Essay About Yoruba

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Recommended: The nature of African religion

Religion is meant to be recognized heard and understood and Yoruba is of those religion. Yoruba is a religion of understanding, growing and seeking. In this paper the religion Yoruba will be dissected to better understand it.
Yoruba originate in West Africa, Nigeria and from there it was well known and practiced by many. Currently there are 25 million members of this religion in West Africa alone. This religion was introduced to many different countries and islands through the transatlantic slave trade. Yoruba became a popular religion soon after in many countries and became known by different names, such as Santeria (Brazil), or Lukumia and Regla de Ocho (Cuba), Candomble (Brazil) also known as Shango in Trinidad etc. Not these countries
Which leads humans to a new birth, but with birth comes forgetting your old self. A main belief in yoruba is that when one is reborn that are given a new destiny and as one grows up they have to attempt to discover what destiny you chose at birth. When reborn one of your many souls is given to Olodumare the god that is known as the “ Owner of the Sky” gives you a new breath of life, where he allows you to choose a your destiny in life. Then we are put on earth and set off on a quest to “find ourselves”. While we are trying to find ourselves we receive help from Orishas “ special human beings” known as babalawo “men of secret and iyawos “women of secrets. Despite the meaning of their names they are not given the power to dispense any secrets of wisdom themselves. Theses people are a form of priests and diviners, who are place on earth to lead human beings in the way of harmony while on their journey. Orishas are believed to be very well connected to the gods and their religion. As Orishas they are required to know a variety of many different scriptures by memory in order to divine to the believers issues or communicate with the
Olodumare is the god of the sky he is believed to rule over the cosmos from up high, he is also described as remote, distant and difficult to approach. Although he rules of the cosmos and is consider owner of sky he is not a main god in this Yoruba. Eshu and Orunmila are the gods that people truly look up they up to. Eshu is known “deliver sacrifices from earth to orishas and other spiritual beings” and Orunmila is believed to deliver the heavenly messages to humans. The form of communication between the gods a so important that it is believed that without these interaction human existence would spin out of chaos. In this religion it is made clear quickly that in order to survive the journey of life you must communicate with the

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