 "Babá" means father, and the contraction "l'Orishá" means ""of Orishá"".As a product of the syncretism, the word Orishá (elevated or ancestral spirit) was adapted into Portuguese as saint.In the Afro-Brazilian religions the priests are the owners of the tradition, knowledge and culture and the ones responsible to pass it on to the new generations because there are no sacred written books.