As with most religions, Yoruba religion divides the cosmos into two realms of existence: the spiritual world and the natural world. The spiritual world is the abode of supernatural forces such as Olodumare (the Yoruba High God), the Orisa (all the Yoruba divinities), the Ajogun (anti-gods or the malevolent supernatural powers), the Aje (who are translated inadequately into English as "witches"), and the ancestors. The natural world is composed of humans, animals and plants. Spiritual beings visit the natural world regularly. And through divination, sacrifice and spirit possession, natural beings can also partake in the spiritual world occasionally. The spiritual and natural worlds are, therefore, interdependent.
At first, the Yoruba cosmos might appear to be like that of Christianity and Islam. Orun is somewhat equivalent to heaven, and Aye is somewhat equivalent to this world. What is more, Yoruba theology also has a place in the supernatural world comparable to hell, namely, Orun-Apaadi. Indeed a host of scholars of Yoruba theology have compared and re-interpreted Yoruba theological accounts of the cosmos and its inhabitants in such a way that Yoruba theology is not distinguishable from that of Christianity. Consider, for instance, the following claims of Bolaji Idowu, one of the most cited scholars on Yoruba theology:
The creation of the earth was completed in four days; the fifth day was therefore set apart for the worship of the Deity and for rest. (Idowu, 1962, p. 20.)
It would seem that when the world began, everyone could travel to heaven and back as he wished and that all could have immediate, direct contact with Olodumare. The oral traditions say that heaven was very near to the earth, so near that one could stretch up one’s hand and touch it. There was a kind of Golden Age, or a Garden-of-Eden period. Then something happened, and a giddy, frustrating, extensive space occurred between heaven and earth. The story of what happened is variously told. One story is that a greedy person helped himself to too much food from the heaven; another that a woman with a dirty hand touched the unsoiled face of heaven. The motif is all one--man sinned against the Lord of Heaven and there was immediately raised a barrier which cut him off from the unrestricted bliss of heaven. The privilege of free intercourse, of man taking the bounty of heaven as he liked, disappeared. (Idowu, 1966, p.22.)
Idowu claims to be describing Yoruba theology as presented in the Ifa Literary Corpus, the sacred text of Yoruba religion. Indeed, he quotes extensively from the Ifa Corpus. But unfortunately, to any Ifa priest, Idowu’s translations and re-interpretations would be representative of anything but Yoruba theology.
Consider for instance the first quotation above from Idowu. In a footnote reference to his claims that in Yoruba theology the Deity created the world in four days, Idowu states:
It appears that, originally, the sacred day of each divinity came round every fifth day, and it is possible that the same sacred day was observed for them all. This would be based on the belief that the creation of the earth was completed in four days. There is a saying, "To Ifa belongs today, to Ifa belongs tomorrow, to Ifa belongs the day after tomorrow, to Ifa belongs the four days in which the Oriya created the earth".
This so-called saying of Idowu is actually an excerpt from a poem contained within Ogunda Meji, which is the ninth book the Ifa Literary Corpus. As some of the theological ideas contained in this poem will become important later on in this paper; included is the full text of the poem.
Ifa-is-the-master-of-today,Ifa-is-the-master-of-tomorrow.Ifa-is-the-master-of-the-day-after-tomorrow-as-well.Orunmila-is-the-master-of-all-the-four-days-(of-the-week)-established-here- on-earth-by-the-divinities.[6]
5
Ifa divination was performed for Orunmila,On the day that all the malevolent supernatural powersWere repeatedly haunting his householdDeath, Disease, Loss, Paralysis, AfflictionWere all glancing at Orunmila
10
They were saying thatOne day they will succeed in killing himOrunmila then set down his divination instruments to consult his Orí. Ogunda Meji was divined. He was advised to offer sacrifice.
15
He offered the sacrifice.After he had completed this sacrificeHis Orí provided protective shielding for him.Death could no longer kill him,Nor could Disease afflict him.
20
He was dancingHe was rejoicing.He was singing the praises of his Ifa priests,His Ifa priests were singing the praises of Ifa.[9]He opened his mouth slightly
25
Joyous Ifa songs came out of his mouth.He stretched his legs,He found himself dancing.He said this is exactlyHow his priests delightfully predicts with Ifá:
30
"Ifa-is-the-master-of-today,Ifa-is-the-master-of-tomorrow.Ifa-is-the-master-of-the-day-after-tomorrow-as-well.Orunmila-is-the-master-of-all-the-four-days-(of-the-week)-established-here-on-earth-by-the-divinities.Ifa divination was performed for Orunmila,
35
On the day that all the malevolent supernatural powersWere repeatedly haunting his householdThe day Death comes looking for me,Ifa, spread out and provide shielding for me,Just as ewe pla spreads out to shield oori,
40
Just as a big river spreads out to shield the sands of its bedOn the day Disease comes looking for me, Ifa, spread out and provide shielding for me,Just as ewe pla spreads out to shield oori,Just as a big river spreads out to shield the sands of its bed
45
The day all the malevolent supernatural forces come looking for me,Ifa, spread out and provide shielding for me,Just as ewe pla spreads out to shield oori,Just as a big river spreads out to shield the sands of its bedIt is Etipon-ola[11] that spreads out to shield the soil,
50
Ifa, spread out and provide shielding for me,Just as ewe pla spreads out to shield oori,Just as a big river spreads out to shield the sands of its bed"
The first thing to note about this poem is that it makes no reference whatsoever to creation of the earth, much less to of days of creation. The only reference to creation here is the number of days within the Yoruba week. Hence the poem is of very limited relevance to the Yoruba creation story. The phrase: "Ifa l’o ni ‘jo merin Oriya da’le aiye" which is translated as: "To Ifa belongs the four days in which the Orisa created the earth", has nothing to do with creation. Rather the phrase means something like: "To Ifa belongs the four days established here on earth by the Oriya".
But this phrase is not alone in the Christianization of Yoruba theology. In discussing Olodumare (also known as Olorun), the Yoruba High God, and Obatala (one of the major divinities of Yoruba religion), Benjamin Ray also claims that:
Yoruba myths say that Olorun (whose name means "Lord or Owner of the Sky") delegated the task of creating the world to one of his sons, Obatala. (Ray, 1976, p.53.)
There are many flaws within this one sentence. First, the source of Ray’s assertion that Olodumare is male is a complete mystery. In all Ifa poems, Olodumare is gender neutral. The fact of the matter is that, taken all together, Ifa poems suggest that Olodumare is, in essence, a spiritual entity; as such, describing Olodumare as male (or female) is inappropriate. Since Olodumare lacks gender and corporeality, Olodumare is better described as an "It."
Second and most importantly, although Ray is quite correct in claiming that the task of creating this world was assigned to Obatala, he is in error to refer to Obatala as Olodumare’s son. Although Obatala, just as the other gods, is lesser than Olodumare, it is quite clear from Ifa poems that three divinities have always co-existed with Olodumare. These are Obatala, Ifa, and Eyu.
This also means that power relations in the Yoruba supernatural world are completely different from those in Christian theology. The best way to understand power in the Yoruba supernatural world is to distinguish between existential and functional hierarchies. In the existential hierarchy, we can identify four levels of chronological/existential superiority:
Level 1: Olodumare, Obatala, Ifa and Eyu.
Level 2: The other divinities; the Ajogun (i.e., evil supernatural forces--we can
call them anti-gods); the Aje (often improperly translated as ‘witches‘).
Level 3: Humans; plants and animals.
Level 4: The ancestors.
In the functional hierarchy, Olodumare is undoubtedly supreme as the chief executive. Olodumare is the final arbiter in all functional issues in the Yoruba cosmos. Nonetheless, one should not say of Olodumare that: "He is creator" "He is king", "He is Omnipotent", "He is All-wise, All-knowing, All-seeing" (Idowu, 1966, pp.39-41), thereby equating Olodumare’s role with that of the Christian God.
Olodumare in Yoruba theology cannot be all-knowing because Olodumare frequently consults Ifa (i.e., the god of wisdom) for knowledge and advice through divination. Olodumare cannot be the creator if by this we mean to suggest that Olodumare alone created everything else. As we have seen, Olodumare did not create Obatala, Eyu and Ifa as these three have always co-existed with Olodumare. Moreover, when it comes to the creation of humans and the world, it is quite clear from Ifa poems that there was a division of labor among Olodumare, two other divinities, and a third spiritual entity who is not regarded as a divinity. It was Ogun who fashioned skeletons, Obatala molded forms and shapes, and Olodumare imparted the breath of life. Also, there is Ajala, an entity who is not regarded as a divinity, but who molds the Ori (i.e., "inner-heads") of humans. Ori is the principle of "destiny" in the sense that it embodies each individual’s potentialities for success and/or failure on earth.
Moreover, when it comes to day-to-day administration of Aye (the natural world) and Orun (the supernatural world), Olodumare has delegated responsibility to the divinities. This is precisely why the Yoruba do not often pray to Olodumare. They do not worship, offer sacrifices, nor build temples for Olodumare. Indeed, in terms of the day-to-day administration of the cosmos, Eyu, who functions as the universal policeman, is the most important divinity.
Scholars such as Bolaji Idowu and Benjamin Ray also give the impression that the Orun of Yorùbá theology is somewhat equivalent to the heaven of Christian theology. This is not quite so. First of all, Orun, (often improperly translated as heaven) is divided into two parts: Orun Oke (i.e., Orun above) and Orun Odo (Orun below). Only three supernatural entities reside at Orun Oke: these are Olodumare (the Yoruba High God), Orannfe, and, Bango (the god of thunder and lightning). Orun Oke as the name suggests is located above in the skies, while Orun Odo is located inside the earth’s crust. All the other supernatural entities (ancestors, the other divinities, the Ajogun, etc., including Olodumare, who resides in Orun above) reside at Orun Odo.
But the differences do not end here. There are also many differences between the Christian and Yoruba conceptions of evil. All evil in Anglo-Christian theology ultimately derives from one source, Satan. All evil acts, deeds, etc., ultimately result from the fact that Satan has a supernatural ability to overcome, persuade or entice humans into improper conduct. But in Yoruba religion, evil does not emanate from one source. Evil emanates from the evil supernatural forces called the Ajogun. There are two hundred plus one of these forces in the cosmos. These forces are all separate and distinct entitles, and as such they are individually responsible for a specific type of evil. The Ajogun have eight warlords: Iku (death); Arun (Disease); Ofo (Loss); Egba (Paralysis); Oran (Big-trouble); Epe (Curse); Ewon (Imprisonment); Eye (Afflictions). Hence, one can engage in some linguistic license and claim that, while Christian theology has a mono-demonic conception of evil, Yoruba religion has a poly-demonic conception of evil.
One final point to note about the Yoruba cosmos is that the Yoruba do not regard the spiritual world as a place that is so far removed from the natural world that humans can gain access to it only after death. These two realms of existence are interdependent in the sense that there is constant communication between the two worlds. It is the constant inter-relationship between these two realms that the Yoruba finds its’ spiritual authenticity.
Abiodun R. 2000. Preface. In A History of Art in Africa, eds. R. Abiodun, M.B. Visona, R. Poynor, H.M. Cole, M.D. Harris. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River.
Horton, R. 1967. African Traditional Thought and Western Science. Africa 38: 50-71 and 155-87.
Idowu, B. 1962. Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief. Longmans: Lagos.
Mbiti, J. 1969. African Religions and Philosophy. Heinemann: London.
Ray, B. 1976. African Religions: Symbol, Ritual, and Community. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs.
At first, the Yoruba cosmos might appear to be like that of Christianity and Islam. Orun is somewhat equivalent to heaven, and Aye is somewhat equivalent to this world. What is more, Yoruba theology also has a place in the supernatural world comparable to hell, namely, Orun-Apaadi. Indeed a host of scholars of Yoruba theology have compared and re-interpreted Yoruba theological accounts of the cosmos and its inhabitants in such a way that Yoruba theology is not distinguishable from that of Christianity. Consider, for instance, the following claims of Bolaji Idowu, one of the most cited scholars on Yoruba theology:
The creation of the earth was completed in four days; the fifth day was therefore set apart for the worship of the Deity and for rest. (Idowu, 1962, p. 20.)
It would seem that when the world began, everyone could travel to heaven and back as he wished and that all could have immediate, direct contact with Olodumare. The oral traditions say that heaven was very near to the earth, so near that one could stretch up one’s hand and touch it. There was a kind of Golden Age, or a Garden-of-Eden period. Then something happened, and a giddy, frustrating, extensive space occurred between heaven and earth. The story of what happened is variously told. One story is that a greedy person helped himself to too much food from the heaven; another that a woman with a dirty hand touched the unsoiled face of heaven. The motif is all one--man sinned against the Lord of Heaven and there was immediately raised a barrier which cut him off from the unrestricted bliss of heaven. The privilege of free intercourse, of man taking the bounty of heaven as he liked, disappeared. (Idowu, 1966, p.22.)
Idowu claims to be describing Yoruba theology as presented in the Ifa Literary Corpus, the sacred text of Yoruba religion. Indeed, he quotes extensively from the Ifa Corpus. But unfortunately, to any Ifa priest, Idowu’s translations and re-interpretations would be representative of anything but Yoruba theology.
Consider for instance the first quotation above from Idowu. In a footnote reference to his claims that in Yoruba theology the Deity created the world in four days, Idowu states:
It appears that, originally, the sacred day of each divinity came round every fifth day, and it is possible that the same sacred day was observed for them all. This would be based on the belief that the creation of the earth was completed in four days. There is a saying, "To Ifa belongs today, to Ifa belongs tomorrow, to Ifa belongs the day after tomorrow, to Ifa belongs the four days in which the Oriya created the earth".
This so-called saying of Idowu is actually an excerpt from a poem contained within Ogunda Meji, which is the ninth book the Ifa Literary Corpus. As some of the theological ideas contained in this poem will become important later on in this paper; included is the full text of the poem.
Ifa-is-the-master-of-today,Ifa-is-the-master-of-tomorrow.Ifa-is-the-master-of-the-day-after-tomorrow-as-well.Orunmila-is-the-master-of-all-the-four-days-(of-the-week)-established-here- on-earth-by-the-divinities.[6]
5
Ifa divination was performed for Orunmila,On the day that all the malevolent supernatural powersWere repeatedly haunting his householdDeath, Disease, Loss, Paralysis, AfflictionWere all glancing at Orunmila
10
They were saying thatOne day they will succeed in killing himOrunmila then set down his divination instruments to consult his Orí. Ogunda Meji was divined. He was advised to offer sacrifice.
15
He offered the sacrifice.After he had completed this sacrificeHis Orí provided protective shielding for him.Death could no longer kill him,Nor could Disease afflict him.
20
He was dancingHe was rejoicing.He was singing the praises of his Ifa priests,His Ifa priests were singing the praises of Ifa.[9]He opened his mouth slightly
25
Joyous Ifa songs came out of his mouth.He stretched his legs,He found himself dancing.He said this is exactlyHow his priests delightfully predicts with Ifá:
30
"Ifa-is-the-master-of-today,Ifa-is-the-master-of-tomorrow.Ifa-is-the-master-of-the-day-after-tomorrow-as-well.Orunmila-is-the-master-of-all-the-four-days-(of-the-week)-established-here-on-earth-by-the-divinities.Ifa divination was performed for Orunmila,
35
On the day that all the malevolent supernatural powersWere repeatedly haunting his householdThe day Death comes looking for me,Ifa, spread out and provide shielding for me,Just as ewe pla spreads out to shield oori,
40
Just as a big river spreads out to shield the sands of its bedOn the day Disease comes looking for me, Ifa, spread out and provide shielding for me,Just as ewe pla spreads out to shield oori,Just as a big river spreads out to shield the sands of its bed
45
The day all the malevolent supernatural forces come looking for me,Ifa, spread out and provide shielding for me,Just as ewe pla spreads out to shield oori,Just as a big river spreads out to shield the sands of its bedIt is Etipon-ola[11] that spreads out to shield the soil,
50
Ifa, spread out and provide shielding for me,Just as ewe pla spreads out to shield oori,Just as a big river spreads out to shield the sands of its bed"
The first thing to note about this poem is that it makes no reference whatsoever to creation of the earth, much less to of days of creation. The only reference to creation here is the number of days within the Yoruba week. Hence the poem is of very limited relevance to the Yoruba creation story. The phrase: "Ifa l’o ni ‘jo merin Oriya da’le aiye" which is translated as: "To Ifa belongs the four days in which the Orisa created the earth", has nothing to do with creation. Rather the phrase means something like: "To Ifa belongs the four days established here on earth by the Oriya".
But this phrase is not alone in the Christianization of Yoruba theology. In discussing Olodumare (also known as Olorun), the Yoruba High God, and Obatala (one of the major divinities of Yoruba religion), Benjamin Ray also claims that:
Yoruba myths say that Olorun (whose name means "Lord or Owner of the Sky") delegated the task of creating the world to one of his sons, Obatala. (Ray, 1976, p.53.)
There are many flaws within this one sentence. First, the source of Ray’s assertion that Olodumare is male is a complete mystery. In all Ifa poems, Olodumare is gender neutral. The fact of the matter is that, taken all together, Ifa poems suggest that Olodumare is, in essence, a spiritual entity; as such, describing Olodumare as male (or female) is inappropriate. Since Olodumare lacks gender and corporeality, Olodumare is better described as an "It."
Second and most importantly, although Ray is quite correct in claiming that the task of creating this world was assigned to Obatala, he is in error to refer to Obatala as Olodumare’s son. Although Obatala, just as the other gods, is lesser than Olodumare, it is quite clear from Ifa poems that three divinities have always co-existed with Olodumare. These are Obatala, Ifa, and Eyu.
This also means that power relations in the Yoruba supernatural world are completely different from those in Christian theology. The best way to understand power in the Yoruba supernatural world is to distinguish between existential and functional hierarchies. In the existential hierarchy, we can identify four levels of chronological/existential superiority:
Level 1: Olodumare, Obatala, Ifa and Eyu.
Level 2: The other divinities; the Ajogun (i.e., evil supernatural forces--we can
call them anti-gods); the Aje (often improperly translated as ‘witches‘).
Level 3: Humans; plants and animals.
Level 4: The ancestors.
In the functional hierarchy, Olodumare is undoubtedly supreme as the chief executive. Olodumare is the final arbiter in all functional issues in the Yoruba cosmos. Nonetheless, one should not say of Olodumare that: "He is creator" "He is king", "He is Omnipotent", "He is All-wise, All-knowing, All-seeing" (Idowu, 1966, pp.39-41), thereby equating Olodumare’s role with that of the Christian God.
Olodumare in Yoruba theology cannot be all-knowing because Olodumare frequently consults Ifa (i.e., the god of wisdom) for knowledge and advice through divination. Olodumare cannot be the creator if by this we mean to suggest that Olodumare alone created everything else. As we have seen, Olodumare did not create Obatala, Eyu and Ifa as these three have always co-existed with Olodumare. Moreover, when it comes to the creation of humans and the world, it is quite clear from Ifa poems that there was a division of labor among Olodumare, two other divinities, and a third spiritual entity who is not regarded as a divinity. It was Ogun who fashioned skeletons, Obatala molded forms and shapes, and Olodumare imparted the breath of life. Also, there is Ajala, an entity who is not regarded as a divinity, but who molds the Ori (i.e., "inner-heads") of humans. Ori is the principle of "destiny" in the sense that it embodies each individual’s potentialities for success and/or failure on earth.
Moreover, when it comes to day-to-day administration of Aye (the natural world) and Orun (the supernatural world), Olodumare has delegated responsibility to the divinities. This is precisely why the Yoruba do not often pray to Olodumare. They do not worship, offer sacrifices, nor build temples for Olodumare. Indeed, in terms of the day-to-day administration of the cosmos, Eyu, who functions as the universal policeman, is the most important divinity.
Scholars such as Bolaji Idowu and Benjamin Ray also give the impression that the Orun of Yorùbá theology is somewhat equivalent to the heaven of Christian theology. This is not quite so. First of all, Orun, (often improperly translated as heaven) is divided into two parts: Orun Oke (i.e., Orun above) and Orun Odo (Orun below). Only three supernatural entities reside at Orun Oke: these are Olodumare (the Yoruba High God), Orannfe, and, Bango (the god of thunder and lightning). Orun Oke as the name suggests is located above in the skies, while Orun Odo is located inside the earth’s crust. All the other supernatural entities (ancestors, the other divinities, the Ajogun, etc., including Olodumare, who resides in Orun above) reside at Orun Odo.
But the differences do not end here. There are also many differences between the Christian and Yoruba conceptions of evil. All evil in Anglo-Christian theology ultimately derives from one source, Satan. All evil acts, deeds, etc., ultimately result from the fact that Satan has a supernatural ability to overcome, persuade or entice humans into improper conduct. But in Yoruba religion, evil does not emanate from one source. Evil emanates from the evil supernatural forces called the Ajogun. There are two hundred plus one of these forces in the cosmos. These forces are all separate and distinct entitles, and as such they are individually responsible for a specific type of evil. The Ajogun have eight warlords: Iku (death); Arun (Disease); Ofo (Loss); Egba (Paralysis); Oran (Big-trouble); Epe (Curse); Ewon (Imprisonment); Eye (Afflictions). Hence, one can engage in some linguistic license and claim that, while Christian theology has a mono-demonic conception of evil, Yoruba religion has a poly-demonic conception of evil.
One final point to note about the Yoruba cosmos is that the Yoruba do not regard the spiritual world as a place that is so far removed from the natural world that humans can gain access to it only after death. These two realms of existence are interdependent in the sense that there is constant communication between the two worlds. It is the constant inter-relationship between these two realms that the Yoruba finds its’ spiritual authenticity.
Abiodun R. 2000. Preface. In A History of Art in Africa, eds. R. Abiodun, M.B. Visona, R. Poynor, H.M. Cole, M.D. Harris. Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River.
Horton, R. 1967. African Traditional Thought and Western Science. Africa 38: 50-71 and 155-87.
Idowu, B. 1962. Olodumare: God in Yoruba Belief. Longmans: Lagos.
Mbiti, J. 1969. African Religions and Philosophy. Heinemann: London.
Ray, B. 1976. African Religions: Symbol, Ritual, and Community. Prentice Hall: Englewood Cliffs.
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing you thoughts and nolidge on this mighty tradition, is it maybe posible to determinate how old is it, I belive this comes from the roots of humanity. Lately there is an expansion of their nolidge happening thgough the world.
Post a Comment