Yoruba religion

Beliefs

According to Kola Abimbola, the Yorubas have evolved a robust cosmology. Nigerian Professor for Traditional African religions, Jacob K. Olupona, summarizes that central for the Yorùbá religion, and which all beings possess, is known as "Aṣẹ", which is "the empowered word that must come to pass," the "life force" and "energy" that "regulates all movement and activity in the universe". Every thought and action of each person or being in Ayé (the physical realm) interact with the Supreme force, all other living things, including the Earth itself, as well as with Ọrun (the otherworld), in which gods, spirits and ancestors exist. The Yorùbá religion can be described as a form of diffused monotheism, with a Supreme but distant creator force, encompassing the whole universe.

Reincarnation

The Yoruba believe in Atunwa, the possibility of 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 one's grandfather or great uncle will "come back" in the birth of a 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 Ọrun). 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 myriad 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—if you are aware and work with that specific energy—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.

Gender roles

Gender roles are essential components of Yoruba religion, with women occupying significant positions as priestesses and custodians of sacred knowledge. These roles are vital for the preservation of religious practices and influence the dynamics of spiritual authority within communities. Yoruba traditions recognize femininity as a crucial aspect of spiritual experiences. Women actively participate in religious practices and rituals, enhancing their influence and importance in the spiritual landscape.

The anthropologist Robert Voeks described Yorùbá religion as being animistic, noting that it was "firmly attached to place".

Each person living on earth attempts to achieve perfection and find their destiny in Ọ̀run-Rere (the spiritual realm of those who do good and beneficial things).

One's orí-inú (spiritual consciousness in the physical realm) must grow in order to consummate union with one's "Ìpọ̀nrí" (Orí Ọ̀run, spiritual self).

Ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ (or good character), meditative recitation and sincere veneration are sufficient to strengthen the orí-inú of most people. Well-balanced people, it is believed, can make positive use of the simplest form of connection between their Ori and the omnipotent Olú-Ọ̀run: an Àwúre (petition or prayer) for divine support.

In the Yorùbá belief system, Olódùmarè has àṣẹ (divine authority) over all that is. Hence, they are considered supreme.

Scripture

The Yorùbá scriptures are called the Odù Ifá, which is a collection of revealed oracular texts originally passed down through oral tradition among babalawos. It is traditionally divided into 256 sections, or Odù, which are divided into verses. It is closely related to the divination system of the Yorùbá religion, Ifá. The verses contain proverbs, stories, and statements that cover every aspect of life. The Odù Ifá is the foundation of Yorùbá spiritual knowledge and has influenced spiritual communities in the Americas, such as Santeria. Ifá refers to the deity Ọ̀rúnmìlà, who is associated with wisdom, intellect, and divination.

In 2005, UNESCO designated the Odù Ifá tradition as one of the world's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Cosmology

• Olodumare
  • Irunmole
    • Orisha
      • Oku (Ancestors)
        • Alaye (Human)
          • Animal, Plant, etc.

Olódùmarè

Olódùmarè is recognized in Yorùbá belief as the Supreme Being and the ultimate source of all creation. Everything that exists—Òrìṣà, human beings, animals, nature, and spiritual forces—originates from Olódùmarè. As the divine architect of the universe, Olódùmarè holds the highest authority and is the giver of àṣẹ, the sacred energy that sustains and empowers all life.

Olódùmarè is the most important "state of existence". "They" are the owner of all heads, for during human creation, Olódùmarè gave "èmí" (the breath of life) to humankind. In this, Olódùmarè is Supreme. Perhaps one of the most important human endeavours extolled within the Odu Ifa is the quest to improve one's "Ìwà" (character, behaviour). In this way the teachings transcend religious doctrine, advising as they do that a person must also improve their civic, social and intellectual spheres of being; every Odu (stanza) of the sacred Ifá corpus has a portion covering the importance of "Ìwà". Central to this is the theme of righteousness, both individual and collective.

Creation

Adherents of the Yorùbá religion regard Olodumare as the principal force of creation.

According to one of the Yorùbá accounts of creation, at a certain stage in the process, the "truth" was sent to confirm the habitability of the planets that were newly formed. The earth, being one of these, was visited but considered too wet for conventional living.

After a successful period of time, a number of divinities led by Obatala were sent to accomplish the task of helping the earth develop its crust. On one of their visits to the realm, the arch-divinity Obàtálá took to the stage equipped with a mollusc that concealed some form of soil, winged beasts, and some cloth-like material. The contents were emptied 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.

Ọbàtálá leapt onto a high ground and named the place Ife. The land became fertile and plant life began to flourish. From handfuls of earth, he began to mould figurines. Meanwhile, as this was happening on Earth, Olódùmarè gathered the gases from the far reaches of space and sparked an explosion that shaped into a fireball. He subsequently sent it to Ifẹ̀, where it dried 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 Ife.

For this reason, Ife is locally referred to as "Ifẹ̀ Ọ̀ọ̀dáyé" – "cradle of existence".

Irunmọlẹ

The Irunmọlẹ are the original entities sent by Olorun to complete given tasks, often acting as liaisons between Òde Ọ̀run (the invisible realm) and Ilé Ayé (the physical realm). The Irúnmọlẹ̀ can therefore best be described in English as the highest ranking divinities; whereby such divinities are regarded as principal Orisha. The Irúnmọlẹ̀ or Imalẹ̀ are the primary foundational divinities or divine entities. In summary, all Imalẹ̀ are also Òrìṣà, but not all Òrìṣà are Imalẹ̀.

Oku

In Yoruba religion and culture, Oku is a complex and multifaceted concept that encompasses various aspects of death, the afterlife, and the relationship between the living and the dead. Oku is often translated as "the dead," but it carries a deeper meaning that goes beyond the physical act of dying. Oku refers to the transition of a person from the world of the living to the world of the dead and the subsequent journey of the deceased to the afterlife.

Oku is a natural part of life, and death is seen as a transition to a new stage of existence rather than an end. The Yoruba people believe that the dead continue to play an active role in the lives of their descendants and that they can influence the living in various ways. Thus, Oku is also associated with the concept of "ara orun," which refers to the spiritual realm or the world of the dead. The Yoruba people believe that the dead reside in this realm, where they continue to live and interact with the living.

Furthermore, an earthly representation of the Oku is the Egungun, which embodies the spirits of the ancestors and is often used to communicate with the dead and to honour their memory. The Egungun is the physical representation of the Oku tradition, which is focused on honouring and paying respects to the ancestors. The Egungun possesses spiritual powers and to be able to communicate with the ancestors, an Oku tradition of seeking the blessings and protection of the dead or ancestors.

However, it is worth noting that Egungun traditions are not simply a representation of Oku, but rather have their own unique characteristics and significance, depending on the context. Egungun can have its own set of rituals, ceremonies, and practices that are separate from the Oku tradition, although the two are connected and closely intertwined. Therefore, Yoruba people may refer to Egungun as "Oku ara orun," which means "the Oku of the heavens" or "the Oku of the spirits." This name reflects the close connection between Egungun and the Oku tradition and highlights the role of Egungun as a representation of the ancestors and the spiritual realm.

Orisha and Ajogun pantheon

The Orisha, (Yoruba: Òrìṣà) are entities that possess the capability of reflecting some of the manifestations of Olodumare. Yoruba Orishas (commonly translated as "unique/special/selected heads") are often described as intermediaries between humankind and the supernatural. The term has also been variously translated as "Deities", "Divinities" or "Gods". Orisha(s) are revered for having control over specific elements of nature. They are thus sometimes referred to as Imole. There are those of their number that are more akin to ancient heroes and/or sages than to primordial divinities. These are best addressed as dema deities. Even though the term Orisha is often used to describe both classes of divine entities, it is properly reserved for the former one.

The Ajogun on the other hand are best described as active negative, destructive or malevolent forces of nature. They exist at the same operational plane as the Orisha but occupy counter positions and work against one's Ori. They represent the other side of the Yoruba duality of existence which can either be Ire, meaning goodness or being aligned with a person's destiny, or Ibi, often meaning evil or being out of alignment with one's destiny. Broken down, the term Ajogun comes from the words; A + Jẹ + Ogun, literally meaning; "That which feeds/thrives on trouble/war". The Ajogun are often personified as "warriors" who wage war against humanity. Out of their number, there are eight principal Ajogun led by 'Iku' (Death).

The Yoruba have developed a robust pantheon of divinities, each well-developed in their different rites and traditions. Many of these have attained national/pan Yoruba statuses and are known all across Yoruba country, even diffusing beyond Yorubaland into the practices and beliefs of neighbouring groups, though they may be more strongly or closely associated with certain places, occupations or subregions spread across Yorubaland. There are said to be thousands of them; of which the Irunmọlẹ (primordial divinities) are 400 plus 1 in total; The 200 of the right (Igba Ọ̀tún), the 200 of the left (Igba Òsì) and one more (used to mean that their exact number is unknown to humanity).

Influence

African diaspora religions

During the period of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, many Yoruba were captured, sold, and transported to countries in the Americas, including Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Uruguay, and Venezuela. With them, they carried their religious beliefs. These were integrated into what now constitutes the core of the "New World lineages" which are a variety of Yorùbá-derived contemporary religions:

• Candomblé (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay)
• Santería (Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic)
• Trinidad Orisha (Trinidad and Tobago)
• Venezuelan spiritism (Venezuela)
• Spiritual Baptist (St. Vincent & The Grenadines)
• Umbanda (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay)

In 1989, it was believed that more than 70 million individuals in Africa and the New World participated in the Yoruba religion in one way or another.

The Vodun faith, which originated amongst a different ethnic group (the Gbe speaking peoples of present-day Benin, Togo, and Ghana), holds influential aspects on the African diaspora in countries such as Haiti and Cuba, also New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States.

In Latin America, Yoruba religion has been in intense Syncretism with Christianity, Indigenous religions and Spiritism since the first arrival of African immigrants. In Brazil, the religion of Umbanda was born from the rich interaction of beliefs that Latin America provided. Followers of Umbanda typically consider themselves Monotheistic, but honor Catholic Saints and Orisha as manifestations from god or as Tutelary deities. Umbanda worship also include elements from Native South American rituals such as the ritual use of Tobacco and communication with the spirits of deceased Indian warriors (Caboclo).

In the 1949 documentary Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol en Loíza Aldea, anthropologist Ricardo Alegría noted a similar tendency at Loíza, Puerto Rico, arguing that the affinity between the black population in the municipality and the Catholic saint Santiago Apóstol may derive from the way in which he is depicted as a warrior; a similar theme to some depictions of Shango and Adams. This theory supposed that this resemblance was used by the population as a covert form to honor their ancestral deity.

In the early 21st century, Nigerian migrants have also taken Yoruba religion to Brazil.

Japan

Koshikawa Yoshiaki, professor of literature at Meiji University, became the first Japanese person to be initiated as a babalawo in 2013.

List of major Orisha