Yoruba religion
- "Yoruba legends" redirects here. For the book, see Yoruba Legends.
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 is 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 religius beliefs are part of itan — the complex of songs, histories, stories and other cultural concepts which make up the Yorùbá religion and society.
Deities and other entities
Yòrùbá deities are called Orishas, literally "owners of heads". Shango is perhaps the most important Orisha; god of thunder and an ancestor of the Yòrùbá. He was the fourth king of the Yòrùbá, and deified after his death.
Èshù is another very important Orisha. He is a trickster and very well-respected both by the Yòrùbá themselves and the other Orishas.
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]
Other concepts
The Yòrùbá pantheon includes several other entities besides the Orisha, such as Egbére.
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.
Reincarnation
The Yoruba believe in reincarnation. They sometimes name children Babatunde ("Father returns") and Yetunde ("Mother returns") to signal this belief.[2]
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 Vodun 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."
See also
- Yoruba deities
- Yoruba people
- Legends of Africa
Notes
- ^ "The Source Iya Nla Primordial Yoruba Mother" Iyalaja Ileana Alcamo ISBN 1-890157-41-4
- ^ Murphy, Joseph. Santería. Malaysia: Beacon Press, 1993.
Other references
- Morales, Ed (2003). The Latin Beat. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-81018-2. , pg. 277
External links
- Ijo Orisa Asaforitifa: a community of West African Ifa/Orisa Tradition of Nigeria and Benin Republic
- Ibile Faith Society
- Indigenous Faith of Africa Inc.
- OrishaNET
- Roots and Rooted
- the YORUBA traditional religion
- Yoruban cosmology and mythology
- Iya Nla
- The Place of Susanne Wenger's Art in Yoruba Religion
- Susanne Wenger - artist, priestess, philosopher
| Afro-American Religions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Religions | Candomblé · Hoodoo · Kumina · Obeah · Palo · Quimbanda · Santería (Lukumí) · Spiritual Baptist · Umbanda · Vodou/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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