Yoruba |
Location & Geography
The Yoruba people are the second largest ethnic groups found in Nigeria.
Although most of the Yoruba people are located in western area of Nigeria,
there are other communities in several other regions of Africa. It has been
said that the Yoruba people have occupied that region of West Africa for almost
10050 years.
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| Location of Yoruba tribe. |
Cosmological View
In Yoruba cosmology, Olodumare or Olorun is the
Supreme Being whose supremacy is absolute. Olodumare is known by all divinities
as unique and pre-eminent. The Yoruba tribe believed in achieving one’s
own true destiny, which was known as Ayanmo. They also believed in
reincarnation and that the world began with water with a chicken that laid its
eggs and created the earth.
Sacred Symbols
Most of the Yoruba’s sacred symbols have to do with
nature, such as plants, animal life, etc. Other symbols of the Yoruba include
water, hand crafted pottery, and most importantly beads. These beads served as
tools for history review as well as protection charms and a sign of their belief.
The way the beads were threaded together represented the tribe’s unity.
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| Yoruba beads. |
Sacred Locations
One of the Yoruba’s most sacred locations is the
dense forest of the Osun Sacred Gove, in the city of Osogbo. The forest is
southern Nigeria and is one of the last remaining historical locations in that
forest. This Grove has become a symbol of identity for the Yoruba Diaspora and
is of great importance to the Yoruba people.
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| Osun Sacred Gove |
Important gods
The Yoruba worship hundreds of gods that each represents
a natural element of human emotion. The most important gods are:
· Eshu:
the messenger god
· Ife:
the creater of Orisha Obatala; Yoruba word for “earth”
· Obatala:
the creator of earth and mankind
· Olorun:
the ruler of the sky and the father of other Yoruba gods
· Oloddumare:
the main creator; seen as the modern day God
· Olokun:
the god of the sea
· Oshun:
the goddess of love, pleasure, beauty and diplomacy
· Orunmila:
god of prophecy
· Oya:
female warrior goddess
· Shango:
god of storm and thunder
· Yemalla:
the mother goddess of the sea and the moon
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| Eshu. |
Totems, Fetishes & Taboos
Yoruba
Totems are fabrics that designate a person’s social position. They are used in
ritual births, puberty, marriage, and death. Several of these textile fabrics
are seen in three ways: as art, social symbols, and displays of creative
technique.
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| Textile fabric. |
The
Yoruba Love Lock Fetish was crafted for spiritual purposes. It is used for one
specific reason; to ensure the love from another forever. This fetish is well
known and considered strongly desired by those of the Yoruba faith.
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| Love Lock Fetish. |
Yoruba
taboos suggested that white kola-nuts should not be peeled before they are
eaten. This was said to be believed by the people because once members of the
Lelu clan shared the kola-nuts with other families and then died shortly after.
Locust beans were another example. Eating these locust beans will result in
peeling of the lips and mouth of whoever eats it. They will also die through
mysterious bees attacks if they attend the Obalooran festival after eating the
beans.
Shaman
The
role of the Shaman is to doctor the people of the tribe. They are responsible
for curing people of any infections or disease that are harming the Yoruba
people. The shaman viewed magic to be very commonly used throughout the tribe.
They used charms and other herbal medicines as magic and were more commonly
used to treat the sick in the tribe.
Rituals
Yoruba rituals were generally performed at
festivals, funerals, etc. Three
traditional rituals are:
1. Itaoku: Itaoku
is a ritual for feasting. After a funeral, close relatives provide food and
drink for the community to join them in a feast. Later that night, a ram is
sacrificed to the ancestors. They then start the next ritual, which is opening
the voice of a new ancestor that is heard for the first time.
2.
Irenku: Irenku
is when family and friends parade through the town and celebrate their success
of a proper burial. There’s a display of music and dancing throughout the day.
The parade then stops at certain spots of the relatives where the spirit is
expected to stay.
3. Ejeoku:
Ejeoku is the final day of the funeral, where the
children of the deceased offer yams and fish soup to the ancestors. Music is
played on the asipelu drums, where
the ancestor’s voice corresponds to the drums.
References:
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