The mpungos in the Rule of Palo Monte They are ancient deities, they grant us blessings, they are endowed with great strength and light, and they intercede with their power in our lives.
All the mpungos are in the mountain, all those supernatural forces are there inside and that is why we consider the mountain sacred.
Therefore, just as you ask in a Church that is a sacred temple, you can also ask on a mountain.
For the religious of cultures with African roots, the mountain is a temple because it listens to us, it is a source of life.
The black Congolese who came to Cuba through slavery were very good connoisseurs of plants and herbs, and they sought in them means of permanence and conservation in the forced new world.
Who owns the Monte en la Regla del Palo?
Without a doubt the owner of the divine mountain is Ngurufinda,
In the mountain we find Mayombian deities such as Lucero Mundo, Zarabanda, Siete Rayos, Earth Tremble, Mama Chola, Centella Ndoki, Strong Arm, but Ngurufinda is a great connoisseur of the mountain.
It is said that the first Mpungo to be seen by human eyes is Ngurufinda and he did it with rage to punish the Congolese who did not comply with the laws of nature.
Ngurufinda is known by other names:
- Burufinda or Gurunfinda
- Sindaula Ndundu and
- Yembaka Butanseke and
- Osaín in lucumí land.
Characteristics of Ngurufinda in Palo Mayombe
Ngurufinda has only one eye, only one right foot, one left arm, a very large and extremely delicate ear where she hears the most distant and silent noises that may exist, and she usually walks in jumps.
Ngurufinda's dominance is unquestionable because of its great might. It moves between the mountains, where we find many mysteries of life.
Ngurufinda is sacrificed:
- Jicotea (turtle),
- rooster,
- goat.
Ngurufinda lives hanging or attached to the ceiling, at no time does he touch the earth and this is because it is said that he appears at the same moment of the formation of the earth, that is, he appears as grass, he is not born and has no mother or father .
The menstrual cycle in Women and Ngurufinda
Surely you have ever heard:
«Women who have their menstrual cycle cannot go below where Osain is hanging, because they will become sterile»
You know why?
Legend has it that Ngurufinda (Osain) began to practice making herbal teas and kept them in güiras and pumpkin gourds.
But at that time a woman discovered what he was doing and forced Ngurufinda to share the secret of how to work with plants with everyone.
She for her part promises not to work with said herbs in her menstrual period because she would become an impure woman, and it was because said woman did not keep the word given to Ngurufinda, breaking her promise.
Ngurufinda is syncretized with Osaín in Santeria
Es Osain del Monte in the Rule of Osha-Ifá a highly respected Orisha of the Yoruba pantheon. In Santeria he is the owner of the mountain, it is the earth itself that heals with nature and its powers.
What does the word Osainist refer to in the Osha Rule?
It is a gift that is born, but it is also learned with the will to work in the mountains collecting varieties of herbs, leaves, stems and sticks of different plants and trees.
- These collectors and wise connoisseurs of the mount are called Osainistas.
Ngurufinda's favorite godson are the sons of Seven Rays (sons of Shango).
It is said that it is Seven Rays who taught Ngurufinda the secret of the plant for the first time and kept her powerful medicinal concoctions in a gourd gourd.
Recommendation to enter the Mount:
The law of the mountain exists and you must know how to enter it because its power is sacred.
To enter the mountain you must always offer something, not because he asks you but out of respect for Ngurufinda.
The offer to the Mount can be done with:
- Coins,
- corn kernels,
- a candle,
- a little brandy,
- tobacco.
The offering often depends on whether you are going to look for something special, and if the deity so determines, animal sacrifices are also offered.