your aunt’s accident. The Abakua fled when they arrived, and I am ashamed to say the police did not pursue them. There were only two police officers, and at least five Abakua. As I explained, they are much feared by the people.” He hesitated, then added: “And some of our less courageous police.”
“And it is known that these Abakua—the ones who dress in white—are often the tools of State Security,” Tamayo added.
Devlin sat back and digested what he had been told. He let out a long breath. “Tell me how Palo Monte fits into this.”
Tamayo took time to relight his cigar, sending a stream of thick smoke up toward the high ceiling. “Before you can grasp what I am about to tell you, you must first understand something about our Afro-Cuban religions.” He raised two fingers of one hand, then one of the other hand. “There are two of these religions, and one false religion. First is Regla de Osha, which is also known as Santeria. It is the most gentle of the religions in its divination rites, and it is veryclosely tied to Catholicism. It was brought to Cuba by highly educated African slaves from Nigeria. Next is Regla Mayombe, also known as Palo Monte. This is a much darker and more primitive religion, which performs its divinations through contact with the dead. It originates from very primitive Bantu slaves brought here from the Congo. And finally there is the Abakua, which is not a true religion, but rather a secret society that believes in solving all problems through violence. These Abakua originally came from West Africa’s Calabar River basin, where they were part of the leopard society of the Negbe people. Here in Cuba, they have formed their own sects, which are tied to Palo Monte through the use of corrupt
paleros
who seek to use the power of the Abakua.”
“And you think one of these corrupt
paleros
was behind the theft of María Mendez’s body?”
Tamayo nodded.
“Why?” Devlin asked.
“To make a
nganga
to the god BabaluAye.”
Devlin let out another long breath and held up his hands. “You are losing me again. First, I keep hearing about all this
nganga
business, but I can’t seem to find out what the hell it is.”
Tamayo smiled. “I will explain.” He turned to Adrianna and his face filled with regret. “Some of the things I will tell you will sound unreasonable, perhaps even cruel and barbaric. I ask you to be indulgent, and to remember that the followers of Palo Monte hold these beliefs as strongly as those who believe deeply in the teachings of Judaism or Christianity or any other religion.”
He turned back to Devlin. “The
nganga
is at the center of all Palo Monte ritual. It is basically a large pot”—he made a circle with his arms, indicating something two and a half to three feet in diameter—“into which various sacred items are placed. The
nganga
is dedicated to one of the gods, but itspurpose is to speak to the dead, and get the dead to answer questions about the future, and to perform certain acts for its owner—acts of both good and evil. But the main purpose of the
nganga
is to protect the owner from harm.
“Central to the
nganga
are the bones of a dead one—man or woman—with whom the owner can drive a bargain by feeding the
nganga
his own blood at least once each year. In addition, the owner must give the
nganga
whatever it asks for, which is usually money or some offering, but in some rare cases it has been known to involve the life of another—even someone very dear to the owner.
“So first we start with the bones of a dead one—the skull so it can think and speak; fingers so it can do what it must; feet so it can travel wherever necessary. There also may be the bones of other dead ones, but the first bones—the oldest—rule the
nganga
, and the other dead are there only to assist.”
Tamayo glanced at Adrianna to assure himself that his words were not causing her distress.
“The bones that are selected for the
nganga
determine the type of
“And it is known that these Abakua—the ones who dress in white—are often the tools of State Security,” Tamayo added.
Devlin sat back and digested what he had been told. He let out a long breath. “Tell me how Palo Monte fits into this.”
Tamayo took time to relight his cigar, sending a stream of thick smoke up toward the high ceiling. “Before you can grasp what I am about to tell you, you must first understand something about our Afro-Cuban religions.” He raised two fingers of one hand, then one of the other hand. “There are two of these religions, and one false religion. First is Regla de Osha, which is also known as Santeria. It is the most gentle of the religions in its divination rites, and it is veryclosely tied to Catholicism. It was brought to Cuba by highly educated African slaves from Nigeria. Next is Regla Mayombe, also known as Palo Monte. This is a much darker and more primitive religion, which performs its divinations through contact with the dead. It originates from very primitive Bantu slaves brought here from the Congo. And finally there is the Abakua, which is not a true religion, but rather a secret society that believes in solving all problems through violence. These Abakua originally came from West Africa’s Calabar River basin, where they were part of the leopard society of the Negbe people. Here in Cuba, they have formed their own sects, which are tied to Palo Monte through the use of corrupt
paleros
who seek to use the power of the Abakua.”
“And you think one of these corrupt
paleros
was behind the theft of María Mendez’s body?”
Tamayo nodded.
“Why?” Devlin asked.
“To make a
nganga
to the god BabaluAye.”
Devlin let out another long breath and held up his hands. “You are losing me again. First, I keep hearing about all this
nganga
business, but I can’t seem to find out what the hell it is.”
Tamayo smiled. “I will explain.” He turned to Adrianna and his face filled with regret. “Some of the things I will tell you will sound unreasonable, perhaps even cruel and barbaric. I ask you to be indulgent, and to remember that the followers of Palo Monte hold these beliefs as strongly as those who believe deeply in the teachings of Judaism or Christianity or any other religion.”
He turned back to Devlin. “The
nganga
is at the center of all Palo Monte ritual. It is basically a large pot”—he made a circle with his arms, indicating something two and a half to three feet in diameter—“into which various sacred items are placed. The
nganga
is dedicated to one of the gods, but itspurpose is to speak to the dead, and get the dead to answer questions about the future, and to perform certain acts for its owner—acts of both good and evil. But the main purpose of the
nganga
is to protect the owner from harm.
“Central to the
nganga
are the bones of a dead one—man or woman—with whom the owner can drive a bargain by feeding the
nganga
his own blood at least once each year. In addition, the owner must give the
nganga
whatever it asks for, which is usually money or some offering, but in some rare cases it has been known to involve the life of another—even someone very dear to the owner.
“So first we start with the bones of a dead one—the skull so it can think and speak; fingers so it can do what it must; feet so it can travel wherever necessary. There also may be the bones of other dead ones, but the first bones—the oldest—rule the
nganga
, and the other dead are there only to assist.”
Tamayo glanced at Adrianna to assure himself that his words were not causing her distress.
“The bones that are selected for the
nganga
determine the type of
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