Word: damballa
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Dates: during 1942-1942
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...African religion difficult . . . the most logical adaptation for the slaves . . . and the simplest, was to give their adherence to that Christian sect which . . . in emphasizing baptism by total immersion . . . most resembled the types of worship known to them. . . . In the U.S., where neither Bosumtwe nor watra mama nor Damballa is worshiped, Negro Baptists do not run into the water under possession by African gods. Their water rituals are those of baptism. Yet it is significant that, as the novitiate . . . is immersed, the spirit descends on him at that moment if at all, and a possession hysteria develops . . . almost indistinguishable from...
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