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Religious Beliefs and Practices of the Yoruba
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Several hundred religions in Africa
Yoruba society today = 10 million people◦ Has endured for over 100,000 years
The Yoruba live in the western regions of Central Africa◦ In Nigeria, Benin, and Togo
Socio-Historical Context
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The Yoruba are not a unified nation but are a group with a common language and culture
Have preferred living in cities throughout their history
City of Ife = Center of Yoruba religion◦ Believed to be the place where the god
Orishna-nla first began to create the world
Socio-Historical Context
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Yoruba COSMOLOGY: Reality Divided Into 2 Separate Worlds
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Maintain balance between the human beings (earth) and gods (heaven)
Guard against the evil deeds of sorcerers and witches
**Boundaries between human and supernatural realms are very thin and can be easily crossed over – important to mediate and maintain balance between the two worlds!**
Purpose of Yoruba Religion
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Primary, original source of power in the universe
All other life forms ultimately owe their existence to him
Distant and remote, not involved in human affairs
Hardly worshipped, except in prayer◦ No shrines, rituals, or sacrifices
made for him
Olorun (the supreme god)
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Lesser deities, but are very significant
Hundreds of orishas exist◦ Some worshipped by all Yoruba, others by only
one family group
All are sources of sacred power
Can help or harm human beings◦ Based on how well the rituals designed to
appease them are carried out
Orishas
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Deceased humans who have acquired supernatural status
Possess sacred power; can help or harm the living
Worshipped through rituals at special shrines
2 Types:◦ 1. Family ancestors
◦ 2. Deified ancestors
Ancestors
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Mediate between the gods and ancestors in heaven and the human beings on earth
Help maintain balance between the 2 worlds
Diviners: Practice divination, the art of seeing one’s future
Ritual Practitioners
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Syncretism = A phenomenon that occurs when elements from diverse religious traditions blend
Eschatology = The branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world/humankind; “end of the world”
New Vocabulary
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During times of slavery, the Yoruba and other African ethnicities utilized their religious practices to maintain their culture and ties to their homeland
Today, many people in the Americas practice the syncretized forms of Yoruba religion, such as Santería and Vodú
Religion and RESISTANCE
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Syncretized orishas with Catholic saints
◦ Hid their gods/rituals behind a “mask” of Catholic saints/rituals to avoid religious persecution
◦ Found similarities between saints and orishas
◦ Saints were seen less as intermediaries between humans and gods and more as objects of worship themselves, like the orishas
Religion and RESISTANCE: Syncretism
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The mother of all saints, protector of children Colors = blue and white, for the ocean Favorite offerings = melons, molasses, whole
fried fishes, pork rinds Syncretized with the Virgin Mary
Yemoja
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Yoruba grand priest and custodian of the divination system, a sage, spirit of wisdom, first prophet
Favorite offerings = Flowers, fruits, peanut, coconut, white basil, dove
Syncretized with St. Francis of Assisi
Orunmila
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXcufe3khXo
Ceremony to honor Oya (female warrior orisha): “Crowning of the head”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I4TZilVSWo
Santero Interview on Orishas and Saints
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Cosmology – An understanding or theory of the nature, origin, development, and eventual fate of the universe
Transcendence – A state of being that has overcome the normal limitations imposed by the human condition of physical existence (such as through meditation, prayer, and visions)
Axis Mundi – The axis or center of the universe
Syncretism = A phenomenon that occurs when elements from diverse religious traditions blend
Essential Theological Terms