The artists of ancient ife, ancestral home to the yoruba and mythic birthplace of gods and humans, clearly were. You can find further detailed information about the concepts summarized in this article by following the links. Much like the catholic saints, the yoruba orishas work as the intermediaries between man and the supreme creator, and the rest of the divine world. It is a continuum beginning from their subsistence, communal, agrarian life of the.
In cuba, as in haiti, west african gods became paired with. The yoruba traditional religion believes that all human beings pass through what is known as ayanmo which translate to destiny or fate. Yoruba religion practitioners of the yoruba religion, which was developed among the yoruba people of nigeria and benin, believe that before we are born we stand before god and choose our own destiny. Ifayoruba fundamentals of the yoruba religion orisa worship chief fama. Let us do it, the way it is usually done, so that we may have the usual result. They are specialists in leading the others in worship. We would attempt to examine the influences on the language, dressing, food and cultural practices and norm of the yoruba people, in an attempt to reach a befitting conclusion as to the history of the yoruba, we would also include some folk lore and stories, to enable you the readers reach a strong conclusion. I highly recommend this book to those who seek to grow into a mature relationship with ifa. Olodumare is very remote to the yoruba by virtue of the duality that exists with olodumare. Yoruba religion focuses on the worship of the orisa because of the belief that they act on behalf of olodumare, who is too exalted to be approached directly. He is known as a powerful wizard and master of all spells and crafts found in the wild and the untamed areas of nature.
Orishas arent gods or goddesses please respect our religion duration. Ase ahshay yoruba word for so let it bemay it be so and can be likened to amen. The book, the bible of the traditional yoruba religion, is 6 x 9, has 271 pp with photographs. This is a simple, beautiful and powerful ifa prayer. Some examples rituals and rites abound in yoruba traditional religion. Ifa is linked to destiny through the ifa the true religion of yorubas.
We also highlight the different branches of the yoruba tradition, such as santeria, lucumi, candomble, palo, shango, division 21, voudon, and more. The ori holds the bodys knowledge and is its destiny. In this article we will go over ifa religion beliefs and the foundational concepts that support the yoruba religion. Yoruba people also speak of a supreme being, olorun or olodumare, whose power or lifeenergy, called ashe, becomes manifest through both ancestral spirits and the orisha. This is a neutral force of energy that can be used to create. The word for head in yorubaoricarries physical and spiritual connotations that cannot be separated. It is given by olodumare to everything gods, ancestors, spirits, humans, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and voiced words such as songs, prayers, praises, curses, or even everyday conversation. Ebook orisha as pdf download portable document format. The yoruba religious system central connecticut state. Archaeological and linguistic evidence indicate that the yoruba. Influence of yoruba culture in christian religious worship by odejobi cecilia omobola institute of education, faculty of education, obafemi awolowo university, ileife, osun state, nigeria. The yoruba originated from a people known as the oyo who arose and became quite popular by their trading with the portugues which gave them a large supply of guns. In a similar vein, yoruba philosophy can be considered antecedent to yoruba religion, in the same manner that every. This is an introductory article that will summarize these concepts to give the reader a highlevel idea about these ifa traditions.
This site is dedicated to the study of the orisha, ifa, and yoruba tradition. Given this consideration, ori is nothing short of what the yoruba call ipin or okeipori. Ase or ashe is a west african philosophical concept through which the yoruba of nigeria conceive the power to make things happen and produce change. In this episode, we go much deeper using the african spiritual system of the yoruba culture namely ifa. He describes 16 orisha and shows us how to work with. The gods of west africa are called orisha in yoruba, oricha in spanish. Ifa and my own life experiences has previously made known to me they we can convert poison into medicine. Worldview,religion,ethics and aesthetics like many other african peoples, the yoruba trace the origin of the world to a supreme divinity called olodumarethe eternal one, eledathe creator of all that exists and alasethe source of ase, the enabling power that transforms, creating something out of. In addition to its sacred characteristics, ase also has important social ramifications. When one understands their place in the universe along with all the irunmole, it is only natural or with a little practice, to give thanks for everything one has, no matter how small. Yoruba religion is a traditional west african religion. In this introductory volume, baba ifa karade provides an easily understandable overview of the yoruba religion. Esu, is seen as being in charge of justice and the transportation of ebos, one said to lend authority ase to the oracle during provision of direction and or clarification of counsel. Yorubapeopleculture yorubabronzehead in the beginning, olodumare god gave the orisa orunmila a flawless method of communication between himself and the orisa called ifa.
Abstract religion is the strongest element in african culture and exerts great. It sufficiently explains the relationship between ancient egypt and the religion of southern nigeria, in addition to providing detailed steps, measures, practices, and initiation into the religion. The concepts of ori and human destiny in traditional. In the yoruba religion, divination gives priests unreserved access to the teachings of orunmila.
The religion flourishes in the caribbean, and south america where it has been transplanted along with the peoples who followed this religious path, from africa. The concepts of ori and human destiny it is the ancestral guardian soul, having its physical symbolization as the physical head. This book provides detailed instruction of practical usage of ifa by practitioners and nonpractitioners and answers many questions with respect to how to pray the ifa way. Ancient african religion finds roots in america africanamerican followers of yoruba say it offers a spiritual path as well as a sense of cultural belonging. Rituals in yoruba traditional religion are not usually administered by the uninitiated or the untrained yoruba. Divinity, creativity and humanity in yoruba aesthetics. African shapes of the sacred highlight only a few of the yoruba art forms. Ashepower is a component of the life force breathed into each human being by god. Here, you can learn about the orisha in a way that works best for you. One idea behind yoruba religion is that natural objects, like trees, rivers, stones, metal, have a spiritual existence.
The yoruba religion has become widespread throughout the western hemisphere as well as its native africa. It also took the place of, in many reliefs, the dd d pillars which are depicted holding up the sky. Influence of yoruba culture in christian religious worship. Ase is also the force and power and motivation behind any spiritual manifestation. Through real experiences, embracing spirituality answers some of lifes most difficult questions of the unknown. In other words god created both the good and evil forces at play in the universe and he gave ase power to both sides. The yoruba culture, for the present purpose, can be defined as follows. Buy a cheap copy of the handbook of yoruba religious. In later times it became a symbol of control over the forces of chaos. The dialectics of twoness in yoruba art and culture. Esu is called the divine trickster that lures mans emotions creating variety which spices life.
For followers of ifa, known as elesin ibile, prayer is a daily practice. At the heart of this yoruba religion is the concept of ase, an individuals personal spiritual power, which grows throughout life through a persons diligent application to doing good deeds, coupled with appropriate and calm behavior and with service to the gods in the form of. The yoruba religion includes the concept of ashe, a powerful life force possessed by humans and divine beings alike. The yoruba believe in one supreme god called olodumare. Embracing spirituality is an educational blog sharing unusual, but fascinating spiritual experiences of the life of metaphysics teacher, obara meji, and how it all correlates to the spiritual journey of people around the world. The aggregate of the ways of life of the yorubaspeaking peoples of southwestern nigeria and their kiths and kins elsewhere in the world. It is reported from havana that the roman catholic church claims that seventy per cent of cubas elevenmillion people are catholics. Many claim that they are part of the diaspora of the yoruba as slaves. The yoruba religion system comprises of traditional practices and spiritual concepts which has evolved into a robust religious system. Art in ancient ife, birthplace of the yoruba suzanne preston blier a rtists the world over shape knowledge and material into works of unique historical importance. Existence, according to yoruba thought, is dependent upon it.
This article aims to shed more light on the origin and history of the yoruba people. Yoruba religion simple english wikipedia, the free. Voodoo, hoodoo and slave magic by stephen ashley, city of 201 gods. The orisha center for ifa and yoruba tradition the orisha.