power it will possess. If, for example, the owner wants to do harm to his enemies, he will use the bones of a killer, or a person who was evil in life. If, on the other hand, he wishes to cure an illness, or protect against illness, he will choose the bones of a great healer.” Again he glanced at Adrianna.
“Where do they get these bones?” Devlin asked.
Tamayo gave him a somewhat sheepish half smile. “Usually, they are stolen from cemeteries.”
“Is this common?” Adrianna asked.
Another half smile. “Let us say it is more common than the government would like it to be known. Let me give an example. For some reason that I have never been able to understand, Palo Monte believes that the bones of a Chinese are very lucky, and can be used to bring good fortune.” Heshrugged away his lack of understanding. “For this reason many Cubans have
paleros
make
ngangas
with Chinese bones, or have them include Chinese bones in
ngangas
made for other purposes.” He leaned forward. “Here in Cuba, the Chinese have their own cemeteries, and the theft of Chinese bodies is so prevalent that most of the graves in these cemeteries have been protected by alarms.”
“Burglar alarms?” Devlin sounded incredulous.
“I am afraid that is so,” Tamayo said. “To the Chinese, we are viewed as a nation of grave robbers.”
“What else goes into these
ngangas?
” Adrianna asked.
“Ah, many things. First there is earth from the four sides of the grave from which the body was taken, or where it was to be buried. Then there is the hide of a snake, which was the origin of the religion, and which consolidates the
nganga
‘s power. Then the skeleton of a dog to go and fetch things for the dead one. Also the skeleton and feathers of
mayimbe—
the scavenger bird I told you about. There will also be the bones and feathers of a night bird to allow the dead one to see in the dark. Then there are many sacred woods from the forest—
palo monte
actually means ‘sticks of the forest.’ These are woods that can do either good or evil. One of the most powerful of the sticks is from a tree called the
jaquey.
Another is from the
rompezaraguey
, a very evil forest wood. Then, of course, there are things needed by the dead one to perform his duties—herbs for healing, if that is the purpose. A knife or gun for killing, perhaps. And then there are the things needed by the god to whom the
nganga
is dedicated. If that god were BabaluAye, there would be items related to illness and death and healing. If it were to the great warrior Oggun, it would be filled with objects of metal, over which Oggun holds all power.”
“But once you have all these things, how does it work?” Adrianna asked.
“Everything is based on the three principles of magic,”Tamayo said. He raised three fingers. “First, that the same produces the same. Next, that things that have been in contact influence each other. And, finally, that everything—man, animal, object—has a soul.” He folded his hands in front of him as if preparing to pray. His voice became solemn. “Using these principles, the
palero
questions the dead one—or asks its assistance in certain matters. He does this through prayers, chanted in a mixture of Bantu and Spanish, and by throwing the coconuts—special religious shells that the
palero
has made from pieces of the coconut shell, each about the size of a large coin. The dead one answers the questions and requests put to it by means of the shells. Let me show you.”
Tamayo left for a moment and returned with some paper and a pencil. He began drawing and writing rapidly.
“Now, the coconut shells have both a concave and convex side, and how they end up when they are thrown by the
palero
determines the answer of the dead one.” He pointed to the first drawing, which showed all the shells with the concave sides turned up. “This answer is
Alafia.
It means yes, good news, but is not conclusive. More questions need to be asked, or
“Where do they get these bones?” Devlin asked.
Tamayo gave him a somewhat sheepish half smile. “Usually, they are stolen from cemeteries.”
“Is this common?” Adrianna asked.
Another half smile. “Let us say it is more common than the government would like it to be known. Let me give an example. For some reason that I have never been able to understand, Palo Monte believes that the bones of a Chinese are very lucky, and can be used to bring good fortune.” Heshrugged away his lack of understanding. “For this reason many Cubans have
paleros
make
ngangas
with Chinese bones, or have them include Chinese bones in
ngangas
made for other purposes.” He leaned forward. “Here in Cuba, the Chinese have their own cemeteries, and the theft of Chinese bodies is so prevalent that most of the graves in these cemeteries have been protected by alarms.”
“Burglar alarms?” Devlin sounded incredulous.
“I am afraid that is so,” Tamayo said. “To the Chinese, we are viewed as a nation of grave robbers.”
“What else goes into these
ngangas?
” Adrianna asked.
“Ah, many things. First there is earth from the four sides of the grave from which the body was taken, or where it was to be buried. Then there is the hide of a snake, which was the origin of the religion, and which consolidates the
nganga
‘s power. Then the skeleton of a dog to go and fetch things for the dead one. Also the skeleton and feathers of
mayimbe—
the scavenger bird I told you about. There will also be the bones and feathers of a night bird to allow the dead one to see in the dark. Then there are many sacred woods from the forest—
palo monte
actually means ‘sticks of the forest.’ These are woods that can do either good or evil. One of the most powerful of the sticks is from a tree called the
jaquey.
Another is from the
rompezaraguey
, a very evil forest wood. Then, of course, there are things needed by the dead one to perform his duties—herbs for healing, if that is the purpose. A knife or gun for killing, perhaps. And then there are the things needed by the god to whom the
nganga
is dedicated. If that god were BabaluAye, there would be items related to illness and death and healing. If it were to the great warrior Oggun, it would be filled with objects of metal, over which Oggun holds all power.”
“But once you have all these things, how does it work?” Adrianna asked.
“Everything is based on the three principles of magic,”Tamayo said. He raised three fingers. “First, that the same produces the same. Next, that things that have been in contact influence each other. And, finally, that everything—man, animal, object—has a soul.” He folded his hands in front of him as if preparing to pray. His voice became solemn. “Using these principles, the
palero
questions the dead one—or asks its assistance in certain matters. He does this through prayers, chanted in a mixture of Bantu and Spanish, and by throwing the coconuts—special religious shells that the
palero
has made from pieces of the coconut shell, each about the size of a large coin. The dead one answers the questions and requests put to it by means of the shells. Let me show you.”
Tamayo left for a moment and returned with some paper and a pencil. He began drawing and writing rapidly.
“Now, the coconut shells have both a concave and convex side, and how they end up when they are thrown by the
palero
determines the answer of the dead one.” He pointed to the first drawing, which showed all the shells with the concave sides turned up. “This answer is
Alafia.
It means yes, good news, but is not conclusive. More questions need to be asked, or
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