Yoruba people Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! === Traditional Yoruba religion === {{Main|Yoruba religion}} {{further|Ifá|Yoruba medicine}} The [[Yoruba religion]] comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practices of the Yoruba people.<ref>{{cite book|title=Yoruba Hometowns: Community, Identity, and Development in Nigeria|author=Lillian Trager|date=January 2001|publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers|isbn=978-1-55587-981-5|page=22|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DUznKhxaVxkC|access-date=28 February 2014}}</ref> Its homeland is in Southwestern Nigeria and the adjoining parts of Benin and Togo, a region that has come to be known as Yorubaland. Yoruba religion is formed of diverse traditions and has no single founder.<ref name="Culture">{{cite book |title=Yoruba Culture: ''A Philosophical Account'' |first=Kola |last=Abimbola |edition=Paperback |publisher=Iroko Academics Publishers |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-905388-00-4}}</ref> Yoruba religious beliefs are part of [[Yoruba Mythology|itan]], the total complex of songs, histories, stories, mythologies, and other cultural concepts that make up the Yoruba society.<ref name="Culture" /> [[File:Ogunda Meji.jpg|thumb|left|''Ogunda Meji'', one of the sixteen principals of 256 ''Odus'' (the corpus of Ifa literature) represented on a virtual ''[[Opon Ifá|Opon Ifa]]'' board|196x196px]] Next to the [[Veneration of ancestors]], one of the most common Yoruba traditional religious concepts has been the concept of [[Orisa]]. Orisa (also spelled Orisha) are various gods and spirits, which serve the ultimate creator force in the Yoruba religious system (Ase). Some widely known Orisa are [[Ogun]], (a god of metal, war and victory), [[Shango]] or Jakuta (a god of thunder, lightning, fire and justice who manifests as a king and who always wields a double-edged axe that conveys his divine authority and power), [[Eshu|Esu Elegbara]] (a trickster who serves as the sole messenger of the [[Pantheon (religion)|pantheon]], and who conveys the wish of men to the gods. He understands every language spoken by humankind, and is also the guardian of the crossroads, ''Oríta méta'' in Yoruba) and [[Orunmila]] (a god of the Oracle). Eshu has two forms, which are manifestations of his dual nature – positive and negative energies; Eshu Laroye, a teacher instructor and leader, and Eshu Ebita, a jester, deceitful, suggestive and cunning.<ref name="Abimbola2006">{{cite book|last=Abimbola|first=Kola|title=Yoruba Culture: A Philosophical Account|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4G7Xv-wapEMC&pg=PA58|access-date=23 May 2015|year=2006|publisher=Iroko Academic Publishers|isbn=978-1-905388-00-4|page=58}}</ref> Orunmila, for his part, reveals the past, gives solutions to problems in the present, and influences the future through the [[Ifá|Ifa divination system]], which is practised by oracle priests called [[Babalawo]]s. [[Olorun]] is one of the principal manifestations of the Supreme God of the Yoruba pantheon, the owner of the heavens, and is associated with the Sun known as Oòrùn in the Yoruba language. The two other principal forms of the supreme God are [[Olodumare]]—the supreme creator—and [[Olofi]]n, who is the conduit between Òrunn (Heaven) and Ayé (Earth). [[Oshumare]] is a god that manifests in the form of a rainbow, also known as Òsùmàrè in Yoruba, while [[Obatala]] is the god of clarity and creativity.These gods feature in the Yoruba religion,<ref name="voices" /><ref name="Bascom1969">{{cite book|last=Bascom|first=William Russell|title=Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CS0h4Ye9puUC&pg=PA3|access-date=23 May 2015|year=1969|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=978-0-253-20638-1|page=3}}</ref> as well as in some aspects of [[Umbanda]], [[Winti]], [[Obeah]], [[West African Vodun|Vodun]] and a host of others. These varieties, or spiritual lineages as they are called, are practiced throughout areas of Nigeria, among others. As interest in African indigenous religions grows, Orisa communities and lineages can be found in parts of Europe and Asia as well. While estimates may vary, some scholars believe that there could be more than 100 million adherents of this spiritual tradition worldwide.<ref>Kevin Baxter (on De La Torre), [http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07182/798519-63.stm "Ozzie Guillen secure in his faith"], ''Los Angeles Times'', 2007</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="line-height:20px;text-align:left;" ! style="width:12%; color:#fff; background:navy;" |Name ! style="width:14%; color:#fff; background:navy;" |Deity Of ! style="width:4%; color:#fff; background:navy;" |Ethnic Group ! style="width:4%; color:#fff; background:navy;" |Religion ! style="width:14%; color:#fff; background:navy;" |Member Of ! style="width:4%; color:#fff; background:navy;" |Homeland |- | [[Agemo (deity)|Agemo]] | Chameleon, Servant | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Aganju]] | Volcanoes, Wilderness, Desert, Fire | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Ajaka]] | Peaceful, Love, Equality | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Akògún | Warrior, Hunter,Wear Straw | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- |[[Talking drum#Ayangalu|Ayangalu]] | Drummer, Gángan | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Ara Ara | Weather, Strom, Thunder | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Ayelala]] | Punishes Crime | [[Yoruba People]] (Part) | [[Yoruba Religion]] (Part) | Orisha | | [[Yorubaland]] (Part) |- | Aroni | Beauty Of Nature, Sipirt Of The Forest, Herb, Plant, Tree | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Alaafia | Peace, Humble, Patience | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Arun | Diseases, Affliction | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Aje | Wealth, Property, Prosperity, Fortune, Success | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Aye | Passion, Environmentalism, Nature | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Aja (orisha)|Aja]] | Wild, Herb, Plant, Leaf | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Biri | Darkness, Night, Midnight | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Babalu Aye]] | Smallpox, Epidemic Diseases, Healing | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Bayanni (Dada) | Children, Dread Heads, Prosperity | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Dada | Mischief & Stubborn | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Ela | Passion For Charity & Giving | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Edi | Spirit Of Evil, Whisperer Of Undoing And Corruption) | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Egungun]] | Sainted Dead | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Erinle]] | Hunter, Earth, Natural Force Of Universe | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Eshu]] | Trickery, Crossroads, Misfortune, Chaos, Death, Travelers, Messenger | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Ibeji]] | Twins | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Iroko | Tree, Wilderness | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Iya Nla]] | Primordial Spirit | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Iku | Death | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Imole | Sunlight, Soothsayer | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Logunede | War & Hunting | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Moremi Ajasoro|Moremi]] | Saviour | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Ọba (orisha)|Oba]] | River | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Obba | Passion For Homemaking, Domestic Policies | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Obatala]] | Creation | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Oduduwa]] | Progenitor, Warrior | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Ogun]] | Warriors, Soldiers, Blacksmiths, Metal Workers, Craftsmen | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Oke | Mountain, Hill | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Oko (orisha)|Oko]] | Agriculture, Farming, Fertility | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Olokun]] | Water, Health, Wealth | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Olumo Rock|Olumo]] | Mountain | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Ọranyan]]i | Progenitor | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Orò | Justice, Bullroarers | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Oronsen]] | Progenitor | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Ọrunmila]] | Wisdom, Knowledge, Ifa Divination, Philosophy, Fate, Destiny, Prophecy, Babalawo | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Ori (Yoruba)|Ori]] | Beforelife, Afterlife, Destiny, Personal Identify | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Osanyin]] | Herb, Plant, Nature, Herbalist, Magician | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Oshosi]] | Hunt, Forest, Warrior, Justice | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Oshun]] | Goddess of Water, Purity, Fertility, Love, and Sensuality | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Oshunmare]] | Rainbow, Serpent, Regeneration, Rebirth | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Otin River#Legend|Otin]] | River, Fighter | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Oya]] | Storms, Wind, Thunder, Lightning, Dead | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Shango]] | Thunder, Lightning, Fire, Justice, Dance, Virility | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | Shigidi | Guardian Of Home & Environment | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Yemoja]] | Goddess Of Creation, Water, Moon, The Motherhood, Protection | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |- | [[Yewa]] | Yewa River | [[Yoruba People]] | [[Yoruba Religion]] | Orisha | [[Yorubaland]] |} ==== Mythology ==== {{Main|Oduduwa}} [[File:Divination tapper, Yoruba, Nigeria, 1800s, ivory - Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum - DSC00262.jpg|thumb|right|An Iroke or Irofa (''Ìròkè Ifá'') is the divination tapper of the Yoruba. It is long, slender and often slightly curved. Used in combination with the ''[[Opon Ifá|Opon Ifa]]'' or divination board. Traditionally made from ivory, but also brass and wood.<ref name="Imo Dara">{{cite book|last=Imo|first=Dara|title=Connecting African art collectors with dealers, based on a foundation of knowledge about the origin, use & distinguishing features of listed pieces|date=7 March 2015|url=http://www.imodara.com/discover/nigeria-yoruba-iroke-ifa-divination-tapper}}/</ref>|230x230px]] Oral history of the Oyo-Yoruba recounts [[Odùduwà]] to be the progenitor of the Yoruba and the reigning ancestor of their crowned kings. {{Cquote|He came from the east, understood in Ife traditions to be the settlement of [[Oke Ora]], a hilltop community situated to the east of Ife.}} {{cquote|After the death of Oduduwa, there was a dispersal of his children in a series of kingdom founding migrations from Ife to found other kingdoms. Each child made his or her mark in the subsequent urbanization and consolidation of the Yoruba confederacy of kingdoms, with each kingdom tracing its origin due to them to Ile-Ife.}} {{Cquote|After the dispersal, the aborigines became difficult, and constituted a serious threat to the survival of Ife. Thought to be survivors of the old occupants of the land before the arrival of Oduduwa, these people now turned themselves into marauders. They would come to town in costumes made of raffia with terrible and fearsome appearances, and burn down houses and loot the markets. Then came [[Moremi Ajasoro]] into the scene; she was said to have played a significant role in the quelling of the marauder advancements. But this was at a great price; having to give up her only son Oluorogbo. The reward for her patriotism and selflessness was not to be reaped in one lifetime as she later passed on and was thereafter [[deified]]. The Edi festival celebrates this feat amongst her Yoruba descendants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yorubaalliance.org/Newsletter/newsletter74.htm|title=Who are the Yoruba!|access-date=6 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702194235/http://www.yorubaalliance.org/Newsletter/newsletter74.htm|archive-date=2 July 2011}}</ref>}} ==== Philosophy ==== Yoruba culture consists of cultural philosophy, religion and folktales. They are embodied in Ifa divination, and are known as the tripartite Book of Enlightenment in Yorubaland and in its diaspora. Yoruba cultural thought is a witness of two epochs. The first epoch is a history of cosmogony and cosmology. This is also an epoch-making history in the oral culture during which time Oduduwa was the king, the Bringer of Light, pioneer of Yoruba folk philosophy, and a prominent diviner. He pondered the visible and invisible worlds, reminiscing about cosmogony, cosmology, and the mythological creatures in the visible and invisible worlds. His time favored the artist-philosophers who produced magnificent naturalistic artworks of civilization during the pre-dynastic period in Yorubaland. The second epoch is the epoch of metaphysical discourse, and the birth of modern artist-philosophy. This commenced in the 19th century in terms of the academic prowess of Bishop [[Samuel Ajayi Crowther]] (1807–1891). Although religion is often first in Yoruba culture, nonetheless, it is the philosophy – the thought of man – that actually leads spiritual consciousness (ori) to the creation and the practice of religion. Thus, it is believed that thought (philosophy) is an antecedent to religion. Values such as respect, peaceful co-existence, loyalty and freedom of speech are both upheld and highly valued in Yoruba culture. Societies that are considered secret societies often strictly guard and encourage the observance of moral values. Today, the academic and nonacademic communities are becoming more interested in Yoruba culture. More research is being carried out on Yoruba cultural thought as more books are being written on the subject. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page