There is a lot of misinterpration of yoruba religion, and its new world manifestations voudun, santeria, candomble etc. In addition to the worship of one god, named olodumare, the yoruba worship dozens of deities known as orishas who are personified aspects of nature and spirit. The yoruba deities are called orishas while god almighty is called olorun. Jun 20, 2019 the yoruba religion system comprises of traditional practices and spiritual concepts which has evolved into a robust religious system. The principal orishas include eleggua, oggun, ochosi, obatala, yemaya, oshun, shango, oya, babalu aiye, and orula. In cuba, lucumi practitioners would hide their religion beneath the facade of catholicism. Wande abimbola in cuba, youtube, 2010 on cuba and ifa obtaining ifa will mend our broken world, by wande abimbola. This new religion would become the religion known as lucumi. Author karade traces the concepts of the yoruba religion through its entrance into the americas via haiti, puerto rico, brazil and. Therefore, according to the yoruba, humans are eventually expected to. Today, it is experiencing a second transplantation, resulting from. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of itan, the total complex of songs, histories, stories, and other cultural concepts which make up the yoruba society. He is the creator of the human beings and everything that lives in the planet. Although it is commonly believed that eleggua is a mispronunciation of elegbara.
Obatala lives in a sopera that can be of silver, some silverplated metal or white slab. Ifayoruba fundamentals of the yoruba religion orisa worship chief fama. Nonetheless, despite the yoruba religions separation in time and space. Most of the yoruba in todays america, originated from what is todays nigeria, benin and togo. The yoruba would hold on to their religion, but in order to keep it alive, they would have to make it into a new religion. Specific spirits such as god of fire, of rebirth, etc. The orisha chango and other african deities in cuban. The body of cuban drama contains many accretions from african sources. One idea behind yoruba religion is that natural objects, like trees, rivers, stones, metal, have a spiritual existence. The yoruba traditional religion believes that all human beings pass through what is known as ayanmo which translate to destiny or fate. Some examples rituals and rites abound in yoruba traditional religion. Yoruba cultural studies edited byedited by m0y0 okediji m0y0 okediji this volume is under construction the university of african art press, 2008 denver, co. Definition known as nagos in brazil or lucumis in cuba, yoruba speakers highly contributed to the fash yoruba religion is one of the main in. Not only did the yoruba people survive slavery, but the yoruba religion survived as well.
Today, it is experiencing a second transplantation, resulting from cuban emigration, mainly to the united states. Obatala is a osha and is in the group of the heads oshas. Jan 14, 2010 in yoruba, you must believe in orisha if you are to reach godconsciousness. Yoruba religion was, and is, intimatelly tied to a concept of family, those living and the dead. Let us do it, the way it is usually done, so that we may have the usual result. The book, the bible of the traditional yoruba religion, is 6 x 9, has 271 pp with photographs. Control over natural forces is attributed to the ancestors. Es tan astuto y travieso como eleggua pero mas voluntarioso. Olumide lucas book religion of the yorubas5, marks another epoch in yoruba religion scholarship. In yoruba, you must believe in orisha if you are to reach godconsciousness. Egyptologists and ifd school the publication of venerable j. Yorubaland via sierra leone, but chose instead to return to brazil via cuba 9. Caribbean, with cuba and its variant of santeria or a yorubabased system being one of the. The study of yoruba religious tradition in historical perspective.
Oct 07, 2015 however, the diverse traditions that make up yoruba religion can be found all over the african diaspora, influencing belief systems such as santeria cuba, puerto rico, dominican republic, umbanda brasil, argentina, uruguay, loavodou haiti and the u. Those with ashe, power, were transformed into divine beings, orishas. This hierarchy is merely a rough outline for understanding ideas concerning. When the yoruba were sent as slaves to the caribbean islands between 1770 and 1840, they took their religion with. Yoruba religion has a direct link to a substantial segment of american society for. I highly recommend this book to those who seek to grow into a mature relationship with ifa and their ancesters, etc. Santeriomania is the religion that emerged in cuban slave society of yoruba origin. 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. Religion traditional yoruba religion has a pantheon of the deities called the orisha. Aug 01, 2015 documental cubano realizado en bahia honda. Much like the catholic saints, the yoruba orishas work as the intermediaries between man and the supreme creator, and the rest of the divine world. He has 4 otas stones and in the case that is olori, he has 8, his attributes are a handle of silver, igbin snails, slimy, two white ivory eggs, nacre or onyx, takes in addition a white iruke horse tail, snake, sun, chain, full moon, half moon, a hand grasping a sceptre, cayado poaye, metal.
Lucas, the first indigene to write about yoruba religion was an. There are many varieties of yoruba religion and there are anywhere between 400 and 700 yoruba gods. Afrocuban diasporan religions scholarly repository university. Santeria retains the basic characteristics and traditions of an ancient african religion practiced in nigeria by the yoruba people. Known in the yoruba culture as the 16 laws of ifa, their origin is attributed to the pronouncements of orunmila, the orisha of wisdom and divinations. C temple of high science on the root of all mythological and theological concepts the indigenous african religion of the yoruba and the orishas. Santeria is a religion governed by strict rules of behavior, but characterized by wide latitude of interpretation due to the individualistic nature of worship clark, 2007. Click download or read online button to get the handbook of yoruba religious concepts book now. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
One can find clear elements of yoruba culture today in cuba and brazil. Religion of the yoruba, also called santeria, lucumi in cuba. It sufficiently explains the relationship between ancient egypt and the religion of southern nigeria, in addition to providing detailed steps, measures, practices, and initiation into the religion. Yoruba belief is to this day still very popular in both cuba and brazil though its extreme ability to adapt to other religions makes it hard to determine exactly how many adherents there are worldwide.
Deterritorialization and reterritorialization of the. When fidel castro gained control of cuba, many of the yoruba priests who no longer desired to live in cuba, came to the united states. The yoruba religion system comprises of traditional practices and spiritual concepts which has evolved into a robust religious system. The handbook of yoruba religious concepts download ebook. In the early 20th century, most of the yoruba city states and communities were controlled by obas. When the yoruba were sent as slaves to the caribbean islands between 1770 and 1840, they took their religion with them. When fidel castro gained control of cuba, many of the yoruba priests who no longer desired to live in cuba, came to the united states in the 1960s.
As creator he rules over all the parts of the human body, mainly of the head, the thoughts and the human life, owner of the whiteness, and all that symbolize peace and purity. Yoruba religion is a traditional west african religion. One of eshus many manifestations in africa, the tradition is that eleggua is the hispanic form of elewa, a praise name for eshu meaning handsome one. Yoruba civilization has had a significant impact on the culture and make up of latin america, in particular, cuba, haiti, brazil, trinidad and puerto rico. I highly recommend this book to those who seek to grow into a mature relationship with ifa. Jan 24, 2016 katib abdul brings you knowledge from the h. While orisha religions are today both transnational and paneth nic, they are. African religion yoruba which came from the oyo empire. Brief history of yoruba people, culture, religion and. From him came several energies who take care of every detail of the universe, those are called by the yoruban believers, irunmole and orishas.
The yoruba religion includes the concept of ashe, a powerful life force possessed by humans and divine beings alike. Ive studied, taught, and written about the yoruba religion and its newworld counterpartssuch as lucumi in cuba and candomble nagi. The sprits of ancestors, you wouldnt worship these, yet they live inside of you. 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.
The traditional leadership of yoruba land consists of an oba, who is the monarch, as well as chiefs or oloyes, which act as advisers and coadministrators of the kingdom. Many estimates however put it easily among the worlds top 6 most practiced religions. C temple of high science on the root of all mythological and theological concepts the indigenous african religion of. Ifa yoruba fundamentals of the yoruba religion orisa worship chief fama. Race and religion in cuba center on race and social. Deterritorialization and reterritorialization of the orisha. Abstract religion is the strongest element in african culture and exerts great influence upon the conduct of the african people. Orisha saint worship and social traditions of west africa, influenced by the kingdom of. The yoruba religion is based on believing in a supreme being through natural elements, and believers must follow a series of commandments. Influence of yoruba culture in christian religious worship. The study of yoruba religious tradition in historical. Yoruba religion, olodumare, or olorun, owner of the skies and heavens, is at the top, fol lowed by the orishas, and next by the egungun, or the ancestors. Yoruba religion simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Yoruba religion is the basis for a number of religions in the new world, notably santeria, umbanda, trinidad orisha, haitian vodou, and candomble.
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