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Religious Beliefs and Practices of the Yoruba

Religious Beliefs and Practices of the Yoruba. Socio-Historical Context. 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.

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Religious Beliefs and Practices of the Yoruba

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  1. Religious Beliefs and Practices of the Yoruba

  2. Socio-Historical Context • 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

  3. Socio-Historical Context • 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

  4. Yoruba COSMOLOGY: Reality Divided Into 2 Separate Worlds

  5. Purpose of Yoruba Religion • 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!**

  6. Olorun(the supreme god) • 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

  7. Orishas • 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

  8. Ancestors • 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

  9. Ritual Practitioners • 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

  10. New Vocabulary • 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”

  11. Religion and RESISTANCE • 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

  12. Religion and RESISTANCE: Syncretism • Syncretizedorishas 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

  13. Yemoja • 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

  14. Orunmila • 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

  15. Santero Interview on Orishas and Saints • 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

  16. Essential Theological Terms • 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

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