Lukumi
/luːˈkuːmi/noun
A name for the Afro-Cuban religious and cultural tradition descended largely from Yoruba practices, and for its ritual language.
Did you know?Lukumi liturgy preserves Yoruba names and invocations for the orishas, even though many practitioners no longer speak conversational Yoruba.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Yoruba
olùkùmí
“A term associated in historical accounts with the Yoruba-speaking peoples; its exact original sense is debated.”
16th–19th Centuries
Spanish colonial usage
lucumí
“A colonial-era name applied broadly to enslaved Africans from Yoruba-speaking regions.”
19th Century
Afro-Cuban Spanish
lucumí
“A designation for Yoruba-derived religious customs, ritual speech, and their practitioners in Cuba.”
19th–20th Centuries
Cuban religious usage
Regla de Ocha / lucumí
“The sacred tradition centered on orisha devotion, divination, possession, offerings, and initiation.”
Modern English
English
Lukumi
“A common English spelling for the Afro-Cuban Yoruba-derived religious tradition and its liturgical language.”