Religious Tradition of the Yoruba

1.  Location:
The Yoruba people are located in Western Africa, specifically the present- day countries of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin (and certain sections of Togo.). Currently, they are located in the modern day range of West Africa that extends from the Savanna, in the north, to a region of tropical rainforest in the south.The Yoruba make up one of the largest ethnic groups of Sub-Saharan Africa, with more than 5.5 million people currently living there.They are also among "the oldest and most influential of all African cultures".

The traditional religion of the Yrouba people is Orisa, which is based on "play" (which in Yoruba tems means spontaneity) and transformation. They originated from a people called the Oyo, who were a popular trading partner with the Portuguese people. The majority of the Yoruba people live in Nigeria, in a region that is formerly known as the "Slave Coast.".




2. Beliefs:
In the Yoruba tradition, The Yoruba people believe in a Supreme Being, Olodumare, who they do not worship directly (similar to the supreme being of Hinduism, Brahma). They also believe in a being that is "the counterpart to the physical world", the god Orun. The Yoruban people also believe that they are all related through the same ancestor, 'Oduduwa". There are several different stories concerning his coming to Earth. In one version, he was sent by God from Heaven to create the Earth and the human race. It is said that he "descended from Heaven with his lieutenants", and landed at Ile- Ife, "the cradle of the Yoruba people and mankind", and there his mission continued. He "descended with a handful of sand and a cock", and the cock spread the sand over the Earth, which was covered by water, creating the land. Yoruba tradition states that he is the creator of the Yoruba people, and of all humans . Also, as with other African religions, the Yoruba believe that the ancient ancestors are still present on Earth.
Image: Olodumare creating the earth from sand and a cock.
3. Sacred Symbols:

The Akoko Tree is regarded as one of the Yoruba's most sacred symbols. It serves as a symbolic marker for important sacred and religious spots, and plays a very important role in certain versions of the Yoruban creation story. Also, there are many other symbols that are just as important to Yoruban society. For example, Yams are considered important symbols of Thanksgiving, due to the fact that the Yoruba people's main occupation is farming. They would also use the symbols as a way to honor the gods of their religion. For example, Yoruba fishing communities would offer new yams to the divinities before they would eat them themselves, and give them to others in Yoruban society.

Both the Akoko tree and the yam are considered very important and sacred symbols in the Yoruba tradition. Another sacred symbol for the Yoruba people is the Kola nut. It is a very important aspect for the Yorba people in Nigeria. The Kola nut is given as a symbol of hospitality, friendship and respect, and is given out to guests at social gathering, such as weddings, funerals, and "infant- naming ceremonies.” It is grown on Yoruba land in the western part of Nigeria.

Also, women in Yoruba society are forbidden to perform and sort of ritual (this includes prayers). In most Yoruba communities, the male head of the family, or the oldest male present during that time, must lead the prayers for the entire family.

4. Sacred Locations:
One of the most sacred sites in Yoruba tradition is Ile- Ife. In Yoruba tradition, it is known as "the land of the most ancient days (the dawn); where the work of creation too place; where the dawn of day was first experienced; the head or nucleus of the whole universe."



5. Major gods (Good, Bad and Trickster):
In the Yoruba tradition, there are more than 401 known gods. (Due to the number of gods, the Yoruba have been compaired to the ancient Greeks, as there are many similarites between the structures of the gods of those two religions.). Some of those other gods include Sango (the god of thunder and lightning), Ogun (god of Iron), Shokpona (god of smallpox), Iya- Nla (Great Mother- "Guardian of Life"), Ifa (who imposes order on the world -to build civilization), and Eshhu (messenger of the gods). Out of those, they believe in a "Supreme Being".
In the Yoruba religion, there is only one major trickster- god. He is know by two different names: Eshu and Legba. Although he is not considered a "bad" or "evil" god by the Yoruba people, he has been "dubbed" by Europeans as the Devil, or the "evil" force in the Yoruba tradition. However, his job is instead to "try man's faith". He does no intentionally harm or tempt other people, but he tests how strong in faith a Yoruba is at the different points throughout their life.

6. Totems, Fetishes, and Taboos:
The Yoruba people have many taboos amongst their ancient traditions. Some of these effect certain families, while others apply to all that practice the Yoruba religion. There are also many taboos realted to death, marriage, and birth, and they are all applicable to all the indigene of Ile- Ife. One example of this is the restrictions that the Yoruba have on keeping dogs as pets (in the home), due to and ancient story passed down from the ancestors. In this story, a king's child, after being beileved to be dead, is abandoned by the king and his wife. The child is found five days later with a dog, who has offspring of her own. The child is alive, and is raised by the dogs, living off of the milk that the dog produced. The king believed that the fact the the child was raised by dogs would greatly offend the gods. Due to this, Yoruban society forbids people from keeping dogs as pets.

Another taboo is if a woman dies as she is still mourning her husbans's death. The woman will not be buried by her family members, she will she will instead be buried by Ohisoro. Ohisoro are members of Lokore family, and they are responsible for maintaining all  the shrines in Ile- Ife. (they offer sacrifices, etc.). Ohisoro will perform a ritual before carrying her to the forest to be buried.
In Yoruba society, there is also a taboo on death by hanging. The only one that can unite the victim is the Ohisoro. Family members are not allowed to see the corpse, or else death by hanging becomes hereditary in that family. Similarly, if a woman dies during a pregnancy, a special ritual must be performed. It is considered an abomination in the Yoruba tradition to bury a pregnant woman with the baby. The special ritual serves for a way to avoid reoccurances of this tragedy in the family's future.

7. Role of the Shamans/ How they view magic:
Shamans play an important role in Yoruban society. The Shaman is a "spirit worker.". He is someone who "has access to and influence in the world of benevolent and malevolent spirits". They perform rituals and practice the arts of divination and healing.
 


7. Rituals: Among other rituals and art forms, the Yoruba practice the art of Divination. For the Yoruba people, Divination is the traditional method of telling fortunes. The Yourba would  "cast bones), throwing small objects auch as shells, stones, strips of leather, and flat pieces of wood. Many of the rituals associated with the Yoruba people include others as well. For example, in Yoruba society, the marriage of two peole are arranged by only the parents.
Although there are several different rituals, all of them have a deeper meaning to the Yoruba people, Many reflect on the "rites of passage", which symbolize a "rebirth' for the Yoruban people. One example of this is the fact that marrages are always arranged by the parents of the bride/ groom. Another very important rite, is a boy's passage into adulthood (sent into the wilderness for 3 days, etc.)
They also have several different "naming" ceremonies. When a newborn is given a name, he/ she becomes a part of the Yoruba society.

Dance in honor of the god "Shango".




Traditional Yoruba Art: Images that reflect the art of their people:
The Yoruba people had a wide variety of artistic forms. These included pottery, weaving, beadwork, metalwork, and maskmaking. Usually, most of their artwork is made to honor the gods and ancestors.
Yoruba Cap Mask: 1930-60     Yoruba Female Figure: Late 1800's

Yoruba Mask: 1922         

 

Yoruba Ceremonial Robe (Weaving/ Beadwork)

Yoruba Gelede Mask                                                                                         

 

Sources:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/653789/Yoruba
http://www.tigweb.org/youth-media/panorama/article.html?ContentID=1088
http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/yoruba.htm
http://www.yorubareligion.org/_con/_rubric/detail.php?nr=1393&rubric=News
http://www.philtar.ac.uk/encyclopedia/sub/yoruba.html
http://www.postcolonialweb.org/nigeria/yorubarel.html
http://people.stthomasu.ca/~belyea/2009/InterriteI/Yoruba.html

Image Sources (for artwork and pictures not included in previous sources):
http://www.library.uco.edu
http://www.britannica.com

Primal Religious Traditions: Chapter Review

1. Why are some forms of religion called Primal? Describe some of the characteristics of primal religions.
 Certain forms of religion are known as Primal, because they were "the traditions of non-literate people." They do not depend on scriptures or written teachings, as many modern religions do (ex: Christianity: The Bible, Islam: The Quran, etc.). Primal religions are passed down orally, from generation to generation through myths and stories. Primal religions are most often the traditions of tribal peoples. 

2. What elements of the natural and human world did the Ancestors create or establish in the period of the Dreaming?
During the period of "the Dreaming", the Ancestors createsd the first human beings. They established certain tribes and the customs, social rules, and language of those tribes. They left symbols, found in the forms of rock paintings, rock formations, natural landmarks, etc.

3. What survives in the symbols left behind by the Ancestors?
The spiritual essence of the Ancestors lives on through the symbols that they left behind. The sites in which these symbols are located are considered sacred, and only certain individuals are allowed to visit them. These particular sites must be approached in a special way, as they are thought by the Aboriginies to be "charged with sacred power.".

4. Explain the terms totem and taboo.
The term totem, refers to an animal or natural object considered as being ancestrally related to a given kin or descent group taken as it's symbol (a symbol, especially one held in high regard). Taboo is a system of social ordering that dictates that specific objects and activities, owing to their sacred nature, are set aside for specific groups and are strictly forbidden to others; common to many primal peoples, including the Australian Aborigines; a Polynesian language (among some Polynesian peoples, a sacred prohibition put opon certain people, things or acts which makes them untouchable, unmentionable, etc.).

5. Why is ritual essential if Aboriginal life is to have meaning?
To Aboriginies, it is only through ritual that the sacred power of the Dreaming can be accessed and experienced. Also, the Aboriginal religion is "the process of recreating the mythic past of the Dreaming in order to tap it's sacred power.".

6. How did Aboriginal rituals originate?
Aboriginal rituals are based on a particular myth that 'tells of certain actions of the Ancestors during the Dreaming.". The rituals originated during the Dreaming, when the Ancestors created certain aspects of the world that we live in today.

7. What purposes are served by Aboriginal initiation rituals?
Aboriginal initiation rituals "awaken young people to this spiritual identity, and redefine their social identity within the tribe.". The initiation rituals also symbolize the death of childhood, and prepares the way for the spiritual rebirth, which is a necessary step toward adulthood.

8. Identify two acts of Dieri initiation rituals that symbolize death.
The first initiation ritual, (intended as a symbolic death), the initiate's two lower middle teeth were knocked out and buried in the ground. The main initiation ritual, the Wilyaru, consisted of men taking turns in cutting the forearms of the boy to be initiated (the initiate), until the booy's arms were caked with dried blood.

9. In what part of Africa do the Yoruba live?
The Yoruba live in the western regions of central Africa (Nigeria, Benin and Togo). ("The Yoruba people are not a unified nation, but a group of people with a common language and culture.").

10. Why has the city of Ife always been the center of Yoruba religion?
Ife has always been the center of the Yoruba religion, due to the fact that (the Yoruba believe) the city was there when the god orisha-nla first began to create the world.

11. Briefly describe the Yoruba understanding of the cosmos.
The Yoruba believe that reality is divided into two separate worlds: heaven and earth. They believe that Heaven is the "invisible home of the gods and ancestors". Earth, however, is the world of normal experience, "the visible home of human beings", (who are descended from the gods.).

12. Who is Olorun, and what is his role in Yoruba religion?
Olorun, according to the Yoruba, is "the primary, original source of power in the universe." All  life forms owe their existence to him. However, he is hardly involved in human affairs, and there are no major shrines or sacrifices made to Olorun. Instead, the Orishas function as mediators between Olorun and human beings.

13. What are the orishas? Explain their significance in the religious life of the Yoruba.
The Orishas are lesser deities (compared to the god Olorun), however, they are very significant to the religious life of the Yoruba people. All are sources of sacred power, and can both help or harm humans (depending on how well their particular appeasment rituals are carried out).   

14. Name and briefly describe at least two of the orishas.
 One of the Orishas is Orisha-nla, who (most Yoruba believe) created the earth. The most complex Orisha is Esu, who containd both good and evil properties. Esu mediates between heaven and earth, and is therefore included in the worship of any other orishna, and has a place in every shrine.

15. What is a trickster figure?
A trickster figure is a type of supernatural being who tends to disrupt the normal course of life, found among many primal peoples.
Ex: Esu (among Yoruba), and Inktomi (among the Lakota.).

16. Describe the two types of Yoruba ancestors.
 The two types of Yoruba ancestors are the Family Ancestors and the Deified Ancestors. The Family Ancestors earned a good reputation and lived to a ripe old age, and are worshipped only by their own families. Deified Ancestors were important human figures known throughout Yoruba society, and are worshipped by large numbers of people.

17. Describe the role of Yoruba ritual practitioners.
 Ritual practitioneers mediate between the gods and ancestors in heaven and the human beings on earth. The ritual practitioneers adressed the needs of worshippers attempting to fulfill certain needs, or communicate with the appropriate deity or ancestor.

18. What is divination, and why do the Yoruba regard it as essential?
 Divination is the art or practice that seeks to forsee or fortell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers; unusual insight: intuitive perception. It is essential, due to the fact that it is essential for the Yoruba people to know their own future, in order to determine how to proceed with one's life.
19. According to the interpretation of the latest evidence, when and how do scholars think human beings first came to North America?
 Scholars believe that humans first came to North America about 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. They crossed the Bering Strait (from Asia), and eventually spread out and inhabited large regions of both North and South America.  

20. Why is the religion of the Plains Indians of vital interest among native peoples throughout North America?
 The religion of the Plains Indians are of vital interest among native peoples, due to the fact that it comprised of more than thirty tribes speaking seven distinct languages.

21. What is Wakan Tanka?
 Wakan Tanka is the Lakota name for "the supreme reality" ("most sacred"). It also means "Great Spirit", or "Great Mysterious". It refers to sixteen separate deities.

22. Who is Inktomi?
 Inktomi is one of the first human beings, and the Lakota trickster figure. He taught the first humans their ways and customs, however, he is used as a moral lesson about mistakes and errors of judgement.

23. Briefly describe Lakota beliefs regarding death and the afterlife.
 The Lakota people believe that when a person reaches death, four souls depart that person. One of those souls journeys along the "spirit path" of the Milky Way, and waits to be judged by an old woman, who will either allow it to pass on, or return as a ghost to earth.

24. What do individuals try to gain access to by going on a vision quest?
 Individuals on a vision quest gain access to spiritual power, that will "ensure greater sucess in activities such as hunting, warfare, and curing the ill." It is supervised by a medicine man or woman, or a spiritual leader who gives the individual specific instructions beforehand, and interprets the content of the vision after the individual returns.

25. Briefly describe the structure and function of the sweat lodge.
 The sweat lodge is intended to represent the universe. It is a "dark and airtight hut made of saplings and covered with animal skins". Heated stones are placed in the center and water is sprinkled over them by the medicine man or woman of the tribe. The hot steam that pours from the rocks causes the participants to sweat profusely, symbolizing physical and spiritual purification.

26. Describe a typical vision experienced by a person who undertakes a vision quest.
 On a vision quest, a typical vision comes to the participant near the end of the quest. It is seen to arrive in the form of an animal, and object or a force of nature, and most often there is a specific message that is communicated to the participant, along with the initial vision.  

27. Among the Blackfeet tribe, who presides over the Sun Dance?
A sacred leader, specifically a medicine woman of "outstanding moral character".

28. What is the axis mundi in general? What is the axis mundi in the Sun Dance?
 The Axis Mundi is the "world center" (the connection between Heaven and Earth); Travel correspondence is made between higher and lower realms. Communication from lower realms may ascend to higher ones, and blessings from higher realms may descend to lower ones and be disseminated to all. In the Sun Dance, the axis mundi  would be a cottonwood tree, in which Native Americans would place in the center of a ring of twenty- eight poles (representing the 28 days of the lunar calendar).
29. Why do some participants in the Sun Dance skewer their chests and dance until their flesh tears?
They believe that the only thing that htey truly own is hteir own bodies, so they believe that the only suitable sacrifice to the "supreme being", is  bodily mutilation.

30. In what two ways does the Aztec tradition defy the description of a primal religious tradition? In what ways is the Aztec tradition like other primal religious traditions?
 Unlike other civilizations, the Aztecs were a highly developed civilation (they had a population of 15 million). However, Aztec tradition is still closely realted to primal religious tradition, through the fact that Aztec religion emphasized the interrealtionship between myth and ritual, like other primal religions.

31. What geographical area did Mesoamerica include?
Mesoamerica included most of present- day Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

32. According to Aztec cosmology, what god created and ordered the world? What ancient city is the origin of the cosmos?
 According to Aztec cosmology, Teotihuacan created the sun, which is the source for all life. The ancient city of Teotihuacan is considered by Aztecs to be "the origin of the cosmos.". A cave inside the city was considered the true "center of the Universe", due to the way that the city was designed and layed- out.   

33. Who was Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl? What was his significance for the Aztecs?
 Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl was the long- lost priest- king of the Toltecs.

34. What did the Aztecs call their present age? What did they anticipate it's fate to be?
 The Aztecs called their present age "The Age of the Fifth Sun". They believed that four previous suns had already been destroyed and that the fifth would meet a similar fate. They believed that they only way to prevent this from happening was to nourish the sun continually through human sacrifice.

35. How did the Aztecs understand the spatial world?
The Aztecs understood the spatial world as having four quadrants that extended outward from the center of the universe (the axis mundi). They believed that the axis mundi connected the earthly realm to the "many- layered heavenly realm" above, and the "many- layered underworld" below. 

36. Why did the Aztecs regard each human being as sort of axis mundi?
 The Aztecs regarded each human as an axis mundi, due to the fact that they offered up certain sacrifices to specific forces. For example, the heart would be offered up to the sun, as a way to "sustain the fragile cosmos."

37. What were the special religious capabilities of the Aztec knowers of things?
 The Aztec "knowers of things" were able to communicate with the gods and make offerings through language, versus through sacrifice. They also favored wit and commonly employed riddles.

38. What historical coincidence contributed to the fall of Tenochtitlan to the Spaniards?
 The fall of Tenochtitlan was partially due to the Aztec's religion. When Cortes and his Spanis army arrived in 1521, the Aztec king, Moctezuma II (Montezuma) believed Cortes to be the long- lost priest- king, Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, which eventually led to the fall of the city, and eventually, the collapse of the Aztec Empire.

39. How does the popular Day of the Dead show the survival of Aztec religious culture?
 The celebration (which takes place at the end of October, and beginning of November), joins both the living and the dead through festive and spiritually meaningful rituals. They also perform other rituals of a similar nature/form throughout the course of the year, devoted to the showing and displaying of Aztec religious culture.

40. What three themes are shared by the primal religions studied in this chapter?
One theme that is shared by the four primal religions, is that the boundaries between the supernatural and the human worlds are easily crossed. Another theme is the "all-encomapssing" nature of religion.

World Religions: Primal Religion Terms

1. Axis Mundi: The "world center" (the connection between Heaven and Earth); Travel correspondence is made between higher and lower realms. Communication from lower realms may ascend to higher ones, and blessings from higher realms may descend to lower ones and be disseminated to all.
Ex:
 
2. Taboo:  A system of social ordering that dictates that specific objects and activities, owing to their sacred nature, are set aside for specific groups and are strictly forbidden to others; common to many primal peoples, including the Australian Aborigines; A Polynesian language (among some Polynesian peoples, a sacred prohibition put opon certain people, things or acts which makes them untouchable, unmentionable, etc.).
3. Totem: (an Algonquian language): An animal or natural object considered as being ancestrally realted to a given kin or descent group taken as it's symbol (a symbol, especially one held in high regard).
Ex: A Totem pole:

4. Trickster: A person who tricks; cheat (tricksy: full of tricks; playful; mischievous).
5. Vision Quest: A rite of passage in some Native American cultures; the ceremony is one of the most universal and ancient means to find spiritual guideance and purpose; can provide a deep understanding of one's life purpose.
6. Divination: The art or practice that seeks to forsee or fortell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers; unusual insight: intuitive perception.
Ex: The art of reading tea leaves:

7. Pantheism: The belief that everything composes an all- encompassing, immanent God, or that the Universe (or nature) is identical with divinity.
8. Polytheism: The belief in multiple gods.
9. Monotheism: the belief in the existence of one god or in the oneness of God; the belief in one personal and transcendent God.
Ex: The God shared by the religions of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism:
 
10. Revelation (in religious context): The revealing or disclosing of some form of truth through supposed communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities.
Ex: The Revelation of St. John:

11. Transcendence: abstract, meta- physical. In Katian philosophy, based on those elements of experience which derive not from sense data, but from the inherent organizing function of the mind, and which are the necessary conditions of human knowledge; trancending sense experience but not knowledge.
12. Empathy: The projection of one's own personality into the personality of another in order to understand the person better; ability to share in another's emotions, thoughts, or feelings.

Extra Credit Movie Essay- Reflection

Extra Credit Movie Reflection

Alfred Hitchcock: “I Confess”

2. Why did the priest remain faithful to his vow to never reveal anything from a confession when it would have been easier on him to just reveal the information? What does the movie's resolution at the end demonstrate Hitchcock's own view of God? How would you have ended the movie? (15 points, 300-400 words)

In Alfred Hitchcock’s film “I Confess”, Father Logan remained faithful to his vow never to reveal anything from a confession. Personally, I believe that there are several reasons as to why he would’ve done this. He did not want to break the sacred bonds of confession, due to the fact that he had very strong beliefs in the vows that he took when he was ordained as a priest. In the sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession), a priest must not reveal the sins that have been expressed to him.  He is bound by his oath and the vows that he took when he was ordained, and if he had broken them, it would be an infringement on his accreditation as a priest.

At the end of the movie, Hitchcock uses imagery, as with his other works as well, to send a message to the audience. For example, during Father Logan’s trial, the Church’s bells were ringing. This could’ve symbolized the approaching “doom” for the Father, as he was very close to being found guilty. The bells could also symbolize the “doom for the truth”; as the film draws to a close, the truth dawns on the people of the court. Similarly, as most church bells symbolize a beginning or a start, they could also symbolize the beginning of the truth, when they discover that Father Logan is innocent.

Another symbol is the Crucifix that Hitchcock places on the wall of the courthouse. It is not only suggesting the priest’s relationship to God, but also the relationship between God and the court. By having the cross hang on the wall above the jury’s heads, Hitchcock could be hinting at the pressure that was placed upon the jury, due to the fact that it was a priest that they were accusing. I also think that Hitchcock could have been saying that Father Logan’s trial is very similar to Jesus’. The Crucifix is hanging on the wall almost waiting to bring him to his fate. As the jury had the ability to decide whether or not Father Logan was guilty or innocent, they held the power to condemn him to death (because if he was found guilty, Logan too would be sentenced to death as any other murderer). In this way, with Logan’s trial under the jury and Jesus’ under Pontius Pilate, and both are wrongly accused and innocent, Hitchcock could have been drawing distinct similarities between Father Logan, (as a priest, a representative for God on earth) and Jesus, the true God. Also, by placing it directly over the jury, Hitchcock could also be the weight of the decision that is placed on the jury (just as Jesus had to bear the weight of the cross, the jury has to carry the burden of deciding Father Logan’s future).