Yoruba religion

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"Yoruba legends" redirects here. For the book, see Yoruba Legends.
See also: Vodou

The Yoruba religion is the religious beliefs and practices of the Yoruba people both in Africa (chiefly in Nigeria and Benin Republic), and in the New World, where it has influenced or given birth to several Afro-American religions such as Santería in Cuba and Candomblé in Brazil in addition to the transplantation of the homeland religions. Though specific numbers are unknown, it is possibly the largest African born religion in the world. Though claims are made for an ultimately Egyptian/African origin to Judaism, Judaism was finalized as the religion of the Hebrew people of the Levant. Christianity and Islam also have long histories in Africa, but neither of those can claim to be African identified in origin in their present state like the undoubtedly African religion of the Yoruba. While much of Africa has increasingly adopted foreign religions, many indigenous faiths remain. The lack of proselytizing or establishing written "rule books" prevents these religions from spreading as much as Islam or Christianity. Regardless, they survive, both in Africa and the Western Hemisphere.

Yoruba religious beliefs are part of itan — the complex of songs, histories, stories and other cultural concepts which make up the Yorùbá religion and society.

Contents

[edit] Deities and other entities

Yòrùbá deities are called Orishas, literally "owners of heads".

[edit] Olodumare

Olodumare is perhaps the most important Orisha; he is the owner of all heads. If there was a conflict among the other Orishas he would take over and the fight would end .

[edit] Èshù

Èshù is another very important Orisha often erroneously equated with "the devil", a concept which is absent in Yoruba World View of the Supreme Being being in full control, unopposable by any other being. Eshu is a characterized as a trickster god and is very well-respected both by the Yòrùbá and by the other Orishas. In fact the Ifa oracle often prescribes that Eshu be propiated.

[edit] Ìyá Nlá

Followers of the Yoruba religion believe that Ìyá Nlá, or "Our Mothers", is a spiritual force that gives them access to the "Forces of Nature" and the wisdom of their ancestors. They believe that this force is the source of life and social harmony. They believe that dedicated followers will gain "Òrìsà status", giving them a connection to their first African ancestors. According to believers, Ìyá Àjé is able to cure, curse or to cause retributive justice on anyone who disrespects woman and motherhood.[1]

The Yòrùbá pantheon includes several other entities besides the Orisha, such as Egbére.

[edit] Other concepts

Ifá dafa as well as merindinlogun or (cowrie shell divination) are important element of Yòrùbá religious practices.

  • Eledua

Another manifestation of the yoruba belief in reincarnation is the belief in the emere.

[edit] Reincarnation

The Yoruba believe in reincarnation. They sometimes name children Babatunde ("Father returns") and Yetunde ("Mother returns") to signal this belief.[2]

[edit] Yoruba religion in the New World

Many ethnic Yoruba were taken as slaves to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Venezuela and the rest of the New World (chiefly in the 19th century, after the Ọyọ empire collapsed and the region plunged into civil war), and carried their religious beliefs with them. These concepts were combined with preexisting African-based cults, Christianity, Native American mythology, and Kardecist Spiritism into various New World lineages:

The popularly known Vodou religion of Haiti was founded by slaves from a different ethnic group (the Gba speaking peoples of modern day Benin, Togo and Ghana), but shares many elements with the Yoruba-derived religions above. in addition, author Ed Morales has claimed that Yoruba religious beliefs and traditions played a part in early American blues music, citing blues guitarist Robert Johnson's Cross Road Blues as a "thinly veiled reference to Eleggua, the orisha in charge of the crossroads."

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "The Source Iya Nla Primordial Yoruba Mother" Iyalaja Ileana Alcamo ISBN 1-890157-41-4
  2. ^ Murphy, Joseph. Santería. Malaysia: Beacon Press, 1993.
The yorubas strongly believe in reincarnation. They believe that when everyone on Earth dies, they come back again, sometimes through their grandchildren which causes the name "Babatunde-the father has come back again", "Babajide- the father has woken up again", "Iyabo-the mother comes", and "Yetunde-the mother comes back again", and so on, especially when the new child resembles an old relative.

[edit] Other references

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Afro-American Religions
Religions Candomblé · Hoodoo · Kumina · Obeah · Palo · Quimbanda · Santería (Lukumí) · Spiritual Baptist · Umbanda · Haitian Vodou · Louisiana Voodoo · Winti
Deities Babalu Aye · Eshu · Iansan · Mami Wata · Obàtálá · Ogun · Ọlọrun · Orunmila · Ọṣun · Shango · Yemaja
Roots Ifá, Oriṣa (Yorùbá) · Lwa (Dahomey) · Nkisi (Kongo) · Catholicism (Portugal, Spain)
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