The Chromatic of the Orixás

: An analysis of the nomenclature and attribution of colors to the Orixás of Candomblé Ketu.

Abstract

This article analyzes colors as one of the symbolic visual elements attributed to the Orixás of Candomblé Ketu. We wonder how colors were named in Yoruba culture and whether this influenced the attribution and use of colors in Candomblé Ketu? We affirm that the way in which colors are named in the Yoruba language influenced the chromatic attributions of the Orixás. Initially, we show the naming of colors in Yoruba with meanings and organize the attribution of colors to the Orixás in Brazil according to authors who researched the religion, without ever imposing or delimiting a correct standard that does not exist. We realized that the colors in Yoruba show something about the Yoruba worldview in relation to nature and that this is reflected in the Candomblecist cult, keeping the necessary historical, and geographical complexities.