Yoruba

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An African Religion

• Yoruba

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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.

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• 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

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• 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

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Yoruba Cosmology

• 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

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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

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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.

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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

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• Orisha-nla Creator god
• Created the earth

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• 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

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• 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.

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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
• Gained their supernatural status by earning a
  good reputation and living to an old age
• Worshiped by their own families
• Deified (sacred/holy) ancestors
• Important human figures known throughout Yoruba
  society
• Worshiped by large numbers of people
• E.g. Ogun

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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 familys ancestors
• in the home at the family shrine
• The king, or chief, of a city is in charge of the
  citys annual festivals and performs a host of
  other religious functions
• Priests oversee the various rituals carried out
  at the shrines of each orisha

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Diviners

• Among the priests who engage in specialized
  services are diviners.
• Diviners are priests who can tell peoples
  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

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Divination

• Divination is an extremely important aspect of
  Yoruba religion because knowledge of ones future
  is considered essential for determining how to
  proceed with ones 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
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Yoruba Diviners Bag
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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?

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• 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.