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Festival of Oshun (Harbor Series #3)

Oshun or Osun is a Yoruba goddess that is associated with erotic beauty, gold and rivers. Awo Osun, a New York society of Oshun worshipers, gathers by the Hudson River every summer to honor the deity and pay respects to ancestors. Everyone comes dressed in white, as is customary for Yoruba festivals. I unfortunately showed up dressed in black. But I was warmly welcomed and no one seemed to mind that I was running around with a video camera. The Priest calls on Oshun with song. He then uses ginko nuts to perform a reading. I love the idea that the Hudson and East Rivers are inhabited by deities from the worlds religions.

This video was shot in July of 2003. The Harbor Series is a series of short videos about the ritual and cultural uses of the New York waterfront and was inspired by the Village Voice article: Holy Waters, by Erik Baard

Fort Washington Park, Manhattan, 2003
runtime: 00:04:50

January 4, 2006 5:04 PM

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