This religion is known by several names including Ifa, Aborisha, or Orisha. It was traditionally practiced and founded by the Yoruba people in Southwestern Nigeria. Ifa was not the product of one single being or founder, but was instead formed from various traditions. In modern times, Ifa has a growing presence in the world, including the United States now that the religion has changed with the influences of Christianity. This influence was largely due to the African slave trade that began in the late 1500's.
The Yoruba belief system is based upon an omniscient being called Olodumare or Olorun "whose supremacy is absolute. Olodumare is acknowledged by all divinities as unique and pre-eminent. The divinities called orisha (orisa) are offspring of Olodumare and are believed to be ministers and functionaries in the universe" (Emeagwali 1999). The Orisha are very important in this belief because they are each unique spirits that interact with humans at religious celebrations by making "appearances at religious celebrations through possession trance of Orisha believers.....When one is possessed by an Orisha, one speaks and behaves as though one were that Orisha" (Howard University 2002).
References:
Emeagwali, Gloria
1999 The Yoruba Religious System
http://web.ccsu.edu/afstudy/supdt99.htm
November 5, 2013
Howard University
2002 The Yoruba Faith
http://www.howard.edu/library/reference/cybercamps/camp2002/YorubaFaith.htm
November 5, 2013
Reflection:
ReplyDeleteI saw two sides upon learning about the Yoruba people's religion rise in popularity. It can be mutually beneficial to the current followers of Ifa to gain fellow believers, however, the reason it has spread is because of its evolution over the past five hundred years. The introduction of Christianity to the Yoruba people through the African slave trade imposed Christianity and Catholicism upon the captured African people. This lead to either forced conversion or a fusion of the belief preexistent in the being and the imposing belief to spawn an entirely new religion.