Candomblé’s African Deities
Candomblé adherents believe in the mighty God known as Oludumare. He is considered to be the most powerful God. Lesser deities serve him alone. Some of the Creators that follow his command include Inkices, Voduns, and Orixas. When we look at Orixas, it refers to ancestors that were defied. Therefore, the Orixas can come from recent history. Some Orixas can be a hundred years old, while others are more than a thousand years old. The Orixas provide a link through which the world of humans and the spiritual world are connected.
As for Inkices and Voduns, they are spirit gods who are the same as Orixas. The thing about Candomblé is that it is a religion that synthesizes three different African beliefs, such as Voduns, Bantu, Fon, and Yoruba. According to Candomblé practitioners, it is believed that each individual has their own Orixas that control their destiny and protects them. A specific force of nature is represented by each Orixas. It is associated with particular days of the week, animals, colors, or even foods. The personality or character of an individual is highly linked with their Orixas.
In Brazil, Baba Egum refers to the ancestor spirits collectively. Priests and priestesses masquerade during ceremonies as Baba Egum. It is also common for Candomblé adherents to perform specially choreographed dances wherein they expect to get possessed by their ancestor spirit.
