Latest Dissertation News and other stuff

I recently became acquainted with the work of Mikelle Smith Omari-Tunkara and was immediately impressed by her breadth of knowledge, which extends from the deep source of African religion and art to Candomble in Brazil. Dr. O, as I refer to her, has been widely published and referenced, and is a passionate and rigorous scholar. Her book, "Manipulating the Sacred: Yoruba Art, Ritual, and Resistance in Candomble," can be purchased online through the Wayne State University Press website: http://wsupress.wayne.edu/africana/afranthropology/omarims/omarib.html

She has over 20 years of fieldwork experience as an "outsider/within" initiate (Manipulating the Sacred, xvii). A term I had not yet come across until I read her book. Dr. O. decribes the "outsider/within" position as a liminal place:

"The term resonates for me: I straddle many cultural fences and navigate multpile domains as a Ph.D.-educated African American woman who is a full professor and who maintains, among others, close ties to uninitiated African American Christian communities and to a global community of individuals who are initiated into the Yoruba religion." (Manipulating the Sacred, xvii)

I am elated to report that Dr. O. has agreed to assist me in my dissertation endeavor as an external reader. I know I will be in capable hands!

I am still trying to contact Mae Marinalva to lock down my dates for Brazil in June. I will post that information when it is settled.

Tomorrow, I am leaving for San Francisco for five days. I am going to attend a public Umbanda ceremony in Oakland led by Iyalorixa Tina de Souza from Sao Paulo. I look forward to speaking with her about the place of Umbanda religion in Brazil and the world and the subject of women drummers. Her daughter is a drummer and knows the 16 sacred rhythms. Should be very exciting!

Outline for my Dissertation - Table of Contents

I was given the green light by my advisor Laura Grillo to start writing my proposal - the first two chapters of my dissertation. The title has also been revised, thanks to Laura. She came up with "The Heartbeat of the Mother." Totally brilliant!

The outline will really help me to keep my notes organized. Elizabeth Terzian, my dissertation coordinator, suggested that I print out notes for each of the sections in a different colored paper so I can see where everything fits. Equally brilliant!

I'm planning to start with the "Review of the Literature" because I am still in research mode. I think starting here will help me to integrate my topic with the different areas of scholarship and methodologies that will be applied in my dissertation. I plan to have this completed by June 12, 2006, prior to my second fieldwork trip to Brazil. This upcoming trip will be 3 weeks, 4 weeks at the most. It will be exciting and hopefully easier to get all of my contacts lined up for interviews before I arrive.

Another exciting development is that I will be meeting Tina de Souza in May - she is an iyalorixa of Umbanda. She is coming to San Francisco to teach and conduct ritual. I also hope to coordinate time with her in Sao Paulo during my June trip.

Working Title: The Heartbeat of the Mother: Drumming & Transformation in Candomble

Table of Contents (Standard Pacifica Graduate Institute order):

Introduction

Review of the Literature

Organization of the Study

I. A Journey Over Water

II. The City of Strong Women (or The City of Mothers)

III. That was Then and This is Now - No More Syncretism

IV. Ayabas: Mythopoetic Images of the Elemental Forces of Nature:
Nana, Iemanja, Oxum, Oba, Iansa, Ewa, Logunede, Oxumare

V. Sacred Space & the Body in Candomble

Conclusion

Works Cited & Appendices

Meeting Layne Redmond in Brazil

Few people know about a very special meeting I had in Bahia in February. It was truly a gift, sent by the orixas, the goddesses and the faeries!

(I'm finding it essential to show gratitude to all the spiritual beings, that I know of, who have guided me on my path thus far).

And, I can't forget to show my gratitude to my loving friend Stephanie Hamberger (soon to also be my business partner in a pilgrimage travel company she named "Soul Pilgrim"), who emailed me while I was conducting research in Brazil to let me know Layne Redmond was also in Salvador! Stephanie sent Layne my email address and Layne contacted me a few days later.

I can't begin to describe my excitement at receiving this news! Layne has been a long time mentor, through her books and CD's, even though we had never met. Her book, "When the Drummers Were Women" inspired me and gave me hope at a time when I was not supported by my own culture as a woman drummer.

It took at least a week and a half to set up a meeting because I didn't have a cell phone in Brazil and had to run around using the public phones, which were not the most reliable. Finally, Layne emailed that she was giving a lesson to a student in Porto da Barra, about a 10 minute walk from my apartment, and that she had a little time available afterwards.

I walked to our meeting place, the Village Novu, that evening with my translator Marcelo, who knows the area very well. That evening Shaun made him dinner and so Marcelo graciously offered to accompany me to the meeting. I kept telling him to hurry up because he had a tendency to walk slower when he became lost in his conversations about his boyfriends or problems. I was concerned that she may not wait for us because we were running late.

Marcelo looked perplexed at my unusual impatience and agitation. I explained to him that she was very well-known in the United States and abroad for her work as a frame drummer, writer and teacher. And I didn't want to make her wait or miss my chance to speak with her.

At this point, he still didn't really get it.

When we were about five minutes away, Layne called Marcelo's cell phone to make sure we weren't lost and told him what she was wearing, so we could find her. I thought to myself, "Oh I won't have any problem finding you, Layne! Don't worry!"

We finally arrived and immediately Layne was visible and walked over to greet us.

It felt like a homecoming for me just to give her a hug! What amazing energy she has!

We both discussed our work as she was eating her dinner and I sipped on my abacaxi (pinapple) juice. She has been working in Brazil for at least seven years. Her father once had a business in Salvador and Layne had first gone there as a young girl.

During this trip to Salvador, she was teaching and working on a video/music recording of the orixas of Candomble. I need to get the date it is going to be wide released, but I know they will appear on the new Harmony channel launching in June.

Layne also donates much of her time to teach a group of girls at Escola Pracatum, the music school started by international Brazilian music star Carlinhos Brown. I met three of the girls from her group, Mercia, Ivana and Aiala, for an interview that I will post as soon as I can get the translation done.

I told Layne about my dissertation work and also asked if she had ever seen women playing atabaques (ritual drums of Candomble) during ceremony. She had never seen women playing during rituals, however she saw a group of women playing on the beach in Rio Vermelho near the Casa de Iemanja. They were wearing t-shirts that said "Casa de Mesa Branca" which means House of the White Table. Marcelo shed a bit of light on what religion they may be involved in. He was wonderful for his wide range of religious and psychological knowledge (more about Marcelo in another post).

Marcelo said that perhaps the women were from an Umbanda house. He thought this because Umbanda, unlike "pure" Candomble, is still syncretic with other religions and spiritual practices. Umbanda often incorporates the mediumship practices of Kardecism, also known as Espiritualismo. When the members of the house come together for a seance, also referred to as a meduim circle, they cover a table in a white tablecloth, hence the "White Table."

I do not know enough about Umbanda yet to know whether his analysis is accurate or not, but I report it here as an important part of our discussion that evening.

I think we spent an hour and a half talking. Layne had to leave to work on some final mixes for the video and to preview it to a colleague.

It was such an honor and a joy to meet Layne. Her spirit is enourmously generous, loving and humble. In fact, as we were walking home after the meeting, Marcelo told me that she was one of the nicest, most humble people he had met.

More than anything, I want to publically acknowledge my profound gratitude to Layne. She tirelessly supports women drummers and at the same time produces some of the most beautiful, soulful music I've ever heard. She is truly a pioneer in the field of frame drum scholarship and a mentor for all women and drummers.

She has many upcoming events back east and on the west coast. Visit the Events page of her website for all the latest:
http://www.layneredmond.com/events.htm