a while longer with dancing and drumming. Then, one by one, the orishas departed. The people they had been riding collapsed on the floor, and were helped up by those around them. Once back on their feet, they looked around as if they had been asleep and just woken up. Then they smiled and laughed as their friends told them how they had behaved. Kate thought that they all looked incredibly happy. She saw the woman who had picked her up, and part of her wanted to ask her if she remembered doing it. But she thought that would be rude, so she didnt.
Well, what did you think? Evelyn asked as she came over to where Kate and the others were standing.
Im not sure I understood it all, said Kate.
Papa Oggun recognized her as one of his, Madelaine told her mother.
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. Is that so? she asked.
That woman picked me up, Kate told her. Then she blew smoke in my face.
Not she, Evelyn corrected her. He. Oggun. It was not Esperanza who picked you up. It was Oggun.
She smiled broadly.
What does it mean? asked Kate. She"I mean he"said I was his child. But this is not my religion.
Evelyn nodded. Even so, the orishas may be with you, she said. And Oggun . . . that is very interesting. We will talk some more about this, I think. But for now I must go attend to my guests. You will come and see me?
Sure, Kate said.
Evelyn embraced her, then gave hugs to Annie and Cooper. Good night, she said.
Madelaine showed them out, saying good night at the entrance to the store. As they walked back to their bus stop Kate thought about what had happened.
Do you guys think that was for real? she asked Annie and Cooper.
Did it feel real? Annie replied.
Kate thought for a minute. She had definitely been lifted into the air by someone who shouldnt have been strong enough to do it. That had felt real. But she knew that wasnt what Annie meant. Then she thought about the way the woman had looked at her. Even though the features had been those of a middle-aged woman, the eyes had belonged to someone else. They had looked at Kate with recognition, and with a sense of love. But had they been Ogguns eyes? Had she really come face-to-face with one of the orishas of Santeria?
Yes, she said after a moment. It felt real.
CHAPTER 8.
It was weird, Cooper told Jane the next day as they sat in Janes bedroom playing around on their guitars. Incredibly weird.