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An African Religion
Yoruba
An African Tradition: the Religion of the
Yoruba
Africa
the second largest
continent in terms of
landmass
home to some four hundred
million people and several
hundred religions
including the religion of
the Yoruba.
The Yoruba are from Western
Africa: Nigeria, Benin and Togo
The Yoruba have favored living in
cities
There are three important cities:
Ife, Oyo, and Ijebu
Ife has been the center of
Yoruba religion
It was here that the god
Orisha-nla first began to
create the world
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Yoruba religion:
maintain the balance between
the human beings of earth and
the gods and ancestors of
heaven while guarding against
the evil deeds of sorcerers and
witches
Yoruba sees reality as being divided
into two separate worlds: heaven
and earth
Heaven
Invisible home of the gods and
the ancestors
Earth
Ordinary world, visible home of
human beings, descended from
the gods
Populated by perverted form of
human beings, witches and
sorcerers, who can cause
disastrous harm if not controlled
Yoruba Cosmology
Gods and Ancestors
Primal traditions hold a belief in
both a supreme god and a host of
less powerful deities.
The supreme god of the Yoruba is
Olorun
The many deities of the Yoruba
worship are known as orishas
The supreme god, lesser deities,
and ancestors all inhabit heaven
Olorun: the High God
Supreme God: Olorun
Original source of power in the universe
All life forms owe their existence to
Olorun
Uninvolved in human affairs
Not worshipped in rituals
No shrines are assigned to him
No sacrifices are on his behalf
The orishas, other gods, function as
mediators between Olorun and
human beings.
Orishas
Lesser gods
Truly significant
Are a source of sacred
power and can help or
harm human beings
Worshipped in ritual
To be appeased
Orisha-nla
Ogun
Esu
Orisha-nla: Creator god
Created the earth
Ogun: god of Iron
and War
Once was human
First King of Ife
After he died, he
became a god
Now lives on the
border between
ancestors and other
orishas
Esu: Trickster
Mediates between heaven and earth
Has a place in every shrine
Contains both good and evil properties
These characteristics make him a trickster figure
A mischievous supernatural being
Part human/animal/divine
Functions as teacher:
Shows people consequences of certain behaviors
acts as a messenger for the other deities
He assists Olorun and the other gods by causing
trouble for people who offend them or fail to
worship them.
Everyone prays to Esu so that he will not harm
them.
Ancestors
The heavenly ancestors are deceased humans
who have acquired supernatural status.
Possess sacred power that can help or harm the
living.
They are worshipped through rituals at special
shrines.
Two types of ancestors:
Family ancestors
1.
Gained their supernatural status by earning a good
reputation and living to an old age
Worshiped by their own families
Deified (sacred/holy) ancestors
2.
Important human figures known throughout Yoruba
society
Worshiped by large numbers of people
E.g. Ogun
Ritual
Several types of ritual practitioners mediate between the gods and ancestors in
heaven and the human beings on earth
There has to be a specialist who can facilitate communication with the deity or
ancestor
Examples:
the head of a family is responsible for worshiping the family’s ancestors
in the home at the family shrine
The king, or chief, of a city is in charge of the city’s annual festivals and
performs a host of other religious functions
Priests oversee the various rituals carried out at the shrines of each orisha
Diviners
Among the priests who engage
in specialized services are
diviners.
Diviners are priests who can tell
people’s futures
Diviners have special training,
innate gifts and life experience
The role is usually passed from
parent to child
It is taboo for anyone else to
perform divination
Divination
Divination is an extremely important
aspect of Yoruba religion because
knowledge of one’s future is
considered essential for determining
how to proceed with one’s life.
The procedure for divination requires
the diviners to memorize hundreds of
Wisdom stories
the diviner recites the appropriate
story for each person who asks for
divination
Diviners add a ritual aspect – wearing
a mask, special clothing/ using
implements
Sangoma diviners, Botswana
Yoruba Diviner’s Bag
How do you divine your Future:
What is your destiny?
What will you become in 5
years?, In 10?, In 20?
Will you
Go to college?
If so, what will you study?
Get married?
Have kids?
How many?
Live in Bakersfield?
Travel the world?
Where will you go?
Another ritual specialist mediates
between the ancestors and the living
Wearing ceremonial masks and
costumes
this specialist becomes a living
representation of an ancestor by
dancing at festivals
When an important person dies
The specialist imitates that
persons
The specialist conveys
comforting messages from the
deceased to the living.