Yoruba god, power, and the imaginative frontiers toyin falola ghana during the first world war. Narrative and knowledge in yoruba cosmology marcus. Through painstaking research, he wrote that the yoruba religion had its origin in. How to build a relationship with your god goddess and deity warning ancestor duration.
The colonial administration of sir hugh clifford elizabeth wrangham globalization. Its name comes from the yoruba olodumare, which means lord to whom our eternal destiny goes. On the basis of comparative studies between the dynastic tradition of the. In all the previous works which have reference to the religion of the yoruba, the deity has been assigned a place which makes him very remote, of little account in the scheme of things. It is so because the concept of, and the belief in, olodumar e are undergoing cir. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of itan, the total complex of songs, histories, stories and other cultural concepts which make up the yoruba society. God in yoruba belief wazobia, new york, ny 1994 isbn 18886832005. In the yoruba religion, gender is not an issue when it comes to reincarnation, and it is believe to change with each new rebirth. The concept of ori in the traditional yoruba visual. African religion study on olodumare and disinformation of the supreme being. Lucas, jonathan olumide the religion of the yorubas, lagos 1948.
Avaliable format in pdf, epub, mobi, kindle, ebook and audiobook. Their religion dates back to the stone age, but was influenced by the spread of agriculture from the middle east around 600 bce. Oduduwa between 1100 ad and 1700 ad, the yoruba kingdom of ife experienced a golden age, the oba or ruler of ife is referred to as the ooni of ife. The concepts of ori and human destiny in traditional yoruba. The yoruba religion comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of. When we ascend into the yoruba religion, we must first look at the source of all living creatures within our universe and beyond. Bolaji idowu, john ayotunde bewaji, kazeem ademola fayemi, kola abimbola analyses manifests some seemingly contradictions which was hinged upon by benson o.
Abstract religion is the strongest element in african culture and exerts great influence upon the conduct of the african people. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of itan, the total complex of songs, histories, stories, and. The concepts of ori and human destiny in traditional. The yoruba religion has become widespread throughout the western hemisphere as well as its native africa. The term is also translated as deities, divinities or gods. The yoruba world abounds with gods, known in yoruba as orisa. Orishas deities worshipped in yoruba land oldnaija. The concept of ori in the traditional yoruba visual representation 2 representation of the human images and specifically the distortion of certain parts of human form, e. Olodumare is the material and spiritual manifestation of all the existing one. Originally prohibited from practicing african religions, slaves and free people of color mostly frequented the catholic churches but they carried their african beliefs and over the centuries. This article also goes over the disinformation of good and evil within religion and shedding of colonized thought. Other names are also used that reflect the yoruba belief that god has all the possible attributes of a person.
He talks with humans, the high god, the orisa, the egungun, and the. The relationship between people and supernatural beings in. Origin of the yoruba and the lost tribes of israel dierk lange abstract. Staying strictly within yoruba religion, these writers present olodumare as christian god, muslim allah, and esu as satan or devil. Why did yoruba people leave eledumare for the god of jesus. Yoruba followers believe olodumare participates in a calm, restful, rather inactive life. Yoruba tradition says everything is in the hands of god olodumare when they are going to bed at night. Eshu is the messenger god, acting as a link between humans and the yoruba deities orishas. The yoruba people are based in nigeria, benin and togo. Esu can be understood as a mediator between the orisha and humanity and he observers our actions, especially the sacrifices and rituals for the orisa.
The relationship between people and supernatural beings. Igboin, in his paper is olodumare, god in yoruba belief, god. It was he who provided his father with the knowledge of creation. Influence of yoruba culture in christian religious worship. The creed of black africans, as spoken in olodumare god in yoruba belief. 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. 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. Hisher contact with humans is through the orisa, especially esu and ifa. Rituals in yoruba traditional religion are not usually administered by the uninitiated or the untrained yoruba. They are specialists in leading the others in worship. John ayorunde tunde isola bewaji is a senior lecturer in philosophy in the department of language, linguistics, and philosophy at the university of the west. The yoruba believe olodumare is omnipotent and is also responsible for the creation of all life.
This is a treatise on the importance of plants ewe yoruba. The question whether olodumare, god in y oruba belief, as bolaji idowu translat ed it, is god is a tortuous one. Dada adelowo introduction this paper is motiated by the need. Pertinent among such beliefs, are the beliefs in ori1 and human destiny. 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. God in yoruba belief and the theistic problem of evil. The book contains a lot of information about the yoruba tribes mythology, deities and beliefs, but with each reference made to olodumare, i felt like the author was. The concepts of ori and human destiny across different strata of human existence. Ifa yoruba fundamentals of the yoruba religion orisa worship chief fama. Olodumare in the traditional yoruba religion is the only supreme god with features like the. The yoruba traditional religion ytr which is vibrant and influential among the yoruba speaking people of western nigeria has had a deep influence on the culture of the people.
Concepts and theories on women in yoruba religious sphere. Devotion to the orisha is active and widespread, but olorun has neither priests nor cult groups. The study of yoruba religious tradition in historical. Oloddumare is the unique, supreme, omnipotent and creative god of everything. In yoruba pantheon, there are two categories of deities ori. The yoruba pantheon consists of hundreds of gods, worshipped for an immense variety of purposes, each representative of some natural element or human emotion. 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. Basic yoruba belief involves ritual practices such as singing, dancing, drumming, spirit possession, ritual healing, respect for ancestors and divination.
Yoruba and ancient near eastern history, the present article argues that yoruba traditions of provenance, claiming immigration from the near east, are basically correct. The yoruba people iv page ife and thus became the first oba meaning king or ruler in the yoruba language of who today are known as the yoruba people. Yoruba religion is the basis for a number of religions in the new world, notably santeria, umbanda, trinidad orisha, haitian vodou, and candomble. The yoruba for belief is igbagb find more yoruba words at. Lucas, the first indigene to write about yoruba religion was an acclaimed egyptologist in his life time, and perhaps the only intel lectual among the anglican clergy in his time. Thus it brings us to olodumare, oloduma re olorun, eledumare meaning. God is known as olodumare the one who has the fullness of everything and olorun the owner of heaven, the lord whose abode is in the heaven above.
You must go to god to attend to your needs, because without the help of god what can man do. When a new child is born as a reincarnated being, they carry not only the wisdom of the ancestor soul they possessed before, but also the accumulated knowledge of all of their lifetimes. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This is a treatise on the importance of plants ewe. He is not interested or involved when it comes to earthly matters and lets other orishas, who are described as his sons and daughters, answer human concerns through divination, possession, sacrifice and more. Many people have turned to the yoruba religion in this spiritual revolution. Johnson and oyinade, monotheism in traditional yoruba religion. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of itan, the total complex of songs, histories, stories, and other cultural concepts which make up the yoruba society. The politics of global economic relations and international business n. God in yoruba belief paperback august 1, 1995 by bolasi e.
How to say belief in yoruba thesaurus and word tools. There is a welldeveloped body of literature in yoruba philosophical studies. God in yoruba belief and the theistic problem of evil pdf. Similarly, in the great lakes region of east africa, the supreme being, mulungu, is thought to be omnipresent but.