Showcasing the art and ritual of the African and African-diaspora religions

Ship Wheel for Yemayá

Catalog Number: B028

Dimensions:

Diameter from the end of one spoke to the other : 17.3

(inches)

Religion and Denomination: Santería (Cuba, Yoruba)
Transatlantic Family of Religion: Orisha
Country of Origin: United States
Ethnographic Origin: Cuban (Caribbean)
Materials: Beads
Usage: Ritual (used)
Detailed Description of Significance:

This detailed and deep blue ship wheel is symbolic of Yemayá, the oricha Yemayá, the majestic and maternal Lucumí divinity of the sea, motherhood, and sometimes the moon is usually imagined as a dark-skinned woman with children and a strong temper, and is sometimes called the first oricha to come to the defense of humanity. Yemayá is often considered the most important of the orichas in Santería because of her responsibility as the mother of all things.  Her relationship to the sea stems from the idea that all life started in the sea and it is often understood that without her, humanity would not continue to grow and evolve.

The ship wheel bears a direct connection to the sea and is therefore symbolically connected to Yemayá