 thumb|200px|right|shango statuette thumbnail|figure of shango on horseback (c. 1920s or 1930s) carved for the timi (king) of ede, who kept it in a shrine dedicated to the orisha shango. thumbnail|figure of a devotee of shango holding an oshe shango, brooklyn museum  shango (known as changÃ³ or xangÃ´ in latin america; and also known as jakuta) (from '=shan, 'to strike') is perhaps one of the most popular orisha; also known as the orisha of fire, lightning, and thunder. shango is historically a royal ancestor of the yoruba as he was the third king of the oyo kingdom prior to his posthumous deification. in santerÃ­a, changÃ³ is considered the center point of the religion as he represents the oyo people of west africa, the symbolic ancestors of the adherents of the faith. all the major initiation ceremonies (as performed in latin america for the last few hundred years) are based on the traditional shango ceremony of ancient oyo. this ceremony survived the middle passage and is considered to be the most complete to have arrived on western shores. this variation of the yoruba initiation ceremony became the basis of all orisha initiations in the americas. ==historical shango== following oduduwa, oranyan, and ajaka, jakuta was the third alafin (king) of oyo. in professor mason's mythological account of heroes and kings, contrary to his peaceful brother ajaka, jakuta was a powerful and even violent ruler. moreover, he is said to have had supernatural forces because he could produce thunder and lightning. he reigned for seven years, the whole of which period was marked by his continuous campaigns and his many battles. the end of his reign resulted from his own inadvertent destruction of his palace by lightning. during his lifetime, he was married to three wives namely oshun, oba, and oya.johnson, history of the yorubas, 149-152. ==veneration of shango== the religious ritual of shango was possibly
African_art African_traditional_religions CandomblA(c) Fire_gods Nigerian_art SanterAa Sky_and_weather_gods Thunder_gods Vodou Yoruba_deities Yoruba_gods