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 Maria 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 its purpose 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 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.” He shrugged 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 offerings made if it involved a request.
“Next is two shells up, two down. This is Eyife. It is a definite yes, a conclusive answer.”
He pointed to the third drawing-three shells with the convex side up and one down. “Here the answer is Otawe. This means that the answer could be yes, but there is an obstacle to overcome.
“Next is three shells down and one up-Ocana. This is a definite no to the question or request. It tells us that something is wrong, or has happened, or was done by some enemy. To overcome this there must be an Ebbo, an offering to the god of the nganga.
“And finally is Oyekun, which is all shells facing down. This means that the dead one wants to speak, and you must question him.”
Devlin stared at Tamayo. The man seemed sincere in all he had said, like a Christian explaining the equally unfathomable resurrection of Christ.
“And you believe all of this?” he asked. “You believe that it works?”
“I have seen it work, my friend.” He gave Devlin a small smile that seemed a mixture of patience and tolerance. “And tonight, at midnight, when you visit the great palero Plante Firme, I believe you also will see it work.” He turned to Adrianna. “And it will be you who will make this magic happen. Because tonight, with Plante Firme’s help, you will speak to the dead man.”
