Yoruba Religion: Originating In West Africa

482 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The importance of yoruba culture

This chapter is about Yoruba religion. Originating in West Africa, it was transported to the Americas by the slave trade. Yoruba religion teaches that before a person is reincarnated, one of his or her souls goes to Olodumare, the High God, to “receive new breath.” There, the soul chooses its destiny, which includes occupation, personality, measures of good and bad luck, and when the person will die. However, when that person is born the destiny is forgotten. Forgetfulness and disconnection from destiny make up the problem, and the solution is to remember and reconnect. One technique to reach the solution is Ifa divination. Orishas (superhuman beings) help people to live in harmony with their destinies. Orishas aren’t the only spirits in the

Show More
Related

  • Yoruba Cultural Influence

    1730 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the late 1800s, the Yoruba’s formed a treaty with the Fulani and in 1901 they

    Read More

  • Santeria and Lukumi Religions Practiced by Hispanic Caribbeans

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Yoruba religion was brought to the Hispanic Caribbean approximately four hundred years ago by African slaves during the period of conquest and colonization of the new world. The religion remained traditionally strong among the African community until the Spanish conquerors began to prohibit its practice. When the Spaniards reached the New lands they brought with them the religion of the reigning King. That is Queen Isabella's religion; Catholosism. The conquerors forced the slaves to accept the Catholic faith as their new religion. The African, stripped already of their dignity refuse to give up their religious beliefs, this belief being all they brought with them. Knowing of the negative ramnifications, punishment and sometimes even death if caught "devil worshipping" it meant that in order to continue to worship theri Gods the angry Africans had to find a way to practice thier religion. They astutely hide theri religion behind Catholic religious practices and saints.

    Read More

  • The Gifts of Santeria

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    Modern practitioners of Santeria may be attracted to the religion for a variety of reasons, notable among which are curiosity with secret rituals and the longing among many immigrants and people of color to get in touch with Caribbean and African roots. What each specific individual wants from a religion is difficult to generalize upon, but Santeria offers a way for people to achieve harmony in their lives through communication with and obedience to orishas, the divine beings that act as intermediaries between humans and the Supreme Being, Olodumare. Santeria teaches how to know and appease the specific desires of a pantheon of orishas who alert devotees to problems in their lives and protect them from harm. In addition to a distinctive and demanding set of rituals that requires a commitment of time and energy from believers, Santeria offers a rich history and a supportive community that make it a way of life and not just a passive belief structure that bears little relevance to the daily life of its adherents.

    Read More

  • Performativity of an Ifá Divination Tray in a Western Museum

    2719 Words  | 6 Pages

    The word Ifá referrers to both the Yoruba god of wisdom, also known as Orunmila, and his divinatory and philosophical system through which the Yoruba people of West Africa may discern their past, present, and future (Abimbola, 1976). It is a traditional bod...

    Read More

  • The Red Path And The Sioux Lakota Virtue

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    The influence of a supernatural god and the spirit world influenced every aspect of the Indigenous African community including health and healing, thus a holistic approach to health and healing was essential.

    Read More

  • Religion as a Tool of Conquest in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

    788 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Christians first step in taking over the people of Umuofia was to preach that the Ibo gods were false. As the white man spoke against the Ibo gods, saying that worshipping gods of “wood and stone” (Achebe, 125) was fruitless, the natives were confused. They did not understand how this could be so, and they were both amused and shocked that anyone would suggest an idea that they perceived to be so ridiculous. The Ibo questioned the white man, wondering “who will protect us from… our neglected gods and ancestors” and were curious about his teachings. In doing so, it becomes apparent that the white man had succeeded in planting doubt in their minds about their religion. The Ibo were then unsure as ...

    Read More

  • Culture, Cultures, And Symbolism In Sub-Saharan Africa

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    In sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of languages, cultures, and geographical regions helped influence our African society. The ways in which we produce our artwork, spiritual ideals, and ritual performances are organic and raw. From the tropical regions of Congo and Ghana, to the arid regions of Mali; I pass through the global gateway into a domain where the Western world lost its roots and artistic imagination and grandeur. Africa appeals most to me for its ability to create a realm where the living, dead, and artistic ideals come into a single unit of tranquil philosophy.

    Read More

  • Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    With a socially imposed and personal devotion to attain a highly regarded status in his clan, Okonkwo’s life was one that valued traditional authority, customs, and kinship. As a protagonist, Okonkwo’s story exemplifies the altering role of the state as the marching boots of colonialism enter his village, Iguedo. In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, he illustrates the societal life of the Umuofia clan prior to the arrival of and the encounter with early colonizers - offering an Igbo account of the transformation of local institutions. Once wielded by elders and the spiritually divine, the power of control fell into the hands of foreigners. Worship of ancestors, the supreme deity Chikwu, and other Earth gods transferred to the God revealed in the Bible. The interactions between the institutions of rule, belief, environmental management, and trade are each delicately reliant on each other, so that in Iguedo the ability to rule fails to exist without belief, religious believes are derived from the environment, and the mercy of environmental conditions dictates agricultural trade. Through the life and death of Okonkwo, the novel presents how the experience of the Igbo and their interaction with the state witnessed unquestionable change.

    Read More

  • Yoruba People of Nigeria

    1264 Words  | 3 Pages

    Among the many tribes found in Africa, the Yoruba people of Nigeria are the most popular. These indigenous people were a part of Southwestern Nigeria and Benin. In addition, they’re one of the largest ethno-linguistic groups in Africa. A great percentage of Yoruba is populated by modern day Nigeria. Generally speaking, the Yoruba culture was an oral tradition, and majority of the people were native speakers of the Yoruba language. The native name of the Yoruba language is ‘Ede Yoruba’. The language originated in the Yoruba people, they believed to be descendants of Oduduwa, the son of a powerful god called Oludumare. They referred to themselves as ‘Omo Oduduwa’, meaning Oduduwa’s children. The Yoruba language is the pride of the Yoruba people and over 22 million people speak it. According to, (Kwintessential “The Yoruba Language” in 2014.) The Yoruba language has been spoken within other languages in neighboring countries such as Benin and Togo. As well as, traces of the language have been spoken in Sierra Leone, where it’s called ‘Oku’ and in Cuba where it’s called ‘Nago’.

    Read More

  • Relationship Between Gods And Humans

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many indigenous religions of Africa view both birth and death as transitions between this world and the spirit world, which are heavily connected with each other. Although they are commonly referred to as ancestral spirits, this is inaccurate because...

    Read More

  • The Igbo People – Origins and History

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Igboland is the home of the Igbo people and it covers most of Southeast Nigeria. This area is divided by the Niger River into two unequal sections – the eastern region (which is the largest) and the midwestern region. The river, however, has not acted as a barrier to cultural unity; rather it has provided an easy means of communication in an area where many settlements claim different origins. The Igbos are also surrounded on all sides by other tribes (the Bini, Warri, Ijaw, Ogoni, Igala, Tiv, Yako and Ibibio).

    Read More

  • Witchcraft in the Ibibio Tribe

    2110 Words  | 5 Pages

    Nigeria has had its share of outbreaks but, out of all of them the most unique must have been the witchcraft outbreak that plagued all of Nigeria and the rest of Africa. The Ibibio tribe of Nigeria in the seventeenth century, where about two million people that were mostly “agrarians” or “petty traders”, according to Daniel Offiong, researcher and author of “Social Relations and Witchcraft Beliefs Among the Ibibio” and “Witchcraft Among the Ibibio of Nigeria”. The tribe was mainly Christian with a few Muslims (Offiong, 1983, pg. 73). They believed in one god and the Holy Ghost, but when they had to deal with an affliction, they went to diviners or spiritualists for treatment (Offiong, 1983, pg. 73-74). When they were plagued with a problem, their main reaction was to blame the problem on witchcraft with no logical explanation behind it. The existence of witchcraft started in Nigeria, due to the continuous process of blaming witchcraft for unexplainable problems.

    Read More

  • Yoruba Tribe in Africa

    1249 Words  | 3 Pages

    Yoruba is one of many tribes located in Africa and is one of the largest ethno- linguistic groups. Majority of the native people of Yoruba are a part of Southwestern Nigeria and Benin. However, a great percentage of Yoruba is populated by modern day Nigeria. Moreover, the Yoruba culture was an oral tradition, and majority of the people were native speakers of the Yoruba language. The native name of the Yoruba language is ‘Ede Yoruba’. The language originated through the Yoruba people because they were believed to be descendants of Oduduwa. Oduduwa, was the son of a powerful God named Oludumare. And the Yoruba people referred to themselves as ‘Omo Oduduwa’ meaning Oduduwa’s children. The Yoruba language is the pride of the Yoruba people and over 22 million people speak it. The Yoruba language had been spoken within other languages in neighboring countries such as Benin and Togo. Other traces of the Yoruba language has been spoken in Sierra Leone, where it’s referred to as “Oku” and Cuba known as “Nago”.

    Read More

  • The New Yam Festival And The Traditional Tradition In West Africa

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    Traditions are made either for cultural or political purposes. According to the Oxford living dictionary, Tradition is a long established custom or belief that has been passed on from one generation to another. There are two major traditional practices that are still very much alive in my country but are no longer practiced in my family. They are the new yam festival and the traditional marriage. The new yam festival comes after the yam harvest, and is practiced mainly in Nigeria and some other West African countries. Yam cannot be harvested until after the new yam festival, because the new yam festival is dedicated as a prayer of thanksgiving for a good harvest. In my community, the new yam festival is called “Iwaji,” and is held at the end of the rainy season in early August. Oduah states that “The first person to eat the newly harvested yam is the Asagba of Asaba, followed by the red cap chiefs and this has been the custom for years.” The Iwaji is observed on a certain day of the year, after the yam is harvested thanksgiving follows. According to the Pointer,

    Read More

  • Christianity in Nigeria

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    Several religions coexist in Nigeria, helping to accentuate regional and ethnic distinctions (Kane 86). Religion is often times the source of customs, culture, happiness and wars: it influences nearly every facet of our life. In Nigeria, the main religions are Christianity, paganism, and Islam. Christianity began to spread in the 19th century and has continued to spread up through the 21st century. The major spread of the Christian church in Nigeria is clearly credited to the independent churches of the Nigerian people.

    Read More

More about Yoruba Religion: Originating In West Africa

Open Document