Yoruba religion

The Yoruba religion comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practices of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria and the adjoining parts of Benin and Togo, commonly known as Yorubaland. Yoruba religion is formed of diverse traditions. It has influenced a host of thriving traditions such as Santería, Umbanda, and Candomblé. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of Itan, the total complex of songs, histories, stories, and other cultural concepts which make up the Yoruba society.

Beliefs

According to Kola Abimbola, the Yorùbá have evolved a robust cosmology. In brief, it holds that all human beings possess what is known as "Àyànmô" (destiny, fate) and are expected to eventually become one in spirit with Olódùmarè (Olòrún, the divine creator and source of all energy). Furthermore, the thoughts and actions of each person in Ayé (the physical realm) interact with all other living things, including the Earth itself.

Each person attempts to achieve transcendence and find their destiny in Ã'rún-Réré (the spiritual realm of those who do good and beneficial things). One's Orí-Inu (spiritual consciousness in the physical realm) must grow in order to consummate union with one's "Ipônri" (Orí Ã'rún, spiritual self).

Those who stop growing spiritually, in any of their given lives, are destined for "Ã'rún-Apadi" (the invisible realm of potsherds). Life and death are said to be cycles of existence in a series of physical bodies while one's spirit evolves toward transcendence. This evolution is said to be most evident amongst the Ã'rìṣàs, the divine viziers of God.

Iwapẹlẹ (or well-balanced) meditative recitation and sincere veneration is sufficient to strengthen the Orí-Inu of most people. Well-balanced people, it is believed, are able to make positive use of the simplest form of connection between their Oris and the omnipotent Olu-Ã'rún: an adúra (petition or prayer) for divine support.

Prayer to one's Orí Ã'rún produces an immediate sensation of joy. Ẹlégbara (Èṣù,not the divine messenger but accuser of the rigtheous) initiates contact with spiritual realm(not heavenly places) on behalf of the petitioner, and transmits the prayer to Ayé; the deliverer of àṣẹ or the spark of life. He transmits this prayer without distorting it in any way. Thereafter, the petitioner may be satisfied with a personal answer. In the event that he or she is not, the Ifá oracle of the Ã'rìṣà Ọ̀rúnmìlà may also be consulted. All communication with Ã'rún, whether simplistic in the form of a personal prayer or complicated in the form of that done by an initiated Babaaláwo (priest of divination), however, is energized by invoking àṣẹ.

In the Yorùbá belief system, Olódùmarè has àṣẹ over all that is. It is for this reason that He is considered supreme.

According to one of the Yorùbá accounts of creation, during a certain stage in this process, the "truth" was sent to confirm the habitability of the newly formed planets. The earth being one of these was visited but deemed too wet for conventional life.

After a successful period of time, a number of divinities were commanded to accomplish the task of helping earth develop its crust. On one of their visits to the realm, the arch-divinity Obàtálá took to the stage equipped with a mollusk that held in its shell some form of soil; two winged beasts and some cloth like material. He emptied the soil onto what soon became a large mound on the surface of the water and soon after, the winged-beasts began to scatter this around until the point where it gradually made into a large patch of dry land; the various indentations they created eventually becoming hills and valleys.

Obatala leaped onto a high-ground and named the place Ifè. The land became fertile and plant life began to flourish. From handfuls of earth he began to mold figurines. Meanwhile, as this was happening on earth, Olódùmarè gathered the gasses from the far reaches of space and sparked an explosion that shaped into a fireball. He subsequently sent it to Ifè, where it drie₴d much of the land and simultaneously began to bake the motionless figurines. It was at this point that Olódùmarè released the "breath of life" to blow across the land, and the figurines slowly came into "being" as the first people of Ifè.

For this reason, Ilé-Ifẹ̀ is locally referred to as the "cradle of existence".

Olódùmarè

Olódùmarè is the most important "state of existence". Regarded as being all-encompassing, no gender can therefore be assigned. Hence, it is common to hear references to "it" or "they" (although this is meant to address a somewhat singularity) in usual speech. "They" are the owner of all heads, for during human creation, Olódùmarè gave "êmí" (the breath of life) to humankind. In this, Olódùmarè is Supreme.

Perhaps one of the most important human endeavors extolled within the Yoruba literary corpus is the quest to better one's "Iwa" (character, behaviour). In this way the teachings transcends religious doctrine, advising as it does that a person must also better his civic, social and intellectual spheres of being; every stanza of the sacred Ifa oracular poetry (Odu Ifa) has a portion covering the importance of "Iwa". Central to this is the theme of righteousness, both individual and collective.

Yoruba creation myth

The Yorùbá regard Olódùmarè as the principal agent of creation.

In another telling of the creation myth, Olódùmarè (also called Olòrún) is the creator. In the beginning there is only water. Olódùmarè sends Obàtálá to bring forth land. Obàtálá descended from above on a long chain, bringing with him a rooster, some earth, and some iron. He stacked the iron in the water, the earth on the iron, and the chicken atop the earth. The chicken kicked and scattered the earth, creating land. Some of the other divinities descended upon it to live with Obàtálá. One of them, Chameleon, came first to judge if the earth was dry. When he said that it was, Olódùmarè called the land Ife for "wide". Obàtálá then created humans out of earth and called Olódùmarè to blow life into them. Some say Obàtálá was jealous and wished to be the only giver of life, but Olódùmarè put him to sleep as he worked. Conversely, it is also said by others that it is Obàtálá who shapes life while it is still in the womb.

Spirits

An Ã'rìṣà (also spelled Orisha) is an entity that possesses the capability of reflecting some of the manifestations of Olódùmarè. Yòrùbá Ã'rìṣàs (translated "owners of heads") are often described as intermediaries between humankind and the supernatural. The term is often translated as "deities" or "divinities".

Ã'rìṣà(s) are revered for having control over specific elements by nature, thus being better referred to as the divinities. Even so, there are those of their number that are more akin to ancient heroes and/or sages These are best addressed as dema deities. Even though the term Ã'rìṣà is often used to describe both classes of divine entities, it is properly reserved for the former one.

Irúnmọlẹ̀

Irúnmọlẹ̀ are entities sent by Olódùmarè to complete given tasks, often acting as liaisons between Orun (the invisible realm) and Aiye (the physical realm). Irúnmọlẹ̀(s) can best be described as ranking divinities; whereby such divinities are regarded as the principal Ã'rìṣàs.

Reincarnation

The Yoruba believe in Àtúnwá, reincarnation within the family. The names Babatunde (father returns), Yetunde (Mother returns), Babatunji (Father wakes once again) and Sotunde (The wise man returns) all offer vivid evidence of the Ifa concept of familial or lineal rebirth. There is no simple guarantee that your grandfather or great uncle will "come back" in the birth of your child, however.

Whenever the time arrives for a spirit to return to Earth (otherwise known as The Marketplace) through the conception of a new life in the direct bloodline of the family, one of the component entities of a person's being returns, while the other remains in Heaven (Ikole Orun). The spirit that returns does so in the form of a Guardian Ori. One's Guardian Ori, which is represented and contained in the crown of the head, represents not only the spirit and energy of one's previous blood relative, but the accumulated wisdom he or she has acquired through a myriad of lifetimes. This is not to be confused with one’s spiritual Ori, which contains personal destiny, but instead refers to the coming back to The Marketplace of one's personal blood Ori through one's new life and experiences. The Primary Ancestor (which should be identified in your Itefa) becomes â€" if you are aware and work with that specific energy â€" a “guide” for the individual throughout their lifetime. At the end of that life they return to their identical spirit self and merge into one, taking the additional knowledge gained from their experience with the individual as a form of payment.

Yoruba religion around the world

According to Professor S. A. Akintoye, the Yoruba were exquisite statesmen who spread across the globe in an unprecedented fashion; the reach of their culture is largely due to migrationâ€"the most recent migration occurred with the Atlantic slave trade. During this period, many Yoruba were captured and sold into the slave trade and transported to Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, and other parts of the Americas. With them, they carried their religious beliefs. The school-of-thought integrated into what now constitutes the core of the "New World lineages":

• Candomblé (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay)
• Oyotunji (U.S.)
• Santería (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic)
• Trinidad Orisha (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Umbanda (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay)

Relationship with Vodou

The Vodun faith, which originated amongst a different ethnic group (the Gbe speaking peoples of present-day Benin, Togo, and Ghana), shares some similarities with the Yoruba faith, and may even be taken to be theologically related on some levels.

See also

• Ifá
• Iya Nla

References

Further reading

• Fayemi fatunde Fakayode, "Iwure, Efficacious Prayer to Olodumare, the Supreme Force" ISBN 978-978-915-402-9
• Chief S. Solagbade Popoola & Fakunle Oyesanya, Ikunle Abiyamo: The ASE of Motherhood 2007. ISBN 978-0-9810013-0-2
• Chief S. Solagbade Popoola Library, INC Ifa Dida Volume One (EjiOgbe - Orangun Meji) ISBN 978-0-9810013-1-9
• Chief S. Solagbade Popoola Library, INC Ifa Dida Volume Two (OgbeYeku - OgbeFun) ISBN 978-1-926538-12-9
• Chief S. Solagbade Popoola Library, INC Ifa Dida Volume Three (OyekuOgbe - OyekuFun) ISBN 978-1-926538-24-2
• The Way of the Orisha by Philip John Neimark: Publisher HarperOne; 1st edition (May 28, 1993) ISBN 978-0-06-250557-6
• Olódùmarè : God in Yoruba Belief by Bolaji Idowu, Ikeja : Longman Nigeria (1982) ISBN 0-582-60803-1
• Dr. Jonathan Olumide Lucas, "The Religion of the Yorubas", Lagos 1948, C. M. S. Bookshop.
• Leeming, David Adams; Leeming, Margaret Adams (2009). A Dictionary of Creation Myths (Oxford Reference Online ed.). Oxford University Press. 
• Morales, Ed (2003). The Latin Beat. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81018-2. , pg. 177
• Miguel A. De La Torre, Santería: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America, 2004, ISBN 0-8028-4973-3.
• Ase Magazine titles: Olodumare, Irunmole, Irunmole Faithfuls, Obatala, Ogun, Yemoja, Esu, Orunmila, Osun, etc. Ibile Faith Society. (Nigeria/Germany) www.yorubareligion.org
• Miguel R. Bances â€" Baba Eshu Onare, Tratado Enciclopedico de Ifa. Los 16 Meyis y sus Omoluos u Odus o Signos de Ifa.
• Ológundúdú, Dayọ̀ ; foreword by Akinṣọla Akiwọwọ (2008). The cradle of Yoruba culture (Rev. ed.). Institute of Yoráubâa Culture ; Center for Spoken Words. ISBN 978-0-615-22063-5. 

External links

• Yoruban cosmology and mythology
• Ibeji
• Ifa Books/The 16 Mayis and Omoluos
• Traditional Yorùbá site dedicated to teaching
• Ifa Studies Podcast hosted by Awoyinfa Ifaloju on iTunes
• West African Orisa Tradition of Nigeria
• Yoruba Movies & Films Yoruba Theatre is the origin of Nigeria's Nollywood,the equivalent of America's Hollywood.