THE CRADLE OF YORUBA CULTURE by ARABA ADEDAYO OLOGUNDUDU - TopicsExpress

Ile Iwosan Orunmila MimoTemple

THE CRADLE OF YORUBA CULTURE by ARABA ADEDAYO OLOGUNDUDU 2008 Email arabadayoologundudu@gmail tel: 19178416317 US / 0112348037138546 /0112347086555762. Nigeria PREFACE To Everything a Purpose This book is intended to provide a brief but meaningful account of the cradle of Yorùbá culture and the evolution of the worship of Òrìṣà in the United States of America while showing how this evolution has affected worship in Nigeria. It also provides useful information concerning the nature of Yoruba Traditional Religion and how it functions. It is my deepest wish that this work will be useful to the present generation of the Yoruba descendants both here at home and in the New World. Having lived in the Americas and having worshiped with the Afro Cubans and African Americans for nearly 30 years, I have had a unique opportunity to observe the commonalities as well as the differences in practices around the world, and I can reliably state that our commonalities far outnumber our differences. Olódùmarè and the Òrìṣà have been generous to humanity by sending great teachers wherever African people have gone to help maintain the principles of our divinely inspired religion and to help those born in the Diaspora to adapt when necessary to changing environments and cultural and even political realities. It has taken many divinely inspired Olórìsà and Babalawos to get us this far and there is no question that our religion has become recognized by all as one of the great religions of this planet. This is because we have worked together with faith, heeding Ifa’s teaching that “no single person can know everything.” In the sacred Odù Òtúrúpọǹ Meji, Ifa says: Ọlọgbọ́n kan ko ta kókó omi si etí asọ No wise person can tie water into a knot. Mọ̀ràn mọ̀raǹ kan ko mọ oye erùpẹ̀ ilẹ̀. No smart person can count the grains of sand on the ground. Arìnàká kan kò rìn títí ko de bi ilẹ̀ gbe pẹ̀kun. No one walks to the end of the earth. Aki mọ Oŕí afọ́jú lẹ́gbẹ́ We do not recognize the head of a blind person in a crowd. Aki mọ ẹsẹ̀̀ asiwèré loju ̀ọná. We do not know the footprints of a crazy person on the road. Akò mọ Orí ọlọ́là láwùjọ. We cannot tell the head of the wealthy in a gathering. The things that you know, I may not know them. These were the names of the Babaláwos who cast Ifá for Ọr̀uńmilà. With the help of others, I will attempt to use the book to bridge the gap between the New World and the Old World practitioners. I do not mean to imply that I know everything, or have even heard everything as yet but this is my humble contribution. I feel a great obligation and duty to add what I do know to the work of many others who have been sent to teach the word and faith of our people to the world. To begin, I think this book can be a good source of information on contemporary Yorùbá culture and will answer some of the questions I have been asked many times by my friends and my ọmọ awo (students). We must make sure that the coming generation does not get disconnected from genuine traditional knowledge. There was a time when there were no alternatives to the traditional settings and the world was more peaceful. How It Began Chief Jeremiah Ọbáfẹ́mi Awólọ́wọ̀ march 6th 1909- May 9th 1987 Ori Olokun Orí Olókun. ( Part of the Dept of African Studies University of Ifẹ̀ 1969 -1973). Orí Olókun was established at Arubidi in a huge garage belonging to Baba Pedro a colleage and member of Chief Awolowo of the Action Group party. Some people said that that it was founded by Ola Rotimi and simply called Ori Olokun theater. In my research I was advised to mention some historical figures that were part of the evolution of Yoruba culture in recent times. Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowò and Oba Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ifé, were two of the founding fathers of the University of Ifè. One of the largest University in Africa, the Ife University is located on an expansive 13,000 acres of land donated to the unversity by Ọba Adesoji Aderemi. The university was founded in 1962 as the University of Ife but the name was later changed in May 1987 by the then Federal Military government to OAU Obafemi Awolowo University in honor of Chief Awólowo who was one of the dinstinguished founding fathers. Chief Awólowò while serving as the first premier of the then Western region in 1955 advocated free elementary education for all people in Yorùbá land. The introduction of free education in the old Western Region became the steping stone and a vaguard for Yorùbá development and education. Chief Awolowo and Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe were key figures among many distinguished activists in the struggle for Nigeria independent from the British colonial rule that ended in Oct. 1st 1960. The first Nigerian University was established in 1948 at Ìbàdaǹ, as an external college of University of London. At the beginning, the University was largely managed and administered by European scholars until more educated indigenous Nigerians became available. This led to more universities being established in other parts of the country. Chief Awólowo was the first Chancellor of the the University of Ife, while Professor Oládélé Àjose became the first Vice Chancellor, from 1962-1966. Professor Isaac Olúwásanmí was the second Vice Chancellor. It was during his time in office that the Orí Olókun was established. It was a wellspring for a cultural rebirth from within and the movement produced the cadre of theater practitioners and classical artists that flourished from then through the 70s. Prof. Michael Crowther was the Acting Head of the Dept of African Studies. Ulli Beier was the next Head of the Dept and was followed the Ethnomusicolgist Dr. Olatunji Akin Euba. Around 1967 and 1968, the Ford Foundation donated a grant to the University to research and ducument the evolution of the famous Ife Arts and traditions. The program was designed to gather the Ife indigenous artists for experimental workshop that led to the Orí Olókun theater. The program included Music, Visual and the Dramatic Arts. Some of the original members of Ori Olokun were Debolu Fatunmise, Démọ́lá williams, Fẹlá Òdáranílè, Gbádé Akińtuńdé, Peter Gbádéjo, Moj́i Fátuńmise, Rèmí Ọmótádé, Peter Fátómilólá, Rufus Òrìsayomí, Rufus Ayeni, Sherry Fowówe, Olú Oláyemí, Yomi Fáwolé, Tijani Máyàkiri, Olú Oláyemí and Uncle Gamond. They are occasionally joined by the groups of Osogbo Art school established by Suzanne Wenger an Austrian anthropologist and artist who was tranplanted and based in Osogbo. Even though many of the artists were not trained priests or priestesses but their works always depict the stories of the Òrìsa traditions. Some of their works bore captive titles like: “Ọsun Festival”, “Sango Festivals” and so on. Mr Remi Ọmótádé told me about the “Kegites Club” which was the appellation for one of the most sociable college fratanities known as The Palmwine Drinkers Club. The Kegites focus on social activities with a traditional bent that encourage the appreciation for the traditional brew and cultural pride. Most of the original members were a group of artists and actors from the department of African studies. They used to get together at palmwine parlors to share and sing some of the traditional songs they rehearsed at the dramatic department of the University of Ife then known as the Orí Olókuǹ. heater. Kegites sing popular traditional Yoruba social songs about historical events and mundane matters. At that time in the late sixties and early 70s, there were several research fellows who joined the program from all over the country and some from abroad. Some of them included Peggy Harpper of the Music and Dance Dept., and artists Agboola Folariǹ, Àbáyòmí Barber, Ọlá Ọlájídé. Dr. Irene Wangboje, Dr Sam Akpabot. They each represent their special program areas. At the end of the program Orí Olókun was annexed to the University of Ife African Studies Dept to include the Ita Yemoo Museum founded by Ulli Beier. The Ori Olokun Theater was featured at the first World Festival of Arts in Paris in 1973. The dept also conducted festival of Ife arts for several years when they featured works of several indigenous artists of the area. During that era, critically acclamied dramatic plays were written by some of the reseach professors including the works of Prof. Wole Ṣóyínká and Ola Rotimi. Some of the marque titles included the The Gods Are Not To Blame, Ovonramwen Nogbaisi, The King and The Horseman, The Man Died, Rererun, Kurunmi, Ọbalúayé and so on. Baba Dúró Ládípò with his theater group featured the famous Ọba Kòso thriller. There were a lot of collaborations with many other theater groups at that time. For me it began in the early 1970s. After five years of teaching at the elementary school level, some of my colleagues and I started an artist’s movement called The Ifè Traditional Artists (TITA). The founding members were Kọ́lá Abíọ́lá, Tuńdé Ọduńladé, Kuńlé Adétìmíkaǹ and Adédayọ̀ Ológundúdú. We were all contemporary Ile-Ife born artists. At that time most Òṣogbo artists were members of the Mbari Mbayo Experimental Art Workshop but most of them actually lived in Ifẹ̀. Brother Rufus Òguńdélé, the most senior of the Òṣogbo artists, his brother Labáyọ̀ Òguńdélé, Brother Yinka Adéyẹmí, Brother Jaguar Tijani Máyàkiri, Kọla Soronkẹ, Bisi and Ade Fabunmi and some other artists from the Oṣogbo founded the Ò̀guń́tì̀mẹ́́yiǹ̀ Art Gallery at Ondo road in Ilé Ifẹ̀. As the Second Festival of Black & African Arts & Culture (FESTAC 77) was approaching, we anticipated the need to accommodate artists and guests that will be visiting from Lagos. We thought we must have a place for the guest artists when they visit Ile-Ife. With this in mind we founded The Obàtálá Cultural Center. Unfortunately the impact of the Lagos festival did not spread up to Ile-Ife as much as we had anticipated. But that did not stop the movement that was already in motion. Many of us appreciated the Europeans patrons of the Arts who drew us together; we were encouraged to explore our artistic talents in relation to our traditional cultural value as the esthetic foundation of our Arts. At the time, most of the Òṣogbo artists became engaged in Ulli Beier and Georgina Beier experimental workshop and were churning out world class art works while some artists gained international fame. At the same time, Suzanne Wenger, an Austrian woman, was the impetus for the formation of The Òṣogbo School. She gathered together other contemporary artists in the Òṣogbo environs that became a dynamic and world-renowned. Having renovated the Òṣun grove with larger-than-life sculptures by the local artists, Suzanne became known among her adoring locals as Àduǹní Elére, meaning Àduǹní the owner of the sculpture. Among the artists in attendance were Twins Seven Seven, Taiwo Oláníyì, Jimoh Braimoh, Baba Ásírù, Tijani Máyàkiri alias Bros Jaguar, Rufus Òguńdélé, Yinka Adeyẹ́mí, Labáyọ̀ Òguńdélé, Kọ́lá Ṣórónkẹ́, Àkaǹmú and many others. Together they became known as The Òṣogbo School. The movement was not specifically religious, but its emphasis was on Yoruba traditional culture and it did lead many of us to explore our religion more deeply. In 1977 I traveled to Paris to further my interest in the plastic arts. Following my course of study in Paris, I traveled to the United States, where my hosts/friends/sponsors Chief Lloyd Weaver and his wife, Chief Stephanie Weaver, both well-known priests of Yorùbá Traditional Religion and also interested in the arts, introduced me to several of their godchildren. I was asked to provide lessons in the Yoruba language for those of the congregation who wanted to learn, and I gladly did this. It was in the Òrìṣà House of Lloyd and Stephanie that I met my first wife, Charlene Beatty, better known as Mtaminika or Ọṣunfunmi. I continued to teach language and religious concepts in various houses in the community, including those of the late Babalawo Alafia Renaud Simmons, Chris Oliana, Mama Keke and Yọmiyọmi Awólọ́wọ̀ and also at the Caribbean Cultural Center and other institutions. Many of those who attended the classes are now grandparents in Òrìṣà with considerable followings of their own. I have to admit that all of the priests mentioned have bequeathed me with more knowledge than they realized and have increased my understanding of our religion immeasurably. I think sharing the information in this book can even further help us to have better understanding and increased unity among Olórìṣà and Ifá practitioners both at home and abroad. The Miracle in the New World As I implied above, on coming to the United States I met our religion at a progressive stage. I thought that it was nothing short of a miracle that Òrìṣà worship has expanded into the New World. On seeking an explanation, I learned that when our enslaved ancestors never lost faith in their traditional belief system but could not find items needed for their religious practice, they were divinely inspired to find and use substitutes. Through divination and advanced knowledge of their religion, they chose àgbọn (coconut) in place of Obì for divination. They substituted crushed egg shells powder for efun and lard for the all important palm oil. In this way, even while they were in bondage and captivity, they managed to keep their faith and hold their tradition so intact that if you search hard with an open mind and true knowledge of your religion, you will marvel at the resourcefulness of our captive ancestors in preserving the essential aspects of the ancient and sacred traditions of Ifá and Òrìṣà. The Pledge of Faith According to oral history, for more than three centuries in Cuba the Yorùbá captives as well as other freed Africans from diverse regions collectively called themselves Lùkùmi as an extended brotherhood to others with shared cultural traditions rather than Yorùbá. Therefore, though they spoke various dialects of a common language, they still identified themselves as Ifẹ̀, Ẹ̀gbá, Èkit̀i,̀ Ọ̀yọ́, Ìjẹ̀bú, Aràrá etc., as they had in Nigeria. In time, though, because of the necessity of unity, they came to evolve a common dialect they called Nanigo (for Ànàgó) or Lùkùmi. Many of us know that Lùkùmi means “my friend,” but what many don’t know is that the cultural implication of “my friend” is mutual respect and tolerance. In reality, it is like a constantly repeated pledge. In the spirit of this greeting, they were able to teach one another and evolve a common practice that met all of the requirements of discipline, efficacy and legitimacy of the various places they came from. In this way “Lùkùmi” became the term used to describe the system of worshiping Òrìsà as it evolved among the collective Olórìsàs and Babaláwos in Cuba, while Candomble became the term used in Brazil. According to local sources in Cuba, it was believed that 75% of the Africans captives were Yorùbá fed largely by fratricidal war and slave raiding fuelled by the European Slave Trade. In some areas, their population was even greater than that of their Spanish overlords. Òrìṣà and Destiny But it was even more than knowledge and divine inspiration. Besides friendship, it also took faith and courage and the strength of character on the part of Olórìsa,̀ who were threatened with death if their religious practices were discovered. In the way of acknowledgement, I learned much of this in formal interviews with my good friend John Mason, who is also a popular writer of Òrìṣà books. John is also a godson of Chris Oliana, one of the very first African Americans initiated into the Yorùbá religion. Since John Mason is known as a historian even in academic circles, I sought his instruction on the evolution of Òris̀à traditions in the New World. It was he who told me about Cuban slaves who were also great Olorisa, such as Ọbádiméjì and Ọbańjoko (Probably Banjoko). Both of these still-revered priests traveled back and forth between Cuba and Africa and were instrumental in the preservation of Òrìṣà́ worship in Cuba. And speaking of Cuban heroes, it was the revolutionary priest Chief Lloyd Weaver who told me of Carlota, a slave woman who took up the machete in 1843 to lead a slave uprising at the Triumvirato sugar mill in Matanzas Province and was killed. The repressive forces tied her to horses sent to run in opposite directions in order to destroy her body completely so that she would be unrecognizable forever. Cubans honor her memory in an annual festival to this day. Another, Fermina, was shot and killed in March 1844 along with four other Lukumí/Yorubas and three Palo (Congo) colleagues. And there were many more Lukumi who died for their religion. As Brother Lloyd often says, “Just as the Catholic religion was bathed in the blood of martyrs, so the Lukumi religion was washed in the blood of our own valiant martyrs in Cuba...and this is also our heritage.” I pay deepest homage to these and all of the other Olórìsà who have passed away in the New World and the Diaspora and who so astutely and courageously preserved our religion. By the late 1950s and beyond, following the regime of Fidel Castro in the 1960s, Cuban Olórìṣà and Babaláwos began to immigrate to the United States. One of the first Babaláwo who migrated to the United States was Poncho Mora Ifámoróti.̀ In the late 1970s, the Olóriṣa in New York witnessed the evolution of Òrìṣà culture among the various segments of the African American community. During this time, two distinctive but clearly related groups came into existence. With this as their legacy, Cubans who practiced the worship of Òrìṣà as their religion, continued to use the name Santeria and the artifacts of Catholicism that their ancestors had used to hide their African practice from their Spanish captors. In small numbers, the population of Olórìṣas began to trickle down into the United States in the late 1950s. During this period, even up to the late 1960s, very few African Americans had any idea about the existence of the Òrìṣà in Yoruba land, let alone in Cuba, and certainly not of the small pockets of Cuban Lukumi who had managed to trickle into the United States and had begun to practice in secret here. However, as a fall out of the revolutionary struggle for their rights, African Americans had begun to yearn for an alternative to Christianity. Many wondered about the religions of their ancestors that had been effectively banned by the slave owners in the United States. However, as we mentioned previously, with the First African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) in 1977 that took place in Nigeria, an awareness of the depth of Yoruba religious culture quickly rose. Among those who attended FESTAC from the United States were Barbara Ann Teer of the National Black Theater, Yomi Yomi Awolowo and Edith Williams (Adé Ọ̀ṣun), the dance director at the Duke Ellington Dance School troupe from Washington DC. Many other participants came from every other parts of America, including actors, actresses and artists from as far as California. Some people later traveled back to Nigeria to make more inquiries visiting Ọ̀yọ́, Ilé Ifẹ̀, Ogbomọṣọ, Abẹ́okúta, Èkìtì and so on. However, many soon discovered to their surprise that Oriṣa had prophetically followed them to their own backyards in the hands of Cuban immigrants. In fact, as a result of initial contacts, Baba Oseijeman Adefunmi and Chris Oliana had traveled to Cuba and gotten initiated and were encouraging others to be initiated by the Cuban Olórìṣà in the United States. Many did, and African American houses soon began to spring up. I am very grateful to Babalawo Ifámorótì Poncho Mora, Renaud Alafia Sangodeyi Simmons and Jose Manuel Ọyádínà, the great Oríàtẹ, for allowing me into the sacred room of Ocha and introducing me to the hard-core Cuban Babaláwos and Olórìṣà, where I learned to appreciate my native religion even more. Also at that time, I was able to observe the difficulties that existed even then. Many African Americans had to suffer considerable rejection by the Hispanic Lùkùmi, who by that time felt that since their ancestors managed to preserve the religion and the ancestors of the African Americans had not, the religion now belonged exclusively to Spanish-speaking people. It was because of this that the famed Nigerian musician Bàbá Babátuńdé Ọlátuńjí and his African center in Harlem became a popular forum for those who wanted to learn and practice African culture. The problem, though, was that while Olátuńjí taught language and dance and other aspects of Yorùbá culture, he did not practice the Yoruba religion. Since many people were looking for a truly African alternative to Christianity, they clearly needed more. At about the same time, the Ọbàtálá priest Oseijeman Adéfuńmi decided to establish a Yoruba village called Ọ̀yọ́tuńji in South Carolina. He became the first king of an Ọ̀yọ́tújí village. They strove hard to revive and preserve important Yoruba traditions like facial marks, Yoruba dresses, Yorùbá foods and Yoruba ways of life. Many African Americans joined him in order to receive initiations “African style” and in order to avoid the discriminatory treatment by many Cubans. By that time, however, African American houses had begun to spring up in New York. A Puerto Rican, Olórìṣà, popularly known as Sunta, had initiated several Olórìṣà, one of whom, Renaud Simmons, became the first African American Oríàtẹ. Yọmiyọmi and many other African Americans who are now prominent came from Sunta’s House, which was centered in the Bronx. On the same hand, in Harlem, an African American woman named Marjorie Quinones, who was the first African American initiated in the United States, also began to teach and to conduct initiations. It was she who began what some call the first purely African American house by shedding the Santeria or Spanish cultural aspects of the Cuban practice, Africanizing the look and feel of the religion while studiously maintaining the Lukumi ritual and thereby the acceptance and sympathy of many prestigious Cubans. But still the lure of Africa was there. When I asked Baba John Mason, an elder in the Òrìṣà community in New York and also an author of several books on Oriṣa, “Who was the first African American to be initiated into Òrìṣà worship in the United States?” His answer in his own opinion was that no one really knows. He added that the evolution was spontaneous. At one point in the 1980s, an Ọbatala priest named Ẹfunlade who led a growing following in Brooklyn migrated to Nigeria, but strangely he was never heard from again. Later, Chief Esi Kini-Olusanyin (Ọ̀ṣuńtókí), a Detroit-born ọlọṣun who had been initiated by Cubans, migrated to Nigeria, where she became a renowned teacher of ethnomusicology and a dramatist at the University of Ìbàdaǹ while also becoming an important spokesperson for the defense of the religion in Nigeria. A rebel to the core, Esi married a King of a Yoruba town called Gbọǹgan and had two children, a boy and a daughter by the name of Yemi. Esi maintained her relevance in the United States by bringing a prominent Nigerian Babaláwo named Awópéjú Bóguńb̀ẹ to the United States. Through the intercession of Lloyd and Stephanie Weaver, Chief Bogunbẹ was warmly embraced by the senior Babaláwo in the United States Poncho Mora. To watch them worship together was one of the most heart-rendering experiences in my life. By 1999, when Esi joined her ancestors, she had become one of the best-known priests of Yorùbá land. Such was the grief felt by priests that they flocked from all over Nigeria to celebrate her life and to bury her at Ìbàdaǹ’s famous Ọ̀ṣẹ́ Méjì shrine. Though his reasons for moving to Nigeria were more to assist in the development of Nigeria as a nation than for religious reasons, in 1982 Chief Lloyd Weaver followed Esi to Nigeria, where the two Olórìṣà maintained a close friendship that had begun in the United States until her death. But it was in the mid-1980s that the third arm of the evolution of Yorùbá religious practice in the United States truly began to evolve. In this period, led by John Turpin and then by Renaud Simmons, both of whom became Babaláwos, dozens of African Americans began to seek initiation in Africa despite the attitude of many Cubans that Africa was not the same and therefore was not legitimate. However, knowing better, many African Americans and even some Cubans received their initiations here in Nigeria, thereby virtually forming a third group in the United States alongside the Hispanic Lùkùmi and the African American Lùkùmi who often call their religion “Yorùbá.” And the ideological and theological conflicts that existed between the groups somehow seem to be disappearing. Despite the misunderstandings that caused what seemed to be “schisms” or separation of paths, the root of the faith remained recognizably intact and the three groups, under the leadership of wise and inspired priests, are gradually noticing that the variations in their practices are not really variations at all when clearly understood. In fact, while the steam is still blowing among many of them, it is gradually cooling as the various groups are currently becoming more unified rather than more fragmented. It is as though they are different denominations of the same faith. The prophesy in Ifá that Òrìṣà worship would become a major religious movement in the United States is becoming fulfilled with all Olórìṣà finding a brother- and sisterhood in their common beliefs, in the sharing of knowledge and increasingly, in the assistance of one another. Personally, I have learned so much about the ways the Lùkùmi worship as a result of my interactions with them and their acceptance of me that I have become an authority sought out by everybody! During the visit of the Ìbàdaǹ Babaláwo Awópéjú Bogunbẹ̀ in1980, a special divination was made for the African American Òrìṣà house of Betty Barney. I was privileged to do the translation. The Odù that came was Ika Alaaka (Ìka Òguńdá). The story said that the Fox was destined to take its ground back from the Rooster. Chief Awópéjú prepared the ground for the fulfillment of this instruction from the Òriṣà by helping more Awos to come to the United States right after in 1981. The most significant international effort to unify the religion was set in motion by Martha Vega, the Director of Caribbean cultural center in New York, Professor Wande Abimbọla, the Àwísẹ Àgbáyé of Yorubaland, Dr. Ọmọtọṣọ Elúyẹmí the Apena awo agbaye and a few others who have engineered the International Oriṣa Conference for many years. Chief Ifáyẹmí Ẹlẹ́bùrúìbọn has also been an important contributor to this movement. By taking the conference to different centers of Òrìṣà worship such as California, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil and even Cuba, etc., Yorùbá at home came to understand the enormity of the Yoruba religious movement in other parts of the world. In this way the bridge has been built and the crossing is unstoppable. Since then many continue to come to Nigeria to get initiated. Nevertheless, they still practice routinization from Cuban system by studying and recognizing the amazing protocol that enabled them to survive the most vicious holocaust in the history of mankind...the Atlantic slave trade. And the history continues. On May 29, 1988, with the help of an Ọbàtálá priestess, Mọrẹ́nikẹ́ Ọlábuǹmi, I coordinated the first festival of the Sons of Ọ̀ruńmìlà (Ọduń Ifá) at Paul Robinson Theater in Brooklyn. Chief Ifáyẹmí Ẹlẹ́bùrúìbọn was our guest of honor at the event, which was attended by many prominent persons in the Òrìṣà tradition like Chris Oliana, Mama Keke, Dr. Afolábí Epega, Cuban Babalawo Carlos Collazo, Leroy Wilkinson, Babaláwo Àlàáf́ià, Barbara Ann Teer, the founder of national black theater and many others. In 1990, another Awo called Baba Nike was invited by Betty Barney to plant Eguńguń in the United States. Representatives were sent from different houses and with the assistance of one of the eldest and most authoritative African American priests, Alfred Davis. A shrine was installed for Egungun at Pearl Meeks’s house on Hart Street in Brooklyn. Babalawo Carlos Collazo was one of the first Afro Cubans to be introduced to Ifa in Nigeria at ̀Ijẹ̀bú. Baba Carlos had been a merchant marine whose ship used to dock at Lagos in the late 1960s. Out of curiosity, he enquired about Ifa and was directed to a group of Ifa priests in Akaka and Ìjẹ̀bú Rẹ́mọ. That was where he later met the renowned Epega family and exchanged a lot of information with them. Back in the United States, Babalawo Carlos was totally alone until he met Chief Bogunbẹ and me. Initially the other Cuban Babalawos wanted nothing to do with him. We became very good friends and exchanged a lot of knowledge while practicing together. Carlos later introduced me to a group of Cuban Babaláwos from Puerto Rico through Olúwo Antonio Prada. From that point on, we were able to share more knowledge of Ifá than ever, and gradually even Cuban Babaláwos joined us. Clearly our path is set; we are children of a common destiny and should embrace it in unity and in joy. I give homage and gratitude to those who paved the way for us; those who have joined the ancestors and now live with the Òrì̀ṣa, and through Egun will live with the Òrìṣà throughout eternity. May their souls rest in peace. Those who are alive, may Olódùmarè continue to bless us and protect us. Ọba Adéfuńmi, the first Òyọ́tuńji Babaláwo Poncho Mora (Ifámorótì) 1980 Photo courtesy of Adela Lopez Latin NY magazine Ọba Adéfuńmi 1 in a ceremony at Ọ̀yọ́tuńjí Village. South Carolina, United States The newly crowned Oba H.R.H. Adéfuńmi11 of Ọ̀yọ́tuńjí Village seated in front of His Imperial Majesty Okuǹadé Síjúwadé Olúbùṣe 11 in the Aafin at Ilé Ifẹ̀. May 7, 2006. Àború àboyè. Olúwo Antonio Prada, Àràbà Adisa Aworéni, Caridad Prada and Chief Dayọ̀ Ológundúdú 1995. The bridge has now been built. The road has been paved. The long-lost African children are coming back to their roots. As we can see in this picture, Olúwo Prada, a Cuban descent from Puerto Rico, is shaking hands with the Àràbà in Ilé Ifè. During the middle passage, African were shipped from Africa to America. It was also called Triangular Trade because the ships traveled in form of a triangle. The voyage on the sea was terrible. The condition was horrible. The slaves were crowded together in very small places. They were treated like animals because the owners felt they were worthless except for the money or exchange paid for them. Many of them died of diseases and were thrown overboard into the sea. That is one of the reasons why some consider the bottom of Atlantic Ocean the graveyard of their ancestors. The trip was very long and many of them died on the way. Families were stripped apart without destinations. They were given very little food except for when they were about to be sold. The slaves did not know where they were going, and many decided to fight or even kill or commit suicide. When I talked to some of the African Americans, their stories said that the slaves who finally made it to the United States were treated differently. They suffered all sorts of atrocities like lynching, burning, and torture at the hands of the slave masters. An example of that was the case at Rose Wood, Florida, where as recently as 1923 a black town was burned to the ground by a white mob over a false accusation of an African American. All the blacks in the town fled in a hurry before they could be burned to death. The African slaves in America were not allowed to play drums or celebrate in any way that reflected their African culture, while the whites in America entertained themselves in PICNIC by picking a slave to torture and Willy Lynch was publishing his book about how to tame a slave. After so many years in captivity with those types of conditions, the knowledge of who they were can only be retained in their spirits. Many of them fought and struggled to preserve their culture. During slavery in American, if a slave was caught playing the drums; the punishment was amputation of the hands. African language or any form of communication was forbidden. The slaves’ mouths were padlocked so that they could not eat the produce and they were usually chained. Many people do not know or understand the extent of the damage and destruction these treatments and conditions have done to the spirit of African Americans in the United States. The majority of the African Americans feel that they have not yet been compensated for the 400 to 500 years of slave labor in the United States of America. That is why many of the African Americans are still asking about reparations today. Thank goodness for those abolitionists. Here is a time line of the African ancestors’ middle passage to the Americas. 1481–Country of Portugal built the first European fort (Fort Elmina) on the coast of Africa 1501–King Ferdinand of Spain started the trade of African slaves to the colonies in the “New World” 1517–Bartolome’ de Las Casas made a deal with the Spanish King Charles I. On his request “Indian” workers in the Caribbean can be replaced with African slaves. 1619-1620–a group of Africans arrived to Jamestown. They were indentured servants. 1620–“Mayflower” lands in America 1624–Samuel Maverick in Massachusetts owns two African slaves 1672–Royal African company is formed. Colonies can now buy slaves from the English. 1705–Virgina government tells slave owners that they are not guilty if they kill their slaves while they are punishing them. 1712–Slave revolt in New York 1721–South Carolina says that only “Christian whites” can vote 1735–Georgia, one of the English colonies in America, makes slavery illegal. But this was done so that Georgia would profit by selling slaves—not to free slaves. Slave owners paid a small fine and slaves were not set free. 1739–The Stono Rebellion, Stono, South Carolina. Twelve slaves kill several white men and try to escape to Florida. 1740–Slave Act in South Carolina makes it a crime to teach a slave to read and write. 1770–Crispus Attucks, a runaway slave, led a group of Boston citizens to protest against a group of British soldiers. When the soldiers opened fire, Attucks was killed. 1773–Four Boston slaves petitioned for freedom based on the same reason colonists used to justify separation from England in the Declaration of Independence. 1775–Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was formed in Philadelphia by Quakers. 1780–Pennsylvania becomes the first state to pass the law that ends slavery. 1785–John Jay and Alexander Hamilton started the Manumission Society in New York. 1787–Northwest Ordinance was passed. 1791-1804–Haitian Revolution—the only slave rebellion that succeeded. 1787–The Three Fifths Amendments was adopted. According to it, slaves should be counted as three-fifths of a person. 1789–Benjamin Franklin starts the Pennsylvania Abolition Society. 1793–Fugitive Slave Act. This act allowed slave owners to return and catch the slaves who escaped to the “free states.” 1794–The first national antislavery organization was formed. It was called the American Convention for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery. 1796–Boston’s black community starts Free African Society of Boston. 1800 –Gabriel Prosser Rebellion. 1800–James Forten and Absalom Jones write a petition to strike down The Slave Act of 1793. 1808–International slave trade becomes illegal. 1829–David Walker writes his appeal. 1831–William Garrison starts publishing the “Liberator.” 1833–American Anti-Slavery Society formed. 1837–Elijah Lovejoy is murdered. 1859–John Brown attacks Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. 1861–Southern states secede. 1861–Civil War starts. 1862–Emancipation Proclamation issued and said that on January 1, 1863, all slaves will be free in America. 1863–Emancipation. Proclamation to free the slaves. Baba Lloyd Weaver (Chief Ọlọsunmi of If̀ẹ̀) modified the preface INTRODUCTION Ifá, Egúngún, and Òrìṣàs were the ancient traditional believe of the Yorùbás. Their whole existence was based on those principles, which I discuss in this book. Before the advent of Christianity and Islam, Ifa and Òrìṣà was the only way the Yorùbá knew. Yorùbá religion and beliefs have been suppressed over the centuries. Many Yorùbás had been brainwashed by the missionaries with Christianity and by the Arabs with Islam. They were told that their faith in the energies of the Universe like Òṣun, which represents the rivers, Yemoja, which represents the Ocean, and Olókun, which represents the Sea, are demonic and that the Yorubas are pagans. Many were forced and intimidated to convert to Christianity or Islam. Now many Yorubas don’t see anything positive in traditional beliefs. In many homes, the children no longer speak Yòrúba. They deem everything about their culture and believe to be negative and evil. I hope in time these perceptions will change. In the Nigerian history, Bishop Àjàyí Crowder was one of the first Yorùbá Nigerians to be converted to Christianity by the missionaries and later translated the English bible to Yoruba. He was one of the African slaves who were freed after the abolition of slave trade. He was taught how to read and write by his missionary masters and rose to the position of a Bishop. A major war was waged against the indigenous African by the converts to Islam. In 1804 A.D. a Fulani scholar by the name of Uthman Dan Fodio declared a Jihad (holy war) against the Hausa State named the (Hausa Bokkoi), whose rulers he condemned for allowing Islamic practices to deteriorate. Some of the local leaders of the Fulani received Othman blessings and support and cleverly overthrew the Hausa rulers. The Fulani, with their superior cavalries and well-organized armed forces, easily defeated the untrained and poorly equipped Hausa warriors. They overthrew the Hausa rulers and they also conquered areas beyond the Hausa states, including Adamawa to the east and Nupe and Ilorin to the south. Othman Dan Fodio and his men raided most of the northern parts of what is now Nigeria down to Ilorin. Many of the people were captured, and their belongings were looted and their homes destroyed. Thankfully, the warriors of Ìbàdaǹ in conjunction with the other warriors of the Yorùbá land pushed the Fulani back to the place they now occupy. Many of those captured were later sold to the Portuguese and other Europeans as slaves. Most of those slaves were transported to the Americas to work on the plantations. Also, the Christian missionaries brought Christianity to the Yoruba and systematically imposed their beliefs in Jesus Christ on the Yorubas. They came with the philosophy and ideology of the “three in one”: “fhe father, the son, and the holy spirit.” They condemned the Yorubas for their belief in Olódùmarè. The Yoruba were told that their belief was wrong and evil. They were told that they were worshiping idols, although the Catholic Christians themselves kneel before the cross and various other images of lesser divinities such as St. James, St. Michael, St. Mary and St. Peter as the Yorùbá do before the Òrìṣàs like Ọbàtálá, Ṣaǹgó, Yemọja, Olókun and so on to pray. The Muslims face the east, where the sun rises, for daily prayers and also use the half moon and the stars as their icon, even though they do not have images. Every culture has its focus and beliefs. Nevertheless, it is fair to mention that the fratricidal wars among the Yorùbás were another reason for the slavery in the New World. At this moment, Yorùbás and the Yorùbá language are going through a drastic transition. We are in a situation where our children no longer have Yorùbá as their first or even second language. Our values and culture continue to degenerate as everyone tries to adopt Western cultures. Ìwó Ẹlẹrọ, near Akurẹ in the southern part of the country, is the oldest archaeological site in Nigeria. Stone tools and human remains at the site date back to 9000 B.C. Recent discoveries were made at Wuńmoníjẹ̀ Compound in Ilé Ifẹ̀ by an archeologist who was also a native of Ifè, Dr. Ọmọtọṣọ Elúyẹmí́. Some of the objects dated back to between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. The first well-documented kingdom in what is now southwestern Nigeria was centered at Ilé-Ifẹ̀. It was established as the first Yorùbá kingdom in the eleventh or twelfth century. Ilé Ifẹ̀ was believed by the Yorùbás to be the cradle of the world. The oral history of Ilé Ifẹ̀ claims that the Garden of Eden referred to in the Bible was an old myth from Ilé Ifẹ̀̀ in which Edina was referred to as the garden where Adam and Eve were created. It is an old Yorùbá myth from the scriptures in the Odùs that explains how Olódùmare,̀ the creator of the universe, decided to make use of the planet Earth, which was a vacuum several million years ago. Olódùmarè ask the Sea to come manifest in the planet. For another several million of years, the sea was by itself. Olódùmarè, in his busy time, recognized the loneliness of the Sea and decided to put more time into the creation of planet Earth. He then sent Ọ̀rúnmìlà with some soil from the heavens and a five-toed Rooster that helped spread the soil on top of the Sea. From that time the Earth continued to spread. The Yorùbas believed that the spot where it first started was in Ilé Ifẹ̀. There are many myths about the creation of the universe. No one knows which one is true or false. The Yoruba people belief in the existence of only one God. It is also maintained by other religions the divine essence can be manifested in more than one person or element. That is why in Yorùbá, Yemọja is the goddess of the ocean. Ṣango is the god of thunder and lightning as in ancient Greece, when Thor was the god of thunder and lightning. It is very interesting that we inherit our days of the week after the days when the ancient Greek worship their gods. Sunday was Sunday and Monday was the moon day. Saturday was Sabbath day and so on. However, traditional Africans have their own name to describe the religion of their people. Many people have suggested different names for their religions. That is why we have Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and so on. Chukwism has been suggested for the Igbo and Olódùmarè for the Yorùbá. Some elders like Late Fágbénró Beyioku and Chief Fágbèmi ́Àjànàkú have suggested Ọ̀ruńmilaism for the Yorùbá. Yorùbá who converted to Christianity call the traditional Yorubas “Abọ̀rìsà,” meaning “Òrìṣà worshipers”. Ọ̀ruńmìlà is only one of the several entities the Yoruba worship and praise. These entities appear to be completely autonomous, each with its practice, practitioner and ritual. But none of the practices disregards the supremacy of Olódùmarè (God) in Yorùbá language. They believe that instead of bothering God for every little thing, they can approach the Orí́, Ọbàtálá and other Òrìṣàs, who are used as intermediaries between humans and Olodumare. Just like the Christians pray to God through Jesus Christ and the Muslims pray to Allah through Prophet Mohammed (May the blessing of Allah be with Prophet Mohammed). Most Africans, in spite of their belief in subordinate deities, would refer everything to God as the ultimate one. That is what Yoruba do. The deities are considered the intermediaries between the people and God. Just as the Saints in some other religious practices are considered the privileged spiritual beings who could help their followers to reach the supreme God, the Yorùbá use the Òrìṣá. The Odù Ìwòrì wosa explains the origin of the Irunmales. It explains why man has to go through the Iruńmalẹ̀s, calls it the Òrìṣàs, the Saints and many other Messiahs that we may know. Here goes the Odù Ìwòrìwọ̀sá. Ìwòrìwọ̀ṣá l’difa fuń Olódùmarè. Ìwòrìwọ̀sà cast divination for Olódùmarè. A bukin fuń ọmọ ara’ye. Cast Ikin for the World. Nigbati ti awọn ọmọ aráyé ndaamu Olódùmarè. When the people of the World were troubling Olodumare. Ọmọ aráyé nbi Olódùmarè fun ohun gbogbo. Humans were asking Olódùmarè for everything. Ati nkan ti Olódùmarè ti ṣe fuń Ayé́ Including the things Olód̀umarè has already done for the World. Wọn ni ki Olódùmarè ru ẹbọ ki ofi Òrìṣà sọjà. Ki ọmọ aráyé maa nọ Olódùmarè was advised to make offerings and to surround himself with the Òrìṣàs. The same offerings are what humans make to the Òrìṣàs in order to reach Olódùmàre today. If we don’t make it in the Church we make it in the Mosque. Like most African religions, the Yoruba religion and beliefs were never given their due respect by the Christians and the Muslims. But ironically, the slaves who were sold to the Europeans were shipped to the Americas and the Caribbean Island about 400 to 500 years ago. They took their religion and culture with them. The Yoruba religion comprises worship of Olódùmarè, the supreme energy of the Universe, and the forces of the Universe called the Oriṣas, the knowledge of which is taught through the sacred scriptures of Ifá called the Odùs by Ọ̀ruńmìlà, the witness of creation. If́á is the sacred words of Olódùmarè that were taught to humanity by Ọ̀ruńmìlà. There have been several controversies over what to call the traditional Yoruba religion. Since Ifá is the compendium of the knowledge and wisdom of it all, I will say it is appropriate to call it Ifa. Most Africans believe in the existence of supernatural powers that are responsible for the creation of the universe and all things in it, including Man. Their opinion and practices are as a result of their beliefs. God is called Olódùmarè in Yoruba language, and the Yoruba believe He is responsible for the creation of all life. When Yoruba greet their loved ones good-night, Yoruba usually says God will look after us (Ọlọ́run ásọ́ wa o) God will wake. (Ọlọ́run a jí wa o) The Gwari of Northern Nigeria has a similar goodnight greeting” (Sheko gife nyi) which means May God awaken us tomorrow” Olódùmarè created the other energies and the forces of the Universe to help continue the evolutions of the Universe. Many scholars have done comparative studies of the world religion, and this has thrown much light on the awareness of the Origin of religious ideas of the world. Many traditional indigenous people still adhere to some of the ritualistic beliefs; such are the Yorùbá. Ifá and Òrìsà as discussed in this book have been recognized as the great Oracular religion of the Yorùbá people. They originated from Ọrúnmìlà in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. The book discusses the cradle of Yorùbá culture and religion. I hope it will give the reader some insight into Yorùbá culture.

Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 22:00:05 +0000

THE CRADLE OF YORUBA CULTURE by ARABA ADEDAYO OLOGUNDUDU - TopicsExpress

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