Mama Tata or Mama Chi (Mother Father) is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

syncretistic Syncretism () is the practice of combining different beliefs and various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merging or assimilation of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus ...

religion found in parts of

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. It is a mixture of

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and

animism Animism (from meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, human handiwork, and in ...

that has become popular among the Guaymí people. It began in the second half of the twentieth century, after prophetess Little Mama had a vision of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

riding up to her on a motorcycle.

Beliefs

Members of Mama Tata believe that

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

has abolished the Church and is now relating exclusively with the Guaymí through Little Mama who had a vision of Mary (Big Mama) and Jesus. Adherents believe that only Guaymí followers of this religion will go to heaven.

History

On September 22, 1962, in the community of Krunbiti (a village in the corregimiento of Boca de Balsa), in the western area of what is now the comarca, a young Indigenous woman named Delia Bejerano de Atencio—known by her Indigenous name Besikö Kruningrobu—reported a visionary experience. According to her account, during a storm, the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

descended from the sky in a metallic apparatus resembling a motorcycle. Despite the rain, both figures remained dry and entered her home. When the Virgin sat on the home's wooden seat (jorón), it miraculously transformed into a cushioned bed. After about an hour, the man who identified himself as Jesus delivered a divine message to Besikö: he had come to destroy the world due to the excessive behavior of the Indigenous people, particularly their practice of balsería (a traditional festival involving displays of strength and heavy alcohol consumption). However, the Virgin opposed this punishment. The two figures tasked Besikö with spreading a message of repentance and evangelization to avert divine wrath.
Besikö began preaching her revelation in Boca de Balsa before an audience of approximately 3,000 people. Moved by her message, many reportedly repented for their excesses and converted to the emerging religion of Mama Tatda. Boca de Balsa soon became a center of religious pilgrimage, drawing Indigenous people from as far as Bocas del Toro to Veraguas. However, Besikö's ministry was cut short when she died suddenly from a severe

fever Fever or pyrexia in humans is a symptom of an anti-infection defense mechanism that appears with Human body temperature, body temperature exceeding the normal range caused by an increase in the body's temperature Human body temperature#Fever, s ...

on September 14, 1964, at the age of 23. She left behind a two-year-old daughter, Emilce Atencio, who would later rise to become the next religious leader of Mama Tatda.

References

External links

Religion in Panama Christian new religious movements Christianity and religious syncretism Guaymí people Indigenous Christianity {{Christian-denomination-stub