Religion is the guiding light for billions of people on Earth, all believing in a superior power capable of shaping their worlds.
Before Christianity, Judaism and Islam, many indigenous people created their own spiritual practices and beliefs which recognize several different gods personified in both nature and spiritual beings.
Although colonialism forced indigenous people to adopt western religions, many communities maintain elements of their pre-columbian beliefs that reflect the magic of their universe.
Such is the case of the Wayúu community, who although many practice elements of catholicism due to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, also still believe in the power of nature, ancestral spirits and deities.
Here are some facts about the spiritual beliefs of the Wayúu community that you are bound to find interesting.
They can help us understand more about the magic of their unique world, where the earth and the rain hold the power of life, and the spirits of ancestors are considered sacred.
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1. The ‘Yonna‘ is the most spiritual ceremony
In Wayúu culture, the dance of the ‘Yonna‘ is an ancestral ritual that is celebrated during important moments for the Wayúu community: when crops are harvested, when a harvest is abundant, to thank the Maleiwa (the creator) for something positive in the community and to end the period of confinement after a girl’s first menstruation.
This dance involves a woman trying to step on the feet of a man that she is chasing as community members play music on a drum.
2. The ‘Yonna’ represents fertility
As the dance of the ‘yonna‘ represents fertility for the Wayúu community, it is also carried out before a woman gets married, in order to ensure that she will be fertile and able to produce children.
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3. Healers are important spiritual beings
Within the Wayúu community, healers are considered to be highly spiritual beings due to their ability to communicate with the ancestral spirits who provide them with information about illnesses and their cures.
Most healers tend to be women, as they are considered to be more sacred than men in Wayúu culture. However men can also carry this title.
4. Maleiwa is the most important Wayúu deity
The Wayúu people believe in the spiritual power of multiple deities, but the most important is Maleiwa, which is the creator of the Wayúu people. Maleiwa is also responsible for the rain, which is of extreme importance in la Guajira as droughts and water shortages are the norm in this region of Colombia.
5. Wayúu babies receive a Catholic and Wayúu ceremony
The majority of Wayúu babies are baptized through the catholic church, however they will also receive a traditional ceremony called a ‘Wayúu naming’. As the Wayúu culture is matriarchal, children adopt their mother’s last names rather than their father’s.
During this ceremony, the good news of the newly acquired last name is announced to the tribe and celebrated.
6. Marriages and burials are the most important events
According to Wayúu tradition, the most important spiritual ceremonies are when two people get married and the burial of the deceased.
Marriage is important because it not only brings luck to both families who have now joined together but because it also blesses the family of the bride with riches received from the dowry.
Burials are even more important in Wayúu culture because it is a ceremony that transcends into life after death, allowing the remains of the deceased to turn into rain and return to the land of the living to continue the cycle of life.
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Sources
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“’Yonna’ o ‘Yonna’’, un baile guajiro” Katherine Vargas Gaitán
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“Wayúu: origen, historia, significado, economía, y más” Etnias del Mundo