Orunmila
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It's Orunmila Baba Ifa
Yoruba Grand Priest and custodian of the Ifa Oracle, source of knowledge is believed to have good knowledge of Human Form, Purity, Cures illness and deformities. His suburdinate priests or followers are the Babalawo. Some Yoruba traditionalists refer to Orumila as Obatala, confusing it with and paganizing one of the attributions of Olodumare i.e. God, The Almighty. In support of Olumide J. Lucas' revelation[1] that the Yoruba, during antiquity, lived in Egypt before migrating to the Atlantic coast of West Africa, the London-based Muslim scholar, Sheikh Abu-Abdullah Adelabu - a Ph D holder from Damascus claimed in his Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Quran and Sunnah that Obatala is a an attributive adjunct of two words Oba and Tala[2]. According to the Nigeria-born academic and founder of Awqaf Africa, Obatala is an Arabicized Yoruba derived from ربّ تعالى = Robb Ta'ala having ربّ robb (rOBba) for Oba meaning King, Lord Or God and تعالى ta'ala (TA'aLA) for Tala meaning Almighty, The One That Raised Far Above, The Exalted. The African Sheikh argued it's a wrong Yoruba usage to refer Obatala to Orumila as the Yoruba traditionalists do in confusion and search for God, the Almighty[3].
Mythical Orunmila
In Yoruba mythology, Orunmila is the spirit of wisdom among Irunmole and divinity of destiny and prophecy. He is recognized as "Igbakeji Olodumare" (second in command to [Olodumare], i.e., the Supreme entity; often also playfully translated as "second calabash to God", since "igba" means "calabash") and "eleri ipin" (witness of fate). Orunmila is also referred to as Agbonniregun, the embodiment of knowledge and wisdom of Ifá ("ee-FAH"), the highest form of divination practice among the Yoruba people. In the Santeria / Lukumi diaspora, in present-day Cuba, Orunmila is known as Orula & Orunla. Orunmila is not Ifa, but he is the one who leads the priesthood of Ifa and it was Orunmila who carried Ifa (the wisdom of Olodumare) to Earth. Priests of Ifa are called babalawo (elders of confreternity) or Iyanifa (female Ifa priest). Orunmila is regarded as a wise man or sage, it was Orunmila (meaning; "only heaven knows the secret to salvation and survival", or, "Orun-ni-o mo eni-ma-la"). His name is actually Ela also called Elasoode (Ela ties Ide on), while in heaven assisting Olodumare with the organization and creation of the universe, which because of his great assistance and vast wisdom/knowledge Olodumare sent Orunmila to Earth with Oduduwa to complete the creation and organization of the world, to make it habitable for humans. It is Orunmila and only he who recognizes the position that Olodumare put Ori as the supreme deity above the Orisa including orunmila himself, it is Ori that can intercede and affect the reality of a person much closer than any Orisa. For this reason it is important to consult with Babalawo during times to know ones direction and the wish of ones Ori. On account of the primacy of the individual identity in Yoruba thought, the Yoruba often say in a proverb, "Ori la ba bo, a ba f'orisa sile" (It is the inner soul or head we ought to worship, and cast divinity aside).
Some initiatory lineages have only male priests of Orunmila, while others welcomely include both genders; sometimes this fact causes debate. This difference is true in Africa and in the Americas. The following discussions reflect such debate. The term "Awo" is a gender-neutral name of an initiated priest of Orunmila. The debate surrounding gender is a result of diversity in the many layers of history in various locations, and an understanding that different groups serve Orunmila in slightly different ways is currently developing. Awo in every tradition study the 256 Odu of Ifa; each Odu is an extraordinarily vast collection of knowledge, including stories and prayers that have been passed down from the time that Orunmila walked the Earth as a prophet, usually said to be about 5,000 years ago. (The term Odu has multiple meanings.)
A woman can only be consecrated in to the mysteries of IFA in Africa and even then will not be allowed to divine using all the tools of IFA. Women do not need to receive Odu because all women already have Odu which is represented by the womb of women and the female child bearing ability; the womb is seen as both a physical and spiritual gateway between the heavens and the material world. Several Odu Ifa mandate that women do not see nor receive Odu (Calabash of Existence), and any claims that it can be given are easily dispelled; Ifa stanzas cite several reasons and occasions why. Odu is associated mainly with the force of creation as a gateway between the physical world and metaphysical world for the transfer of divine knowledge and messages. Throughout Cuba and some of the broader Santeria diaspora, Orula can be received by individuals regardless of gender. For men, the procedure is known as receiving "Mano de Orula" and for women, it is "Kofa de Orula". The same procedure exists in Yoruba land, with "ese n'taye" (birthing rites), "Ise'fa" (adolescent initiation rites) and "Ite'fa" (consecration of the paraphernalia of Ifa practice). Worshippers of the traditional religious philosophy of the Yoruba people all receive one hand of Ifa (called Isefa) regardless of which Orisa they may worship or be an Orisa Priest, it is that same Isefa that will direct all followers to the right path and their individual destinies in life.
The traditional religious point of view include similar privileges accorded to women as priestesses of Ifa and women's societies. A woman priestess is known as Iyanifa, Iyalaja, Iya Agba and Iyalase. The title Iyanifa is in suspect since it is not used by either the Cuban or West African practitioners of IFA.
- Iyanifa - A woman Awo Ifa, or can be a titled woman within an Ifa community not a priest, she can also be the Iyanifa present at the Itefa ceremony of any person, as the inclusion of women is mandatory at every males Itefa rites.
- Iyalaja- A spiritual mother working with Iya Nla.
- Iyanla- the Great Mother, also called Awon Iya mi (Our Mothers) and sometimes referred to as Gelede, the female masquerade commonly found in the Egba areas of Yoruba land and somewhat well preserved in Bahia, Brazil
- Iya Agba- An old and wise woman.
- Iyalase- High Priestess and head of woman society.
- Iyale- Depending on inflection or spelling, the term could either refer to the senior wife in a polygamous household (Iyá Ilé, or iyálé, when contracted) meaning "mother of the household"; or to a communal female personage who is a custodian of secrets and is therefore wise (Iyá Ilè, iyálè when contracted), meaning "Earth Mother".
The Yoruba believe in the duality in life: males exist because of the female essence and females exist because of the male essence, so every major rite or ceremony includes both genders, as it should be.
Among West Africans, Orunmila is recognized as a primordial Irunmole that was present both at the beginning of Creation and then again amongst them as a prophet that taught an advanced form of spiritual knowledge and ethics, during visits to earth in physical form or through his disciples.
References
- ^ Anthony D Buckley Yoruba Medicine, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1985 (Amaury Talbot Prize for African Anthropology 1985) 2nd edition, Athelia Henrietta Press, New York 1997 Ch7
- ^ [1]
- ^ A lecture by Sheikh Dr. Abu-Abdullah Adelabu of Awqaf Africa London titled: The History Of Islam in 'The Black History' > at esinislam.com
External links
- OrishaNet. Website written by Lucumi Babalawo (High Priest) Baba Eyiogbe
- The Palo and Lukumi Organization. Website written by Lukumi Orisha-Ifa High Priest, aka: Babalawo
- Web board for Lukumi Orisha'Ifa Followers. Maintained by Traditional Lukumi Babalawo
- Osebiile.org by Awo Ojelola Ifasakin, Osebiile Lejuba Ifa, Dacula GA USA
- Ile Orunmila
- Roots and Rooted
- Oba N'Amen Temple International
- Iya Nla
- Ijo Alawoye.com Baba'Awo Awoyinfa Ifaloju, showcasing Ifa (blogs, podcasting, video & photocasting)
- Ifa Foundation of North America
Resources
- Chief S. Solagbade Popoola, Ikunle Abiyamo: The ASE of Motherhood 2007. Asefin Media Publication
- Chief Solagbade Popoola Foundation Ifa Dida Volume One of Seventeen ISBN 978-0-9810013-1-9 Asefin Media LLP 2008
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