PARADISE CHRISTIAN CHURCH : What Is Ifa?

What Is Ifa?

A lecture by Prof Idowu Odeyemi. With due respect to the practitioners of “African Religion”, I wish to state that, until now, writers and even thinkers have tended to overlook a fundamentally important aspect of the religion, that is, the existence of a strand which threads and knits together all aspects of the universal religious world view, culture and tradition. It is Ifa. All books which have been written on this very sacred aspect of our lives as Africans (and there are several books, written by both Africans and non-Africans) merely treat Ifa as if it were a collection of verses, parables anecdotes and even parodies! Even educated Africans perceive Ifa merely as literature material for the attainment of doctorate degrees and professorial status (Awolalu, Mbiti, Idowu among others) and for sale in schools and colleges for material gain. According to Professor Wole Soyinka (a Yoruba and the first Black Nobel Laureate) in response to an interview with Ulli Beer (Tempo, 6th Nov. 1997 p.8) “It is a very curious phenomenon that Yoruba scholars are reluctant to come to terms with Yoruba (lfa) religion.

The worst part of it is that those fellows who speak about “false consciousness” … are all totally preconditioned. Even when they are trying to ‘be objective about ‘African religion’ in general, they are totally incapable of relating to it. They say it is a contemporary world. What use is Traditional Religion today? … and I feel tempted to say to them What use is a system of beliefs like Islam or Christianity in the contemporary world? And they cannot see that they have totally failed to make the leap: to take Yoruba (Ifa) religion on the same level as any system of belief in the world; that they are committing a serious scholarship lapse. In other words they are totally brainwashed by what I call these “elaborate structures superstition” – Islam and Christianity particularly. They have accepted these as absolute facts of life which cannot be questioned. They lack the comparative sense of being able to see Yoruba (lfa) religion as just another system – superstition, belief, world view, cosmogony or whatever. You have to do it on the same level with any other system. Once you do that, many questions which have been asked become totally redundant because they have not been asked about other religions. But when our scholars come up against their own religion, their faculty of comparison completely disappears!” So, rather than take that giant leap of faith (so to speak!), Yoruba (and African) “scholars” on African religion are too timid to accept their very Africanness as an inexorable fact.

The liquid of TRUTH (IFA) being too bitter and unsavoury to swallow, they thus become hardened alcoholics of illogically and unabashed peevishness. For instance, if Olodumare is God in Yoruba belief, with attributes which are universal, non-tribal, and non-partial, with no chosen race, with fundamental laws which have universal and pan-ontological applicability, why run away from such an Almighty Megaforce and cling to a sectional Jewish Deity who abandoned his own creation and chose a small desert race as his “chosen people”? This unfortunate oversight and crass self-abnegation has led to the absence of a Holy Book and instead, a proliferation of magazines, pamphlets, treatises, commercial books and so on. Yet, although such proliferation serves to keep Ifa perpetually on the table of universal religious discourse, Ifa is not merely a collection of verses, proverbs, parables and anecdotes. Ifa is God’s sacred message to mankind.

It is the embodiment of the totality of human existence. It is. As Orunmila (BA) told us in Ejiogbe 1:36, the basis for understanding the beginning and end of all things: Orunmila ni hunhun un un Ifa mo ni ki lo se o ti o nkun si Bara Elesin Oyan? Orunmila ki lo se o ti o nkun si Bara Adagba Ojomu? lfa ki lo se o ti o nkun si Baara Agbonnin!igun, Okinkin tii j’eyin erin o fon? O l’oro lo po ninu oun Oun o r’eni t’a a M a so ni Ogun ni oun nko? Meebi ore ni wa? Orunmila ni t’oran ore ko Eni to mo iwaju oro to meyin oro loun o ri Ogun loun moo, 0 mooti Gbogbo okookanlenu /runmole l’awon moo Won mooti Won ni Orunmila, iwo nko? Orunmila ni oun o mo iwaju oro at’eyin oro O ni Ifa lo mo iwaju oro to meyin oro Ifa, Olodumare, Atenilegelege, fori sapeji! Through Ifa is revealed the Great Mysteries of life. Only Ifa explains the reasons for the existence of life, living, death, sickness, success, failure, poverty, wealth, life before birth and life after death. Only IFA reveals the spiritual basis for reincarnative experience; why no living thing, having sucked from the, breasts of mother Nature, will fail to taste the bitter truth of death (Ogbe Tomopon, 27:6), Why ORI is more important than religion, why we all chart different courses during our sojourn on planet Earth, and why sacrifice is pivotal to the lives of men of all races and all religions (Okanran-Osa, 130:12). Only Ifa tells it exactly as it is. In short, only Ifa guides the life of man from cradle to grave!

Although, as a result of close association through the several millennia, Orunmila has been regarded as being synonymous with Ifa (the two names are actually frequently interchanged in the Sacred Verses) this, in realitv is not so. Ifa as the embodiment of Olodumare is the ultimate level of esoteric consciousness, a level attained only by Orunmila. Presumably anyone can reach that level, but so far, it is not achievable by mere mortals. According to Osa Meji 10:18, we all live a live of perpetual struggle (to reach the level of Ifa). Orunmila is not Ifa just as for instance, OGUN is not Iron, Mohammed is not the Quoran, Moses is not the Bible, Orunmila is the harbinger and interpreter of the Divine Message of Olodumare. That message is Ifa. Clearly, Orunmila hears and understands the message, but he is different and detached from it. Orunmila, as the Deputy of Olodumare in all things pertaining to omniscience, wisdom and spiritual salvation knows the secrets of man’s being He was with Olodumare is the beginning and knows how creation was begun and completed.

He is endowed with the extraordinary wisdom and foreknowledge, an attribute, which allows Him to perceive the beginning and end of all things. He is present when each individual is created and when each individual’s Destiny is sealed. Thus, Orunmila can predict what will come to pass and prescribe remedies to effect or avert eventualities. Ifa, as the Divine Message is the Word, which was with Olodumare in the beginning. The Word is Olodumare, in as much as the Word (Ifa) cannot be divorced from its owner (Olodumare). In the many aspects which comprise human existence on earth, Yorubas and other Africans consult Ifa in order to know the wishes of Olodumare. Ifa, throughout the history of Yorubas over the past several millennia, has always been an essential part of life. The real key to the life of the Yorubas lies in Ifa. It forms the foundation of the all-governing principle of life for them. Before a betrothal, before a marriage, before a child is born, at the birth of the child, at successive stages in one’s life, before an Oba is enthroned, before a chief is installed, before anyone is appointed to civic office, before a war is prosecuted, before a journey is made, in times of crises, in times of sickness, at any and all times, Ifa is consulted for guidance and assurance. Because Orunmila is the Great Interpreter of Ifa and Witness to Destiny, both He and Ifa are held by Yorubas of whatever religious persuasion with awe, respect and reverence.

Even the Catholic Priest respect Ifa and now quotes freely from the Sacred Verses. So does the Anglican Bishop and the Muslim Scholar. Orunmila himself seeks guidance from Olodumare through Ifa. Ifa is not a message for Yorubas alone. It is the Divine Message of Olodumare to mankind and for all those who seek to receive it. Ifa’s universal relevance lies in the fact that, when an individual from any race, colour or creed approaches an Ifa Priest for a personal message, Ifa may reveal a message national, continental or even global importance. For instance, the message may be a warning of an approaching war, famine, or pestilence, although the message – seeker may be concerned only about marriage! As a result of the spread of Ifa over the millennia, it has assumed different names in different countries and among different races. Thus, it is called Ifa among the Edos of Nigeria, Fa among the Fon of Republic of Benin. Eva BY Nupes, Ifa in Cuba, USA, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Surinarm and Haiti, Afa by the Ewe of Togo, Ephod by Jews, Geomancy by Europeans and Malagasy, as well as Ramal or Hati by Arabs. Ifa is also widespread in Africa… It is practiced among the Igbos of Eastern Nigeria, the Kamuku and Gwari of Northern Nigeria, the Igbirra in South Central Nigeria like Jukun of Eastern Nigeria, and all the tribes in the region around the Cross Rivers. Among the Siwah people in the Sahara, Ifa is known as “Derb el’raml” or “Derb el fu” It is also widely practiced in Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Sierra Leone as well as in Liberia. The Napoleon Book of Fate is based entirely on Ifa.

The Jewish Kabbala is based on Ifa. Indeed since Ifa is coexistent with Olodumare, the actual title of Ifa is Ifa Olodumare. Others call Him Orisa Agbaye (Lord of the Universe), Olorun (Owner of Heaven), Oodua (creator of Character and Destiny). Orunmila, in order to make access to the retrieval of the Divine Message (Ifa) easy, devised the computer compatible binary coding system, thousands of years before the emergence of computer consciousness in so-called modern man! So, Ifa is preserved in binary coded format and is output Parable – Format. Ifa is coded within 256 Odus or Corpus, each Odu representing an esoteric pigeonhole, itself divisible into 256 sub-holes. Within each of the 256 Odus, there are 1,680 Sacred Verses all presented in Parable – Format. Thus, the body of Ifa consists of 430,080 messages for mankind. That is why one of Orunmila’s appellations is “Oluwa mi, amoomotan” (My Lord,

n” (My Lord, unfathomable!) This compendium constitutes the AKASHA, kept by Olodumare (the Omnipotent God), from which revelations are made to man throughout the entire length and breadth of the universe.

These revelations are made through the medium of selected individuals called “Orisa”, “Prophets”, “Messengers”, “Apostles”, “Saviours”, “Avatars”, “Messiahs” etc. Ifa does therefore represent the Greatest Unwritten Holy Book on Earth, a perennial fountain of esoteric knowledge from which all Orisas, Prophets, Messengers, Messiahs, Apostles past, present and future sip and which message they spread at different times in human history to diverse peoples in their respective habitats. The Holy Quran puts it very clearly in Suratul AI Nahl (The Bee) Chapter 16:36 “Among every nation, we raise a Messenger with the message: serve God and eschew the Devil” It is from this theme that the “Law of the Prophets” was formulated. Ifa is thus the source of the keynote to all Religions on Earth. To this aspect, we shall return later.

THE EIGHT ESSENCES OF IFA A thorough study of the ramifications of Ifa shows that it comprises eight basic essences, listed as follows: i. The Spiritual Essence: This relates to the place of man (as a spirit) in the cosmos, the powers of matter and all aspects of ontological evolution and development. ii. The Religious Essence: This relates to faith, catechism and Ifagelism (Preaching) iii. The Divine Essence: This relates to the methods of Divination and accessing of esoteric information; the mechanics of Divination and the systematics of Divine Message collection, processing and interpretation. iv. The Worship and Sacrificial Essence: This relates to the basis and meaning of worship and sacrifice. v. The Medicinal Essence: This deals with both magical and materialist medicine vi.

The Historical Essence: This deals with the history of all creation, including the creation of materialist, non-materialist and spirit worlds. vii. The Scientific Essence: This deals with the power of observation, axiomatic, astronomy, cosmology, cognitive and pre-cognitive experience, astral science, physical and biological sciences, logic, philosophy mathematics, statistics and computer science. viii. The Cultural Essence: This relates to rites, rituals, politics, socio-economics, language dress and normative value systems. As it is obvious, these eight essences of Ifa are also in the main, coincident with the human essences, of planet earth and the non-human essences in the entire universe. It is also clear that Religion, Worship and Sacrifice are but few aspects of what constitutes the Divine Message known as Ifa. It constitutes what is also known as the Great Mystery System. Thus, while Ifa Religion represents the transcendental and Evangelical (Ifagelical) dimension of Ifa worldview, Worship and Sacrifice epitomize the corrective and restorative facets of that worldview.

Source From: City V oice, Written By: Prof Idowu Odeyemi

IFA = The Mystery System…

Divine Message Of Olodumare To Mankind…

“There is not childbearing woman who cannot give birth to an Ifa priest. There is no childbearing woman who cannot give birth to Orunmila. Our father, if he gives birth to us in full, inevitably we shall in time give birth to him in turn. Our mother, if she gives birth to us in full, inevitably we shall in time give birth to her in turn. Ifa oracle was consulted for Orunmila, who said he would bring the heaven down to earth, he would take the earth back to heaven. In order to accomplish his mission, he was asked to offer everything in twos, one male and one female – one ram and one ewe, one he-goat and one she-goat, one cock and one hen, and so on. Orunmila heeded the advice and performed the sacrifice. Thus the earth became fruitful and multiplied greatly.”

” Ifa is not merely a collection of verses, proverbs, parables and anecdotes. Ifa is God’s sacred message to mankind. It is the embodiment of the totality of human existence.”

Ifa is the Divine Message of Olodumare to mankind and for all those who seek to receive it. Ifa’s universal relevance lies in the fact that, when an individual from any race, color or creed approaches an Ifa Priest for a personal message, Ifa may reveal a message national, continental or even global importance. For instance, the message may be a warning of an approaching war, famine, or pestilence…

THE EIGHT ESSENCES OF IFA – The Spiritual Essence: This relates to the place of man (as a spirit) in the cosmos, the powers of matter and all aspects of ontological evolution and development. The Religious Essence: This relates to faith, catechism and preaching. The Divine Essence: This relates to the methods of Divination and accessing of esoteric information; the mechanics of Divination and the systems of Divine Message collection, processing and interpretation. The Worship and Sacrificial Essence: This relates to the basis and meaning of worship and sacrifice. The Medicinal Essence: This deals with both magical and materialist medicine. The Historical Essence: This deals with the history of all creation, including the creation of materialist, non-materialist and spirit worlds. The Scientific Essence: This deals with the power of observation, axiomatic, astronomy, cosmology, cognitive experience, astral science, physical and biological sciences, logic, philosophy mathematics, statistics and computer science. The Cultural Essence: This relates to rites, rituals, politics, socio-economics, language dress and normative value systems. As it is obvious, these eight essences of Ifa are also in the main, coincident with the human essences, of planet earth and the non-human essences in the entire universe.

As a divinatory system centered on the intersection between aspects of the self, free will and destiny, it can inspire explorations of the nature of the self, and of relationships between human will and the factors that shape the course of human life. As a mathematical system, it can be adapted to the use of mathematics as a means of mapping ideas and phenomena, even up to scales as broad and as elaborate as the cosmos, one view represented for me by Babalawo-Adept of the esoteric knowledge of Ifa. As a literary system, it can motivate literary study, and inspire the reworking of its literature to create new, hybrid forms or the development of entirely new forms. As a system making unusual claims about the nature of phenomena, it can act as an inspiration for examining the question of the mode of existence of non- material forms, such as mathematical structures and other ideas.

On account of these adaptive possibilities, Ifa as a cognitive matrix in which several discipline constellate and from which they may derive inspiration. Along those lines, demonstrates an effort of mine to proceed with such an adaptation using an Opon Ifa around which orbit images of the Odu Ifa, the organizational categories and active agents of Ifa. In the lines the Odu Ifa are correlated with various aspects of existence. This style of adapting Ifa derives from its character as a divinatory system but one which may be adapted for uses beyond that older orientation.

The Odu Ifa are spirits who represent all possibilities of existence, from the concrete to the abstract, from the temporal to the situational. One way of adapting this idea is that of correlating the Odu with forms one understands as the primary categories of existence. These derivations operate at various levels based on the expansion of one unit into two units in which the second unit is a variation of the first one. The original two units then constitute the template in terms of which another two units are generated as variations of the first two. These four primal units are then used as templates for the creation of another twelve units which are variations of the first four units. The set of sixteen units thus generated is them employed as a framework for creating another two hundred and forty units, which are variations of the structure of the first sixteen units.

This sequence of derivations may be adapted to the development of an increasing number of ideas or principles from a few constituent ideas or principles. The underlying ideas could demonstrate what are understood to be the most broadly summative of principles in that system while the other ideas could be derivations from these underlying forms. Using such a process of derivation, one could adapt the description of the Odu as demonstrating all possibilities of existence. One could describe the primary Odu in terms of the most fundamental principles of existence and the other Odu that derive from the primary Odu as the subdivisions of these primary principles.

Oyegbade Latona – Ojugbona Awo Osogbo Osun State Nigeria

Using that strategy, the collage above depicts the first Odu, Eji Ogbe, as correlative with mind, because consciousness may be seen as the fundamental quality necessary for perceiving existence. Without consciousness, the cosmos would exist but no entity would register that existence. The fact of the existence of the cosmos or of any phenomena would be unknown. The second Odu, Oyeku Meji, is linked with matter, because existence, as currently accessible in an uncontroversial sense by human beings, is dependent on matter, be it matter known to be living, this being humans, animals and plants, or matter not conventionally understood as living, such as rocks and air. The third Odu, Iwori Meji, is identified with space because matter necessarily implies space since matter occupies space. Space is also central to cognition because the human being, composed of mind operating in terms of matter, uses space in orienting itself. The human form is structured in terms of spatial orientation towards the front, two sides- left and right, and the back, this being primary templates for the description of space in terms of east, west, north and south. The fourth Odu, Odi Meji, is depicted in terms of time, since movement in space implies motion in time.

The ultimate markers of time, the revolutions of the celestial bodies, demonstrate spatial motion at the largest scales. Other primary markers of time, such as the developmental cycles of terrestrial forms, of which the human body and mind are central but which also includes animals, plants and geological forms, are not dependent on motion in space, but may be described metaphorically in terms of motion purely in time. The remaining twelve of the foundation-set of sixteen Odu ifa are then described as derivatives of mind, matter, space and time, demonstrating specificities of these four primal units.. Perhaps the model would be more comprehensive if forms of matter are also explicitly included in the subdivisions, but I am reflecting on that for a possible future development of the model.

Including the subdivisions of matter would be vital because Ifa operates in terms of a cosmology grounded in an understanding of Ashe, a cosmic force that enables existence and change, being and becoming, as pervading all forms of existence, and enabling mutuality of existence between various forms of being, this mutuality being meditated through, or understood in terms of, the Orisha Eshu, whose face is an invariable feature of every Opon Ifa, craved into its border, overlooking the empty space where the dialogue between forms of being takes place within a divinatory session, a symbolic construct that may be adapted to an understanding of Ifa divination as analogous to the emergence of possibilities through the intersection of forms of being from within the interactive space symbolized by the empty centre of the Opon Ifa. After all, divination is meant to address practical issues that come up in people’s daily lives, issues for which they think their own intelligence or human intelligence as they understand it is too limited to address adequately, so they go to a diviner, a person understood to demonstrate access to supernatural knowledge and power. So, if one is adapting a divinatory system, should one not also try to see how far one can go with developing that adaptation into a cognitive force which may be applied in daily life.

As Orunmila told us in Ejiogbe: The basis for understanding the beginning and end of all things. Through Ifa is revealed the Great Mysteries of life. Only Ifa explains the reasons for the existence of life, living, death, sickness, success, failure, poverty, wealth, life before birth and life after death. Only Ifa reveals the spiritual basis for reincarnation experience; why no living thing, having sucked from the, breasts of mother Nature, will fail to taste the bitter truth of death. Only Ifa tells it exactly as it is. In short, only Ifa guides the life of man from cradle to grave! Although, as a result of close association through the several millennia, Orunmila has been regarded as being synonymous with Ifa (the two names are actually frequently interchanged in the Sacred Verses). Ifa as the embodiment of Olodumare is the ultimate level of esoteric consciousness, a level attained only by Orunmila. Presumably anyone can reach that level, but so far, it is not achievable by mere mortals.

The real key to life lies in Ifa: It forms the foundation of the all-governing principle of life for them. Before a betrothal, before a marriage, before a child is born, at the birth of the child, at successive stages in one’s life, before a King is enthroned, before a chief is installed, before anyone is appointed to civic office, before a war is prosecuted, before a journey is made, in times of crises, in times of sickness, at any and all times, Ifa is consulted for guidance and assurance. Because Orunmila is the Great Interpreter of Ifa and witness to destiny. Orunmila himself seeks guidance from Olodumare through Ifa.

It is also clear that Religion, Worship and Sacrifice are but few aspects of what constitutes the Divine Message known as Ifa. It constitutes what is also known as the Great Mystery System. Thus, while Ifa Religion represents the transcendental and Evangelical dimension of Ifa worldview, Worship and Sacrifice epitomize the corrective and restorative facets of that worldview.

Predestination – Kadara , Ayanmo, Ipin, Or Akose jaye

Yoruba people of the archaic days strongly believed in predestination. They rush to the shrine to confirm a newborn’s predestination/Akose-jaye. That apart, before they embark on any significant task, they would consult a priest to ensure it conforms with their Kadara.

Yoruba people strongly believe each person’s Kadara is unique just as DNA is, they say ‘ori ti taiyelolu yan koni ti kehinde’ ‘ise teni kan se to dolola, elomi se je gbese’ again there is ‘eni o gba kadara, a gba kodoro’

Having said that, some modern Yorubas ignorantly subvert the importance of Kadara, they maintain it isn’t real or that it’s superstitious but they ask their pastors and imams for prayers on important tasks of life such as jobs, investments, relationships etc. Asking here may be to pray over the tasks so as to become suitable or successful and they surmise whatever feedback they get but subconsciously , it is to ask if the mission aligns with their destinies, that’s its metaphysics.

The Yoruba will say ‘Akunle yan ni adaye ba’ meaning we had consciously implored Olodumare of our chosen destinies prior to our arrival on Aye. That quote often goes fully thus ‘Akunle yan ladaye ba, ade ayetan oju nkan wa ‘ the concluding part states upon our arrival, we often want to expedite the good part of our kadara, we put the cart before the horse, we forget that some events serve as precedents for future comfort. We often become impatient of what was agreed to by ourselves and Olodumare.

Kadara comes in two folds, the good and the bad. The good is often referred to as Kadara and the bad as Ipin (sometimes Ayanmo). Ipin is defined as our own fair share of bad occurrence at Ile-aye as no one lives without having their own time of turbulence.

The Yoruba religion believes predestination isn’t changeable (Ayanmo o gbo ogun) other than to exploit and make the most of it as there is always light at the end of the tunnel. It is also believed that enemies can delay Kadara through the use of a sorcerer however, ultimately, Kadara must prevail (Ota o le pa Kadara da, won kan le fowo ago sehin). It is therefore imperative for one to guard one’s Kadara spiritually. Other religions in the likes of Christianity and Islam hold this superficial belief that prayers can change ill-fated destiny into good.

Atheists believe a man should face the world as it is i.e. his skills, ability, society, laws and other fundamental factors (some within his control and some beyond) attached to a man are his supposed destiny which comes as a result of natural circumstance.

Ps: Kadara, Ayanmo and Ipin can be used interchangeably.

Source & Written By: Bola Olalekan

Origin Of Ogun – God Of Iron

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Many myths and legends exist as to the origin of Ogun. Much of the knowledge of the deity is based on the fact that he was one of the earliest divinities. He loved hunting and was referred to as “Osin-Imole”, that is, the Chief among the divinities. He cleared the thick impenetrable way with his iron implements for other the divinities when he was coming from heaven to possess the earth. Being a ruthless deity, he lived in seclusion at the top of the hill where he went about hunting. Tired of secluded life, he decided to go for a settled life, which he had rejected earlier on. He came down from the hilltop in a garment of fire and blood but could not find an abode in any community. So he borrowed fronds from the palm-tree and headed for Ire where he was made king. Hence, the name Ogun Onire (Ogun, the Lord of Ire) was given to him.

The Ogun Festival in Ondo: The Ogun festival is celebrated in Ondo between the months of August and September every year. According to Olupona the preparation for the festival commences seventeen days before the actual Ogun day at the appearance of the new moon. At an early morning ceremony in the house of Ayadi, the ritual specialist of Ogun public worship, the upe (a traditional trumpet made from a long gourd) is sounded to notify the people of the on-coming festival. The sound of upe then becomes a common feature throughout the period of the festival, which lasts seven days. The sound of the upe is very significant because it carries messages which are sometimes complimentary and at other times abusive from one youth to the other.

During the seventeen-day interval, the worshippers of Ogun assemble in groups to praise the divinity and other past cultural heroes associated with him, such as Jomun Ila.

On a major market day, which is nine days before the festival, the king’s emissary makes the official announcement of the ceremony. Many activities are usually carried out in preparation for the festival, among which is the communal clearing of paths and the repairing of bridges and other footpaths. Five days to the festival, a few households perform a ceremony called aleho.

There are usually three parts to the ceremony – aisun ogun (night vigil), ogun ale (night ogun) and ogun owuo (morning ogun celebration). The procession involves all traditional and modern day professionals and guilds. Every possible professional group in Ondo – such as blacksmiths, medicine men and women, drivers, hunters, tailors, barbers, to mention just a few, participate in this celebration. The only exceptions are probably civil servants and white-collar workers. Most of them are usually dressed in rags, palm- fronds with their faces and bodies smeared with blue dye, white powder and or charcoal. Some, however, use that period to show affluence and nobility by wearing unusually beautiful multicoloured outfits.

The Osemawe is not left out of this festivity. He usually leads the early morning procession. He wears a beaded crown that covers his whole face with white sheet tied on his left shoulder over his agbada (flowing gown). Others such the high chiefs, medicine men and other trades men follow the king’s procession. Every professional demonstrates his trade. The most esteemed group is the traditional medicine men referred to as oloogun (medicine people). They are attired in medicine garments laced with all kinds of frightening herbal substances. This group usually engages young school children to write signposts, which display the name of their pedigree and praise names, some with warnings written in proverbs and the metaphorical magico-medical expertise of the oloogun.

This serves as a warning to the general public. The following are examples of such signposts:

i). Eni ti o ba fi oju ana wo oku

He who looks upon today’s dead with the same eyes that saw the living.

ii). Ebora a bo l’aso.

Will have his clothe removed by the spirit.

iii). Ati pe eni ti oju eni ti ju eni lo.

He who is above one is above one.

iv). Bi uya lila ba a gbonen sanle.

If one is brought down by big trouble.

v). Kekee a ka gun oiho onen

Smaller problems come up too.

vi). Opekete ndagba

As the palm-tree grows up,

vii). Inu Adama nbaje

The palm wine tapper becomes sad

viii). Ase i s’amodoun

Many happy returns of this festival

ix). Ogun ye mo ye

Ogun lives and I live too.

When Ayadi ushers Ogun in, he must sacrifice dogs (aja) and tortoise (aghon) and pour libations at the shrine of Ogun. It is the general belief in Ondo that a dog is Ogun’s favourite meat. Thus during Ogun festival, dogs are usually mercilessly immolated. The Ondo people do not in any way regard a dog as a pet as the western people do. Ondo people seldom eat dog meat but they frequently sacrifice dogs to appease Ogun. Hence, their neighbours nicknamed them Ondo aj’aja that is, Ondo the dog eater. The sacrifice of dogs is the climax of the ritual and by this, the blood flows into the shrine.

Ogun is the kernel of Ondo’s popular religion for many reasons. During O gun festival, every section of the society is represented. It is only during this festival that children, domestic servants, foreigners, artisans, traditional circumcision doctors, religious and political authorities perform as devotees of Ogun. As the divinity is tied to professionalism, everybody participates. For example, warriors, blacksmiths, traders and even women who hardly participate in other Ondo festivals play very significant roles in these festivities. Certainly, it is a time when women-dominated professions such as traditional medical paediatrics (alagbo omode or olomitutu) and women’s market associations display their wares and advertise their profession.

Furthermore, during this festival, people show their indebtedness to Ogun as the founder of iron and metals, which are essential ingredients for technological development. It should be noted that sacrifices are made to ogun from time to time, particularly whenever a journey is going to be undertaken. It is not surprising then that the importance and fierceness of ogun is captured in this proverb: “Onen yo ri ibi ogun ti gbe’je de sa eyin jija e fa i”. (Whoever sees ogun where it is taking blood and does not run, certainly has problem with his heels).

It should also be emphasized that Ogun festival serves as an occasion whereby the memory of deceased ancestors and cultural heroes are commemorated. The worshippers of Ogun proclaim O gun’s praise-names as follows:

Ogun lakaiye, osin imole – Ogun, the strong one of the earth, Chief among the deities

Ogun alada meji, ofi okan san’ko, o fi Okan ye’na – Ogun, the possessor of two matchets; with one he prepares the farm, and with

the other he clears the road.

Ojo Ogun nti ori oke bo – The day Ogun was coming down from the hilltop.

Aso ina l’o mu bora, ewu eje l’o wo – He was clothed in fire and bloodstained garment.

Ogun onile owo, olona ola – Ogun, the owner of the house of money, the owner of the house of riches.

Ogun onile kangunkangun orun – The owner of the innumerable houses of heaven.

O pon omi s’ile f’eje we – He has water in the house but takes his bath with blood.

Ogun awon l’eyin ju, egbe lehin omo orukan – Ogun whose eyeballs are rare (to behold), protector of orphans.

Ogun m’eje l’ogun mi – There are seven ogun who belong to me.

Ogun Alara ni igba’ja – Ogun of Alara takes dogs.

Ogun Onire a gba’ gbo – Ogun of Onire habitually takes rams.

Ogun ikola a gba’ gbin – Ogun of surgery habitually takes snails.

Ogun Elemona nii gba esun ’su – Ogun Elemona takes roasted yam.

Ogun a ki’run ni iwo agbo – Ogun a ki’run habitually takes ram’s horn.

Ogun gbena gbena eran awun nii je – Ogun of Ogun gbena gbena eran awun nii je – Ogun of the artisans eats the flesh of tortoise.

Ogun Makinde ti d’ogun l’ehin odi – Ogun Makinde has become the ogun after the city wall.

Nje nibo l’ati pade Ogun? – By the way, where did we meet Ogun?

A pade ogun nibi ija – We met ogun in the battlefield.

A Pade Ogun nibi ita – We met Ogun at the junction.

A pade re nibi agbara eje naa – We also met him at the pool of blood.

A gbara eje ti i de ni l’orun bi omi ago – The pool of blood that reaches the neck like a cup of water.

Orisa t’o ni t’ogun ko to nkan – Whichever divinity regards ogun as of no consequence.

A f’owo je’su re nigba aimoye – Will eat his yams with his hands (without a knife) times without number.

E ma b’ogun fi ija sere – Do not joke about war with Ogun.

Ara Ogun kan go-go-go – Ogun is anxiously waiting to strike.

Source From: Ondo Development Committee Achieve.

Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove And Susanne Wenger What You Never Knew Before Now

History, Religion, Tradition, travel Comments Off on Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove And Susanne Wenger What You Never Knew Before Now 1,519 Views

Susanne Wenger, born July 4, 1915 in Graz, Austria. She studied art in Austria and in Vienna before travelling to Paris in 1949, where she met Ulli Beier, a German linguist. When he was offered a position as a phonetician in Ibadan, Nigeria, shortly afterwards, they decided to marry so she could accompany him. She arrived Nigeria in 1949.

They arrived first in Ibadan to the nearby town of Ede in 1950 to escape the “artificial university compound”. In Ede, she met one of the last priests of the rapidly disappearing, ancestral-based Olorisha religion. She quickly became engrossed in his life and rituals, though at that time she spoke no Yoruba. During this period, she and Beier mentored a group of local artists that later became the ‘New Sacred Art Movement’, creating many of the giant sculptural works that beautify the sacred grove.

Suzanne Wenger, was the goddess of Osun shrine, a devoted high priest, Adunni Olorisa, was her adopted Yoruba name. She was an artist, Priestess and philosopher.

She made enormous efforts to preserve the sacred grove of Osun, a forest along the banks of the Oshun river just outside Osogbo, which she turned into a sculpture garden filled with art made by her and others.

She helped us to add value to what he had, she improved the way the world reacted to African tradition and religion. She helped us, in the listing of Osun groove in Oshogbo in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage List in 2005.

Wenger and Beier eventually separated, she remained in Osogbo to continue her work and became even more immersed in her training as a priestess. In 1959 she married a local drummer, Chief Alarape, and adopted more than a dozen Yoruba children. As her influence increased, the grove became a meeting point for artists and those that celebrated Yoruba.

She protected the Osun-Osogbo or Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, the sacred forest along the banks of the Osun river just outside the city of Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Before her arrival, in the 1950’s, the Osun-Osogbo withnessed massive desecration, the shrines were neglected, priests abandoned the grove as customary responsibilities and sanctions weakened. The natives violated the prohibited acts of fishing, hunting and felling of trees in the grove. Wenger with the encouragement of the Ataoja and the support of the local people, she formed the New Sacred Art Movement to challenge land speculators, repel poachers, protect shrines and begin the long process of bringing the sacred place back to life by establishing it. Annually the Osun-Osgogbo festival is now celebrated in the month of August at the grove, with Osun worshippers, spectators and tourists from all walks of life. Yours Sincerely was there to feel the groove.

In this day of throwing away projects of finale year students by some universities, one wonders how we can test the hypothesis of some of Adunni Olorisa theories, for example, she was of the opinion that “the creation of the world happens continuously, that there was neither a beginning nor an end, that everything dies into a new birth and forms of culture grow like grass.” She was phenomenon and over a dozen books have been written about fertility

She was called “Mama” by many. President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua honoured her National award.

On January 6, 2009, she was admitted into a hospital, probably against her wish, for she believed so much in herbs, she died after an illness at age 93 on January 12, 2009.

Before she passed on, she left instructions, that no tomb must be built for her because she did not want her tomb to become a tourist attraction for white people. During my visit to Oshogbo shrine, I demanded for grave but they will not show me. She was buried in an unmarked grave according to Oshogbo rites and costumes.

Source BY: Dr Raphael James

Author, Researcher, Curator, Tourist Ambassador, Director General Center For Research, Information Management and Media Development, CRIMMD – CRIMMD FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY, Photo Museum of Nigeria History, Publisher of African Dame and The National Biographer Magazine.

Who Is Actually Esu ???

Culture, Religion Comments Off on Who Is Actually Esu ??? 1,212 Views

Samuel Ajayi Crowther was captured by Muslim Fulani during the Fulani/Oyo wars and he was sold with his mother and toddler brother to Portuguese slave buyers. However, the ship was intercepted by British Royal Navy and the slaves were released by taking them to Sierra Leone. This was where the Anglican Church Missionary Society took over the educating of young Ajayi.

One of his foremost achievements, apart from taking Christianity to the Niger Delta parts of modern Nigeria, Ajayi Crowther translated the English Bible into Yoruba. This can thus be said to be the first medium through which the Christian Satan/Devil/Lucifer was thus interpreted as the Yoruba Èṣú.

Ajayi Crowther was also the one who compiled in 1843 the English-Yoruba Dictionary upon which so many others have been patterned till today. The word ‘Bara’ in the dictionary reads out the meaning thus: “god of mischief, the devil, Ifa.” Here it is plain that the devil and Ifa are the same to Ajayi.

Bara is a word use in qualifying Èṣú in some of Èṣú’s oriki poems: “Bara ti o logun ika/ To so ile ana re di ahoro (Bara who does not have evil medicine but turns his in-laws home into desolation). Bara l’abelekun sunkun ki eru o ba elekun/ Bi elekun ba n sokun, Laaroye a ma sun eje (Bara is the one who weeps with those weeping and they will be frightened by the time they see Èṣú/Laaroye/Bara weeping blood). Bara ni abonimi su mi ki eru ba onimi/ Bonimi ba n su imi/ Laaroye a ma su ifun (The one defecating will be full of fright by the time he sees Èṣú defecating his intestines). That is Èṣú for you, a god that overdoes things in a frightening way… a prankster.

On the other side though, Èṣú is the link between man and heaven – to the Yoruba. He is a strong god and one who has to be pacified so that he takes his tricks elsewhere, and moreover he does not allow trouble or evil to be done to us. If the Bible version is the same as this Èṣú whom Yoruba add his name to the prefix of their children at birth e.g. Eshu-Biyi, Eshu-Tunde, Eshu-gbayi, and they even have a shrine of upside-down earthenware bowl with a hole in the bottom, to venerate this god, then does this mean the Yoruba worship the same Lucifer/Devil that rebelled against God?

It is clear that even the translated Yoruba-English dictionary in which Bara is also attached to Ifa shows that the translators have little or no knowledge about the Yoruba deities. Ifa and Èṣú are not the same. While Ifa is the mainstream religion of the Yoruba brought to earth (like Jesus or Paul brought Christianity) by Orunmila who lived in Oke Igeti in today’s Osun State, Èṣú had never lived like a man with children or wives… he is a god with functions in heaven. That is why another oriki says of him as “O san sokoto penpe/ Onibode Olorun.” (One who wears short pants and guards the way between man and the Heavens)

Let us objectively look into the function of Èṣú who is a fierce god, like Thor or Sango but not evil like Hades. Èṣú has to be constantly sacrificed to in Yoruba belief because he is the one between us and the other gods. Èṣú has the power to decree any god not to harm a mortal and can also look away if the offending mortal refuses to perform sacrifice to ward of evil. Èṣú does not cast evil, he is merely performing his duties to ensure that no man is unjustly attacked by evil.

There are eight forms of evil in Ifa philosophy, these are Death, Pestilence, Loss, Paralysis, Trouble, Curse, Bondage and Iniquity. All these eight are under the supervision of Èṣú according to God (Olodumare) who placed Èṣú in that role to monitor their activities. These eight are always trying to hinder the progress of man and this is why any sacrifice or rites performed on earth to ward evil must have Èṣú’s Fifth share since he alone has authority to tell the Eight evil to desist from harming a particular person.

These items of sacrifice are mostly edible stuff that sometimes have to be shared to the person’s neighbours so that in their merriment they pray for him as well, it is also a form of tithes receipt for the babalawo and lastly some of the items are used on the person sacrificing; There is an example in a verse of Ifa where an albino called Ondese was asked to sacrifice on a particular day against death. He was asked to use Buje (a plant which has a juice used for tattooing) for sacrifice. The priests then used the Buje to rub him all over. On the appointed day Death came to seek him, Death could not recognize that the man who has been rubbed all over with Buje is the albino he sought; so Death left and Ondese lived longer.

The Christian Satan is a rebel; the Yoruba Èṣú would never think of derailing from his functions. It is only the witches and sorcerers that Èṣú has no power over and this is where Ifa too says that it is only one’s Ori (head/soul) that can protect one against Dark/Evil Magic cast by witches. Èṣú has nothing to do with cursing man or turning man against God. He serves as mediator between us and the heavens. There is no record in Ifa that Èṣú rebels against Olodumare, besides, is it not demeaning the power of God that the omniscient created something It had not foreseen would rebel and cause trouble for mankind in such huge scale?

Ajayi Crowther could have translated the Bible Satan as satani. He was a boy of 12 when he was stolen from Osogun, his village in Iseyin, Oyo, and had very little knowledge, if any, of Eshu and his complicated functions. If Èṣú were the Devil, Ifa would totally have been upturned into evil and Yoruba would not be one of the most enlightened race in Africa today. We would have been submerged in the Devil’s evil.

Èṣú is not evil. But today, millions of Yoruba have seen Èṣú as the Christian devil with the influence of the translation and the Yoruba Bible. The Yoruba dictionary clearly shows that elitism crept into the translating pen of the translators as a result of their little knowledge of Yoruba spiritual beliefs, which Christianity taught them is the Devil’s belief. Let us remove prejudice and be objective. Èṣú shields man from evil and can also expose man to evil, but he is not evil. Neither is he contesting power with God.

It is the Christian God that is a white man with white beard and a golden crown… The Yoruba God (Olodumare or Olorun) has no form. It has never been described… Olodumare is an existence in the transcendence. Something no deity can contest power with. Evil is also formless, that is why the Eight Evil were placed under the authority of Èṣú to protect man, but Witches can use their craft to tap into the evil energy but unfortunately they are not subjected to Èṣú and difficult to pacify them. God allowed evil but restrained evil, and only the karma of man brings them upon him. Even if witches cast evil on a man, his Ori is his last bunker to defend him and this Ori also depends largely on the past karma he has accrued.

It is ridiculous to say God’s creation is rivalling him to take earth when there are thousands of planets within and outside our Solar System. When the Bible was written with this view of throwing devil into earth, there was little idea of the galaxy. If the bible were written today, the Genesis and Revelation would have been written differently. Lastly, Èṣú cannot take or give man soul, like the Christian Devil can. Èṣú does not need a soul or reside in any Hell. He is an important minister of God.

Those who perform devil worship and the Satanists perform a lot of human sacrifice and mortification… but Yoruba do not sacrifice humans to Èṣú or require to mortify their bodies

Source from: Proudly Yorùbá

Misconceptions In Yoruba Culture

Superstitions and Misconceptions In Yoruba Culture

Culture, Religion, Tradition Comments Off on Superstitions and Misconceptions In Yoruba Culture 2,125 Views

Superstitions and misconceptions are found in every nook and cranny of every society around the world, in the culture, customs, religion- be it traditional or modern day religions and Yoruba society is not an exception.

The word superstition originates from Latin word ‘Superstition’ meaning ‘standing beyond, outliving’. From the general angle, people describe it to be a blindly accepted belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge. It is also described as irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion, culture or custom while misconception is just mistaken view or opinion about something.

Superstitious saying in Yoruba context, outside religious issues, is mostly used by the Yorubas, to guide peoples aright, or to keep them doing what is safer. They usually put it across with fears so that it can be strictly followed. Sayings like ọmọde o kin joko lori Odo; ọmọde o kin jẹ ẹpọn ewurẹ are mere superstitious. The first one is to prevent children from contaminating the mortar because children could be unclean enough while the second one is to prevent children from being greedy while growing up. We later grow up to know that most of these Yoruba superstitious sayings are meant to guide us aright and not misconceptions or intended to mislead. Therefore, we should not castigate our fore-fathers for the sayings that could not further hold. Even, in the scientific field, it is Theory that turns to Hypothesis which later becomes Law, millions of theories have failed to become Laws while thousands of Laws have been proved wrong.

Misconception is something personal, mistaken view, idea or opinion. Misconception is also found in Yoruba society and has given birth to general belief in some aspect of life to some extent. There are some imaginary occurrences, which we hardly ever seen or experienced, but we have pictured how it should be in our mind and managed to link them with what we have around us.

Sometimes, by mere checking the album of a Yoruba movie, you can know their roles. When you see a man with one eye painted, that is Babalawo; a short man with two eyes painted and a dot on the fore head is definitely ẹbọra; a woman with full face painted is ajẹ.

Even, in the society, beautiful girls are ọmọ omi

If extremely short and slim, that is Egbere

The stubborn children are Emere

A bald man (Apari) is likely to be Oloogun

A fat, short and bald man is likely to be Olowo

If you use hand bead, that could be linked to Ogboni

Ladies with waist beads are Abiku

The list is endless, you can add your own…..

Source & Written By: Raymond Ajeigbe

Are The Yoruba The Number One In Religious Tolerance?

Culture, Religion Comments Off on Are The Yoruba The Number One In Religious Tolerance? 1,241 Views

When it comes to religion, are the Yoruba people of Nigeria the most tolerant race [tribe] in the whole world? It may not be wise to say yes because of the absence of any endorsement of such a position by a global body like the United Nations. But having travelled to many parts of Nigeria and some parts of the world; having read books about several peoples of the world, I can comfortably say that I have not seen or heard of any country or people that tolerate one another on the issue of religion like the Yoruba of Nigeria.

As a child growing up in Igboland, I thought the Igbo were the most tolerant in matters of religion. For example, the only mosque in my hometown Nnewi was built right at the gate of the Diocesan Church Centre of the Anglican Church, which was the central church for Anglicans in the town when the head of the diocese was in Onitsha. The mosque was owned by the Hausa-Fulani community. Items like sugarcane, carrot and kulikuli were sold beside the mosque, and cobblers took care of people’s shoes there. I never missed the sugarcane and kulikuli any time I had cause to be at the church. Christians never bothered that Muslims (who were not sons and daughters of the community) situated their mosque by the gate of the central church of the Anglican Communion in the town.

There was no Muslim in my primary school; in my secondary school, there was a Muslim boy – a boy whose father was a policeman posted to the town. On Thursdays when we had our moral instruction classes, the chaplain of the school who was also the vice-principal, always announced that the Muslim boy was the only one exempted from participating in moral instruction classes because the school had no Islamic teacher. Other pupils must either be at the Roman Catholic section or the Protestant section. We all envied the boy for the preferential treatment he always got as the only Muslim boy in our school.

With this type of background, I grew up with the assumption that the Igbo must be the most tolerant in matters of religion in Nigeria. But there were events that made me have a rethink later in life. When I was growing up, my community had two major Christian denominations: Anglicans and Catholics. Almost all the schools in the town were founded by the two churches. Parents usually sent their children to these schools based on their Christian denominations, even after the state government took over the schools. At the close of school each day, there was usually a point where pupils of the Anglican Church-founded schools met pupils of the Catholic Church-founded school. Preachers, church teachers and parents had indoctrinated the children that only their denomination was the one endorsed by God. So at such meetings, taunting songs would be sung and a fight would ensue between Anglican and Catholic children.But that was not all.

Many young men and women could not marry one another because one was Anglican and the other was Catholic. Especially from the Catholic community, it was always an uphill task for a girl to be allowed to be married by an Anglican or a member of the Protestant Church. But one thing that was shared by all the Christian denominations was that no married woman was allowed to attend a church different from the one her husband attended. The few who insisted on continuing with the church of their birth while in their matrimonial homes either caused a deep rift in their marriage or even lost their marriage entirely.

Compare that with a typical Yoruba family. A couple with six children could have a family like this: the man is a Muslim; the wife attends the Celestial Church of Christ; the first child started as a Muslim but converted to Christianity and is now a member of a Pentecostal church; the second child is a devout Muslim; the third and fifth children are members of the Methodi

children are members of the Methodist or Baptist church; the fourth child attends no church or mosque but prefers the Yoruba gods whenever he has any spiritual needs; and the last child is an Anglican.

One would assume that with this seemingly cacophony of religions in this family, there would be constant religious tension, hatred, quarrels and fights in it. No. In Yorubaland, no one disturbs the other because of religion. Interestingly, during Islamic festivals, Christians join their Muslim relatives to celebrate. Also during Christian festivals, the Muslims join their relatives to celebrate. For example, the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, is a Muslim, while his wife is a Christian.

In the larger Yoruba society, the issue of religion is not a factor while considering a candidate for an elective post. For example, Bola Tinubu, a Muslim, did two terms as Lagos State governor and handed over to Fashola, a Muslim, who is doing his second tenure in office now.

Such high level of religious tolerance is not even obtainable in countries that are known for freedom and rights like the United States of America and the United Kingdom. In such countries, even though there is religious freedom, there are certain social and political positions that some people may never dream of.This wonderful trait of the Yoruba needs to be publicised. If such a trait were from an American community, several documentaries, films and books would have been produced based on it. If the Federal Government would not publicise such, it behoves the Yoruba nation to sponsor the production of such materials.

In addition, the Yoruba nation should embark on a religious-tolerance campaign across the federation and even the world. That will offer them the opportunity through which they will teach other races how they have mastered the art of religious tolerance. There is no denying that religion is a major threat to world peace today. Nigeria is getting its share of violence. Therefore, any effort that will help to reduce the threat will be a welcome development.

Source & Written By: Azuka Onwuka

Our Culture and Language Must Not Be Mistaken

Culture, Religion Comments Off on Our Culture and Language Must Not Be Mistaken 1,113 Views

A contemporary Yoruba Muslim or Christian is wary of saying ASE because it is common amongst the traditionalists. And some do not want to say OLODUMARE because they think it is the name of a deity. Others do not want to say AJE AWA (a statement that is common among the Yorubas for traders to make good sales) believing that Aje is a deity.

Hence, saying ‘Aje awa- you shall make sales or sales shall come’ is close to disbelief. I say, all those things are misunderstandings. ASE is the Yoruba word for Amen(Europe) or Amin (Asia).

OLODUMARE is the Yoruba word for God (English), Chineke (Igbo), Ubangiji (Hausa), Allah (Arabic) and so on. AJE is the Yoruba word for ‘Sales’. Whenever a Yoruba says ‘Aje awa o’, it simply means, you shall make sales. It has no other meaning except that which you take it to mean by yourself. If you think it is a sin, then you are making a mistake.

However, you may avoid it if your intention is not clear about it. The meaning of every word depends on the intention of the speaker and the interpretation of the listener. Every man shall receive his rewards according to his intentions. We are Yorubas, it is God that made us Yorubas. Our language (EDE WA) and Culture(ASA ATI ISE WA) i.e. those that are not contradictory to humanity and our various faiths should not be killed.

Source By: Proudly Yorùbá

The Significance Of Saying ‘Ase’ After Prayers

Culture, galleries, Tradition Comments Off on The Significance Of Saying ‘Ase’ After Prayers 1,479 Views

Ase or àṣẹ is a Yoruba concept that signifies the power to make things happen and change. It given by Olodumare to everything – gods, ancestors, spirits, humans, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and voiced words such as songs, prayers, praises, curses, or even everyday conversation. Existence, according to Yoruba thought, is dependent upon it.

In addition to its sacred characteristics, ase also has important social ramifications, reflected in its translation as “power, authority, command.” A person who, through training, experience, and initiation, learns how to use the essential life force of things is called an alaase.

Rituals to invoke divine forces reflect this same concern for the autonomous ase of particular entities. The recognition of the uniqueness and autonomy of the ase of persons and gods is what structures society and its relationship with the other.

What do you often say after prayers? Ase, Amin or Amen?

Source & Written By: Raymond Agbaje

To’Ju Iwa Re, Ore Mi

Culture, travel Comments Off on To’Ju Iwa Re, Ore Mi 3,884 Views

To’ju iwa re, ore mi,

Ola a ma si lo n’ile eni,

Ewa a si ma si l’ara enia.

Olowo oni ‘nd’olosi b’o d’ola,

Okun l’ola, okun n’igbi oro,

Gbogbo won l’o nsi lo n’ile eni;

Sugbon iwa ni m’ba ni de sare’e,

Owo ko je nkan fun ni.

Iwa l’ewa omo enia,

Bi o l’owo bi o ko ni’wa nko?

Tani je f’inu tan e ba s’ohun rere?

Tabi ki o je obirin rogbodo,

Ti o ba jina si’wa ti eda nfe,

Tani je fe o s’ile bi aya?

Tabi ki o je onijibiti enia,

Bi o tile mo iwe amodaju;

Tani je gbe’se aje fun o se?

Toju Iwa re, ore mi,

Iwa ko si, eko d’egbe;

Gbogbo aiye ni ‘nfe ‘ni t’o je rere.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Enhance your character, my friend,

Prosperity could depart from one’s home,

And beauty could retreat from people’s bodies.

Today’s rich could become poor tomorrow,

Opulence is like ocean’s surfs; it is like ocean’s waves,

They come and go from one’s home as they please;

But, only good character follows one to the grave,

Money is not everything to anyone.

Good character is the beauty of a mortal,

What if you are wealthy without good character?

Who would trust you with something serious?

Perhaps, you are a gorgeous woman,

If you are far from societal norms,

Who would marry you as a wife?

Or you are a fraudulent person,

May be you are well educated;

Who would transact business with you?

Enhance your character, my friend,

In the absence of character, education is a waste;

The whole world appreciates a well-mannered person.

Poetry by the late Chief J.F. Odunjo, renowned Yoruba playwright, poet, politician, and statesman – from one of his popular Alawiye series.

Source & Written By:Dele Ajaja

The Story Of Eyele And Adaba

History, Tradition Comments Off on The Story Of Eyele And Adaba 2,287 Views

While in heaven, the Dove (Adaba Lukori) and the Pigeon (Eyele) were sisters born of the same parents. They had grown to become very pretty but had no children. One day, Eyele who was the senior of the two, proposed that they should both go to Orummla for divination on what to do to have children. The pigeon’s name in heaven was Elemele Ule while the dove’s name was Elemele Oko. The Dove acquiesced in the suggestion of the Pigeon and they agreed to visit Orunmila the following morning. On getting to Orunmila’s house, he directed them to one of his Odus (followers) to make divination for them.

The name of the Odu they subsequently went to was Erukpe b’Oni Loju, Madi Ni-Leti, which was the heavenly name of Iwori b’Ogbe. As they were approaching the house of the diviner, they over heard an altercation between him and his wife. The argument was so noisy that the two sisters decided to hide behind the Wall for the quarrel to subside. It soon dawned on them that the couple were quarrelling because there were no materials and condiments for cooking on that day. They also heard when in a bid to pacify her, the diviner told his wife not to worry because divinees would sooner or later come in for divination.

On that note, the wife piped down and withdrew to the back of the house. Soon afterwards, the Dove and the Pigeon knocked at the door and they were let into the house. At the subsequent divination, the diviner assured the two of them that they would surely bear children provided they were prepared to make sacrifice. He advised each of them to make sacrifice with a he goat, a hen, a clay pot, a bundle of fire wood, pepper, a gourd of palm oil, 5 tubers of yam and other cooking condiments. They were also to serve their heads with a rooster by themselves. On their way home, the Dove asked the Pigeon whether the sacrifice was necessary since it was clear that the diviner only wanted to exploit their problem to provide for what he could not afford to finance in his house

Eyele however told the Adaba not to be so cynical in her approach to the hard realities of life.

She tried in vain to reason with her sister that divining was the man’s means of livelihood and there was therefore nothing wrong with what he prescribed for the sacrifice. Adaba retorted adamantly that she was not too stupid to recognize an hungry diviner when she saw one. On her part, Eyele promised to arrange for the sacrifice right away. She went to procure all the materials for the sacrifice and returned later in the afternoon to the diviner’s house. The sacrifice was duly made, after which he served Eyele’s head with a rooster, telling her to take it home for a small feast to the members of her household.

On her part Adaba got a rooster and served her head with it in her house. The following day, in consonance with the suggestion of the diviner, she took a bundle of fire wood to the top of an oak tree for the purpose of laying her eggs whenever she had the urge to do so. On the other hand, after completing her sacrifice, the diviner gave the clay pot to Eyele to lay her eggs in whenever she had the urge to do so. Fourteen days later, the two sisters had become pregnant and had the urge to lay eggs. After laying two eggs, Adaba went to Eyele to ask how many eggs she laid. Eyele replied that she laid two.

Adaba taunted her sister by teasing that she who made sacrifice laid the same number of eggs as herself who refused to make any. It should be emphasised that the laying of two eggs was a manifestation of the head she served. In consonance with the advice of the diviner, Eyele laid her eggs at home inside the pot with which she made sacrifice. When Adaba subsequently hatched her two eggs she brought forth two lively children. Once more she went to enquire from her sister whether she had hatched her own eggs. Eyele replied that she had given birth to two babies.

Meanwhile, Esu asked his friend Ighoroko for the names of people who were advised to make sacrifice but refused. He was told that the Dove refused to make sacrifice. Esu allowed the children to grow. Just before the little doves were strong enough to fly, Esu decided to make their mother to reap the consequences of refusing to make sacrifice. Esu conjured a tornado to occur and it was so strong that it uprooted several trees including the oak tree on top of which the Dove roosted her young ones. As the oak tree was falling to the ground, the Dove ran for her life, abandoning her children. As soon as the tree fell to the ground, Esu soaked the ground with palm oil right up to the nest containing the Dove’s young ones.

The palm oil quickly attracted soldier ants which lost no time in feasting on the helpless children of the Dove. At the dawn of the next morning, the Dove scanned the grounds of the fallen tree only to discover that soldier ants had devoured her two children. After wondering whether the tornado which ravaged the forest also affected the home where her sister lived. She decided to visit the Pigeon. When she asked the Pigeon whether the gale storm of the previous night affected them in the house, she gleefully replied that her children and herself were safely concealed inside the clay pot with which Iwori-b’Ogbe made sacrifice for her. She actually said it in the following words:

Mo fi ori kan kuku meeku

Temi mejeji ko be kuuru kuuru

In other words she was recalling that sacrifice had produced and protected her two children for her. That is the sound which the pigeon makes when it has cause to dance for pleasure. On the otber hand, the dove began to cry in the following word;

To kon Teeji Miirji

Iwori bo gbe Ifa Burukuu

Source By:’ Olafisoye Ibukun John

Efunsetan Aniwura: Yoruba’s Most Powerful Woman That Ever Lived?

History, Lifestyle Comments Off on Efunsetan Aniwura: Yoruba’s Most Powerful Woman That Ever Lived? 9,939 Views

The story of Efunsetan Aniwura is perhaps one of the most motivating thrillers in Yoruba political history. It captivates, in the most astounding manner, the place of women in Yoruba political history. But all along, the story of Efunsetan had been written and foretold by her tormentors and painted grimly by mostly chauvinistic men.

It must be understood the context of Efunsetan’s coming into global fame, at least at this time, the World was defined as the circumference within which local people operated within a phenomenon.

The 1700s up to 1900 were centuries of great wars and arms build-up in the vast Yoruba country of old. It was a period of great revolutions and social upheavals across the Yoruba country. It saw the massive production of weapons and the importation of military hardwares by Yoruba leaders, from as far as Hambourg in Germany.

I visited the Ogedengbe of Ilesa few months ago and was thrilled by the amazing exploits of Ogedengbe, the war General who led the Ekitiparapo war and who by 1860s was importing military weapons from Europe in the prosecution of war.

To show the grandeur of the Yoruba nation, around 1880, it was reported that the then King of England had invited Ogedengbe for a state visit. England marveled at the military tactics of Ogedengbe, his command structure, his Spartan lifestyle, his mysticism and above all, his science of war which he largely derived from the painstaking study of the movement and behavior of animals in moments of ferocious encounters with death or engagement with trembling. It was at this period that a bomb was invented at Okemesi, which turned around the fortunes soldiers of Ekitiparapo war led by Ogedengbe. Contrary to widespread assumptions, the word KIRIJI actually emanated from the sound of the new weapon produced at Okemesi Ekiti. General Ogedengbe, who was in command of about 100,000 soldiers, had declined the request for a state visit to England, saying that he was too busy with state matters. In Ilesa, during my visit, I saw the picture of the then King of England which the later had sent to Ogedengbe as a mark of respect and honour.

Back to the main topic. The story of Efunsetan Aniwura is intriguing. Her date of birth remains uncertain, but she must have been born around 1790s or around that period. Yoruba epic films and folklores portray Efunsetan as a very vicious woman, filled with prejudice, a woman who died in tragic circumstances. But there are hidden thrills and heroic feat that those who wrote his history continue to undermine. There is nothing as perplexing as having the story of a great woman being relayed by men, in a society credited for not giving women any chance in socio-political affairs, especially in the primordial times, where women were seen as objects consigned to the kitchen and on the mat top. It is to the glory of Moremi, that her story definitely ignited passion in subsequent Yoruba women, one of which was Efunsetan Aniwura.

This woman of substance has been consistently portrayed as a villain who ran a Gestapo of sorrow and blood, a blood-sucker who beheaded people’s head at will. No. We must deconstruct the narrative that veiled real stories under the cover of the superiority of men over the distinction of some brave women in our troubled history. Efunsetan was the son of an Egba farmer, Ogunrin, a native of Egba Oke-Ona. She rose to become the Iyalode of Ibadan. She was the first woman to set up a flourishing agrarian economy that employed no fewer than 2000 men and women. Around 1850, worried by the spread of war and combat in the Yoruba country, she introduced infantry military training into the midst of her workers. She was said to have had her own military training in urban and guerrilla warfare after which she requested that the same training be impa

The workers mainly worked in the vast farmland. They produced cash crops, cotton, groundnuts, maize and beef. She was said to be in possession of a vast dairy farm that could feed the entire Yoruba country and beyond. She traded up to Ghana and the Hausa country and even exported her produce to Europe. In her book, A History of the Yoruba ,Prof Banji Akintoye wrote about Efunsetan who she described as a rich “woman trader” that ‘had more than 2000 workers employed on her farms.” This was at a time the industrial revolution was gaining strength in Europe and agriculture had become the most industrious enterprise in Yorubaland, being one of the service points for European products.

David Hinderer, a missionary who wanted to erect a Church in Ibadan could not source human labour because all the men and women were engaged in large scale farming. The Generals of the Yoruba Army had also taken to farming to beat famine as a direct consequence of war. Hinderer wrote of his travel to Ibadan in 1853 with a caravan of traders and carriers “consisting of not less than 4000 people.” Prof Akintoye wrote “It is not unlikely that Efunsetan was the richest person in the whole of the Yoruba interior in about the late 1870s.” Efunsetan had her own pains and anguish. She had no child after several years of marriage. Unfortunately, her only daughter died in 1860 during child birth. She also adopted a son, Kumuyilo. Now, having lost her only daughter, she went into recluse and became suspicious of life and living. She even became an atheist, ignoring all the gods wondering why she should lose her only daughter.

She may have been pushed to some form of extremism. She ordered that no one among her 2000 workers must marry or have sex within and non of the girls must conceive. It came that one of the workers broke the law. She ordered that the woman be executed. No doubt that she carried out outrageous order of execution, but this was nothing compared with her heroic contributions to the economy of the Yoruba nation. Due to this act, the Aare ordered that she be brought to justice. This was just the proverbial hawk that was looking for every opportunity to clawlift the chicken.

It is believed that her persecutors merely waited for her to carry out a dastardly act as an opportunity to seek revenge against her perceived emergence as a strong and influential woman, whose mutual rival was Madam Tinubu of Lagos who was also her friend. It was at a time her own army had become a threat to the fiery army of Latoosa. How could a woman raise such a vast array of armed soldiers? There are two varying accounts of her death. One claimed Aare Latosa led a strong infantry army to lay siege on her house and instead of being overpowered, she committed suicide by drinking the Hemlock.

At this period, her army had been divided and the loyalty fractured due to the execution of some of the 2000 workers for acts inimical to her authority. The other story said Kumuyilo was bribed by Latoosa to poison her but that the attack on her was carried out in the night by two of her slaves who sneaked into her apartment through the ceiling and clubbed her. There were events that indicated that the Ibadan chiefs were unhappy with the way Efunsetan was brought on her knees. Infact, with Latoosa there was a meeting on 8th of July when the Egba leaders came to Ibadan requesting for a Commission of Inquiry on the murder of Efunsetan.

The two slaves were subsequently brought before the Ibadan traditional court on 10th of July 1874. They were impaled right at the Basorun market. Efunsetan has been painted in forbidding pictures through Yoruba history. It is time to deconstruct and give her due honour as a heroine. At death, Efunsetan’s property was declared the property of the Yoruba country. `But there were other reports that she was indeed given a befitting burial with full military honours by Ibadan military rulers, after her enforced death.

Source by:By Akinlolu Damilare a.k.a Da-Vinci, Written By: Akinlolu Da Vinci

Yoruba Folktale – Mo…ni…ni

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There lived a drummer whose name was Ayanda alias Minimini. He was called so as his drumming was nice to the ears. He was marvellous at drumming, he was good looking and was the choice of many ladies, he therefore, was a womanizer. He was prosperous and popular, all these were because he had always done what an Orisa-Idile called ‘Monini’ had asked him to do, for some years, Monini had asked him to provide Ipese-ebo which he would quickly do, the previous year, Monini asked him not to search for a new lover, which was difficult for him but he heeded albeit many temptations surfaced. The subsequent year was when the Orisa-Idile only asked him not to travel over the river Olooye, he found that very easy to attain but that year, a festival was to hold at the neighbouring village of Imetu-Oye for drummers, this was an opportunity for him to win more laurels and also to win more women especially when he had no new ones from last years. So he thought of how to circumvent the issue of not travelling. There was no other ways of getting to Imetu-Oye other than over the river Olooye. He pondered for many days as he was hellbent on attending the festival yet, very cautious of its nemesis.

So, he thought he had a plan, he believed he had hacked it. What did he do? He disguised himself and boarded a canoe which successfully conveyed him to Imetu-Oye. On alighting, he became so thirsty that he could drink his urine. He ran back towards the river, he found an elderly woman drinking from a large cup and asked for a drink, the elderly one refused, he proceeded to drinking directly from the river but the old woman cautioned him that the water on this side was poisonous to drink from and that he would have to add a few leaves of Iyete to it, allow it thaw before drinking. Ayande begged one more time for water to drink, the elderly woman again refused. He became furious and cursed her to have bowed arms and legs like those of chameleon’s limbs thereafter, he left Imetu-Oye for his village. Upon arrival, he developed one bowed leg and arms.

For several days, he was taken to many spiritualists but to no avail, they all asked him to confess what he had done. One night, he woke up, walked attentively, he approached Monini and began to sing

Monini, Monini

Mo losi Imetu-Oye

Moba arugbo kan l’odo

Moni ko bunmi l’omi mu

Olo hun ko bunmi l’omi mu

Moni o sapa kelenge

Moni o se se kelege

Bi ikako Agemo

Monini replied: Minimini kayi ko (and his second leg too bowed).

Source & Written By: Bola Olalekan

The Yoruba And Their Fungi

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In some parts of the Yoruba lands the word for fungus or mushroom is Olu [anything that is more prominent or which rises higher than any other thing in its environment], because mushrooms are easily distinguished from the surrounding plants. In other regions the word osun is used. This is derived from sun [sprout], for mushrooms appear suddenly in the fields.

The Yoruba fungal names are based on various features, such as taste, shape, growth habit, texture or habitat. Takele [ta=distinguish + okele=morsel; hence a mushroom which makes a delicious meal] is the species Termitomyces clypeatus. The species of this genus grow in association with termite nests and a number of them are valued as food. Takele also goes by the names olu-esunsun [esunsun=winged termite] and, because it appears at the beginning of the rainy season, olu-abojose [ba=with + ojo=rain + se=begin].

This is also the time when yams of the previous year are rare and very expensive and the appearance of this mushroom indicates that new yams should be available in two or so months. Ewe [expand] is Termitomyces robustus and the mushroom caps, globular at first, expand and open out to become almost flat. While ewe is the most popular edible mushroom Oso reported that the people in the town of Efon Alaye traditionally did not eat ewe and there is a story to explain this.

Courtesy: Oso , BA (1976

)

Why Eye Odidere Is Oftentimes Called Aiyekooto

History, travel Comments Off on Why Eye Odidere Is Oftentimes Called Aiyekooto 4,733 Views

Agbe alahun alahun aro, Aluko alahun alahun osun, Lekeleke alahun alahun efun. B’omo o lahun won a pe baba.

From time immemorial, the Yoruba language has taken in a lot of nature into the building bricks of her linguistic structures. In the same vein, The Yoruba have remarkable love for comparative descriptions of nature around them in form of opposites. Agbe, Aluko, Lekeleke are but birds of special beauty and natural significance with the Yoruba people and poets.

So the Yoruba will say Agbe lo l’aro, aluko lo l’osun, lekeleke lo l’efun. This is implying the beauty of the feathers that grace the birds that roam Yoruba skyline as from time immemorial. Early writers and commentators of the beauty of Yoruba homeland says “Yoruba contains many wonderful things, in it is found the bird; Parrot.

The parrot is known as Odidere (albeit often called Ayekooto) in Yoruba. The name is indeed a thoughtful one. Ayekooto means ‘the world rejects the truth’. How forthright a notion! The Yoruba believes that the man who held to the truth may not have common mat to sleep on. The naming Ayekooto shows that the Yoruba may have had a forgotten story behind the name of this beautiful bird.

The story is told of the time that animals speak the language of man. A farmer was enticed by the Lorikeet and he brought in the bird to stay with him. The lorikeet speaks and understands the language of man. So she goes and come back with the man each time of the day.

One fateful day, a buffalo belonging to the neighbour of the farmer wandered to the farm of the lorikeet keeper. The farmer killed the buffalo, he smoked part and cooked part of it and also kept what remains away in the farm. Not long after, the true owner of the buffalo came to the farm and asked his neigbour if his buffalo has wandered to his farm. No was the answer.

Then the lorikeet began to talk: “My master slay the buffalo, he cooked some and smoked the rest. He hid part away down there”. The owner of the buffalo summons the farmer to the king after part of the meat was found where the lorikeet described. The lorikeet argued that his master killed the buffalo still, and the farmer asked that he be given a grace to defend himself the next morning.

That night, the farmer took in the lorikeet and covered its cage whilst the bird was sleeping. He covered it with a shawl to make it look dark, and then he began to sprinkle water drip down on the lorikeet. He intermittently hit at the metal, giving the lorikeet an impression of rain and thunder. The lorikeet indeed woke up and observed its environment In the morning, the king was seated and all the community was with them.

They want to see how the case at hand ends, with the lorikeet being the principal witness. After the lorikeet has retwitted its line, the farmer said “People are you going to condemn me on the allegation of this unfortunate bird (eye oloriburuku yii) the farmer asked? If so, ask the bird what kind of night we had last night.” So the king asked likewise, and the response of the lorikeet was that the rain fell and the thunder struck all night. Then the farmer said, “Is it on the account of this unfortunate thing that you will condemn me?” At this, the judge set the farmer free and banished the lorikeet from living among men, lest it would sow discord capable of setting people apart.

As the bird flew into the forest, it came across parrot and found out that parrot too can speak the language of man. “Oh I see you too can speak the language of man”. The lorikeet says. “Man will find you and take you in, but never should you speak your own mind if you must co-habit with mankind, only mimic whatever he says.” And not many days afterwards, man found that the parrot

They took home the bird just as the lorikeet has predicted. Also, they expected it to talk from its mind. But for as long as man has harbored the bird, it never says its mind, it only repeats few words that man says to it. When people asked why it never talked like the lorikeet, Odidere’s only words were ‘Aiyekooto’ . Eye oko tun ni, temi yemi.

Written By: Ladionline

Odun Aje In Ondo Kingdom

Culture, History, Tradition Comments Off on Odun Aje In Ondo Kingdom 1,770 Views

The Odun Aje in Ondo kingdom is literally referred to as a festival of the goddess of wealth and fertility. The festival is one of the over 50 traditional festivals annually celebrated with pomp and pageantry in Ondo. The festival is dedicated to Aje, the Yoruba goddess of wealth and fertility, it is another very special and impressive female angle to the Ondo traditions. Odun Aje festival in Ondo city is an annual festival usually performed by the Opojis, that is the female Chiefs. The festival is usually held on the eve of Odun Moko, a special festival usually performed around November by the Udoko community, where women are barred from public glare.

The festival in Ondo kingdom is usually referred to as the goddess that controls women’s success in business, and extends their wealth. Aje is normally regularly propitiated by Ondo women, especially the market Chiefs and the Opojis. The special annual festival and the worship is however vested in the Opojis, who perform the rites on their own and on behalf of womanhood, and the entire people in the kingdom. According to a book entitled, “Ondo Traditions and Culture, the Female Angle, written by a former Commissioner for Education in Ondo State and the Mayegun of Ondo city, Chief Mrs. Olufunke Iluyemi, Aje is worshiped annually in the city, so that fortune will continue to smile on all women and the townsfolk in general. She explained that each Opoji in the city is expected to have her own Aje, which is a kind of movable shrine, dedicated to the Yoruba goddess of affluence and fertility.

The shrine consists of the Aje itself which is placed in a big clean and white bowl, usually of brass and in the bowl are placed several items symbolic of wealth, enhanced social status and fertility. The items include Aso-Oke, the Ondo traditional cloth, owo eyo, (cowrie money) Iyun (red beads) awo (China plates) irunkere, (horse tail) and decorative mirrors as well as gold ornaments to mention a few. The items which are artistically and daintily arranged in the white bowl and topped with horse tail is a symbol of prestige, status, ease and affluence. It could also be topped with white doll, which also symbolises western civilisation in which Ondos are noted for.

The Aje in Ondo kingdom is the Opoji’s symbol of position and elevation in the society, it reflects her position as a woman of substance and respectability without which attributes she could not have been made a chief. Other women around her or her own relations may also have cause to propitiate the Aje on their own behalf for success in their individual business in life’s endeavours. For example, at the beginning of the Obitun ceremony celebrated for puberty initiation performed by the Ondos for girls prior to marriage, the girls involved will have the Aje near them or that of their relation who is an Opoji worshipped on their behalf. The usual materials for the Aje rites are kolanut and cold water (Ugba Omi Titu) in local parlance, elo (marched yam without palm oil) among others.

Apart from this private worship of the Aje, which is usually around November, precisely on the eve of Odunmoko, a special outing for each Opoji with her Aje. This is called Odun Aje, a unique outing for the women Chiefs to perform publicly the worship of their Aje to seek fortune and favour, not only on themselves, but also on the entire kingdom, including the Oba, Chiefs and all his subjects.

The Aje ceremony in Ondo kingdom also involves the Udoko priest Chiefs whose duty it is to perform the rites on the Aje to seek for success and prosperity in the entire kingdom. Preceding the day of the celebration, elaborate preparations are made by the Opoji for a festival splashed in honour of her Aje. Relatives are informed and items for feasting are got ready. On the morning of the day, the Opoji dresses up and prepares her Aje for the evening outing.

The Aje will be displayed and placed in the front of the house of the Opoji chief, while spectators view it for their admiration.

In the evening of the celebration, the Aje will be placed on the head of a young virgin, for the efficacy of the prayers and rites, the Aje carrier (votary maid) must be pure. The girl herself would be beautifully attired with choice traditional wears and beads, covering her body from the thighs to her chest. She wears the Yata and other trappings of traditional affluence, very important that the Aje carrier is expensively attired, because both she and Aje are on display, as a reflection of the status and social success of the Opoji concerned.

With the Aje carried by the young virgin, the Opoji dances to the appointed assembly at a spot in Okedoko street in Ondo, accompanied in a joyous procession by her children, neighbours as well as other relations and well wishers, mainly women. Naira of different denominations would be pasted on the body of the young girl. When all the female Chiefs might have assembled, each Aje is placed on a stand in front of the Opoji. The female Chiefs then hold a mock marketing session to symbolize the importance of economic activities in Ondo kingdom and the key role of women in the commercial life of the society.

As the ceremony proceed, in a highly delightful manner, the Opoji pays homage to Lobun, who is the leader of the women Chiefs in the city, this exercise would go round in a hierarchical order, very similar to what the male Chiefs do during Ugha, a traditional meeting spot within the Palace of the Osemawe. The whole ceremony is perform in a square called Enuowa, a spot near the Old Town Hall, behind the palace of Osemawe.

The ceremony is a special forum for women. It is the high point of Ondo tradition, it is a most enthralling sight full of gaiety and colour. During the celebration, the very depth of Ondo culture is reflected in the women’s dressing, singing, ceremonial dancing, traditional prayers and exchange of ceremonial greetings to mention a few. However, the main thrust of the ceremony is for prayers to be said for communal peace, success in business and continued prosperity for the entire kingdom in general, and the Opojis in particular.

This celebration involved the Opojis in Ondo and the Chiefs from Udoko led by the Sasere who would arrive later in the evening to partake in the elaborate celebration, the Chiefs from Udoko community would offer prayers foe each of the Opojis, praying for their success in trade, prosperity and long life.

The Udoko Chiefs would also offer prayers for fertility among Ondo women and the safety, happiness and well-being of all children born into the community, during this prayers each Aje is touched with the priests, while “ase” meaning Amen would rent the air. After the rite the Udoko chief would depart, amidst drumming and dancing, while the Opojis would also leave the venue in hierarchical order, in company of their drummers, this aspect of the celebration is always a delight to watch as everybody present at the venue would be happy to be part of the annual celebration.

The accompanied friends and relatives would be cleared on their returns to the Opojis house, while the Aje is returned to its special place on a conspicuous stand in the house to await another year’s outing. If however, the Opoji herself is unable to accompany her Aje to the venue of the celebration as a result of illness, old age and demise, her children and other relations will perform the outing on her behalf.

In the alternative, she may display the Aje in front of her house, where she herself will sit, well dressed in a festive mood, while all her relatives would dance to the admiration of spectators, the virgin girl who has the honour of carrying the Aje is showered with cash gifts and valuable items. The virgin girl would also be given a hen and kolanuts to worship her guardian spirit and pray that she too may grow up to be a woman of substance.

in the society. When the virgin girl grows too big to carry the Aje or gets married, another carrier has to replace her.

Source From: Ondo Development Committee

Yoruba People Towns and Cities

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Yoruba people have developed a variety of different artistic forms including pottery, weaving, beadwork, metalwork, and mask making. Most artwork is made to honour the gods and ancestors and since there are more than 401 known gods to the Yorubas, there is much sculpture and artwork mad. Yoruba people are a large ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in Africa, and the majority of them speak the Yoruba language. The Yoruba constitute approximately 21 percent of Nigeria’s total population, and around 40 million individuals throughout the region of West Africa.

While the majority of the Yoruba live in western Nigeria, there are also substantial indigenous Yoruba communities in Benin, Ghana, Togo and the Caribbean. A significant percentage of Africans enslaved during the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade in the Americas managed to maintain the Yoruba spiritual religion known as Aborisha. Indeed, the initiation and practice of Aborisha spiritual religion offers a route to all people of African descent, who were victims of slave trade in the Americas or the Caribbean, to make claim to Yoruba heritage. The Yorubas are the main ethnic group in the states of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo, which are subdivisions of Nigeria; they also constitute a sizable proportion of Kwara and Kogi States as well as Edo State.

Traditionally, the Yorubas organised themselves into networks of related villages, towns and kingdoms; with most of them headed by an Oba (King) or Baale (a nobleman or mayor). The main Yoruba cities and towns are Ile-Ife, Ibadan, Lagos, Ijebu Ode, Abeokuta, Akure, Ilorin, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogbomosho, Ondo, Badagri, Ado-Ekiti, Osogbo, Ilesa, Oyo, Owo, Kabba, Offa, Ilesa, Ilobu, Ede etc. There are other Yoruba cities and towns such as Ketu, Sabe, Dassa and others in Republic of Benin.

There are other towns and cities with historical affiliation with Yoruba people as they share one or more similarities together. Some of these cities and towns are Benin city, Warri, Auchi, Okene etc.

Courtesy of cometonigeria.com

Yoruba People Towns and Cities

History, travel Comments Off on Yoruba People Towns and Cities 2,389 Views

Courtesy of cometonigeria.com

Burial Ceremony In Ondo Kingdom

Culture, History, Tradition Comments Off on Burial Ceremony In Ondo Kingdom 1,852 Views

The demise of a family member, young or old, is usually greeted with sorrow. Even though Ondo people believe that death is a necessary end and that it will come when it will come, they do not like losing any member of their family. This goes a long way to show the kinship affinity. It is believed that no matter how old a relation is; he or she has an important role to play in one’s life. Hence death, though a natural phenomenon, Ondo people find it difficult to accept its reality.

When a person dies in Ondo, particularly a young person, such death is received with suspicion. The first reaction would be a suspicious cry of A an ma po o o o! i.e. they have killed him or her. The relatives would like to find out if in fact, the deceased did indeed die a natural death. They would go to Ifa diviner to find out the cause of the death.

It is pertinent to note here that when a young person dies, he or she is buried without any delay. Moreover, when an elderly person dies, the death is announced to all and sundry by dancing round the town. This is called iyaghayogho in Ondo language. The eldest son of the deceased brings a goat, which is slaughtered at the place where the corpse is given the last bath. This is called ibugwe. The corpse is thereafter dressed and laid- in-state. Later the corpse is put in an expensive coffin and taken to the final resting-place, usually in a room in the house.

Burial ceremony is an expensive event in Ondo culture. The expenses become more outrageous particularly when the deceased is a Chief. The news will have to be broken to the Oba with some gifts after which there would be dancing round the town for nine days, performing rituals. The maternal relations of the deceased are responsible for the provision of the coffin. The husbands of the daughters of the deceased take charge of the digging of the grave while the eldest daughter brings a goat and thirty wraps of pounded yam, N20.00 and a keg of palm wine usually undiluted with water. Each of the husbands of all the married daughters of the deceased bring twenty wraps of pounded yam and a keg of undiluted palm wine each.

The male members of the deceased’s family group themselves and each group buys a goat and sanyan (a type of woven material) or about ten yards of cloth for dressing the deceased. On the third and seventh day after burial, the family members make supplications for the deceased. There is usually eating and merry making. Traditionally, bean cakes (akara) are served around the neighbourhood. On the last day of celebration, that is the eighth day, the family members dance round the town and subsequently converge at home to continue with the feasting. On the morning of the ninth day, there is a family meeting during which the inventory of all the deceased’s property is taken. This is shared at a convenient date among all members of the family.

The widow(s) of the deceased usually keep vigil throughout the night of the seventh day amidst singing and drumming. In the middle of the night, the widows go through a series of rituals, an important one of which includes bathing. It is believed that these rituals will protect them from the spirit of their husband who hovers around them. The widows dress in white and will remain indoors for three months or nine months in the case of High Chief.

Source From: Ondo Development Committee Achieve.

The People Of Ondo Kingdom And Their Culture: A Historical Survey And Political Underpinning

Business, Culture, History, Tradition Comments Off on The People Of Ondo Kingdom And Their Culture: A Historical Survey And Political Underpinning 7,714 Views

Abstract In every given nation, particularly in Africa, where tribal affiliations are strong, different groupings as tribes exist with their peculiar languages and dialects, and also the totality of the culture that singularly unifies and identifies them as a people. However, with the advent of colonialism, some of these tribes were scattered about and could not be found together on one location again but now mixed up there and then with different dialects and histories. The Yoruba tribe of the Western part of Nigeria is no exemption to this experience and historical distortions. The tribe comprises of different sub-groups that make it up as a people which are again strategically positioned in their respective locations in the region, up to the Republic of Benin, Togo and Ghana as history had it. Among these sub-groups are the Ondo indigenes in Ondo kingdom and the people of Ile-Oluji town-ship, who were believed to have been born by their parents as twins but were escaped out of their abode in Ile-Ife or Oyo, where twins were believed to be forbidden to be borne, by then, and if born, shouldn’t be spared but slaughtered unto the gods, lest they caused misfortune to the community.

They journeyed far through the forests and settled in their present locations in Ondo State – South-West Nigeria, though, not without some nasty experiences and horror. As agriculturalist Ondo indigenes are, so, they are very creative, industrious, hardworking, highly educated and highly influential in the public – sector. They have a rich history and culture that stands amongst the best in Yoruba land as they are believed to be the direct descendants of Oduduwa (the Yoruba Progenitor), whose own father was said to have migrated from Mecca to the present day Ile- Ife in Osun state of western Nigeria. The significance of this research is to examine the origin and etymological root of the people of Ondo Kingdom in Ondo State with a view to knowing more about them and their culture, most especially, how they came to be influential on the political landscape of their state and Nigeria as a nation. The paper employs the descriptive and analyticalmethodological approach in surveying this historical past, with a focus on circumstances surrounding how they came to be established as a kingdom in their present abode and how they formed a political organization akin to modern governmental practice under the paramount ruler ship of the ‘Osemawe’.

The paper re-appraises the distortions of facts about the people’s history and descent by trying to seek the 23-25 May 2016- Istanbul, Turkey Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2016 3rd International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities ISBN: 978-605-64453-7-8 483 consensus reached on these, centuries ago and how scholars too attempted to juxtapose on this very argument. The paper argues that the Ondo people of Ondo-dialect speaking sub-group are genuinely aboriginal descendants of Lamurudu, the father of Oduduwa, whose settlement history and culture are empirically verifiable and not strictly mere folklores or legend, except for non-availability of proper records as at 1510, some six centuries ago. Keywords: Ondo People, Yoruba Tribe, Dialect, Culture 1. ONDO KINGDOM: “A HISTORICAL AND ETYMOLOGICAL ACCOUNT OF ORIGIN” In the South – Western part of the present day Nigeria is the large and dominant ethnic group of Yoruba. This group, which again was sub-grouped into two descent systems of the south and north, comprising of several sub-ethnic groupings who all speak the same Yoruba language but with different dialectical intonations, has the Ondo Kingdom in its southern part with cognatic descent system. Cognatic descent system is one in which the descent of an in

north, comprising of several sub-ethnic groupings who all speak the same Yoruba language but with different dialectical intonations, has the Ondo Kingdom in its southern part with cognatic descent system. Cognatic descent system is one in which the descent of an individual can be traced through his ancestor in ‘both male and female lines’ (Bender, D. R. 1970: 71 – 81; and Eades, J. S., 1980).

This means that, while an individual in the northern kingdom can identify with only one descent group known as ‘agnatic’ which is patrilineal, the cognatic to which Ondo belongs allows for an individual to identify with both patrilineal and matrilineal (Bender, D. R., 1970; Eades, J. S., 1980; Johnson, S., 1921; and Ajulo, E. B., 2000). Nigeria is divided into six geo-political zones with thirty-six states, as a federation, together with the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, being the thirty-seventh. Among these states is the Sunshine State called Ondo in the South-West, where the Ondo Kingdom resides. It is sitting among the thickly forested planes, with several towns and villages, and located some 300km to the North-East of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic nerve centre and 45km away from Akure, the Ondo State Capital with all accessible ways from all parts of the country (Pls, see, http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2014/09/ondo-people-forestagriculturalist.html). Its weather elements are those typifying the rainforest region of sub-Saharan Africa, mitigated by its surrounding thick forests which are blessed with. It is peopled by those indigenes whose paternity is traceable to Oduduwa, the son of Lamurudu, who was believed to have migrated from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, after some sectarian dispute to the present day Ile-Ife, the cradle of the Yoruba, where he gave birth to Oduduwa and the latter gave birth to another sixteen sons, among them, Oranmiyan, who later became the Alaafin of Oyo, and who according to descent gave birth to Oluaso, the father of Pupupu, a female child, who went to found the Ondo Kingdom from far away Oyo (Eades, J. S., 1980).

However, as in most historical collections, the history of the ondo origin is not without some controversies, as there are three different versions that purport to explain it. This controversy arose in consequence of lack of written records, as at then, supporting the clear and unambiguous account that are embraced, home and abroad, by the Ondo indigenes in the one part and the entire Yoruba race in the other part, including their historians and other scholars, within the intellectual circle. This paper is meant to actually add to what we now have today as contemporary facts to the available schools of thought that have attempted to explain the etymological root of the Ondo Kingdom, its people and their ubiquitous culture (Johnson, S., 1921 and see no. 13). According to Olupona, (1991), Ondo kingdom, which shares boundary with modern Akure metropolis in Ondo State and Obokun areas of Ilesha in neighboring Osun State forms its boundary in the north and in the south with Ilaje/Eseodo Local Government Areas, terminating at Owena River in the Ifedore Local Government Area in the West, stretching farther to River Ooni, where Okeigbo, an adjourning town with mainly original Ife settlers, now part of Ondo division situates, ……. “While the people of the kingdom, almost in unison rejected a version that links its origin to the Old Benin Kingdom in present day Edo State as being the invention of its proponents, there seems to be some convergence on the other two accounts that trace the origin of the people to Ife and Oyo respectively” (Please, see http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane. blogspot.com/2014/09/ondo-people-forest-agriculralist.html, http://ekimogundescentdant.org/index.php? option=com, content&new=article&id=117:ondo-kingdom-landmarks-, http://ekimogundescendant.org, and http://irepos.unijos.edu.ng/jspui/bitstream/123456789/157/1/yoruba%20ondo%20prov erb.pdf). According to legend, Pupup

The twin brother, a male was called Orere. Legend informed us that, in those days, twin birth was an abomination as it was considered a serious calamity if they were spared. This time around, the birth came to the king in the palace who could not afford to spare them, but for his royal love for one of his wives called ‘Olu’, who gave birth to the mysterious babies, her life and the twins’ were spared. To avert the imminent calamity believed to be associated with this occurrence on the land, the king Oluaso instructed that one of his great hunters called ‘Ija’ escort Olu and her babies in company of 23-25 May 2016- Istanbul, Turkey Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2016 3rd International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities ISBN: 978-605-64453-7-8 484 some slaves that would be serving them on the way out of the empire into the far thick forest, never to return. Before their departure, the Alaafin, after offering prayers, gave them a beaded crown and an Akoko tree, signifying their royalty with which they were to be welcomed anywhere they tarried or decided to settle. This was exactly what happened in places they reached until finally they got to their present final settlement, where they were welcomed unrestricted and allowed to take possession and authority. Asides, their father (Oluaso), against the tradition of the multitribal marks of Oyo, incised the twins with two long tribal marks as an identity and for recognition in case of future. This explains the origin of the tribal marks of Ondo till date.

The political underpinning in this respect is in two ways. The first, being the way the ‘Royal Might’ was used to escape the mysterious babies out of the palace instead of being killed as it would ordinarily not have happened, which made possible the emergence of two communities today known as the Ondo Kingdom (the twin girl) and Ile-Oluji (the twin boy). The second dimension was the royal identification that portrayed them as royal children and so, anywhere they reached, they should be accorded royal welcome, culminating into why Pupupu was allowed kingship authority without resistance at ‘Edo du do’ now Ondo by the original settlers of the land, Idoko, Ifore and Oka people. Today, the Ondo people, anywhere they are and in anything they are doing, they are always influential and on the lead. Indeed, empirical facts confirm that Ondo indigenes are good administrators and managers of human and material resources. They travel a lot and are very industrious and enterprising. If an Ondo man/woman reaches a desert, he/she will turn it to a mega city, through enterprising and hard work. In education, they are on the lead, in socials and morals, the Ondo people are in the fore-front, in worship, they are reknowned. In accommodating strangers, they are very kind, but, they could be dangerous and become very very aggressive, if cheated or manipulated (Omotosho, F., Ologbenla, D. K. and Omotosho, A., 2016). In other words, as patient, kind and friendly as they could be, so they could be very furious, when provoked. This informs why one of their deities that they worship today is ‘Ogun’ (God of Iron), which is celebrated every year as a festival, using dog, palm win and fronts as sacrifices to appease it. The contingent moved and wandered through the forest until they arrived at a place called Epin, near Gbere, whose inhabitants were called Ibariba.

They were well received and catered for until the death of Oba Oluaso in 1497. They then made attempts to return and arrived Oyo on account of unfair treatment by the succeeding king. Omogbogi, the reigning king then,who sent them back to a virgin land compassed about by Ife, Ijesa, Ekiti, Ado (Benin) and Ijebu communities. They later arrived on a second journey at a place called Igbo Ijamo (the forest discovered by Ija). The group stayed in this forest for a while, after which they found the forest unsafe and continued their journey eastward, until they finally got to a place called

Epe,a town nearby the present Ondo town ( http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/general/42431-500-years-years-theosemawe-dynasty.html, Johnson, S., 1921). They were in Epe for many years and as they journeyed on, they passed through a hill which is today known as Oke Agunla and one of the communities that make up the present day Ondo Kingdom. From this hill, they spotted some smoke and headed in its direction. There, they met a man called ‘Ekiri’, one of the original inhabitants of the area. As was the usual practice then, the ifa oracle was consulted on the prospects of the newly found location.

The oracle instructed them to take along a yam stake (edo) as their walking stick. The oracle informed them to poke the stick into the ground as they journeyed along and wherever they reached and the stick didn’t bond with land, there was to be their final settlement (Olupona, J. K., 1991; Clarke, K. W. and http:// ekimogundescendant.org/). Pupupu and her entourage continued their journey from Epe until they got to where the stick did not bond after they poked it, as instructed, and there, they chorused in surprise ‘Edo du do’ (The yam stake would not stick in) translating to mean ‘Ondo’ till today. On arrival, according to oral tradition, they met Ifore, the Idoko and the Oka inhabitants on the soil who recognized the royalty of the new arrivals and readily ceded to them the authority to rule over the territory, confirming, the underpinning factor of divine rulership, This was how the Ondo Kingdom was founded and Pupupu became the first female Ondo king called the Osemawe of Ondo land in the year 1510 (Please see, http://ekimogundescendant.org/index.php?option=com.content& news=article&id=117:ondo-kingdom-landmarks-).Thereafter, the people enlarged into a big empire with other established settlements like Igbindo, Igbado, Ilu-nla, Odigbo, Ajue, Igunshin just to name a few, but, however left Epe their spiritual source for all rituals and festivals, where they paid pilgrimages to perform different kinds of rituals and prayers.

Till date, history has it that, even when any Osemawe dies, his/her head is usually buried at Epe, the original town of Ondo, while the rest of the body is buried in Ondo Kingdom, signifying (Orisun) that is ‘source’ and hence a political spectrum (Johnson, S., 1921; Olupona, J. K., 1991; Bascou, W. K., 1965). Politically now, Epe became a spiritual headquarter and the Osemawe palace in Ondo township became the governing throne. For the twin brother, Orere, a historical account had it that he (Orere) unlike Pupupu, now a king, journeyed a little farther from Ondo to settle in a place called Ile-Oluji (the land of ‘Olu’ who never woke up again) and became its first traditional ruler. Till today, the word/name Orere 23-25 May 2016- Istanbul, Turkey Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2016 3rd International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities ISBN: 978-605-64453-7-8 485 is among the pedigree of the Olu of Ile-Oluji,which shares same tradition and history with his Ondo sister Pupupu, a town of about 9miles away, including festivals and rituals. They all are inhabited in the same state, Ondo, which was established by the General Muritala Ramat Mohammed military administration on 3rd February, 1976 from the old Western region with a capital in Akure. Until 1996, when Ekiti State was split off from it by the Sanni Abacha regime (Omotosho, 2004), originally part of Ondo state. One other political interference and underpinning, associated with the Ondo kingdom and its people were the imperialist and colonialist interferences of the 19th century, when pressure from expanded European contact and crises from the Yoruba political wars paved ways for these whites to penetrate the hinterland from the Lagos colony, using Ondo as a route since the Osemawe throne had been weakened, thereby, making the colonizers to establish both trade and administrative links in Ondo town. With the expansion of the Atlantic slave trade an

he Atlantic slave trade and large scale population displacement in Yoruba land, the political life of the Ondo Kingdom changed, especially on land tenure system and hereditary lineage which resulted into intense internal rifts among its varying subjects then, culminating into division and chaos that weakened the throne.

The throne of Pupupu was later toppled six years after, in a palace coup by another Osemawe (a man) called Aise, Pupupu’s first son and that was how the royal throne shifted from female hereditary to male hereditary till today (Johnson, S., 1921; Abimbola, W., 1977: please, see, http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/news/general /42431-500-years-theosemawe-dynasty.html ,http://thenationonlineng.net/is-new-yam-feast-losing-its-taste). The Ondo people,given their royal nature, are so influential in their State and its government andare believed to be many in its public service. The current Executive Governor of the state, Dr. Olusegu Mimiko, a Medical Doctor by profession but politician by occupation is a true born son of Ondo Town (Babalola, S. A., 1966; Johnson, S., 1921 and Eades, J. S., 1980. 2.

THE INSTITUTIONAL STRUCTURE AND GOVERNMENT PROCESS OF THE TYPICAL TRADITIONAL ONDO KINGDOM: ‘AN ANALYSIS’. As Olupona (1991:195) infers, …‘The system of government in Ondo Kingdom is rather an interesting one’. The focus is centralized on the election of a divine kingship with a king status, which is a hereditary one, rotating among five ruling houses (genealogies) namely Arilekolasi, Jisomosun, Aroworayi, Jilo and Fidipote, with an authority partly derived through the legendary fore-parent, Oba Pupupu, who migrated from Oyo and in the other part, from Oduduwa, the descent of the Yoruba race who derived (his) from ‘Olodumare’, the supreme being. The next grade of chiefs are the ‘Ekule’ who number seven and lower in rank than the Eghae, carrying out ministerial functions of the kingdom such as treasury, information, attorney-general and justice, education and other special duties as assigned by the Eghae which they are responsible to. They are in this order; Odofin, Arogbo, Logbosere, Odofindi, Sagwe, Sara and Olotu-Omoba. After these seven are the lowest chieftaincy titled citizens of the kingdom called Elegbe and number 15. Their principal duty is law, order and general security of the land from both internal and xternal warlords. They of course constitute the armed forces. All these activities are well co-ordinated from the center headed by the Eghae and chairman-ed by the Osemawe. In other words, the kingdom operates one of quasi-federal systems that provide for an effective governance process like Senegal and South Africa respectively. The ‘Alaworo’ priest chiefs are the next group of leaders in Ondo. These are largely heads of local, preOduduwa groups who are now in a position of ‘ritual superiority’ over the newcomers. They consist of Oloja Oke-Idoko, Ekiri of Ifore, Sora and Akunara, the last two being the Oramfe priests. All these titles are hereditary and candidates are elected from the family concerned. (see, http://ekimogundescendant.org/ , http://ekimogundescendant.org/indexphp?optio=com.content&news=article=117:ondo-kingdom-landmarks- ,http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2014/09/ondo-people-forest-agriculturalist.html).

In the institutional structure and government process of Ondo, the women are also highly formidable and influential with their own structure appearing like their male counterparts’, playing prominent roles like the installation of a new Osemawe by the ‘Lobun’ the head of the market and kingmaker. History confirms that no one else installs a king in Ondo kingdom than ‘Lobun’ and after this installation, she goes to her own tent and would never see Osemawe again until she dies vis-à-vis. If a Lobun also dies, the king she installs must die on the throne before a new Lobun is installed, lest, if not installed, no new Osemawe would be installed. This is the tradition and would continue to be. Lobun is regarded as a woman king, who replaces female Osemawe like Pupupu the progenitor (Bender, D. R., 1970; Lloyd, P. C., 1962). Market is an important place in the institutional structure of Ondo as it is of economic and social significance in the day to day administration and commerce of the kingdom. It is controlled by the women under the authority of Lobun who is also the priestess Aje (god of wealth and prosperity). Till today, there is no economic life-wire of the kingdom and the Ondo state people in general that is not fascinated and strongly upheld by women, even, in modern day 23-25 May 2016- Istanbul, Turkey Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2016 3rd International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities ISBN: 978-605-64453-7-8 486 government. They are very enterprising, hardworking and very supportive to their husbands even during wars or troubles. Ondo women are very disciplined and brave like their progenitor Pupupu. They are responsible for discipline at homes, at work and farms, they are in charge of trade and their husband’s wealth, they serve as advisors and guidance and they provide divinities.

This is why their children are more disciplined and are afraid not to get involved in any crime of disgraceful act to their lineage because of their mothers’ spanks, while the fathers remain petters, but highly industrious (please, see 13, 14, 17; Johnson, S., 1921; Olupona, 1991). Olupona noted, “Once a Lobun is elected, it is forbidden for her to engage in any domestic work as she cannot step her feet on an unswept floor early in the morning and neither can she eat any food prepared the previous day”. To this end, she has a retinue of staff that work for/with her to keep her health and she is to be catered for, for the rest of her life without working aside from royal assignment and market supervision by ‘orders’. The women have a council like their male counterpart comprising Lisa-Lobun, Jomu-Lobun, Orangun-Lobun, Sasere-Lobun and Adafin. Asides, there are other female chiefs of lower grades and they include Odofin-Lobun, Ogede-Lobun, Sama-Lobun and Awoye-Lobun. The Eghae has the responsibility of selecting Lobun while the high female chiefs ekect the other female chiefs. Such appointments are approved by the Osemawe through Chief Sasere. The Ondo people are also organized into a social structure of clannish system of compound life where the eldest son is the head of the home and his wife (ves) remain mothers for the remaining boys in the family until that time they are old enough to marry. If the eldest dies, the most-senior boy of his own eldest son could take-over the wives for marriage, even though, he too already has his own wife(ves), just purposely to provide care for the women and their children, again, should such women still want to give birth, they have someone to impregnate them. So, life continues invariably. Indeed, in those days, this culture cuts across all Yoruba race until modernity stopped most of these beliefs and practices. The social institutional lineages also play prime functions in the government process of the kingdom as they offer forums for home discipline and recruitments for major public functions.

3. CULTURAL VALUES OF THE ONDO PEOPLE IN ONDO KINGDOM The Ondo people are also blessed with ri

f various brands like festival celebrations, ritual marriages, rites performance as mentioned already, drumming and dancing, arts and crafts like blacksmithing, clothes’dyeing called ‘Aso Adire’, dressing, funerals, tribal marks, cultism, ancestral worships and traditional sacrifices, all of which are incorporated in their African Traditional Religion. Prominent among these festivals are the Ogun festivals (god of iron) celebrated between the months of August and September every year. According to Olupona, the preparation for the festival commences 17days before the actual Ogun day at the appearance of the new moon, with spectrum of rituals performed to welcome and appease the god of iron, with the use of ‘upe’, a long gourd trumpet blown early in the morning of the ceremony day in the house of Ayadi, the ritual specialist of Ogun public worship (Olupona, J. K., 1991; Bascom, 1965). Such trumpeting lasts seven days, believed to be very symbolic. The festival involves many stages this research is not opportune to provide due to limitation of study. The festival attracts eminent sons and daughters of the kingdom to Ondo to grace it as an honor, also for blessing and protection. Today, the festival has drawn in government’s attention with its officials attending the celebrations, portending official recognitions of the rituals and the significance to economy and and the soci-political life of the state in a broad sense. For example, we often see government ministers, commissioners especially those of culture and tourism, information and culture and National Orientation, Chieftaincy affairs and even the state governors attending in person.

The festival, hence, by implication, provides a good forum for political gatherings for sensitization and mobilization. When Ayadi ushers Ogun in (the god), he must sacrifice dogs (aja) and tortoise (aghon) which some other Yoruba called ‘Ijapa’, and pour libations at the shrine of Ogun. Dog is believed to be the Ogun’s favourite’s meat, thus, may assume all Ondo indigenes eat it, but not in all cases. During Ogun festival, dogs are ususlly mercilessly immolated or ritualized. They are cut once when stretched at the neck with a ritual cutlass or knife and once this is done, it is believed, prayer to the god is answered. One of the significance to this memorable occasion is to help indigenes succeed in their various professions and careers in life, ward-off evils, accidents, premature deaths, calamities and misfortune from the land. It is also marked to signify unity among the people, love in the families, abundance of wealth, properties and good luck in coming seasons. No year must pass by without being celebrated. In Ife and other Yoruba settlements, the Ogun festival is called ‘Olojo’ usually celebrated almost the same time with the same significance and of course, in the same man (Johnson, 1921). An average traditional Ondo man celebrates Ogun anytime an issue calls for it, particularly, when there is need for a journey to prevent accident, clear the roads of evils and guarantee 23-25 May 2016- Istanbul, Turkey Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2016 3rd International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities ISBN: 978-605-64453-7-8 487 utmost safety throughout. He also does to show indebtedness to Ogun, the god of metals and technology to create and sustain things for the good of its own people. Ogun was a man who lived as a great warrior and blacksmith but died gallantly several centuries back and was later promoted to a diety.

The Ondo people attach great importance to the festival than other festivals, thereby, making it the chief festival and archculture (Johnson, 1921). Major symbols and identity of Ogun includes fire, blood, cutlass, palm fronds and iron. Myths and legend confirm that Ogun was a chief diety, who lived a great, warrior-like hunting life who used his implements to clear impenetrable way in the thick evil forest that no one else could do, hence, he was called ‘Osin-

‘Osin-Imole’ (Chief among the divinities). As a ruthless deity, he lived in seclusion at the top of the hill where he went on hunting, until he retreated to a permanent settlement, after a prolonged seclusion, in a garment of fire and blood, with palm fronds to cover himself from the community that could not withstand his stand and appearance. He later headed to Ire where he was made a king, hence, the name Ogun Onire (Ogun, the lord of Ire) was accorded him (Olupona, J. K., 1991; Bascom, W. R., 1965; Please, see article in Journal of Religion in Africa 22(33): 279-280). Apart from Ogun, there are other deities worshipped by the Ondo people like Sango Oko Oya (God of Thunder husband of Oya), Egungun festival (the dead ancestors), Oro festival (the dead ancestors), King’s festival (Odun Oba) etc. The Ondo people possess significant values like unique monumental traditional marriages which take weeks to complete with rites before a youth gets married in the community, expensive burial rites involving lineage members with drumming, cooking of bean cakes (Akara), palm-wine, preparations of pounded yam and cutting of expensive clothes called ‘Aso Ebi’ uniform, most especially, if the death involves an aged person or a chief. This is greeted with lots of fun fares and festivities attracting crowds of friends and relations and others (Olupona, 1991).

4. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION This research was undertaken to unveil the historical antecedents of the Ondo kingdom and its people, through a descriptive-analytical approach. The research surveys the origin of the kingdom with particular interest in its culture and politics. The researchers endeavoured to work within the limitation of their study by describing, the origin of the Ondo kingdom, its antecedents and the period of its existence till present, spanning over five hundred years and above (that is about six centuries ago). The study engaged a methodological approach to the political process of the kingdom with a comparison of the modern day states’ political systems. The political structure was found to be highly organized, centralized but with some substantial elements of devolution, characterizing a governmental process with many levels of authority, but, with reference to the deity represented by (the Osemawe). The study surveyed also the cultural legacies of the people and what they worship and what laws they keep and how they keep them ultimately. The study has engaged both normative and empirical tools for fact-findings that validate most of historical facts that were used for survey analysis. The research wishes to build upon this by advancing on it in subsequent works.

REFERENCE LIST Abimbola, W. (1977). The Study of Yoruba Literature: An Assessment, An Inaugural Lecture, University of Ife. Ajulo, E. B. (2000). Meaning (Dis) Equivalence in Translations: Exemplifying with Two Literary TextsSoyinka’s A Forest of a Thousand Dacmons and Fagunwa’s Ogboju Ode Ninu Igbo Irunmale, University of Jos. Babalola, S. A. (1966). The Content and Form of Yoruba Ijala, Oxford: Clarendon Press. Bascom, W. R. (1965). ‘Folklore Research in Africa’ Journal of American Folklore LXXVII (303) Clarke, K. W. and Clarke, M. W. (1963). Introducing Folklore, Rhineland and Winston Inc. NY. Crowther, S. A. (1852). A Grammar and Vocabulary of Yoruba Language, London Seclays. Eades, J. S. (1980). The Yoruba Today, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Johnson, S. (1921). The History of the Yorubas: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate. (Ed.) By Johnson, Obadian, Lagos. C.M.S. (Nigeria) Bookshops, Lowe and Brydone Printers, London. Lloyd, P.C. (1962). Yoruba Land Law: Oxford University Press, London. 23-25 May 2016- Istanbul, Turkey Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2016 3rd International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities ISBN: 978-605-64453-7-8 488 Olupona, J. K. (1991). Kingship, Religion and Rituals in a Nigerian Community:

23-25 May 2016- Istanbul, Turkey Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2016 3rd International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities ISBN: 978-605-64453-7-8 482

Oyejide Felix Omotosho1* , Derin K. Ologbenla2 and Oluwatobiloba-Oyejide Alex Omotosho3 1Dr., The University of the Gambia, Brikama, THE GAMBIA, ofomotosho@utg.edu.gm, omotoshofelix@yahoo.com 2Assoc. Prof. Dr, University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, NIGERIA, dologbenla@unilag.edu.ng, derin_ologbenla@yahoo.com 3University of the Gambia, omotoshoalex@yahoo.com *Corresponding author

A Phenomenological Study of Ondo Yoruba Festivals, (Stockholm Studies in Comparative Religion, No. 28), Stockholm, Almqvist and Wiksell Int’l; ISBN 9122013822, pp. 195) Omotosho, O. F., Ologbenla, D. K. and Omotosho, O. A. (2016). What Has Changed in Our Land: “A Critical Assessment of the Extinction of Indigenous Yam Crop in a Rural Okeigbo Community in Ondo State of South-Western Nigeria”. An Article already accepted for a Peer Review Journal Publication.

Please see, Article in Journal of Religion in Africa 22(3): 279-280. December, 1991. DOI: 10: 1163/157006692X00266 Please see, http://ekimogundescendant.org/index.php?option=com/content&view=article&id=117:ondo-kingdomlandmarks http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.com/2014/09/ondo-people-forest-agriculturist.htm

Her Royal Highness Oba Obinrin Lobun Dynasty In Ondo Kingdom

Ondo Kinship ideology today is highly bilateral with an emphasis on patrilineality. Unlike other Yoruba kingdoms, however, the Ondo possess a strong tendency toward matrifocality. This is expressed in the kinship term, Omiye mi, which simply means “my maternal kin,” but which is a household word and constitutes a fundamental tenet of the ideology of the ancient Ondo society. A female progenitor was quite common for many lineages among the Ondo.

What then is the importance of this for Ondo myths and rituals? The palace coup d’etat in which the woman Oba was replaced by a male line in the Ondo myth of origin must have had an impact on the way Ondo populace view their descent system and perhaps also on other aspects of the social structure. Airo, the name of the male king that succeeded Pupupu, the female king, means, “a substitute.” The Lobun, who is considered a king in her own right, emphasized this fact by saying: “afi paro ni” (We make him replace someone). Thus the Ondo myth of origin may indicate that at some point in the distant past Ondo women played a powerful political role, the remnants of which are still preserved in the Lobun institution, one of the most revered titles in Ondo today. It is a daughter of the Lobun or a woman within the lineage that succeeds her. That an institution of such crucial ritual importance to the state has survived (for without the Lobun, no king can be enthroned) suggests the importance of women in the past and may represent a sort of compensation for women’s lost power.

Even today the Ondo live with the paradox of suppressed female political power. Lobun is still referred to as “Oba Obinrin” (the woman’s king). This paradox is further demonstrated in the all-night “Opepee festival’, “a ritual of reversal” when the society’s suppressed urges are brought into the open. Such rituals always end up by reinforcing the stability of the status quo. The young men and women take to the street and sing “Oba wa N (referring to the personal name of the incumbent king) Se duo ku di Lobunje” (Our king N, die and let us elect a Lobun).

Female King Cabinet Members in Ondo Kingdom

High Chief Lisa Lobun .

High Chief Jomu Lobun

High Chief Sasere Lobun

High Chief Odofin Lobun

High Chief Orangun Lobun

High Chief Sama Lobun

Source From: Ondo Development Committee Archive

Ondo Ekimogun Eulogise

Culture, History, Lifestyle Comments Off on Ondo Ekimogun Eulogise 1,770 Views

I was born in a kingdom; the king’s domain called EKIMOGUN

A land with very rich origin, where the 11 o’clock tribal mark on our faces is for PRESTIGE

A people from Ijama, who drink water with a bell made of GOLD

A place where “Lókílì”, “Obì” ati “Gbànja” are the god’s delicacies

Where our extremely high SELF-ESTEEM is mistaken as pride by foreigners

And our JOVIALITY is mis-seen as promiscuity by the same

A land distinguished by serene ambience, unparalleled elegance and intense beauty

Where women are naturally endowed and worthy to behold

And men are full of strength, dignity and valour

They say we are stubborn, I say that’s because we are not Cowards

We daily kill 7 Goats for 7 Boasts to eat Àsun

Make 7 Wriggles to 7 Wiggles when we dance Ujó-Obitun

We put 7 Cowries in 7 Dowries, to marry a single woman

Eat 7 Kolanuts, give 7 Walnuts, n’íjó e bée s’ágún

We have 7 Lives with 7 Wives, and keep them indoors on Odún-mokò

We do not joke with iyán ati obelá-lásèpò pèlu eangbé ati ìpée. Bó dèn se obe gbánúnnùn, dédékìna

Our Èfó must be garnished with lúkotokíkí and when we see Àlàáì (lóí Aso), our heart rejoices

I am not only AFRICAN, not only NIGERIAN, not only YORÙBÁ, but also an original unadulterated Ondo-blooded Man.

The True Son of Lugard, Obámúwàsàn, Òsèshà bonén shodún

OMO LÍSÀ-LÙJÀÀNÚ, ÀSHO, ÒJÁLÍLÚLÍ BÒ TEÈ, ÒJÁMO N’ÓKÓ DÒÒDÒÒ, MÁ B’OJÀ MA B’OÉ, ÀLÙJÀÀNÚ DÉÉÉÉ…

Yes, Indeed, ÀJÒ Ò LÈ LÁÍLÁÍ DÀ B’ILÉ (No place can ever be like home)

The reality that you don’t choose where you came from leaves you no choice but to be proud of it, especially when it’s one of the best around

Obayé Obàun, please bless my homeland forever!

Written By: Oni Gege Ara

The True Meaning Of The Word Yoruba

Have you always thought about where the word Yoruba originate?? Have you heard many misconception and misapprehension that left you baffled?? That was what got hold of me too so I decided to dig into it.

What is the meaning of Yoruba? Does it have any inclination to our language? This is a thought provoking topic that needs profound reasoning and intense research for better understanding.

It is time we faced the monster that keeps trailing us whom many try to ignore. In Yoruba culture, appellation is often derived from a prerequisite factor or foretelling. For fact telling, some name their child Owolabi hoping the child will bring fortune to the family, another one is that almost all Yoruba towns have their names derived from an event or a factor as illustrated in; Eba-Odan – Ibadan, Abe Okuta Olumo – Abeokuta and Ibi ti Ile ti yo – Oyo and so forth. However, these factors appear not partake in the word Yoruba.

I asked a lot of people to define Yoruba, nobody had a clue so I decided to return to history and I delved into what Yoruba scholars of the past centuries had written. Slowly I began to unravel the mystery of our name.

The first hint I got was from an ordinary search which spouted Yariba. What does that mean?? I carried on, I moved on to the always ready Yoruba dictionary written by Samuel Ajayi Crowther which defines ‘Yariba’ as a bastard and deceitful person.

Another came from the one I found on a scholarly written journal of Dr Taiwo Ayanbolu who insisted Yoruba is a name derived from Hausa language which means deceit. He claimed he found the definition at York Museum in England dating to the 19th century.

Before I go further here, I would like to stress how the name came aboard. It has been recorded that the Hausa-Fulani who had been in contact with the Yoruba even before the rise of Oyo Empire had for some reasons chosen to call us Yariba, or Yaribansa.

Perhaps this might have been a result of Yoruba people’s bargaining skills which often made the Fulani traders fall victim of trade by barter. Another one I stumbled on was narrated by another scholar who said the name Yoruba started protruding during the clash between Yoruba and Fulani that steered the lost of Ilorin to them in the 18th century.

The Igbos had cleansed themselves off ‘Yinmiri’, a name the Hausa-Fulani had technically given to them. The igbos have today refuted Yinmiri to be a derogatory word, however, the reverse is the case for the Yoruba. From findings I have made, Yaribansa is a Fulani word meaning Bastard. An extremely derogatory word in Yoruba discourse.

I read one of Professor Ade Ajayi’s book “Yoruba Warfare in the Nineteenth century” where he insisted that during the indirect rule era, it was necessary for the imperialists to give a unique name to the entire towns and people who spoke Yoruba language.

Somehow, they settled for Yoruba. Yoruba is a deviation of Yariba which the Yoruba people of that century rejected. The Ijebu, Ijesa and Egba rejected this name vehemently but because during the Kiriji war (the Yoruba civil war) where the collapse of Oyo Empire commenced and the signalling factor the imperialists used to prompt the rule over Oyo from covers. The name Yoruba was foisted on Oyo and Ibadan mainly on documents and slowly the name Yoruba was enshrined in our culture and hence, our appellation.

Research shows that the Egba were the last to accept Yoruba as their appellation, reason coming from facts emanating from the first newspaper published in Yorubaland in 1859, goes: Iwe Iroyin Fun Ara Egba Ati Yoruba. This indicates that the Egba refused the name Yoruba as at 1859.

Furthermore, I have read the Odu Ifa and I have familiarised myself with many Ogede Ofo, Iwure and Ewi of the past generations and I have never heard where we were referred to as Yoruba, rather, as Omo Kaaro Ojiire, Omo Oduduwa or Omoluabi.

I am penning this for us to know the origin of the word Yoruba, it is a bitter pill to swallow especially now that the

I am penning this for us to know the origin of the word Yoruba, it is a bitter pill to swallow especially now that the name has travelled far and wide, should we try to augment our appellation Yoruba? certainly too late to make any sort of modification. We might as well just carry on dealing with it.

Source & Written By: Bola Olalekan

Ori …. Destiny …. Fate

History, Tradition Comments Off on Ori …. Destiny …. Fate 3,373 Views

~Iwonran olokun, abara le kokooko bi ota,

~Difa fun Ori Apere

~Omo atakara sola

~Nje ibi ori gbe ni owo

~Akara, Ori je won o ka mi mon won, Akara!

~Nibi ori gbe ko’le

~Akara, Ori je won o ka mi mon won, Akara!

~Nibi ori gbe nni ire gbogbo

~Akara, Ori je won o ka mi mon won, Akara!

~Ori apeere, ori apesin,

~Iwa ni finin joye, Ori ni finin joba,

~Ori ni bani rogun tafi nsegun,

~Aba fi orisa sile, Ori lababo,

~Ojo Ori ngbeni nibo ni orisa wa,

~Eni Ori ba base ni taja, ni jere, ni kere oja dele,

~Nba tete mon pe Ori ni uba tima saagun,

~Ase ori eni ni gbe ni,

~Oogun lolojo kan iponju, Ori lolojo gbogbo,

~Ori agbe logbe pade alaro,

~Ori aluko logbe pade olosun,

~Ori lekeleke logbe pade elefun.

~Ori mi gbemi pade ire.

~Ibi oju ibi, base bi eru labi Omo-oba,

~Ori tiwon gbe waye lotooto,

~Sebi ojo toro si ewuro loro si ireke,

~Ohun gbogbo lowo Ori,

~Ori logbe aje fun olokun,

~Ori logbe iyo fun olosa,

~Ori latonan eni wasaye,

~Ba bimon tuntun amun Ori waye,

~Aba bo egun ile, k’abo orisa oja, afi k’abo ori eni,

~Bi aba ra fila etu, ta sin ade ide, Ori laafi de,

~Ori ni baba ara,

~Isebo ni isogun, ba se waye pe aori laari,

~Ohun gbogbo lowo Ori,

~Ori leja fi nlabu, Ori lemon fi nla opo,

~Eye onifo ko fi Ori sogi, Sebi Ori ni,

~Ori leleda eni, Ori lalabaro eni,

~Ori mi jafun mi, eleda mi gbeminija,

~Apari inun mi mon ba tode je

~Iwa mi maje kori ta ko mi

~Eleda mi ma sun

~Ori adiye oniburu koye dudu

~Ori lafi umun eran lawo

~Oojo layan ipin, ojo kan layan Ori

~Akunleyan, akunlegba ati ayanmo

~Akunleyan lohun ta yan pe afe je l’aye

~Akunlegba lonan ta yan pe aofi je ohun tafe je laye

~Ayanmo lohun ti ayan ti o se yi pada

~Ayanmo o gbo oogun, ori lelejo

~Ori koni ohun ogbe ni, amon apari inun(Iwa) uko?

~Ibi kan soso ni ‘Oriseki’ ‘Liemere’ ati ‘Afuwape’ ti yan ori

~Amon apari inun Afuwape gbe e

~Loba dara fun ju gbogbo won lo

~Ni won bani ‘awon omon ibi Afuwape gbe yan ori awon oba lo yan tawon’

~Afuwape ni ‘ibi kan lagbe yan ori, kadara o papo ni’

~Ori mi gbe ki nlowo

~Eleda mi lami kin lola

~Ori mi gbe mi

~Ori mi la mi

~Gbemi atete niran

~Gbemi atete gbeni ku foosa

~Ori nii gbe ni

~Ajawo, kii se oosa.

~Ori wo ibi ire ki o gbe mi de

~Ese wo ibi ire ki o sin mi re

~Ibi ope agunka ngbe mii re

~Emi ko mo ibe

~Difa fun Sasore

~Eyi to ji ni Kutukutu owuro

~Nje ti o ba tun ku ibi to dara ju eyi lo

~Ori mi ma sai gbe mi de ibe.

~Ori se mi lolowo, eleda mi semi l’olola

~Ori mase mi lerun, eleda mi mase mi ni iwofa

~Ori mi jafunmi, elada mi masun

~Ori mi ma gbagbe mi, elada mi magbabode

~Ire ni moyan nile Ajala-mopin, nibi kaluku ti yan ori

~Adeda, aseda, iba re Olodumare.

Ire oooooo!

Source & Written By: Samuel Olanrewaju Bill STAR

Ondo Ancient Traditional Anthem

Culture, History, Tradition, travel Comments Off on Ondo Ancient Traditional Anthem 1,720 Views

PUBLIC NOTICE: Please let us take note that this song, (1). Bi ola, Bi ola o, Adodo fusi s’eti omi, Jesu ma fusi s’Ondo, Ola ti b’okan w’aiye o, Ola ti b’okan w’aiye Ee. (2). Bi ola, Bi ola o, Adodo buyi s’eti omi, Jesu ma buyi s’Ondo, Ola mi t’oke w’aiye o Ee. Ola mi t’oke w’aiye, Ola mi t’oke w’aiye o Ee. Aiye wa sese wa gun o, Aiye wa sese wa gun o Ee” was composed by Late Bishop S. Charles Phillips of blessed memory to celebrate the success of his overwhelming Missionary work achievements in Ondo Archdeaconry at Saint Stephen Cathedral Church Oke Aluko Ondo in 1931.

The above song have nothing to do with any other Institution in Ondo Kingdom. It was solemnly composed by the latter to show appreciation to God Almighty Father that allowed Him – Late Bishop S. Charles Phillips to record a remarkable and successful missionary work in Ondo during his sojourn as a Clergyman. It will not be appropriate to adopt the song as Ondo Traditional Anthem by any individual irrespective of where he or she may belong in the society.

The Anthem songs are usually composed for the founders of a Nation or to honour their fallen heroes as well as to appreciate Rulers of a Kingdom. Let us take a clue from the British Colonial Master – “BRITISH NATIONAL ANTHEM – God Save The Queen”. Late HRM Oba Airo proclaim Ondo as a Kingdom during his reign between 1530 -1560 AD and also set up a befitting Monarchy Administration for the Ondos with competitive tradition, culture and customs.

Late Oba Airo honour cannot be whisk away for whatsoever reasons either good or bad. The next generation coming after us are highly intelligent, well educated and sophisticated about gathering information as relate to genealogical history of any Community throughout the whole World. Let it be!

The song below have been in existence for more than three century years as mentored in history but not commonly sing among the mid nineteenth century generation. We can jointly revive it with interest and love but not subject to be ignored;

POINT TO NOTE: I have given a wide insight about this topic before in the past and I quote from the same source; HRM Oba Airo (Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom 1530 -1560) was the eldest Son of late HRM Oba Pupupu (1st Osemawe of Ondo 1510 – 1530). HRM Oba Airo ascended the throne of Osemawe after the death of his Mother at a very younger age but supported by the then Chief Ayadi to run the day to day affairs of his Monarch Administration.

After a short brief on the throne, He travel to Ado Binin (now Benin City) to learn Monarch Administration from the Palace of Akenzuwa of Ado Binin for a longer period. Before Oba Airo could returned to Ondo, some of the High Chiefs and Lesser Chiefs has started rebellious action against him but luckily for Oba Airo, He arrived back on throne before they could succeed in removing him as an Oba.

Upon arrival on the throne, Oba Airo was briefed about the plan of certain High Chiefs and Lesser Chiefs to remove Him as Osemawe of Ondo, He then assert his authority by downgrading those High Chiefs and Lesser Chiefs found connected in the rebellious action and subsequently elevated the then High Chief Lisa to became second-in-command.

When the entire Ondo people challenged Oba Airo about his unsatisfactory action and they vowed to remove him from the throne if he refused to reverse it. He rebuffed them and thus proclaimed himself as “AIRO” because he has done it and its irreversible. He also pronounced and established Ondo as a Kingdom from that moment onward with the creation of more quarters and put Chiefs to head those new quarters.

When the Ondos and the entire populated Chiefs realized that Oba Airo sound differently whose word became law instantly and appeared as powerful ever than before. They began to respect and fearful about him till the Oba passed away.

In conclusion, Oba Airo was

The massive expansion of the Yoruba

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The massive expansion of the Yoruba occurred in the context of the four continents united by the Atlantic Ocean. The Yoruba were among the African slaves drawn from Central and West Africa and tragically relocated to the Americas. As the enslaved, they were funnelled to the Atlantic. After the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade, secondary migrations occurred as freed slaves returned to West Africa, and thousands migrated within various countries in the Atlantic World.

In my co-edited book, The Yoruba Diaspora in the Atlantic World, the contributors have examined the history of the Yoruba in different countries. The slave trade violently took the Yoruba to several places in the Americas: Brazil, Cuba, Uruguay, Argentina, Haiti, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.

There are characteristics and patterns. The breakdown reflects the following: first is location, a) in an extensive land mass from Rio de la Plata in South America to the Chesapeake Bay in North America, and small islands in the West Indies; b) in North America, areas of concentrations were in Virginia, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina; c) in Central America, the Yoruba were taken to Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua; d) in South America, the Yoruba were found in Brazil, Suriname, Guyana and Venezuela; and e) in the West Indies, they were taken to Cuba, St. Lucia, Saint-Domingo (Haiti), Barbados, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago.

A second relevant aspect is concentration: in sizeable numbers in relation to the totality of African slaves, the Yoruba were concentrated in three places—Bahia in Brazil, Cuba, and Saint-Dominique. In these places, their value was mainly in their labor, working on plantations and processing firms that produced sugarcane, sugar, tobacco, cotton and other profitable crops; in mines, as domestic servants; and in such other economic sectors as ports and commerce.

While the Yoruba cultural influences were the strongest in Cuba, Bahia, and Saint-Dominique, they equally established a noticeable impact in other places where their numbers were smaller. Some impacts were Yoruba-based, that is, based on elements that we can define primarily as Yoruba. Other newer influences were part of the creolization of cultures as the Yoruba interacted with slaves from other African ethnicities and with European-derived cultures and institutions such as the church and family.

Presence is one thing, impact is another. Be it in Brazil or the United States, the diversity of those countries, even when not recognized, is grounded in the multiple histories and experiences of different groups and ethnicities from various countries. Among the citizens in these places are people with Yoruba roots. Where the roots are denied or unappreciated, or simply not known, alienation develops. This consciousness has been expressed time and again in various poems, essays, and texts to underscore how diaspora groups seek recognition, self-depiction, collective affirmation, and cultural authenticity”

Source & Written By: Professor Toyin Falola

Who Are The Yorubas?

Culture, History Comments Off on Who Are The Yorubas? 908 Views

The Yoruba people of south-western Nigeria are a nationality of approximately 50 million people the vast majority of whom are concentrated primarily within Nigeria but that are also spread throughout the entire world. They constitute probably the largest percentage of Africans that live in the diaspora and they have made their own extraordinary contributions in virtually every field of human endeavour throughout the ages. Descendants of the Yoruba and indeed various ancient derivatives and forms of the Yoruba language can be found and are spoken in places like Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, the United States of America and various other parts of the western world. Today first, second and even third generation yorubas have settled down and spread all over the world and are amongst the best and most sought after lawyers, nuclear scientists, doctors, industrialists, academics, writers, poets, playwrites, clerics, theologians, artists, film producers, historians and intellectuals throughout the world. Wherever they go they tend to flourish and excel.

This is nothing new and indeed has always been the case. The first Nigerian to be called to the Bar was a Yoruba man by the name of Sapara Williams who was called to the English Bar and started practising as a lawyer in 1879. Yet Sapara Williams was not a flash in the pan or a one time wonder. Other yoruba men followed in his footsteps in quick succession and were called to the English Bar shortly after he was. For example after him came Joseph Edgarton Shyngle who was called in 1888, then came Gabriel Hugh Savage who was called in 1891, then came Rotimi Alade who was called in 1892, then came Kitoye Ajasa (whose original name was Edmund Macauly) who was called in 1893, then came Arthur Joseph Eugene Bucknor who was called in 1894 and then came Eric Olaolu Moore who was called in 1903. Ironically Sapara Williams was not the first Nigerian lawyer though he was the first to be called to the English Bar. In those days you did not have to be called to the Bar to practice law in Britain and the first Nigerian lawyer that practised without being called to the Bar was yoruba man by the name of William Henry Savage. He was described as a ”self-taught and practising lawyer” and he was a registered Notary Public in England as far back as1821. These were indeed the greats and every single one of them was a yoruba man.

My friend and brother the respected Akin Ajose-Adeogun, who is a historian by calling and a lawyer by profession is a man for whom I have tremendous respect. I have often described him as the ”living oracle of Nigerian history” simply because he has a photographic memory, a knack for detail, first class sources and has read more books on Nigerian history than anyone that I have ever met before in my life. Akin has an extraordinary mind, he is a living genius and I have often urged him to write a book. You can ask him anything about anyone or any event in any part of our country since or before independence and he will give you names, dates and the sequence of events immediately and without any recourse to notes, books or sources. After he has given you the information he will then cite his sources and tell you which books to go and read in order to confirm what he is saying. I have learnt so much from him that I must acknowledge the fact that I owe him an enormous debt of gratitude.

He once told me something that I found very interesting and that reflected the semi god-like status that our earliest lawyers, including some of the names that I mentioned earlier, enjoyed amongst the people. These men were not only revered but they were admired by all, including the British intelligentsia and elites. Akin told me that many years ago in the mid-80’s Sir Adetokunboh Ademola, who himself was one of the legal greats, who was called to the English Bar in 1934, who was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a magisThese men were not only revered but they were admired by all, including the British intelligentsia and elites. Akin told me that many years ago in the mid-80’s Sir Adetokunboh Ademola, who himself was one of the legal greats, who was called to the English Bar in 1934, who was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a magistrate in 1938, who was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a High Court judge in 1948 and who was the first Nigerian to be appointed Chief Justice of the Federation in 1958 said the following words to him. He said, ”when you saw the way that the earliest Nigerian lawyers conducted themselves in court and argued their cases you would have been filled with pride and you would have wanted to become a lawyer yourself. Members of the public used to fill the court rooms to the brink and sometimes even the forecourts and passages just to watch these great men perform and enjoy their brilliance and oratory. They spoke the Queens English and they knew the law inside out. It is not like that today”. This is a resounding testimony from an illustrious Nigerian and it speaks eloquently about where the Yoruba, as a people, are coming from and the stock and quality of minds that they are made of.

Yet the dynamism of the Yoruba and their innovations and ”firsts” did not stop there. It went into numerous other spheres of human endeavour quite apart from the law. Permit me to cite just two examples. The first is Dr. Nathaniel King who was the first Nigerian to become a medical practitioner. He graduated from Edinburgh University in 1875 and he was a creole of Yoruba origin. The second example lies within the ranks of the clergy. The first African Anglican Bishop and the first man to translate the Holy Bible and Book of Common Prayer to any African language (outside of Ethiopia) was a Yoruba ex-slave who gave his life to Christ, won his freedom and rose up to become one of the greatest and most respected clerics and leaders that the African continent has ever known by the name of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther. Unknown to many his original name was Rev. John Raban but he changed it in his early years. Crowther got his first degree at the famous Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leonne (which at that time was part of Durham University). He was ordained an Anglican Bishop in 1864 and that same year he was awarded a Doctrate from Oxford University.

This extraordinary man who was blessed by God with an exceptionally brilliant mind was, as far as I am concerned, one of the greatest Africans that ever lived. He not only translated the Holy Bible and the Book of Common Prayer to Yoruba (an extremely difficult, complicated and painstaking venture which he began in 1843 and which he completed in 1888) but he also codified a number of other christian books and he translated them into the Igbo and Nupe languages. He was literally the pillar and foundation of the Anglican church in west Africa. Throughout his adult life he courageously stood up and fought for the rights and the dignity of the African and he, more than anyone else, was responsible for the spread, influence and power of the Anglican church and the christian faith in Nigeria in the late 19th century.

He was also the maternal grandfather of the great nationalist Herbert Macauly who, together with Nnamdi Azikiwe, founded the political party known as the NCNC in 1944. Crowther was also the father-in-law of Rev. Thomas Babington Macauly who founded the Christian Missionary Society Grammar School (CMS Grammar School) in 1859 in what was then the Lagos Colony. CMS Grammar School was the epitomy of excellence and a citadel of great learning in those days and it was the oldest secondry school in Nigeria and the main source of African clergymen and administrartors in the Lagos Colony and indeed in Nigeria. It is not surprising that it was the son-in-law of the great Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther that founded such a school and that it was his grandson that founded one the greatest political

Who Are The Yorubas?

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The Genesis of Ondo Kingdom

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The history of Ondo-Ekimogun sprang from the Palace of Alaafin of Oyo in the ancient city of Oyo when the wife of Oba Alaafin Oluaso bore him twins (a male known till today as Orere and a female also known as Olu) which is forbidden in the Palace of every Oba in Yoruba land. The then Alaafin of Oyo love the twin’s mother called Olori Olu so much and on hearing the news of the newly born twins, he lamented that this is a mysterious child “Ese-omo-re” which later transform to Osemawe as Oba’s title in Ondo Kingdom.

The Oba Alafin Oluaso ordered that the twins and their mother be taken out of Oyo, he also gave instruction that one stroke of facial mark should be cut on each cheek of the twins as kese or ibaramu mark will cause agony for them on their journey. The single facial stroke mark became an established custom in Ondo town till today. This is how Ondos are referred till the present moment as “Omo Mula meji si oju s’eye”

The twins were accompanied by the Alaafin of Oyo warrior’s leader called ija or Uja with their mother to a place called Epin in the then Fulani Kingdom. They later return to Oyo after the death of Alaafin Oba Oluaso in 1497 AD. The new Oba Alaafin Onigbogi also ordered them out of Oyo in 1498 AD with Alaafin warrior leader to the direction of Ile-Ife. They continue the journey until they reached a place called “Ita Ijama” This is how Ondo are referred today as “Ekimogun ara ita ijama”.

They continue with their journey until they arrived at Epe where Iyanghede of Epe received them with joy and splendours Royal hospitality treatment. This is how Ondo are referred today as “Omo Mude agogo mu omi”.

After a brief stay at Epe, they continue with their desire to look for a permanent settlement. They arrived at a place which is known today as Ile Oluji, where Olori Olu (Alaafin wife) slept for days and did not wake up (Ile ti Olu sun ti ko ji). After another short stay, Olori Olu and Princess Olu the female twins left the town with one Ogunja from Epe, leaving Prince Orere behind at Ile Oluji. They continue their journey until it ended at the foot of a hill known in Ondo to the present day as Oke Agunla. This is how Ondo are referred today as “Opon inu odi Ogunja.”

At the hill, they spotted a smoke rising from below and followed that direction down the hill and saw a man who simply identify himself as Ekiri neither a farmer nor hunter but a lost warrior from Ado Binni (now Benin City) who could not trace his journey back to his origin but decided to stay back at that particular spot where he was located through a smoke rising in the air with no wife or children. He lives in a Hut (Awue – re do mi) which he eventually vacated for the Royal Princess as a mark of honour.

The man (Ekiri) later lead them to a particular ground known till today as Oriden where they tried to stick their yam stake prove futile as instructed by an Ifa Oracle before they left Epe. They were all happy and exclaimed “Edo do, Edo du do, Idi edo” which finally transmit to Ode Ondo during the ancient days. Princess Olu, the female twins also known till today as late Oba Pupupu finally became 1st Osemawe of Ondo in 1516 AD while Prince Orere the male twins also became the 1st Jegun of Ile Oluji.

The other historical Royal mark are cut unto the right breast of the descendant of past Osemawes from both male and female lineage with prestigious birth right to Otunba title as known and practiced till today. The Royal families and Otunbas title bearers in Ondo Kingdom are headed by Olotu Omo -Oba (Lotu Omo-Oba-in-Council) with official quarter at Oke-Otunba and its environs.

The Ondos are known to be traders, farmers or produce merchants. Their staple food is iyan (pounded yam) made from yam. The Ondos have their own peculiar dialect and very hard working. It must be noted however that Ondo emigrants settlers also founded many towns like Igbado, Igbindo, Ajue, Igburowo, Odigbo, Oro, Imorun, Ilunla, Erinla, Igunshin, Araromi, Araromi Obu, Ajebandele, Agbabu, Oboto, Bolorunduro, Fagbo, Tekuile, Owena, Oke-Opa, Aiyesan, Laje, Oka, Oke-igbo and etc. Although, we have lost some villages now towns such as Ajue, Odigbo, Ore, Agbabu, Ajebandele, Omotosho and etc to the creation of old Ifesowapo Local Government now Odigbo Local Government with its Headquarter at Ore.

The first Osemawe Palace was built by late Oba Airo (first son of Oba Pupupu) who became 2nd Osemawe in 1530 AD. Late Oba Adeuga Fidipote 11 built the first ancient modern Palace in Ondo when he became 40th Osemawe in 1935 AD while late Oba Festus Ibidapo Adesanoye – Osungbedelola 11 built the multimillionaire and befitting Osemawe Palace in Ondo after he became the 43rd Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom in 1992.

The Ondo Chieftaincy title groups are the Iwarefas, Ikules, Elegbes, Ijamas, Olojas and Baales headed by the Osemawe. The Upoji Chiefs (Female Chief) is headed by Her Royal Highness Olobun of Ondo (Oba Obirin – Female Majesty).

The Popular traditional festivals in Ondo are as follows, Odun Oba, Odun Ogun, Odun Oramfe, Odun Moko and etc. The recent society modernisation or civilisations of the 21st century generation enhance us to enact Ekimogun Day Festival for developmental efforts with aspiration to bring all Ondo sons and daughters together every year to celebrate our heritage. I pulse here with due respect to honour and say kudos to His Eminence, late High Chief Ilemobayo Oreoluwa Akinnola MFR ‘Ojo Gbogbo Bi Odun’ (Lisa of Ondo Kingdom 2001 – 2013) who mute the remarkable and historic idea in 1987.

The Ondos embraces Roman Catholic Christianity in 1875 and accepted by late Oba Ayibikitiwodi while late Oba Jimekun accepted the CMS Anglican Communion in 1884 and Islam in 1888. The first Ondo citizen Catholic Priest late Rev. Father John Akinwale was ordained in 1947. The first Ondo citizen to be ordained as Anglican Bishop was late Rev. D.O. Awosika while late Rev. T.O. Olufosoye was the first ondo citizen to be ordained as Archbishop of Anglican Communion Diocese of Nigeria. The first Chief Imam of Ondo, Alhaji Muhammed Alimi was installed in 1888.

In conclusion, the Ondos are not proud as other people think but we usually defend our integrity at all time with genuine facts.

1. Other Cities or Towns people may see us in that direction simply because of our culture and orientation as a pure Ondo origin. Even though, at a sojourn host City or Country we are easily differentiated among other tribes in Yoruba Nation.

2. We like to accommodate people quite a lots and we always stand by our conviction irrespective of whosoever involved. We are not blessed with the attitude to tolerate any nonsense from anybody or anywhere by retaliating against any form of cheating in all ramifications.

3. Our dress code traditional attires simply dignified us in any society and we are easily noticeable by our public interactions at every level that we found ourselves. We also have a unique charismatic and unquantifiable good sense of humour that distinguishes the Ondos immensely from every other tribe in Nigeria as a whole and even Worldwide.

4. We are known as pace-setters and we always wage unplanned and successful war against any known or unknown oppression or oppressors. T

4. We are known as pace-setters and we always wage unplanned and successful war against any known or unknown oppression or oppressors. The Ondo’s are well recognized all over the World as pace-setters in every areas of life. We always lay the standard that other Community, Group of People and Associations has to follow in the society. Here we are today with the Special Grace of God.

5. The Ondos are known for a pride, proud of what they represent and we enjoy been well educated with civilized enlightenment. We believed in ourselves so much that make it difficult for us to be a servant for too long in any capacity. We magnificently cherish to be our own master of our various businesses or captain of industries. We are not proud as people think about us but we are genuinely stubborn to a fault.

Authored By, Otunba Damilola Oladimeji POH, ECHGA, GIOU.

Ojo Gbogbo Bi Odun ‘II,’ Ekimogun Cultural Heritage Global Ambassador

Tags GENESIS ONDO

U: The Concept and Mystical Interpretation

History, Videos Comments Off on ODU: The Concept and Mystical Interpretation 2,641 Views

**For Those Who Wish To Learn**

INTRODUCTION

The popular impression among the faithful of ‘Ifa’ and ‘Orisa’ tradition and scholars alike is that Odu means womb, among other meanings postulated at different time without putting the other usage of the term into consideration. To an ordinary Yoruba person, womb to literarily means apo ile omo i.e bag that contains foetus. Hence, one will be tempted to ask how ‘Odu’ becomes a bag that contains foetus. Is it the same bag that contain foetus that Yoruba’s associate with the name of God i.e Olodumare and their progenitor?This essay tends to unravel the reason behind various usages of the term ‘Odu’, and its mystical interpretation, for the purposes of putting it straight that ‘Odu’ means mystery, and womb will not be enough to encapsulate it.

THE CONCEPT OF ODU

In the ancient Yorubaland, till this very moment, ‘Odu’ is variously used to mean different thing or entity. This range from the marking system of ‘Ifa’ to being a wife of Orunmila.

ODU AS A MARKING/WRITING SYSTEM

According to wande Abimbola in his book, ‘the sixteen major Odu’ (2006), he postulated that Odu is the combination of four signs that babalawo mark at each side on Ifa divination tray. This view was corroborated by Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju, when he said on my facebook wall that ‘the Odu are also organisational categories in Ifa, the system of knowledge, spiritual development, and divination enabled by Orunmila and Odu his wife. As awesome as these two scholars views are on Odu may be, they did not explain why the name of Orunmila’s wife is be used to describe the Yoruba marking/writing system.Prior to colonization, Yoruba’s encode and decode information they receive from Orunmila

through ikin merindinlogun i.e sixteen nutshells by marking it on ifa divination tray since writing is the process of putting idea, views, opinion etc into signs and symbols e.t.c which they also termed Odu with the understanding that it stand for what Odu really means.It should be noted that Yoruba’s name things based on the function it perform e.g fridge, Yoruba named it Ero amunu tutu .i.e technology that get stomach cold. This is because, whenever cold water is drank, it gets the stomach cold.

ODU AND OLODUMARE

Odu is a term that is seen in the Yoruba name for God, and Oduduwa, who happen to be the progenitor of Yoruba race. But, this essay will focus on the relationship between Olodumare and Odu. Odu is the mystical attributes of God, because he is the only being that knows all things that is known and unknown to the Irumole. Orisa and human being alike than we know ourselves. It’s the reality of this observation that makes Yoruba ancestors to coined Olodumare from Olo/Oni- owner, Odu-mystery, ma/mo-know, Aare- stranger. Hence, the owner of mystery/mystical knowledge that knows us i.e strangers in this world than we know ourselves. According to Wande Abimbola (2006), Babalawo that possessed Odu , and usually look into it once in a year are called Olodu. It should be noted that not all Babalawo can be regarded as Olodu, because every Olodu must have attained some level of mystical understanding of the workings of nature and Olodumare.

OLODUMARE, ORUNMILA AND ODU AS WIFE OF ORUNMILA

The concept of marriage, husband and wife in Yorubaland goes beyond traditional husband and wife, as an older woman can simply refer to and younger one as my husband. It’s used to show close affinity between two entity and individuals. Orunmila did not have Odu as real wife, is just a metaphoric statement used to depict when and how Orunmila seek to possessed the attributes of Olodumare, just as another ese Ifa says he got married to Iwa i.e good character who is also the daughter of Olodumare. Both Iwa and Odu are attributes of Olodumare and not real woman. Orunmila got married with those attributes, and not real woman.

ODU AS MOTHER OF MANY CHILDREN

According to Wande Abimbola, Orunmila is said to have eight children, of which Alare is the first. None of these eight children of Orunmila is birthed by Odu, yet Ifa portray Odu as having many children. One will be tempted to ask, who are the children of Odu? It’s simply you and I who get affinity with Orunmila / Ifa through his the mystical knowledge and understanding he possessed by the virtue of his marriage to Odu.

ODU AS MYSTERY

According Baba Adigun Olosun, Odu is said to be something that is dark, which we cannot see with our naked eye, while Awo Falokun said in black stand for mystery in Yoruba traditional believe system. Corroborating the two views along the various analogies on the usage of Odu, one will conclude that Odu simply means mystery.

Source & Written By: Kareem Adetola Yusuf

Ondo Kingdom Historical Landmarks

Culture, Featured, History, Tradition Comments Off on Ondo Kingdom Historical Landmarks 1,813 Views

1510: Ondo town founded by HRM Oba Pupupu.

1516: Pupupu, the first Osemawe of Ondo (a lady), was installed.

1528: Oba AIRO the first male Osemawe and the first Son of Oba Pupupu was installed.

1590: Township development scheme began with the creation of two quarters, namely: Olurowo and Aruwa, by Oba Okuta.

1731: Oba Aganmide established Losare and Sokoti quarters.

1768: Jogunde was banished to Akure. He returned to Ondo in 1770.

1770: Oba Terere introduced the ‘Eku’ festival.

1866: Oke-Igbo founded by Ago (a slave of Oba Arilekolasi).

1870: A civil disturbance broke out. Oba Arilekolasi (A.D. 1861) was very oppressive and not liked by the Ondo. He died without repenting or resolving the unpleasant situation he created. The atmosphere of Ondo was still saturated with trouble and chaos when Oba Osungbedelola ascended the throne (A.D. 1870). Unfortunately, the trouble which had loomed for so long broke into the open, and as a result the grave disorder and strife that followed, the Ondo fled the town and sought shelter and peace in places like Igbado, Erinla, Ajue, Oke-Opa, etc.

1875: The beginning of Christian missionary work in Ondo by Rev. (later Bishop) Phillips; and Ondo entered history in its finest hour. (March 25)

1880: The civil disorder which broke out in 1870 ended completely. Ago, with his rebel followers, had constituted himself an implacable enemy of Ondo. No sooner Oba Afaidunjoye ascended the throne (A.D. 1876), than a vigorous campaign was mounted by Ondo army and they succeeded in capturing Ago at Oke-Igbo. A string of 200 cowries was tied round his neck by his captors who finally got rid of him by casting him into the Oni river where he died in 1881.

1881: The people of Ondo, who had deserted the town following the outbreak of the hostility of 1880, returned home on the intervention of Capt. Glover and Mr. Abayomi from Lagos.

1906: Bishop Phillips died (December 26)

1908: Eleyinsakele (a highly notorious gangster) was killed.

1909: High Chief Sasere Ayotilerewa Awosika died (April 9)

1915: Rev. Fathers Matthew Wouters and Freburger (Catholic Missionaries) arrived in Ondo to start missionary work. (February 25)

1919: The Ondo Boys’ High School was founded by the Rev. Canon Moses Craig Akinpelu Adeyemi. (January 13) The Ondo Boys High School was, easily the first Community Grammar School “from Sierra Leone down to Nigeria here”. It started as C. M. S. Grammar School in St. Stephens’ Vicarage, Ondo, on January 13,

1919. Twenty-six students were enrolled that day. The Late Mr.(later Bishop) D. O. Awosika and the Late Mr. S. R. Fadase – both of them sons of the soil, were the first tutors. Mrs. V. O. Akinrele (nee Akinkugbe) and Mrs. T. Osho (nee Ojojo) joined the staff in 1921 and taught in the kindergarten classes attached to the school. Work progressed satisfactorily and later, the school was renamed Ondo Boys Public High School, and the Osemawe of Ondo appointed as its Proprietor. The Late Chief Sara Oladapo, a famous moslem leader, gave up his house at Alo Street to be used as classrooms. The late High Chief Sasere Ayodeji handed over his house to accommodate the Founder and (first) Principal, Rev. M. C. Adeyemi. The School first moved out of the Vicarage to an old Bookshop building at Oke-Otunba, where it spent only a term; and later settled at Alo Street until 1923, when it arrived at its present site, a 90-acre piece of land given by Oba Jisomosun II, the Osemawe, and Proprietor. The Osemawe also awarded the first scholarship of £20 (then N40) a year for three years, 1919-1922. Rev. Adeyemi gave his strength to the work of the School. The curriculum included Greek, Latin, Shorthand, Logic, etc. He introduced Scouting in 1920; established the OBHS Press in 1928 and suggested the formation of the Aionian Brotherhood of Secondary Schools in 1929. The school has

. The school has passed through a long and unbroken period of successes. In September 1968, it became coeducational and comprehensive. Top civil servants, professionals and business men, University Dons, Diplomats, first class educationists, among them, Canon J. A. Iluyomade – Head of the International School, University of Ibadan – and Church Leaders are a few eminent Nigerians the School has produced. March 4: The first conference of the District Church Council of the C. M. S. held.

1921: Motor vehicle reached Ondo town for the first time (in the reign of Oba Jisomosun II). Henceforth, the simple commodities of life – the wares of Birmingham and Manchester – hitherto unknown to us were brought to our door-steps and became our new treasures in space of time. Special tribute is to the memory of Mr. Jacob Adeniyi Fawehinmi, popularly known as ‘OWIWA’ in his days , for it was he who drove in the first automobile from Lagos.

1923: Chief Sasere Bombata installed (December 12)

1925 March 29: Fifty years (Golden Jubilee) of C. M. S. works in Ondo celebrated. June 6: Oba Jisomosun II exiled to Ile-Ife.

1926: November 28: Women, for the first time, demonstrated openly against an old-age tradition which confined them indoors on the ‘imuko’ festival day. Muko festival was brought to Ondo from Ife by Adegbonmilo a Son of Oni of Ife who later became Oloja of Udoko. December 13: Rev. E. M. Lijadu died. For a long time, Rev. Lijadu will be remembered for his historic service. Immediately after the first Session of the Anglican Synod, held in Abeokuta in May, 1908, Rev. Lijadu went on to England specially to pass the Revised Version of the Yoruba Bible for the Press.

1927: August 11: Telegraphic service introduced for the first time. November 7: White merchants (the Portuguese) opened trading stores/shops in Ondo.

1928: The first printing press was established. Originally, the press was established to train the students of Ondo Boys High School in the printing trade. Time wore on, however, and there was reason to change the name to ‘IGBEHIN ADUN PRINTING WORKS” and full control and management had to be transferred to Mr. Ola Awosika, himself, an old boy of the OBHS, who had extensive training in printing in Lagos. U. A. C. was established at Ondo on November 7.

1931: A Middle School at Odosida was formally opened by Capt. Montomorrency (April 21). Oloja Udoko was baptised.

1936: Chief Sara Kadiri Oladapo died (December 30)

1942: The Rev. Canon M. C. Adeyemi died (December 3).

1943: The Rev. Thomas Hughes was consecrated Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese (May 9).

1948: Telephone service opened (May 26).

1952: February 25, The Rt. Rev. S. O. Odutola became first Bishop of Anglican Diocese of Ondo-Benin.

1953: The Ondo Town Hall was opened on 24th February.

1954: The Ondo General Hospital was opened. St. Louis Girls Secondary School was established.

1955: St. Joseph’s College was established. St. Monica’s Anglican Girls Grammar School was established.

1959: The Ondo Anglican Boys Grammar School was established.

1961: Public Electricity and Water supplies were both commissioned.

1964: Adeyemi College of Education was established.

1974 January 7: The Osemawe, Oba Rufus Adesokeji Aderele, Tewogboye II, died. (January 1974 – December 1975: Second period of interregnum in the history of Ondo. First interregnum: 1896 – when no suitable prince could be selected immediately to succeed Oba Jilo Ajiboro who died in that year).

1975 May 12: High Chief Lisa Fawehinmi (Emmanuel Adesuyi) died.

1976 February 3: Creation of Ondo state with Akure as Administrative Headquarters, was announced by the Federal Government. April 3, The staff and instrument of office was presented to the new Osemawe, Oba Adekolurejo, at a colourful ceremony at the sports stadium by the then State Governor, Wing Commander I. D . Ikpeme.

1980: The Most Rev. T. O. Olufosoye (an Ondo indigene) became the first African to be consecrated Arch-Bishop of Nigeria and Metr

Ondo Popular Ancient Poem

Business, Culture, History, Lifestyle Comments Off on Ondo Popular Ancient Poem 1,239 Views

Melu, Melu, e se e oja o? Me ee!

Gbejidokun du o mu k’eiye bo wa komi.

Mo toi tee shai yu

Ku e bu

Mo bu shoma

K’ese shoma

Shoma lepa

K’ese lepa

Lepa nie

K’ese nie

Nie dogun

K’ese dogun

Dogun loja

K’ese loja

Loja nie

K’ese nie

Nie kepe

K’ese kepe

Kepe ule

K’ese ule

Ule okun

K’ese okun

Okun nii

K’ese nii

Nii boo

K’ese boo

Boo akee

K’ese akee

Akee lodo

K’ese lodo

Lodo pua

K’ese pua

Pua ajeo

K’ese ajeo

Ajeo umfe

K’ese umfe

Umfe omu

K’ese omu

Omu rere

K’ese rere

Rere magba

K’ese magba

Magba Luda

K’ese Luda

Luda matoshi

K’ese matoshi

Matoshi gbee

K’ese gbee

Gbee inako

K’ese inako

Inako oba’ghon

K’ese oba’ghon

Oba’ghon gbongian

K’ese gbongian

Gbongian daugwa

K’ese daugwa

Daugwa puru

K’ese puru

Puru laon

K’ese laon

Laon lupepe

K’ese lupepe

Lupepe oshoita

Kes’oshoita

Oshoita iyeelu

Kes’uyeelu

Iyeelu luee

Kes’uee

Uee a bi mi si o, me sai a ya okoko!

Written By: Taoheed Ajao

The Yoruba And The Fading Heritage

Culture, History Comments Off on The Yoruba And The Fading Heritage 973 Views

Yoruba is the most civilized tribe in Nigeria’’ yesss, genuine Igbos and Hausas confirmed this. Yoruba is the most educated tribe in Nigeria, of course, no doubt about that; the most accommodating; most peaceful and the likes. These good attributes goes on and on. Then, ask yourself, ‘’is this as a result modern civilization?? Noooo!, you cannot tell me you are more nicer than your parents. This is the heritage inherited from our parents, believed to have also inherited from the fore-parents who were more into cultural way of life.

Yoruba culture teaches morals, values, mode of dressing and the likes. Though, there were crude part of it, this is refined over time, it is normal in any culture around the globe. Even, the so-called Christianity and Islam were cruder than this before, it was refined over the years and not abandoned. Nothing bad in accepting religion, which we think is ‘’Salvation’’ but why do we need to take it with their own culture as well.

Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, but did he instruct us to hang the Symbolic Cross on our neck to immortalise him, that is Israelite culture, ours is Bead (Ileke). I never see Nigerian children, using gold plated ‘’Gun’’ as necklace because his/her father, Imam or Pastor is killed by Gun or have you ever seen children of the Boko Haram victims hanging bomb as necklace, Noooo!. That is their own culture and not part of religious faith.

Arabs use big turban (Lawani) because of the dust in their desert area, when they were under-developed, my Muslim uncles would put on big turban during naming ceremony being conducted in a very cool atmospheric sitting room. They claim that, dressing like Mohammed (S.A.W) is additional heavenly benefit.

Many of my friends told me when they see beads as necklace, the person look like Babalawo and ladies with ‘’waste beads’’ (Bebe) look like a re-incarnated child ‘’Abiku’’..Haaba!!. Bead is just fashion thing devised by our fore-parents, even they tattoo then. Living with white people made me realise those wigs our ladies wear do not make them beautiful, because Oyinbo have it natural and it looks better on them. Then, I began to see the natural beauty in our hand weaving hairstyles, C´mmon! Black beauty is more adorable in its natural form.

Immorality, being tagged as civilization mixed with foreign culture taken upside down, has eaten deep in us, you see ladies with chest lowered top & the Cross of the necklace being lowered in-between the two ‘’treasures’’ of women, such scene recently took my attention. I was just staring at it until the girl asked me politely ‘’hey, are you fascinated by the Jesus on the cross of Calvary, I answered, not really, I’m actually interested in the two thieves behind him.

I also noticed religious beliefs have even separated the Yoruba children rather than uniting us, why going that far with religion my people! We are known to be more accommodating going by our heritage.

When you meet a loving Yoruba girl, her first JAMB question to you is ‘’are you a xtian or muslim’’, even, having Yoruba name indicates Christianity to her. Kai! me and many of my friends suffered from this JAMB question during our hunting years until we devised a way of re-modifying our names: Dauda becomes Dafo, Rahman to Raymond, Gani to Ganny, Jossiah to Jossy, Sunday to Sunnel and Jide to Jaidous.

Even, you have to deny your fathers’ house because of the message in-front like ´´ Allahu Akbar’’ or ‘’ Covered with Blood of Jesus’’. Then you tell your girl,,,’’you know, I’m in this city to study and I rented a room here, I am from Lag meen’’.

Yorubas, we got all the swags naturally in our culture, let’s prevent it from fading away.

Source & Written By: Raymond Ajeigbe

Ondo Social Structure

Culture, History, Tradition, travel Comments Off on Ondo Social Structure 1,296 Views

Ondo Town: A C.M.S Mission was opened in Ode Ondo in 1875, and in 1877 the Rev. (later Bishop) Charles Phillips arrived. The Lagos government took an interest in Ondo, hoping to find a route to the interior of Yoruba country which would by-pass the area continually stricken by Ibadan-Egba-Ijebu wars. Although the southern part of the Ondo kingdom was very sparsely inhabited it was recognized as being within the domain of the Osemawe; and both Takuro, an Ijesha who settled at Aiyesan in 1881, and Ipaiye, an Ile Oluji man who had been a slave in Lagos and who founded Ajebandele in 1891, sought the permission of the Oba to settle in his kingdom. In 1898 Agbabu was opened at the instigation of the British Traveling Commissioner, and goods from Lagos were shipped to this port and then head loaded along the bush paths to Ode Ondo. With the construction of roads from Ode Ondo to Ile Ife, to Akure, and to Okitipupa, the importance of Agbabu has declined”–From P.C. Lloyd, Yoruba Land Law, 1962.

“Little is known from the legends of early Ondo history following the succession Airo; few majors wars are cited and at no time is Ondo supposed to have been subject to a neighboring kingdom. Initially Ode Ondo consisted of the indigenous settlements and of the immigrants from Ife. Among the latter were the titled hereditary priests – Akunara, Sora, Odogun-whose compounds today form quarters of the town. As the town grew in population the reigning Osemawes founded new quarters by cutting a street through uncleared land and appointing a minor chief and a host of followers to live along it. Each quarter makes annual sacrifices to the Oba who founded it. The creation of the quarters does not seem to represent a growth outwards of the town; the earlier settlements were widely separated within the walls and the later streets were built in the gaps. Ode Ondo was abandoned as a result of civil wars c.1830 or 1840. Arilekolasi, an unpopular but wealthy and autocratic Oba, refused to abdicate his throne. His slaves supported him and set up a camp at Oke Igbo calling on the Ife people to support them. Other Ondo fled south and east to the Ishan towns, and several successive Osemawes reigned in these settlements. The first British government official to visit the area reinstated the Osemawe in Ode Ondo in 1872. It said that the whole capital was rebuilt exactly on the pattern of the former one, as old landmarks were easily traced; however, a little more regularity in the layout of the new town would seem likely”–P.C. Lloyd (Author) of Yoruba Land Law (1962).

Ondo cont: Some of the Ode Ondo farm hamlets claim great antiquity-Oboto was, say its legends, founded by the third Osemawe. Others of later foundation were created when powerful Ondo chiefs sought the permission of the Oba to settle their slaves and followers hitherto unfarmed areas, adding that these new settlements would also protect the capital from attack. Since the introduction of cocoa there has been a rush to the forested margins of the kingdom (not excluded from farming as Forest Reserves) and in particular to the area of the Owena river, where numerous settlements have been built both north and south of the Akure road. These recent hamlets have been settled not by chiefs and their followers but by individuals. Many people live for long periods at these hamlets but all return to the capital for major festivals.—P.C. Lloyd: Yoruba Land Law (1962) Oxford University Press. Next Social Structure of Ondo.

Structure of Ondo.

Ondo structure is characterized by the manner in which succession to rights is traced not exclusively or even predominantly in the male line but in both male and female lines. Educated Ondo today adopt the personal of the father or paternal grandfather as their own surname, and intend that this surname shall be borne by their agnatic descendants in the English fashion. But, traditionally, the Ondo man is saluted with oriki (praise names) of as many of the ancestors from whom his descent is recognized, whether in male or female line. All Ondo bear the same facial mark-a single stroke on each cheek; some body markings are given in the male line only-e.g. The three cuts across the right breast of the agnatic descendants of the Osemawe. Food taboos are associated not so much with descent groups as with deities. A man traditionally worshipped a deity discovered for him Ifa divination and not necessarily associated with a descent group. Political office, as the next section will show, is not usually hereditary. Rights of property pass to all issue without distinction as to sex. An Ondo cannot, in theory, marry anyone tracing descent from any common ancestor; in practice this is interpreted as prohibiting marriage between person related within four generations-though elders are apt to reckon those four generations from themselves and not from the young people concerned, and many men from large descent groups often find it difficult to select an eligible wife.

Since the royal body marks are inherited in the male line, and the right to the title Otunba (Oton-oba-child of the Oba) in both lines, and since the non-royals of the town, the commoners use the term ebido to designate themselves, one would expect to find a large royal lineage or descent group. But no such corporate group exists. Those using the title Otunba all seem to trace descent from an Oba of the last century and a half, and none trace it directly from earlier rulers. In ceremonies performed by the Otunba, these princes do not seem to group themselves according to their descent from early rulers. Chiefs holding hereditary titles describe the title as oye idile (a title of the idile), but they, too do not recognize a corporate lineage. Those living in the compounds and quarters of the hereditary chiefs and titled priests usually trace their descent in male and female lines form a recent holder of the title. The names and graves of earlier title-holders are usually unknown. Thus, in the case of the royal descent group and those of the hereditary chiefs and priests one does have a group tracing its ultimate origin from one of the earliest founders of the town.

But most of the descent groups (ebi) which are recognized in Ondo are bodies of persons tracing descent from a known ancestor who, from the legends told of him (or her), almost certainly lived within the past two centuries. The myths state the family to which the ancestor was born, but this is of slight significance. For instance the legendary Mode came from an Ondo family which had moved to Ilesha. Although it is said in Ode Ondo that half the town are descendants of the Mode, the eponymous ancestor is placed only six generations above living elders; there is no reason to suspect genealogical foreshortening in such instances, for corporate segments are formed with each generation. The mere size of the Mode group inhibits activity as a corporate group and it is the smaller segments which are important. Many important descent groups trace their origin from famous nineteenth-century chiefs. The Rev. Phillips recorded that such chiefs appropriated a large number of women as wives, and, allowing their sons and followers access to them, claimed the resulting children as their own. Many descent groups seem to have been founded by women, in some cases it is said that the woman was wealthy and acquired land, building her own compound. In other cases the group is named after a prominent son but includes all t

on but includes all the descendants of his full siblings.

Such descent groups have few corporate activities. They are not united in religious rituals. The house or compound of the founding ancestor, and any subsequent building on the site will be the ‘family house’ and meetings will be held here. But these sites are small and most members of the group will build their own houses elsewhere either on the family land of an intermediate ancestor in the group, or an ancestor of another group, or on hitherto unallotted land which will in turn become the family land of the descendants of the builder. Graves are not long remembered (and the evacuation of Ode Ondo in the nineteenth century would make knowledge of early ones unlikely); a man calls on his ancestors by dipping a big toe in the blood of the sacrificial animal and not by ceremonies on the relevant grave. There are few meetings which members meet to sacrifice to remote ancestors. Regular meetings of any kind are unusual. Members of a descent group are expected to attend the marriage or funeral or the installation as a chief of any member of the group; but these are social occasions. Members of a large group are scattered throughout the town and do not form a territorial residential unit; they do not usually farm together. But in the campaigns between rival candidates for a senior chieftaincy title, a man is expected to support the man most closely to him above all other considerations.

The head of a congnatic descent group-the olori ebi-is its oldest man, or more rarely an aged woman. Each segment has its own head and in some groups where the individual segments are more important corporate descent groups in their own right (e.g. as a result of holding valuable property) these segments take it in turn to provide the olori ebi. The head assumes office without ceremony. In a recent instance, however, a descent group took its new olori ebi to the customary court to be recognized by chiefs, not because such recognition was thought necessary but so that the chiefs might discount any dealing the group’s land to which he was not a party. The control of land is causing the Ode Ondo descent groups to be much better organized than in the past. The lead has been taken by the Awosika family association. This group claims corporate rights over land on the north side of the Akure road and a quarter mile from the town walls. Awosika held the important title of Sashere until his death in 1908, and was famous as a progressive leader and for his efforts in bringing British administrators and missionaries to the kingdom.

Source from – P.C. Lloyd, Yoruba Land Law 1962

Although the Traditional Court system and the adopted European Court style, now adopted as ‘modern’ have some elements in common, especially with respect to the process, sequence and conference of witnesses and judicial observers, values, objectives and effectiveness however set the traditional court system above.

Even as I do not intend to demean the European Court system, my motive is to ‘show’ what values we have sacrificed at the altar of craving for profane modernity.

I’ll be as brief as possible and avoid idle rhetoric’s overcome your understanding of my presentation; as heavyweights collectively have acknowledged -the shortest punch is the deadliest!

Basically, the traditional court system puts in place significant mechanisms that ensure effective adjudication. Prior to colonial onslaught, the judicial system is basically ‘peace making’. Its essence is reflected in the outcome that contending parties are restored to their ‘friendship’ just before the dust of conflict was disturbed. Although certain weighty offences such as ‘murder’ might, understandably, attract stiffer consequences at justice such as being thrown into evil forest, banishment or even death; natural and unavoidable grouses however were peacefully arbitrated.

It’s no gainsaying that human beings cannot live without some misunderstanding or relative grief in an entire lifetime. At some hot points in the timeline of relationship, some interests, either personal or relative to public, will clash. But how the order is restored and conflict resolved without losing the relationship characterize the old traditional court system amongst the various nations (referred here as 9ra-natives) which later amalgamated as ‘Nigeria’ (referred here as the 9ra-geo). Even in the North, before it was captured by the religion of Islam which introduced Sharia, there were customs that ensured peaceful arbitration between grieving parties.

In a nutshell, the process of justice in the old Nigerian court system has a leitmotif of resolving the disturbed societal equilibrium and restoring the status quo of social order without either party feeling dissed for the other. I can relate this to ‘midwifing’; producing the baby and surviving the mother. At the end, both will say ‘thank you’. Consider being told of your guilt in a way you’ll love and appreciate that you willingly want to restitute and voluntarily pledge not to encroach anymore; that is what our traditional court system represented.

The introduction of European orthodoxy has unfortunately offset this system. Apart from the drama of legal officers knowing the truth but playing dangerous cards to pervert justice in the interest of ‘clients’ who deliberately commit wrong but relied on the ass of court for acquaintance, the outcome of the modern judicial system is fashioned to pronounce a party ‘guilty’ and the other ‘just’. With this, both parties return with renewed hostility.

Another contrast is openness of the arbitration. Presided by either the King or local Chief(s), the judicial process is as open as resolving issues under the tree at village square. Everyone who cares attends and even gives evidence. It is not ‘secret trial’. The contending parties, for example over a parcel of land, will speak with by themselves. You are not necessarily hiring an expensive barrister to marshal your case; it’s cheap, quick and effective. Fraud cases in the modern court system hardly conclude. Adjournments, vacations and bribery are largely absent. An arbitrator in the old court system would grease caution so that the gods do not strike him with epilepsy for accepting bribe and taking sides.

It is in the traditional court system that laudable cases are reported where ‘Obas i.e. kings ordered that their own sons be thrown into evil forest or killed once found guilty of grievous crimes. Contrast this with the modern system, the son/daughter of an affluent person hailed if s/he farts at public.

In the old system, justice was for the just whereas in the modern court system, justice is for sale to highest bidder.

Another important factor is the oath system. 9ra Natives avoided giving false testimonies or cooking lies in their own favor so as to avert the wrath of Sango or Ogun as it applies to the Yoruba tradition or Amadioha as in the Igbo system. The awareness of efficacy of fire-spurting Sango, thunder strike by Ogun or infliction of deadly plaques by Amadioha impresses caution on the mind of contending parties against perjury. However, swearing by the lenient Jesus or Mohammed that has no divine/natural punishment has only promoted criminal indulgence.

Unfortunate as it were, the importation of Christian and Islam orthodoxy only helped to promote the prevalent criminality.

As culprits of crime are assured that swearing either by Jesus or by Mohammed, Bible or Quran would produce no consequence after all, they geared up their greed against the rest of public only to manipulate the ass of court, hire attorneys at prime cost to upturn justice so that a culprit is, at the end, a saint and the victim held culpable. Needless to say that this practice makes corruption go astronaut, the 9ra-geo has now become a reservoir of conundrum and anarchy.

I’ll conclude this piece by making reference to the popular oath adopted at swearing-in of public officials.

Public officials profanely swear by Bible and Quran upon assumption of office because they are aware there is no consequence of doing so even if they betray public interest to serve their personal greed and those of their handlers (political god fathers). One interesting thing however is that they swore using the traditional oath system not to betray their political god-fathers and keep their allegiance because they know it’s of consequence to betray the traditional oath, but upon assumption of office, they swear by the ‘vegetable’ of orthodoxy, knowing there’s after all, no consequence.

Nigeria’s Methuselah age without a corresponding growth in any sector is traceably due to the non-inclusion of its traditional factors in the equation of politics and justice system. You cannot talk peace without talking justice. Temporary or disguise-peace without justice is like a helical spring consistently pressed into a coil. Pressing it, unknowingly, is servicing its momentum. Upon release, it will propagate turbulent disturbance that its oppressor cannot stand. It’s time Nigeria returned to its core traditional value system to rejig its essence and emerge with a dynamic evolution. It is enough already, faking orthodoxy isn’t working for us; we aren’t even copying it well.

Written By: Segun O’Law, a citizen journalist and culture advocate writes from Lagos.

Source By: Sahara Reporters.

on’t act so surprised, Your Highness. You weren’t on any mercy mission this time.

The Yoruba Concept of Abiku and Emere In Yorubaland

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It could sound primitive, but it is real especially the Yoruba race. Some children over time reborn to the same mother with the previous look, sex, complexion and structure. Owing to ephemeral nature of Abiku life, Abiku completes several consecutive life-cycles with one mother. In some reality cases, the Yorubas, in one of their traditional ways of deterring Abiku from death after reborn deface such children either by cutting their finger, ear or a deep mark in the face or back. To a great surprise in most cases, the Abiku on reborn would have those marks whether on the face or back.

The Yorubas’ also call Abiku some pleading-names like; Duro-Orike, Durosinmi, Durojaiye, Igbokoyi, Jokotimi, Malomo, kosoko, etc to plead with them not to die again and to allow them stay with their parents.

It is believed that Abiku plummet the fortune of their parents and their great joy is to see their mother cry when they die, severally because the tears running on their mothers’ face are valuable in the spirit of Abiku. Abiku time in human life is always short and their deaths mostly occur at the time of their joy like marriage, graduation etc.

Emere and Abiku are the kind of children according to the Yorubas’ belief who make a certain pledge concerning their life duration with their mates in the spirit world. At the expiration of the time, he/she dies and re-unites with their mates. Some oral tradition also confirm that some Emere among them must have married one of their mates and probably bore children over there (in the spirit world). In coming to the human world, the Emere could find it difficult to get married and bear children.

Research shows that if such person is eventually married and conceived pregnancy, somebody who refers to as spiritual husband (Oko Orun) will have sexual intercourse with her in the dream and this will result to miscarriage. This remains one of the factors responsible for barrenness among women according to Yoruba tradition and the solution to it, is proper spiritual consultation.

The Emere and Abiku if eventually cannot go back to their mates, maybe because of some spiritual appeasement made by their parents, believed to be having problems because their mates will not be happy for breaking of the re-unification promises they made with them. The problems such person usually face is the misplacing or total lost of any items in his possession especially money. The solution to that is for the person to offer sacrifice inform of food (Ounje Egbe) to stop such occurrence.

Research has also shown that the Abiku and Emere are very attractive because of their beauty and they love to live very close to water or coastal areas. They are the agents of Esu (a deity) according to some thoughts and convictions, but some believe that they are good to be with because they will affect anybody they love with blessing endowed on them spiritually.

The Yoruba tradition affirms that the Emere and Abiku spirit usually roam around some areas like the side of the road, corner in the cities and villages, foot path in suburban area, jungle, inside trees like Iroko tree etc, and all these places are forbidden for pregnant women to go by. The Yoruba belief is that if a pregnant woman goes to such areas, the spirit of the Emere or Abiku can follow the woman to her home and she might eventually give birth to a child with either Abiku or Emere spirits.

In preventing such incidence, pregnant women according to the Yoruba tradition are advised to attach either a needle or a small white stone to the edge of their clothes. The Emere and Abiku would not be able to follow the woman because those things are signs that work against them.

Aside this, pregnant women are not advised to stay alone in a hidden and dark place. They should also desist from going to T junction at noon. They are also forbidden to go out at the late hours in the night and they should desist from going to coastal areas and dumping sites.

Although, this could be unacceptable in science because it is metaphysical issue in which science is incapacitated to accept or refuse. It is completely out of scientific realm.

This is not to discredit science because science has made some irrevocable contribution to improve child mortality rate to the extent that the concept of Abiku and Emere has almost gone extinct. However, the fact is, there are still cases of children death without any sign of illness. Whenever such incident happens, the Yorubas believe is that such child is either Abiku or Emere and the solution is to trail the spiritual dimension.

Courtesy: Umpire Abey (Source By: Proudly Yorùbá)

The Odun Oba which comes up in July each year seems to suggest a total subjugation of the people of Ode – Ondo to the Osemawe and his hordes. The Odun – Oba in Ondo normally lasts for seven days. Nine days before the festival, an official announcement is made. The announcement itself is a festival. The Etutu drums are beaten in the palace and royal regalia, with the beaded crown, are enthroned outside his palace. As the royal drums beat, the chiefs sit according to their rank on the left and right hand side at the open courtyard.

After sometime, the war drums take over from the royal drums and the Elegbe (war chiefs) approach to greet the King (Osemawe). They dance to the Oba wielding ceremonial swords or staffs in warlike gesture. Usually each dancer steps up to the Osemawe, and with clenched fist stretches his right arm towards him three times while simultaneously greeting the Oba with some of his (Ekiki) praise name. After the Elegbe, the Ekule follows by greeting the Oba in the same fashion.

The Iwarefa who are the most senior of the chiefs appear with their drums and huge orchestra of gongs. The two most senior of Iwarefa, the Lisa and Jomu, pay a special homage to the Osemawe on this day. Clad in white, they dance together slowly up to the Oba, Three times they kneel down, putting sand on their foreheads. On the first day of the festival, the Osemawe is enthroned at Oreretu Street. Opposite the Osemawe some sixty meters away sits the Logbosere and the Out chiefs. The Out chiefs dance in turns to pay homage to the Osemawe. The last of the Otu chiefs to pay homage is the Jomughatu. After this, the Osemawe in company of the chiefs dance to Oyenren River by Okelisa Street, where he performs traditional rites. He dances on to Idim’Sora where he performs traditional rites. Thereafter, the Osemawe dances back to the palace.

On the second day of the festival, the Ekule chiefs dance to the palace with their gifts of goats to the Oba’s palace. There, they pay homage to the Oba. In return the Osemawe feasts the chiefs by killing some goats. In the evening, the Oba is seated in the shrine of Airo to receive presents of sheep from the Iwarefa chiefs. Gaurded by the war chiefs who line up with their swords and ceremonial staffs, the Iwarefa then pour libation for the Oba. One of the sheep is then sacrificed in the shrine of Airo, where the Osemawe makes sacrifice to his ancestors.

On the third day of the festival the Osemawe holds another procession round the town. As he dances slowly through the streets, people come out of their houses, pay homage to the Oba and present him with gifts. Thereafter, he returns to the palace. At the palace, the Osemawe is enthroned and the Opojis who are a set of female chiefs present him with cocks and kolanut. The Osemawe’s wives and children come from inside the palace to pay homage to the Oba. The Osemawe then kills ram to feast his wives and children. This is called Ikumo.

The last three days of the festival, the Ekule chiefs feast the entire minor chief under them in turns. Odun Oba has become an important festival like other festival in Ondo town. It has served as a unifying platform for the King and his chiefs on hand and Iwarefas and the people on the other hand.

Source From: Extract from the 1938 Thesis of Rev. Canon M.C Adeyemi for his M.A Degree at Cheltenham College, England.

What is Ifa, really?

In truth, Ifa in practice is very much a living oracle. Ifa is the words of Olodumare (Creator) manifested through the Spirit of Destiny (Orunmila). Priests & Priestesses of the tradition (called Babalawos, Iyanifas, and Olorisas) serve collectively as representatives and shareholders of the Ifa Orisha divinatory spiritual system.

A person comes for a consultation, concise information is given and often an ebo (sacrifice) is asked to be performed by or on behalf of the person. It is a spiritual practice, discipline and philosophy that speaks in allegory to the human condition.

The practice of Ifa was born to the Yoruba of West Africa centuries ago. Though much can be debated surrounding its path across Africa, as well the much discussed “true” origin of the philosophy, one thing is certain: both the practice and the philosophy are recognized as a cultural treasure and a growing world religion. Its sister traditions, born out of necessity amidst the trans-Atlantic African slave trade, such as Santeria, Candomble, and various other traditions have grown worldwide as well.

No longer a whisper of misunderstood animism, the Ifa pantheon represents tools for transformation for the individuals who seek it across the globe.

There is the spirit of nature, the spirit of the river, the spirit of the mountain. There is the spirit of the animals, of the water, the spirit of the ancestors. Spirit is everywhere.

–African oral tradition

Ifa – An African Spiritual Tradition

Ifa is an indigenous, earth centered African spiritual tradition which was conceptualized by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, West Africa. According to oral literature, the practice of Ifa originated as far back as eight thousand years ago. Therefore, Ifa may indeed be the oldest monotheistic religion in the world.

Ifa is balanced on three legs; Olodumare (Creator), Orisa (Nature Spirits), and the Ancestors.

The Supreme Being, Olodumare, is without gender and is not an active participant in the affairs of living humans. Olodumare is benevolent and has provided a Universe with all that is needed for humans to be fulfilled and happy.

Ifa is characterized by a deep sense of the interdependence of all life. “Every life form and element of Nature has an inner soul force – including rivers, rocks, clouds, metals, flowers, thunder, and the wind. These natural energies that comprise the Universe are called Orisa (“oh – ree – sha”). Each Orisa has its own specific function. Humans are in constant communication with Orisa energy, whether we’re aware of it or not.

Through Ifa, we recognize that our Ancestor spirits are always with us and must be honored, acknowledged and consulted. All people are born good and with a destiny meant to develop their character (Iwa-pele). Divination was given to us so that we could periodically check in to make sure we are staying in balance and following the path of our destiny. The mysteries and teachings of Ifa revealed in divination are contained in a body of scriptures called Odu.

Ifa practitioners do not regard their spirituality as a “religion” in the Western sense. It is instead a way of relating to spiritual energy that helps individuals discover and stay on their path (as opposed to “The Path”). The tradition is based on staying in balance with our community and with the world itself, with our ancestors and our personal spiritual energies. Practitioners are encouraged to employ common sense and personal responsibility, to appreciate the sacred in everyday life, and to integrate all aspects of being, namely the physical, the emotional, the mental and the spiritual.

Ifa Today

We believe that everyone alive on the planet is the descendant of a single East African woman. This idea is supported by genetics. Therefore, in a very real sense, we are all African.

Though its roots are African, Ifa is a world religion. Its adherents are male and female, gay, straight and transgender, and of every race and mixture under the Sun. One can partake of the benefits and blessings of Ifa’s teachings without being a disciple of the tradition.

Like other non-western religions, Ifa has been misinterpreted, distorted and suppressed here in the West. While other non-Abrahamic traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, or the Tao are (with varying degrees of comprehension) acknowledged and respected, African spiritual traditions are often dismissed and ridiculed by the society at large. Although other spiritual traditions, such as those practiced in Hawai’i and Native America, have been similarly marginalized, those originating in Africa have been particularly misunderstood. Whenever the subject of an African religion does arise, it is usually as a metaphor for the opposite of everything considered good about Western religion.

Many assume that African spirituality is nothing more than a collection of simple-minded superstitions. These assumptions are often based on the actions of some Western practitioners of African derived traditions, who persist in following a fear based system. These practices took root from the time when the knowledge of African spirituality first arrived the New World in the hearts and minds of African people brought here to be made into slaves. During those tragic days, if the religion were to survive at all, it had to be practiced in secret, hidden behind Christian icons. These secret practices became a necessary part of keeping African traditions from being completely destroyed in this part of the world.

In responding to the realities of life in the West, African spiritual traditions subsequently have been abused by some priests and priestesses who, in their willingness to use sacred energy to control and frighten others, are no different from their counterparts in other religions. There are also those who insist on keeping our tradition undercover. Keeping our practices invisible adds to the inability of non-practitioners to see who really are, teachers, farmers, doctors, lawyers, moms and dads, small business owners, engineers, and other normal people.

African spirituality, in its essence, celebrates the oneness that exists between the Creator and the Creation.

The breath of God is in all.

Orisa Esu | Orisa Ogun | Orisa Osun | Orisa Obatala

Orisa Yemonja | Orisa Oya | Orisa Sango | Page Top

The Orisa

It is the view of Ifa that all things on earth, and in our entire universe, are conscious and alive. Everything possesses its own awareness and energy. These infinite, natural energies that comprise the universe are called Orisa. Each has its own specific function and its own myriad aspects, as well as its own unique name. Modern people have likened Orisa to Gods, or anthropomorphic forces with human-like characteristics; however, we understand that Orisa consciousness is Divinity revealed through Nature. It is the energy of the forest (Ogun), of the ocean (Yemonja), of the wind (Oya); of opportunity (Esu), of love (Osun), of peace (Obatala) and of war (Sango); of everything found under, and beyond, the Sun.

All human beings are in continuous contact with the Orisa. Our bodies and senses are constantly conversing with energy, whether we realize it or not. Much can be learned from honoring this connection and paying attention to the way Orisa work in the universe. Each energy serves its own unique part while still maintaining perfect balance with the whole. Through observing and communicating with Orisa, we come to realize that human beings do play this same active and significant role in the universe. Orisa shows us exactly how the energy of our actions and our thoughts affect not only our own lives, but the lives of everyone and everything around us.

There are an infinite number of Orisa operating in the universe, yet we can break them down into seven basic complexes; Esu, Obatala, Yemonja/Olokun, Ogun, Oya, Sango, and Osun.

Orisa Esu

Esu is the Orisa of Opportunity. It is seen as such because, as an unpredictable and ever-changing energy, this Orisa possesses the ability to move about freely undetected, easily finding its ways into nooks and crannies that others cannot fit into. In the Diaspora, the energy has often been likened to that of a youth – mischievous, delightful, watchful and alert, with an uproarious sense of humor. Those who embody this energy often seem to operate with a buoyancy and diversity that sets them “apart from it all.” It is impossible to box in the energy of Esu.

Esu is also the energy of the Divine Messenger, taking communications back and forth between Earth (the marketplace) and Heaven (home). For this reason, Orisa Esu is the first to receive our prayers and offerings in ceremony. Without the road between Heaven and Earth open, our prayers merely land in the place where they are spoken. Esu is the trailblazing force that can carry our prayers and offerings where they need to go.

Esu opens paths, doors and roads to provide us with opportunity. This energy also protects us by shutting down those paths and roads that are not good for us.

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Orisa Obatala

Obatala is the Orisa of peace. Known as an ancient energy, it embodies the patience, clarity of mind and wisdom that can only be attained through thoughtfulness and careful and sober consideration. Thus, Obatala is also associated with the concept of justice. Those operating in this Orisa’s field are often highly intelligent and extremely thoughtful, possessing lofty yet realistic ideals. They are reserved and fair. They are the observers and intellectuals among us who strive for peace, truth and clarity above all else.

Obatala as expressed in traditional Yoruba culture is always associated with the color white, which is a combination of all colors in the spectrum and stands for purity and light. One seeks out this Orisa when in need of clarity, calm and inner wisdom.

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Orisa Yemonja/Olokun

The Yemonja/Olokun matrix is a complex manifested by the ocean and is made up of two distinct characteristics: Yemonja is at the surface, exposed to light, and is subjected to the pull of the Moon. Olokun is beneath, dark and mysterious. They cannot exits without each other.

Yemonja is the care-taking energy. Yemonja deals less with creation and more with nurturing. While Osun conceives, Yemonja sustains. It is the energy o

Orisa Yemonja/Olokun

Yemonja is the care-taking energy. Yemonja deals less with creation and more with nurturing. While Osun conceives, Yemonja sustains. It is the energy of strength which will support our lives by bringing us what we most need – for there can be no life without water.

Yemonja energy is most present in people who are warm, giving, sensitive and kind. However, the Orisa also exudes a strong sense of mystery, as all of its secrets can not be comprehended.

Yemonja is the spirit of the Ocean, and much can be learned by observing the rhythm of the tides, which are in constant motion. These represent emotion and the subconscious. The pull of the Moon reminds us of something that is far and yet far-reaching. Although we may lament the mystery of the depths that can never be fully known, Yemonja offers the comfort and assurance that all things needed to sustain life are contained within.

Yemonja/Olokun is a giant mirror that reflects the sky. It is connected with the core of the earth. It is also what connects us with each other all over the world.

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Orisa Ogun

Ogun is the spirit of dynamic creativity. Often associated with the blacksmith or metal worker, Ogun is the energy of focus and work that brings our tools into form. It is associated with the “Type A” personality, as those in alignment with Ogun often possess an incredibly fierce work ethic and tireless energy. Ogun is the energy that decides to do something and doesn’t stop until that task is completed.

The energy of Ogun can clear away blockage at any level.

We can learn more of Orisa Ogun from its relationship with Iron. The Iron Age was the beginning of humankind’s quantum leap into technology, which has helped us progress into the modern era. This Orisa is also associated with the spirit of the forest – a fecund and complex ecosystem full of medicines and organisms that sustain themselves and each other. Ogun provides us with the tools, creative ideas, and the sheer force of will that are needed to evolve and achieve our goals.

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Orisa Oya

Oya is the Orisa of sudden change. Drastic transformation is Oya’s rightful territory, and for this reason the Orisa is linked greatly with death. Associated with the whirlwind, tornado and lightning, Oya is the energy that can reverse luck at any moment, bringing with it either wealth and blessings, or destruction and chaos. Oya is the energy of the marketplace, where fortunes are lost and won. On the converse of loss, even from chaos all things grow – and so this Orisa is always sought out for support and blessings whenever change or something beyond our control is imminent or already occurring.

Oya is the Orisa of the warrior. An energy both fearless and knowing, Oya fights against any perceived injustice. Orisa Oya’s children have often developed stronger survival skills than most, due to having endured much suffering in life. This allows them to be familiar with the shadow side, and those aligned with Oya are often perceived to be magical. However, past trials and tribulations also enable those associated with this Orisa to express its more empathetic aspects, for Oya is the energy that will provide for an individual what will most serve them, though it may not always be what is easiest.

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Orisa Sango

Sango is the energy of strategy . Bold, adventurous, confident and brilliant, Sango encompasses all that is associated with fire. Those aligned with Sango energy are usually very charismatic and extremely effective strategists. Resonating with the Orisa of Fire, those governed by Sango have the uncanny ability to gather people and forces to them, and are very magnetic and usually outspoken individuals.

A TALE OF A BIZARRE DATE WITH DEATH

Several years ago I attended a spiritual church (which was actually a makeshift church holed up in the back of a botanica). Back then I was a “dance” (Jamaican party) lover and goer, but the message had come to me:”Seek Ye The Kingdom Of God And All His Righteousness and All Others Will Be Added Unto You.” And so my friends and I decided to attend the botanica church.

This was the beginning of Hell.

All attendees (the regulars) wore white including the “mother” (leader) of the church. It was fun! We sang and danced and had a great time.

The mother of the church had set up a ground alter or seal. On the ground were beautiful flowers, sweets, honey, powder, a brass lota used in Hindu tradition, a glass of milk, water, and more, all indicating that the “order” was of light and goodness. Unbeknownst to myself and the girls at the time, the church was spiritual baptist, a Trinidadian spiritual worship. But in attendance were mostly Jamaicans, including The Mother. The Mother knew that we were unfamiliar with this type of worship and so she concealed it from us, but to be honest we did not care. The vibes were good and the mother was loving and kind and we were desperate to serve God (and have fun in the meantime).

But one night, the church was in full swing. The Mother always recorded each session, so professional video cameras were set up to catch every moment. We had become regulars by this time so we were now wearing white like everyone else. While there clapping, singing and dancing, feeling joyous like school children on break, I suddenly felt strange. It’s difficult to explain but there was an eerie feeling that crept over me. A chill took my body, and then the place became unbearably hot. Sweat dampened my skin and I became nervous. This did not feel right.

There was an older woman across the room and her eyes met mine. Her brows pulled together in concern. Everyone else was oblivious to my plight and I struggled to let go of the feeling.

Suddenly, I stumbled from my seat and out into the aisle. It felt as If I was being dragged up to the front of the church. I could not control the urge, but my body walked purposefully towards the center of the church, towards that seal.

I was young so there was an internal war with myself for composure. I had no control over my physical… I realized from somewhere far off that I was in spirit.

It felt as if I stood across the room watching me in action, wishing I could drive my own vehicle (human body) again. We could not wear shoes in the church and so I had white socks on.

I sprinted towards the beautifully laid seal and saw myself run around it. The light of the lit white candles danced as I ran. Around the seal were flags of all colors. I saw myself grab the black flag, tear it from the stick and wrap it around my face and head. Blindfolded, I ran around the seal and did some other ecstatic movements that I can not describe as I am not sure what the hell I was doing.

From my view outside of my body, I saw The Mother looking intrigued as she watched me. Spiritual Baptist people have a sound they make, they call it “daption”. At this time, I never knew this, but I began to make the sound. It was a particular sound that seemed to count up to the number seven and repeat again. While I did it, I cupped my hand over my ear, waiting.

Too stunned for words, everyone remained quiet.

I repeated the sound and cupped my ear again.

The Mother then shouted to everyone. “She is teaching you! Repeat after her.”

And everyone did. As I chanted this beautiful sound, the drummers began to beat the drums and the call-and-response was spectacular.

My human eyes were blindfolded, but the spirit within me did not need my eyes to see. I now know that the spirit wanted us all to know that I was being led by something else. That night I (or the spirit, rather) unveiled the secrets of the church and “The Mother”. I, however, in my innocence, had no idea what I was doing, or that I had now created a dangerous enemy.

And from that night, I would have to fight for my life and that of my children.

“Thou shall set a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”

I may not be Christian, but I can certainly quote some wisdom there.

My story only begins…

When I was released and allowed back into my body, I was shaken, worried, terribly weak, and slightly afraid. The human was back and I desperately wanted to go home and never come back to this place again. The experience of being possessed was very jarring.

It was now a Sunday morning (church services were on Tuesdays and Saturdays) and I was awoken between 5 and 5:30 AM. A strong presence of thought came to my head and I was compelled to get a piece of paper and pencil and write as instructed. What I wrote, or drew, were symbols, many of them. Symbols I did not understand. I was new to spirituality at this time, so the symbols meant nothing to me. I placed the paper beside my bed and fell back asleep.

After some time, the phone rang. It was The Mother. I can never forget it. The conversation went a little like this:

With strange excitement in her voice, she spoke.

“Sister Obara,” she said in a low voice. “I know you got something! It was spectacular last night. I know you received a gift!”

I looked at the drawing beside my bed. “Yes,” I told her. “But I don’t understand it.”

Her anticipation was palpable. “Get up and come now. Bring it with you and come to my house!”

I took a bus to her house and one stop before I got there, I heard a voice clear as day. It told me to get off the bus and go across the street to make a copy of the paper. I did as told and put the copy into my bra. I walked the rest of the way to her house and when I got there, The Mother could hardly contain her excitement.

“Come, come!” she said, quickly ushering me into a room. “I’ve been watching the tape all night. I couldn’t believe what I saw!”

We sat and faced each other. “So? What did they give you?”

I removed the paper from my pocket and handed it over to her.

She wore her glasses and studied the gibberish I wrote.

“Hm! Look at this. You are born to be a leader. You will travel the world and have the respect of many people…”

I looked on as she spoke, stoic in my expression. How could she tell all of this from some drawings I could not even understand?

She kept speaking. I was slightly lost and drowned her out somewhat but came back when she patted my hand.

“I’ll hold on to this and study it some more.” She tucked the paper into her bra.

I agreed (It didn’t seem as if I had a choice) and left afterward. When I left, I heard that voice again. I removed the copy of the paper from my bra and heard the voice say that when I get home, I will draw the rest.

Since that day, I was no longer welcome to the church.

The Mother got angry every time she saw me and avoided me like a plague. Later, I discovered that what was under her seal was the names of all the attendees of the church. The seal, as beautiful as it appeared, was not an order of light and goodness, it was bondage. Our names were tucked into it, binding us to her church. But after that night, with the actions that were led by the spirit, I had released everyone from bondage.

For one year straight, I faced her wrath because of this.

Every day I would experience near-misses of car accidents, see spirits without faces, be attacked by unseen things. It was during this time I learned how to fight back when the battle became unbearable.

But her final blow came on a Saturday night. One of the most difficult days of my life. It was the day I woke up fully aware that (my enemy) would die.

The final strike was coming and I was terrified. I was young, scared and lonely, but I had an army behind me. An army of nonphysical protection. I called a friend to come over and help me pray. I packed all my children and sent them to my parents’ house. They could not be there when this dark spirit came for me.

Preparing for the spiritual attack, I was instructed to draw seals on all of the windows and doors of my house. I did… but I quickly removed them again, hissing.

“I don’t believe in this sh*t!” I said scornfully.

I cried the whole way through. I was a Christian. I was young and confused and I didn’t believe I had any “spirituality” or “power”. I was normal the previous year and now here I was, house-bound and preparing for an alleged spiritual war.

But when my friend, a more developed spiritualist, took one step into my house, she confirmed my fears. Something dark was definitely coming. I was not crazy.

When 6’oclock came, my friend stood.

“Obara I can’t stay here,” she said gathering her things.

She told me that what was coming was too terrible, she can not stay with me any longer, and with that, she quickly fled.

I was now alone and scared. I stripped myself naked and rolled on the floor, swimming in tears as I cried out to God to spare me.

As the hours drew nigh, I turned on all th

As the hours drew nigh, I turned on all the lights and televisions in the house. I knew I could not run, I had to face it. Death was coming.

1:00 AM came and I was urged by my guides to go lay down. I fought to stay awake, too afraid to fall asleep. But as I Iied down, my throat dry and horse from crying, my eyelids grew heavy and I dozed off immediately.

I saw a human dressed in black with wings flying toward my house. It flew through my balcony door and straight to my room. It straddled me and began to choke me. I struggled with it and heard my guides shouting words that I should repeat. I struggled to speak, my tongue was heavy. A word was thrown to me, one of the names Christians have for God and I managed to squeeze it out, as this being and I wrestled for my life. As the word was whispered, I felt the hold on my throat loosen a bit and I was able to fly up off the bed with a barrage of prayer and incantations.

I ran to the kitchen for some spiritual tools I had and now that I had passed through the valley of the shadow of death, I combated evil and it ran.

The next day I received the news that The Mother passed out and was hospitalized.

The war had finally ended.

It was to be about seven days after, she appeared in my dream.

“All I wanted was for you to be apart of my church and my movement,” she said weakly. “But your eyes are too swift… I bow to you.”

She was never the same from that day. She left the hospital with a limp, lost her botanica, the church, and died two years after.

Even though we may view her as wicked, and she was, I learned something extremely crucial for this road that I walk: how to fight back. To that, I will honor her spirit and may she be doing her work in whatever realm she now resides.

Experiencing her and her church, her war against me as a young girl, allowed me to learn about spiritual battles and spiritual wickedness, lessons that we all should know. It allowed me to find who I was.

I once called her wicked, but I now hail her as one of my best teachers! May you all learn from my experiences and revisit the pain others have caused you. You might find a jewel you never saw before.

HOW TO START YOUR DAY WITH SPIRITUALITY

I open my eyes and glance at my watch sitting on an old stool by my bed: 5:45 AM

A ray of light begins to open the sky. The darkness of the night wanes. Spiritually, at this hour bright energies from many different realms are descending upon Earth. Some may call them “angels” others refer to them as “deities”. It is the job of these energies to be among us as the day breaks, and so it is crucial for every human being to understand that this -this very moment- is a special time for us.

The vibration and frequency of sound and telepathy are at it’s highest range just before the sun lights the day.

Many people do not know how to begin their day spiritually, and if it is even possible at all. How we begin our day is often a rare thought. Most of us simply wake up and get to work! Or awaken to daily unfulfilling routines, almost always forgetting the spirituality of the day ahead.

The time between getting out of bed and beginning your day is crucial and sets the tone not only for the day but for the week or more. What I will teach you was taught to me many years ago by nonphysical beings who would wake me at 5:30 in the morning to pray. Some of what I will share was also taught to me by my mother, and at the time, I had taken this information for granted. But as I grew to become who I am, I now realize that what she handed over to me was priceless and so I will hand it over to you all.

How to Start Your Day Spiritual

Yes, naked. As the sun rises, face the stream of its light while bare and pray! But not just any prayer, an affirmation. Avoid “pleading” prayers such as “Lord please,” or “I beg…” Pleading is a prayer without belief or intention and only implies that you believe there is a possibility that you will not receive what you desire. Replace “pleading” prayers with affirmative prayers, such as “I will,” or “I am“. Affirm not only for yourself but for your loved ones and the world at large.

See this post on how to affirm your prayers!

Before your affirmations, pay your salutations. For example, “I salute the sun which rises to meet me this morning, alive and well. I salute my mother, I salute my father, I salute my ancestors, I salute my head (your inner consciousness or higher self).” Then follow these salutations with your own affirmations.

2. Let Something Physical Represent Something Spiritual

If you are the kind of person that awakes expecting a bad day because of something or someone (boss? co-worker? long drive?), or if you are the kind of person that has trouble remembering your spiritual commitments, choose something you see every day and redefine it by giving it a spiritual meaning.

Seeing:

Your window plant: Reminder to pray

A stop light: Reminder to be grateful

The neighbor you hate: Reminder to help someone today

For instance, use the sun as a reminder to practice gratitude. Every morning as the sun shines, you will remember to be grateful for at least 1 thing in your life. Or if there is a job that makes you unhappy, use that job to represent a spiritual commitment. Before you enter the job in the morning, use that moment to envision yourself in a “perfect world”. In that world, where do you feel you belong? Maybe you’re married with children, or maybe you’re traveling the world, whatever it is – use that “terrible job” to become your reminder to begin creating the reality you deserve.

3. Stretch!

When we stretch in the morning, it allows the spirit which traveled during the night, to fuse once again with the physical body, creating a union once again: mind, body, and soul. Now, according to science, we stretch because

“…Aside from feeling good, it actually does help to wake you up. Stretching works to increase flexibility and range of motion in the muscles and joints. It also improves circulation and relieves tension.” – livestrong.com

But as science gives us the “physical” answer, it is unaware of the spiritual answer. When we look at yoga, it is defined as “…that which brings you to reality,” as the word literally means “union”. So stretching in the morning does “wake you up” but not only because of your muscles and joints but because it fuses your spirit with your physical. Every time we sleep, we astral project. Our spirit travels out of the body and into the realms. Here, we experience things and places, receive messages, attend meetings, and even battle. So when the spirit returns to the physical body, you may wake to feel very tired.

So stretch as much as you can! You will realize that by the end of the day, that sluggish feeling you return home with after a long day, will never return again.

Spiritual Fun Fact! We experience jet lag for the same reason we stretch. Whenever we travel from one place to another, regardless of transportation (drive, flights, or even sleeping and traveling out of the physical body), the spirit returns back to the body days after the physical has arrived. The spirit is multidimensional and can be in more than one place at once. This is what we refer to as “jet lag” or “sluggishness”, a lack of complete spiritual fusion.

4. Your Meeting with Water

This meeting is more important than meeting the President. “Meeting with water” simply means clean, clear, water meeting the physical body in any way. You’re not only cleansing your physical body, you are also refreshing your spirit. When you meet with water, reaffirm your affirmations! You have already affirmed to the sun, now have your meeting with water. These are two powerful elements that meet every single human being on Earth. Do you wish someone would call you? Do you desire a good day with someone in particular? Whatever it is that you need, whatever it is that you desire to make your day a good one, use water as your “postal service.” Deliver your message to this element and you’ll be very surprised.

5. And finally, Don’t Forget the World

Humans can be selfish, but we are not alone in this world. Use the powerful hours of the morning to create a better Earth. Giving and being of service is an essential source of happiness and can start your day with this comforting feeling. You may think that as an individual, you lack the power to change the world, but in actuality, 1 prayer can save 100 lives. An utterance is powerful, especially in this morning hour. The Universe longs for humans to understand that we have the power to help each other and help ourselves. Never forget the world, it is our home. We are all apart of each other, not apart from each other. We are here to serve each other.

You may think that as an individual, you lack the power to change the world, but in actuality, 1 prayer can save 100 lives. An utterance is powerful, especially in this morning hour. The Universe longs for humans to understand that… CLICK TO TWEET

Tips for You

Before leaving your house, just before you shut the door, utter these words: “Let me come back and see everything as it is supposed to be. Keep disasters away.” Tell your spirit guides to protect your home while you are away.

Practice your morning rituals before speaking to anyone as you wake! Let your first words be of spiritual use. This first utterance gives immense power to the spirituality of what you intend to use it for.

Practice your morning rituals before speaking to anyone as you wake. Let your first words be of spiritual use. This first utterance gives immense power to the spirituality of what you intend to use it for. CLICK TO TWEET

Stay positive! Always know that there is absolutely nothing without solution and nothing that happens without reason. If you embrace your spirituality, know that there is nothing beyond your reach. A positive mind projects a positive reality. There really isn’t a “worse that can happen” unless you believe there is. It all starts with you.

Practicing the above gives you the power to control your day. You can decide how you will feel and what you will receive. Try practicing the above rituals and come up with some of your own. Control your life by starting your days with spirituality and never have a “bad day” again.

Obara Meji

P.S. Learn to hug. Try to practice it. It may be uncomfortable for some of you, but touching creates bonding and warmth. Your enemy will be put to shame and confusion when you hug them. Hug the hate right out of them and radiate warmth and light to all you come in contact with.

Do You Have a Spiritual Morning Ritual?

Yes! Every morning

No, never

Sometimes, I often forget

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January 25, 2018

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You will enjoy success and prosperity.

You will see tears and pain as a transition into good things to come

You will find more light into your life this year.

You will show gratitude to all who have assisted you in life. Ingratitude soils the spirit and its journey, may your spirit nor your spiritual family never be soiled!

Remember the beggar, he is your helper, assist him while he assists you.

You will never see money as your God, for it shall serve you and you shall never serve it.

We are all our brothers keeper, so embrace all and everyone, do not discriminate, do not judge.

While assisting your fellow beings here on earth, they will assist you as well. May this be so.

Parents, you will never bury your children.

And to those who desperately want a child, this is the year your wish will come true. I declare it!

You will find your rightful spouse

Shine your light, if you were not a light bringer, you would not be reading this prayer, shine!

You will have no illness.

All that you need here in this earth realm will unfold this year to you, may you

SPIRITUAL HEALING BEFORE 2018

Hello all!

I would like to apologize to everyone who has been patiently waiting for a post from me and have been emailing me with complaints. The truth is, for the past couple of weeks I have been working on me. It has been a long time since I have been fully focused on myself. The nature of my work has always been to improve the lives of other people. My joy was the happiness of others. My dreams were other peoples achievements and it took one meeting recently to let me know that I had forgotten about me.

The realization was shocking and it caught me off guard. But I have watchers, non-physical watchers, who care and love me and saw that I had given up on myself and lived my life vicariously through others. Every time I am geared to take a step into a new phase of my life, there comes a harder challenge than before. The last major challenge was a great thief disguised. My spiritual eyes saw him but my human emotions qualified what I saw. I berated myself for being victimized, but the end justified the means… I can accept that now.

So today, I want to teach you how to deal with you.

Step One – Realize

The first step to healing is realizing that there is a part (or whole) of you that needs it. All my life I had this childlike love for people, no matter what was done to me. Moments after hurt and pain, on impulse I would open my door if the one who caused me pain was in need. I had an intense feeling for human connection, no matter what I went through. The Aries astrology calls this naivety, but it was something I couldn’t help.

Until recently.

Every new person that attempted to come into my life was blocked. I felt angry, used, and taken advantage of when ever a new person wanted to come into my space. I found solace in loneliness.

My daughter berated this “new me” and I hated it. There was nothing wrong with me. Why couldn’t anyone see things from my perspective?

But in truth, it was me who couldn’t see. I did not realize that the childlike love I had for humanity had dissipated. All those years of hurt had finally caught up and this was my response.

Because I did not realize that something about me needed to be healed, this emotional “ailment” now took on a physical presence. My hands were now plagued with severe eczema. Painful, maddeningly itchy, red, angry and swollen.

That was me. In pain, angry, puffed with emotions of hurt.

Remember this: All physical illnesses are caused by the human because there is a spiritual problem. How have you changed? How have you swayed away from your destiny? What have you been doing too much or too little of? Have you been avoiding something? What are you afraid of?

Sickness and diseases are illusions. They are not real. It is only a message and the moment you realize it and find the source of the problem, it will cease to exist. Everything starts from within and many things are conjured. Even obeah can not manifest unless there is a “crack” or “space” that allows it to enter. That “crack” is created by things such as fear, worry, over indulgence, low self esteem, power-drunk, doubt, insecurities, jealousy (this is a big one – it is like a sponge with a lot of holes. It is able to absorb absolutely any negative ailment, whether spiritual or physical) etc.

I had a client who constantly complained of back pain. He could hardly stand or sit without wincing. The spirit told me that the pain manifested because too many people “leaned on him,” it said. He was well off and this made family, friends, and others immediately depend on him for financial help. He was very kind and found it difficult to say no. This manifested into back pain.

Step Two – Write

After realization, write everything you have realized has gone “wrong” about yourself or needs to be healed. Introspect and be honest with yourself. Here are some examples:

I am jealous of my sister

I am insecure

I only date who can give me money

I am angry all the time

I feel unworthy

I gossip about othe

I gossip about others

I don’t believe in myself

I am afraid of trying

(Note: It doesn’t have to be a list, it can be an essay or whatever you want it to be).

Anything you realize that is not conducive to your happiness and your spirit, write it, even if that thing gives you comfort. It’s time to release it. Whatever has changed about you or whatever that darkness is within you, introspect and write it.

This step is best done alone at night or early in the morning when all is quiet. For me, introspection is done through music, and for others it’s done through total silence. This step is important because it will help you find the source of the problem.

Step Three – Heal (Ritual)

In life everything is ritual. The word “ritual” creates fear within the unawake, but know that ritual is important to our rites of life.

After writing everything down, step three is to heal. Get a canister or pot. Pour about a handful of sea salt into the pot and then tear that paper up into pieces as fine as you can tear it, and drop it into the pot. Put a black piece of cloth into the pot and light everything on fire.

Watch everything burn, the cloth, the pieces of paper, the salt. When it all burns, empty the ashes into another piece of black cloth and tie it. Dig a hole anywhere you choose-

Caution! If your birth date (month, date, and year) adds up to the number 10 (1), do not dig the hole yourself. Let someone else dig the hole for you.

Spit into the hole 3 times (this represents your essence) and say:

“All that is behind me is behind me. I bury all negatives that does not need to be with me. May they never surface again.”

Drop the cloth with the ashes into the hole. Cover it with the dirt. Mash it to be sure it is buried properly. Sprinkle the ground with Jamaican White Rum or White Gin.

By digging the hole, you have disturbed something (a spirit, being, or some energy) so to compensate that “thing” you will give gin or white rum (with all things, respect is always due). If you do not have rum or gin, you are welcome to throw silver coins into the hole, but preferably the liquor.

What It All Means

The Pot/Canister: The pot is something that “holds” which is important to the burning process. It represents cohesiveness and something put together. It will do the job of containing all that you rid yourself of.

Sea salt: The sea is known as a cleanser. Anything the sea does not want, it spits it out. Anything that salt is apart of, that thing becomes alive. Salt also absorbs. It is a cleansing agent and aids in removing negative energy.

Fire: Fire purifies, destroys, and turns things into ashes and ash is synonymous with the ground. Burning that paper becomes like a “burial” or “funeral” for that negativity.

Your saliva: Your saliva is your essence. It represents you. Anything that is distasteful, most people spit it out. It is also indicative of a purge in this case.

All things in life are symbolic.

After this your healing has begun. Be watchful and be thankful.

Share this work with those you care about. Heal others with this recipe! If I can share it with you, you can share it with others. Begin this coming year with a new you.

NOTE: It is BEST to do this work before 2018, but it is okay to do it in January. The essence of this work is to shed yourself of all darkness and step into the new year with light.

THE MURDER AND SPIRITUALITY OF BOB MARLEY

The world we live in is chaotic. This is how it has to be for all of us to find ourselves and rise to who we ought to be. It does not matter if you are from what you may call a “third world country” and have never seen a television before or have anything that is considered “modern” at your disposal, if the world is to know you, if you have a message, something to contribute as a part of your written destiny – you will be highlighted.

However, as with everything in life there comes something to stifle or encumber that destiny, and as hard as it is to understand, these things are and must be apart of our reality.

Today someone sent me this article about the deathbed confession of a CIA officer: “I Killed Bob Marley.”

I, in my capacity as a spiritualist have said to many that Bob Marley did not die of natural cancer, but was killed because of the platform that he had and the message that he gave. I knew from somewhere within me that there were “others” who did not like the power they thought he held. But the metaphysics behind the article you will read, I would like to break it down to you just a little for you to understand.

Read the article here, then return for my explanation: CIA Confesses on Deathbed: “I Killed Bob Marley”

The Spirituality of His Death

How stupid are human beings.

People with power, or people who have an intense obsession with power, have no metaphysical understanding. If they did, they would understand that power is like water – it can not be held. In this CIA’s confession, you will see where he says that this was an order from his government and he even expressed sorrow after a while (saying that out of all the 17 assasinations that he carried out, Bob’s death affected him the most, because this one in particular had a different purpose). But unbeknownst to him and his government, despite their physical actions toward this icon – they were chosen to do this to him, and chosen by Bob himself.

All things have a higher spiritual reason than what we see and understand in our physical reality. Bob came with a message, he came to be who he was suppose to be, he was no ordinary being encased in that slender body of his. Born on a tiny island, a dot upon the world map, he became famous and internationally known, wrote his music, spread his peace, spread his message, spread his joy… and decided it was time to leave.

Side note: Jamaicans, please pray for the island. Many special souls have chosen to be incarnated in Jamaica. The reason is because the island sits on a particular energy center in it’s geographical location, which becomes like a direct beam, or a perfect alignment to a particular place within the Realms. The land of Jamaica, in terms of it’s energy, can be likened to the continent of Africa in the vibration and frequency that it uses to affect the world at large. Jamaica is an anchor, a spiritual anchor, and the reason I ask for prayer is because it is now becoming out of alignment while we are shifting.

But let me teach you.

Before we are born, we must choose our assignment as to why we are coming to Earth.

Within the realm of time and space, there are souls waiting in line every second, every minute, every hour, waiting to be sent to this realm and others. Yet there are advanced souls that are not standing around waiting, but are on specific “councils” (you can liken this to a Congress – this is why we have a “Congress” on Earth, because we mimic where we come from within the realms) within the dimensions. These Councils set order within the different realms or galactic systems that are out there.

Bob was a volunteer (a volunteer is a pure soul that has never incarnated into this Earth realm ever before, nor have they had contact with other planetary systems, but they influence others from their position through energy). Bob was a member of a particular council within the realms and he was assigned the mission to come to Earth and raise the conBob was a member of a particular council within the realms and he was assigned the mission to come to Earth and raise the consciousness of human beings. But even when assigned, one must still choose their life and even choose or “imprint” upon their psyche, past lives.

Now for easier understanding, just imagine a room within the realms. Bob (the soul) must enter this room and choose his journey, choose his parents, choose his birthplace, choose his death and how he will go, choose every step and decision, negative and positive, because all of this will bring him to become who he is supposed to be on Earth, thus carrying out the mission of the soul. So even the CIA agent had a contract agreement with the soul (Bob) to help him complete this mission and return him home. All of the decisions made by Bob or made by others for Bob, was determined by the soul before incarnating to earth. For instance, if Bob had a girlfriend he mistreated, or children he ignored, or someone he was unkind to, this was all planned and written within his contract, because these actions or decisions play a role in pushing him forward to where he ought to be, completing his character.

Life is like a movie or stage play. There are characters, settings, extras, actions, all purposely chosen to be sure that the tale being told is complete.

Now take a step back and look at Bob’s birth. I will show you that his life was indeed planned. Bob was born by a black woman from Jamaica, and a white man from England, in a time when this union was frowned upon. This birth, by two unlikely races, indicated Bob’s mission on earth – to unite two opposing races.

The chaos between both races had lowered the Earth’s vibration and had began to destroy peace upon earth and the people, and had been doing so for a long time. One hungered for power, and the other oppressed. Earth is major planet in the planetary systems. It is the only planet that has everything within one place, so many beings, dark and light, come to Earth to experience what we have here. But the only way for a planet to evolve is if the frequency and vibration is consistently lifted, this happens through the consciousness of the citizens.

The race war prevented this.

Humans became too preoccupied and obsessed with power and materials. They now began to hurt each other, when the Earth can only evolve if we serve each other because, like a quilted sheet, we are all threads connected to each other. So if one thread unravels, everything unravels.

This was one of the missions of Bob Marley, to prevent the unraveling of the Earth due to racial conflict.

However, in order for Bob to successfully complete his mission, he had to stay connected in some way, to his realm. The reason for this is that a constant connection to his realm would keep him on his path and not allow him to stray. Bob’s key to his realm was ganja. It allowed him to grasp his message from the realms and relay it on Earth. This is not validating or invalidating ganja. I am a spiritualist and I am telling you what I know. We all have spiritual keys and some people who are here for a particular purpose, like Bob, in order to keep them grounded (as he was a pure soul), in order for the material world not to overwhelm him, he had to have a key that would keep him attuned to the realm he is from, therefore having access to the messages that he has come to deliver.

Now let’s take a look at an important factor in Bob’s death: his age.

Bob was 36 when he died. 36, or 3 and 6, is the single number 9. The number 3 and all of it’s multiples opens the gate and closes the gate. The number 9 is 3, 3 times.

9 is the number of death, but 3 is the key number. The number 3 is the opener, or the number of life, but 3 can also become the number of death if it appears twice in it’s multiplication, in other words as the number 9.

Everything has a mathematical equivalence or reason. Notice that most artists that die before their time, die at age 27 and (or num

verything has a mathematical equivalence or reason. Notice that most artists that die before their time, die at age 27 and (or number 9). Check out this article called the 27 Club, it lists great artists who have all died at age 27, the majority of them, through drug overdose. If you look at each celebrity or anyone great who has ever died, the number 9 is included somewhere within their life or death. They are either born on 9th, died on the 9th, or died with the number 9 in some way.

For example, Jimi Hendrix died at age 27 (9) and had died after taking 9 sleeping pills.

Jamaican reggae artist Garnett Silk died on December 9th.

Michael Jackson died in the 9th year of the 2000’s.

Albert Einstein died April 18th (9) after refusing surgery: “I want to go when I want,” he said. “It is tasteless to prolong life artificially. I have done my share, it is time to go. I will do it elegantly.”

What does this mean? Those who have come to Earth for a particular purpose, and are specially celebrated in some way for their contributions, come under the umbrella of 3 and it’s multiples, most especially the number 9. 3 is the Universal number of life and death, it is the opener and the closer, 3 opens the door and 9 shuts it.

There is also a huge meaning to other numbers, but I intend to do a deeper class on numbers specifically. But in another post, I will explain to you others who have not died under the 9th key – these people opted out of their life contract (will explain this later).

This post is not to take away from what this person and his agency did to Bob Marley, but this would only be looking at it from a physical/material perspective. This post is to show you the spiritual and most important meaning of his life and death, and also to take away the power of those who claimed to have killed this great man.

Obara Meji

THE IFA DIVINATION PROCESS

Image Source: Art & Life in Africa – University of Iowa

Good day everyone. This week I will be doing a series on the topic of Ifa/Orisa. I will attempt to answer some questions pertaining to the tradition and the basics of understanding it. Today, I begin with The Ifa Divination Process.

It is spirit that leads us to our spiritual path. Nothing is done without spirit. I will make it simple for you, if you want to cook, no matter how hungry you are, you will not move to the kitchen until the spirit compels you. If you are going somewhere familiar to you or even unfamiliar, you will while getting ready or in the planning stage of your expedition see your journey in your minds eye before you leave the house. There is no exception, this happens to everyone. Even on your way to work you will see your work place in your mind before you get there. This is how spirit operates, it runs before us as evident in our dreams and visions. Spirit clears the way.

I write this because it was spirit that led me to Ifa (I am a spiritualist), to Africa, to initiation which added to my path. Without spirit we do not exist and even with Ifa the practice, it is spirit which lights the way, especially for those of us retuning home and embracing this tradition. Iba (salutations) to all those non-physicals who lit my way to Ifa and Osun. To all initiates, aburo aboye abosise!

Yesterday I spoke to a Babalawo close to me and he told me that he went to check his Ifa, knocked on his pot to open it and the pot refused to open. This has happened to me before and I know why, but I wanted to hear why from him, so I asked. He laughed and said, Ifa went out to fight enemies, in other words, he was not at home. We laughed together, me understanding full well what he meant. I once had a site teaching about Ifa and Orisha, but enemies……ah sah! However, today I want to share with you some knowledge of Ifa, coming from the University of Ilorin, Ilorin Nigeria where this paper was written.

Please read, learn and embrace this wonderful traditional practice, spawned here in Yoruba land and of the Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria, but belongs to all of us. Hail to the Cubans who have been great custodians of it (Lucumi), and to the Brazilians (Condomble) also. Iba Orunmila, Iba all Orishas!b

Introduction

Divination is universally concerned with practical problems and it seeks information from which practical decisions may be made. The source of such information is not conceived as mundane.

The divinatory arts are many and a broad understanding of them can only emerge from a survey of actual practices in various cultural settings. Men all over the world practise divination and device various methods of doing this. The Assyro-Babylonians have their Bam (seer and diviner) who employs hapatoacopy-divination by observing the liver of sheep which had been used for sacrifice. The Buddhists in India practise astrology and they use lots and oracles as means of divination. The Greeks had their oracular shrinks of Jupiter at Dodona and Apollo at Delphi. The Romans used the Sortes and the Japanese use Ornoplatoscopy. In Roman society, auspices (auspicia) are the means by which the Romans seek to ascertain the support of the gods.

Other forms of divination are palmistry, cream interpretation and astrology. Diviners of similar kinds include the many types of media who may communicate with the dead (necromancy process) as well as-crystal gazers, dream interpreters and diviners by automatic writing.

Like the other peoples of the world, the Yoruba employ various system These systems include erindinlogun which involves the casting of sixtecn cowries, which employs a set of separate strings with four markers each and iyanrin tite (sand and cutting). Others areobi dida (casting of kolanut), omi wiwo(water gazing), owo wiwo(paImistry), owo wiwo(gazing on money), atipa or abokuusoro(necromancy) and wjwo oju (gazing on the eyes). One of our informants, Awoyerai Elebu-ibon, emphasises that get (three cowries),’ eerin (four cowries) and eejo (eight cowries) were used for divination in the distant past. Among others, Ogimbiyii (1952: 83-84) Awolalu (1.979: 121), Bascorn ((1969:11) and Qlatunji (1984: 109) have-described some of the processes and forms divination among the- Yoruba.

Of all the methods of divination employed by the Yoruba, Ifa divination is considered the most reliable, and the most popular means of divination (Bascom 1969:11 and Awolalu 1979: 122). Till these day, the Ifa priests are located over the Yorubaland. As this research reveal most of the various forms of divination among the Yoruba take their sources from Ifa divinatioin .

Ifa divination is both a body of knowledge and a system of social, emotional, pathological control, employing relevant historical and mythological precedents contained in the special divinatory verses to be recited, chanted or song by the babalawo. lfa divination is the most complex system of divination both in its repertoire of verses and in its range of applications. To the Yoruba, divination or consultation with the supreme divinity (Orunmila) is of crucial spiritual importance. The oral tradition emphasises the parit played by Orunmila is guiding the destiny of man and divinities. One reason given for his intimate knowledge of matters affecting man’s destiny is that Orunmila is present when man is being created. Therefore he knows all the secrets of human beings and thus he can reveal what one has destined and if the destiny is an unfortunate one, Orunmila canprescribe remedies to avert the misfortune. This is why Orunmila is being described as Elerii-ipin (the witness of destiny or lot), ‘Obirikiti A-pa-ojo-iku-da’ (the great one, who alters the date of death).

Ifa divination is operated by means of the configuration called Odu. In the Ifa corpus are as many as 256 possibilities (16 principal and 240 minor Odu) each containing mythological stories which the babalawo narrates in the process of divination. The sixteen principal Odu (plus the signs) in order of seniority are listed below (for easy reference).

(note from Obara Meji, please observe them from right to left)

Note: The numbering order (1-16) follows the system in which the Odu signs are always marked by the babalawo.

The Babalawo

The Babalawo are the trained dedicated Ifa priests and diviners in the Yoruba community of Nigeria. In Yoruba tradtional society, a babalawo is a ‘doctor1‘, a ‘pharmacist’, a herbalist and the most popular diviner who the people’ consult for advice, guidance and medical treatment. When a pregnant woman is under labour, when a person is seriously sick or when there is a breakout of epidemic disease, the babalawo’s help is .sought personally or on behalf of the victim. It should however be noted that the babalawo’s unique position in the Yoruba society is neither attained through lineage or honour. The status of a babalawo can only be acquired after many years of rigorous training and experiences. The detail on training follows later.

At any point in time, no practising babalawo divines without using either the opele (the divining chain) or the ikin (the sacred palmnut). The use of these instruments would enable him, to know, the nature of his client’s problem. The diviner relies on the dictate of the gods. The diviner thus serves as a link between two worlds: the ephemeral and eternal, the material and the spiritual. Just as a medical doctor always takes with him a stethoscope, a technician has .an avometer, a screwdriver and pliers ready with him for an emergency work, a babalawo pockets his portable opele when he is invited to a nearby town or village for divine consultation.

There are two major categories of babalawo in Yorubaland: the- Awo Qlodu and the Awo Elegan. The Awo Olodu (the devoted Ifa diviners) are the most recognised and the most knowledgeable class of babalawo in the Yoruba society of Nigeria. They are only the diviners but also the worshippers of Orunmila, the god of divination and wisdom. The Awo Elegan on the other hand, are those babalawo who are not fully engaged in Ifa divination. These consist of the Agbamole and Sawosesegun. The Agbamole are the set of babalawo who either inherited the divining chain or partially trained in .the art of Ifa divination but uninitiated into Ifa cult. When this class of babalawo feel like doing so, they can divide for themselves or. any member of their family, but never an outsider. The area of specialisation attached to Ifa literature include the Ifa divination art, healing and chanting of Iyere (the ifa songs).

A babalawo may specialise in one or two of the areas. The Asawosesegun, the second sub-category of Awo Elegan mentioned above, are those babalawo with combined honours degree in Ifa literature. They combine divination with healing of serious illnesses such as leprosy, epilepsy and mental disorder. Usually, they are more popular as a healer than a diviner. Chief idowu Obayomi, and late Aladokun of Ikirun Oyo State of Nigeria are two examples of Asawosescgun interviewed in the course of this study. To whichever category of babalawo one may belong, the code of conduct which binds them all must be preserved. A babalawo is always generous, faithful, Knowledgeable, and a good traditional counsellor to the members of his community. A babalawo in discharging his duty, always believes he has an obligation to fulfil in respect of his client (s) and this he does willingly.

The babalawo are highly respected, not only for their wisdom and intelligence but also for their faithfulness and generosity to the members of the society. Under normal circumstances, no one insults or fights them.

Mo ru eewo orisa, I say it is a taboo to the orisa,

Enikan o gbodo na babalawo, No one beats an Ifa priest,

To ba gbofa yanranyanran lotu Ife Who is Very Versed in Ifa in the city of Ife.

Generally, every babalawo knows his right and also keeps te law of the land. A babalawo by his training and practice, is prepared to advise and guide anybody who consults him. He knows something about the life and teaching of Orunmila and when he divines for his clients, he interpret only the message of Orunmila. Whatever may be the problem or complaint of a client is no secret to Orunmila and any trained and certificated babalawo should be able to read the language of Orunmila through the Odu signs. But if a babalawo does not receive a proper training, he may have some problems in interpreting Odu sign and thus deliver wrong message to the client. In such a circumstance, the clients whose faith in Ifa divinity is not strong enough may complain of its inability to foresee all things.

Ope-oseru, Ope (Orunniila) is not dishonest,

Qniki ni o gbofa, It is the chanter who is’not versed in Ifa,

Ohun a ba b’Ifa. Whatever we ask Ifa

Nifa i so. Is what Ifa reveals.

If this happens, it is the babalawo who has “misrepresented the divinity. Anyone who has successfully passed through the rigours of Ifa training would be able to identify the problem of his clients. The babalawo should base his expertise on the training he has acquired. Those who use charms to find out the hidden problems of their clients are not true babalawo and in fact, they are not fit to be one. This class of babalawo (if any), are being dishonest, and they pay dearly for it. In the later part of their life, emphasised our informants, such babalawo lose their sight permanently.

I will post part two before the week is out.

SOMETHING I WANT TO SHARE

Good day to you all. I just wanted to share something I think is important. Many of you may not be able to wrap your heads around this, but never mind. The day will come for some of you, when you will begin to understand. In the mean time, it is my duty to let you in.

These conversations have been around for sometime, some of you may know and some may not. Never mind scratching your heads about what is written here, read and later one day, it will eventually resonate. You will have no choice, as the world is changing. All I hope for is for all of you to realize that there is no suffering unless you buy into the idea. No sickness unless you own that energy, no deluge unless you call it to you. Life has its challenges, but face them and win. Use your own individual power, realize it. A rough road ahead, signals an unpleasant journey, but just for a little while. If you endure with little murmur, you will encounter the sweetest sap from life’s mystery tree. A smooth road may be fooling, choose well. Adjust your way of thinking and envisioning life. Try to pray for wisdom, and if it graces you, teach from it. No one holds the key to power, it too is an illusion. Take control of your own life, never release it to anyone. I have a job to do and I am doing it.

The future is before you, it has already been written within your subconscious and play out even while you sleep , but as you travel along life’s way you can change it, (many of us do unbeknownst to us) to suit you as you walk through the earth. How?

Change your outlook, your mindset, your intention, shift your thoughts, your energy, what you pull to your space. What you give and what you allow yourself to receive. This is only done through the mind. When you see yourself in the dream, either as a child or as you are, you are in two worlds or the world you have created. It all boils down to one thing, we are all MIND! We are all THOUGHTS. The human body is just a cover or clothing for the BUBBLE that we are.

Fill a glass with water and observe the bubbles that forms, that is us without shape or form, believe it or not. Know that all that we are or think we are (here on earth) is just an illusion.

Allow no one to hurt you with words, or even actions, there within the hurt you find weakness. Weakness is stagnant like dirty water. It is unpleasant and it handicaps your journey. The sprit is strong, it is flesh that is weak. Align yourself to your spirit and there you will draw strength. How is this done? Again, through the mind. You control what happens to you through the mind, through your thoughts. Revise your life now and live.

Earth time does not wait for anyone.

The shift is happening and It is real, do not get left behind.

Revelation:

For this year coming up, try to eat or drink things bitter. Health will be the new wealth, in times to come. Bitter bush/herbs will help clean the blood, which will be important for the New Years to come. Drink water room temperature, the shift will have an impact on the human vehicle in how it reacts to it. Subtly but……

Obara Meji

Message from the universe for you all.

Iṣẹ́ tí onínú líle bá fi ogún ọdún ṣe, ọjọ́ kan ni yóò bàá jẹ́. /

A hot-tempered person may well destroy all he achieved in 20 years, in just one day……Yoruba Proverbs

[Uncontrolled anger can be self-limitting.]

THE JEWEL THAT IS CURIOSITY

(Image: Altria Senior Living)

That old saying “curiosity kills the cat” may be true, but have you ever thought that curiosity could be a lead way to finding your destiny? That finding your purpose could be done by what interests you most, what fascinates you, even to what could be the detriment (hence the saying) of you or perhaps the betterment? Yes, curiosity can lead you to your own demise, but perhaps it was written by you that way.

After all we all have a key to go home (leave this earth), something that will signal to the invisible world that it is time and we are ready. I will do a post on this later. Curiosity is something that could lead you to who you ought supposed to be, as in finding your purpose. If you study babies as they grow they are naturally curious, and it is this curiosity that teaches them. Curiosity is a very distinct part of the human mind and make up, something so natural we often pay it and its importance in our daily lives no mind. Recently one of my students asked me how will they know their purpose or find their destiny, why was she here? A simple automatic response came from me to her, “follow your curiosity,” I told her. What are you curious about?

I know many of you have never thought of this and perhaps have even castigated yourself on certain compulsive habits, as in thoughts or even longings. Asking yourself, how does this work or what about that? Even in science we will realize that curiosity enhances our learning. Yet my posts are always about the spirituality of all things and how they affect them or how we perceive them. The curiosity I write of here, is that something that drives and haunts you. That thing that either makes you become afraid but wanting to know more about it, or what makes you chase it, eager for answers. It is that magnet that pulls at you as if you are Steele.

Everything in life has a spiritual meaning behind it, this includes all that we do. I am sure that you already know that we are spiritual beings have a human experience.

There is nothing in this life or within our existence here that operates singularly. One thing often segue into another, this is called the “flow of life”. It is emotions that allows the effects of positive and negative functions in our life, leading us to joy or sorrow, but all must be experienced. This is how we grow. This is how we learn.

We must know this if we ought to discover ourselves. Self pity serves no purpose to our spiritual or physical well being.

In one of my recent post I wrote that I longed for nothing. This is quite true because I, at where I am in my life, have found me. I will admit there is more to learn, but where I am now is where I ought to be at this point in my life. An exhale perhaps, from my long and arduous journey since birth, but now waiting to trod on ahead to more adventure.

My curiosity about things that have interested me ever since I was young, led me to who I am now. The occult and everything about the supernatural, about God, about things beyond this world always fascinated me, and though I was fearful of what I may find in my diggings and my hunger or thirst for more knowledge, I still could not resist the urge to search, to look, to read, explore, to know. It was while doing this, that I found Obara Meji, and what a treasure I found in her.

We all have curiosity somewhere within, the thing is we are all not curious about the same thing. What interest or fascinates me may not interest or fascinate you. I like odd people. I am attracted (not in a love interest way) by peoples mind. Whenever I meet a person and they think differently from the ordinary Joe, they interest me. I often wonder about that, perhaps because I consider my self odd to this world as well.

Odd in the way that I do not see the world as others do. I see everything in its spiritual aspect and forms and all experiences are seen through my eyes for their spiritual lessons or reason to be. Symbols are mes

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Have you ever placed your keys in a drawer, the same drawer you put it in every night when you come home, and wake up in the morning and it’s not there?

Or have you ever visited somewhere, a place that you have been before perhaps more than once or twice, but one day you go and everything looks totally different? You are not able to find the street, the gate, the tree that marked the turn? For a moment you become confused, and wonder if you are even losing it?

Most often you end up finding the key exactly where you left it, after turning the place upside down.

Did you really put those keys where you think you did? Or was it never there at all? At least while you searched for it.

What if I told you that both observations are true. You might wonder how exactly is it possible for something (or someone) to be there and not there at the same time? How is it possible to have been there and yet it remains unfamiliar?

Can you imagine, or accept, that time as you know it does not exist? Surely you have heard of this before, but if it doesn’t exist, then can you fathom that although we are in the year 2017, our history and future are happening simultaneously? No? How do you describe the spiritualist who can see tomorrow? How can we see something that has not yet been created… unless it already is created.

There are a number of answers to these observations, but to find even one, you may have to stretch your imaginations a bit, and I will ask you all to open your minds a little further before you read on.

The other day I was in my kitchen slicing onions while my pot was on the stove with oil getting ready to receive them. As I sliced (it was high noon and hot as hell) from my peripheral view I saw someone walk pass with head gear on. My daughter and another person was upstairs, the dogs were in the yard, and I expected a workman to come and fix one of my doors, but to my knowledge he had not arrived yet. Other than that there was no one else in my compound, especially someone wearing African Ankara (African cloth) with head gear. I waited for the person to pass the other window, but no one did. Curious, I went to look through the window, but saw no one. I went outside and saw no one. My dogs are small, but very alert and would have barked if a stranger entered my gate, but there they were playing with each other. I called the workman to ask if he was around, but he wasn’t.

I knew it wasn’t a ghost I saw. For one thing, my dogs are sensitive to ghostly apparitions and would have barked their lungs out. I also would have had that feeling I usually have when these phenomenas enters my space. So what exactly was this?

This reminded me of a time I had an experience where I observed a woman walking in a darkened forrest. She was an African woman according to how she dressed. She was surrounded by thick bushes but she walked along, oblivious to everything around her. Up a hill, not far off from her, was a market activity. The sun was out and people milled about. Yet as I observed this it seemed like two different worlds. She was not aware of those people up from where she was, where the sun blasted but did not enter her space, which was dark. They seemed unaware of her walking down from them where it looked as if it was midnight.

I was taken out of my body to observe this. I was a non-physical observer. This was some fifteen years ago, and I had no idea what I saw, but the experience never left my mind. Over the years the explanation for what I saw came to me, but I shared it with no one. For I myself was in disbelief that I was privy to this, and wondered why?

What if what I saw was a glimpse into another reality, another world? A woman going about her way, in her realm, her reality. Was this why the dogs did not bark? I saw her but they did not even see or sense her. There are people living in another existence. Worlds so close to ours, but yet we cannot see them.

Have you ever woken up from your sleep and not

Have you ever woken up from your sleep and not recognized where you are, become slightly disoriented of your surroundings, but when you do come back to “yourself”, you chalk it up to being dazed from sleep?

It did not take me long to realize that I really did see the woman, but she was not a ghost. You see, there are more things out there than “ghosts” or “spirits”. There are things we may not have a name for, or things so ghastly we can’t conjure an image of what they may look like – or if it looks like anything at all.

There are so many things we experience in our everyday lives but we ignore them or simply do not recognize them. Yet they are very important to our spiritual growth and understanding. Do you know that we have doubles of our selves living different lives elsewhere? Either here on this earth or in another realm?

Take the fishes in the ocean or river as an example: would they know of our existence unless we invade their space? If something does not invade our space, is it not real? Or is it only real if we say so?

Isn’t this thought remarkable? We greatly underestimate this thing called thought and we still do not understand the depth of it.

But give consideration to this:

Beggars. Who are they? Would our world be better if we could just take them from such a lowly state?

Here In Nigeria, there are beggars by the dozen in every town (even de police lol ah doe waan laugh, cause dah post yah serious). Here in Lagos, as you pull up at a stop sign, beggars rush the cars, (it is said that women even “rent children” to inspire pity by passersby). For them begging is a career. At times I sigh about the young children.

Many may look at them with pity or scorn. Even I at times get annoyed with them leaning against my car window petitioning for money. Sometimes I give, sometimes I don’t. It gets me to see the children living that life, but as a spiritualist and someone who understands life from a spiritual perspective, I shush away the human feelings when I catch myself. I understand the depth of who they are, even if they do not.

Imagine then, that you are in a depressing state. Family issues, marital problems, or something else troubling. You leave home for work or for a walk, and a beggar stops you for money. If you become annoyed, you have your own problems and one of them certainly is not the reason this person became a beggar, so you trod on and ignore him.

Or despite what you are going through, you give what you can and the beggar thanks you, prays for you, or ignores you after receiving what he wanted.

If you look at both scenarios for a moment there is something in common: what is being given. To you, it is hard earned money, but spiritually, money is of no other value than sacrifice. It is a sacrifice because it is meaningful on earth, and if you can part with it, then you have given something in order to receive.

What becomes of a man who is constantly given sacrifices from burden-ridden strangers? What becomes of the burden-ridden strangers when they part with value? Think about it.

—

What would be the wisdom of someone coming in as a beggar? Remember, when we are out of this human body, we are wise beyond belief. We are not programmed with emotions, we see all clearly, so why come to earth as a beggar?

There are a lot of conversations I have with my children and others. When you are spiritual and deep, things that life gives or shows does not affect you as they would had you been asleep. There is a reason and an explanation for almost everything, other things “just are”, although this may be difficult to fathom. I say almost everything, because we are still evolving and so the questions will continue to rise, but some will not be explained. The human mind, although incredible, is not able to understand certain things beyond this world, unless we are out to the body. When we are out of the human body and exist in a terrific space as elders, we are not able to impart that which could terrify yo

AWAKENINGS AND MELANIN IN SPIRITUALITY

I am home today, and as usual, I love to sit on my bed, stare out my window and think. I am an Aries, this is what we do most. Think. While in thought, my mind took me back to the days when I was just beginning to become awake. I know I have repeated this often, but my awakening (like most) was jarring. To this day, I still wonder how I survived it.

I was being gifted, or rather, what I came into the world with, was beginning to unfold. I realize now that to say I was being given a gift is wrong. We all come in to this world as who we ought to be, as long as we are able to find our way and to survive it. What I came into the world with was plenty, my mission was big and so it took a while to get access to them all. Among them was the gift of mediumship. Out of everything that I am, I cherish this gift the most.

Mediumship was actually the hardest gift to unfold, and it could have traumatized everyone around me. When it began, folks wondered if my enemy [me] had gone mad; even I begged my creator to relieve me from this distress. It affected me in every way. My children became afraid of me at first, but my guides had placed a certain wisdom within my eldest (a little girl at the time) and so she assisted me and others into understanding who I was becoming…

I am not able to remember where it began. I suppose I could even relate it to this story (read here). In that story, I was surely not myself and the experience shook me, but made me become even more aware of myself, however frightening. I remember when people were afraid of me.

“You see too much,” they told me.

Friends ended our relationship because of this very fact. It saddened me, being alienated from society (friends and associates) when I was already rejected by family. While going through my awakening, at some point I began to read people. I would do this whenever those who knew me as “hot gal Obara” heard that there was something wrong with me (the rumors went out) and they would either call to genuinely enquire or to faass (be nosy) as we Jamaicans would say.

Whenever anyone would call, I used to be in a weakened state (the awakening process caused this. I cannot believe that I am writing this without getting misty, those days hurts to remember, but I may have healed). While speaking to them, well wishers or undercover enemies, I would immediately begin to pray for them. It was during the prayer that I would be able to see into their lives as if watching a video. I could see who they were, where they were, where they were going, or an impending death, and I could see it all so clearly. Automatically I would begin to tell them all what I saw and how to repair anything that was wrong there.

If they had wronged others, I would tell them that they must correct the hurt they have caused. Those days, while in trance mode and reading these people, I had no control over what came out of my mouth. If there was a message, it was delivered whether I wanted to or not.

It was then the news began to spread. Obara was not mad, as they all thought, she was gifted.

My phone began to ring obsessively. Those who called me had no idea of my enemy’s suffering – (For the new readers of this blog, when referring to myself with negative words, I replace with myself with ‘my enemy’) – When I would end the call, my enemy would be so weak and had to lay down in order to feel better. The weakness was due to my spirit guides allowing my frequency to rise, in order to reach into those peoples lives and see their destiny. I was the Oracle. The only food I could eat was liver water and Jamaican callaloo. When spirits are too close, they sap your energy and it affects the iron in your blood. Most spiritualists have iron deficiency.

People of colour have a special connection to this earth and its frequencies. What I mean by this is that we, most especially, get to experience an outward reality like an electrical shock. We call this spirit. And people of colour can connect to this much easier and faster than anyone else.

Do you know that sudden jerk, or twitch, or that language which comes out from your mouth whenever you are touched by something unseen (and which the Christians call the Holy Ghost)? There is a leap of energy which touches someone to cry out a revelation, or to stiffen our bodies and shout out to our God. There is something which will tell a certain few that they should go into that yard and dig the ground for whatever the landlord has planted there, to the surprise of everyone when it is found.

In Jamaica, in my parents time, gifted people would walk and warn. They called them “warners”. Their predictions/prophecies were heard by all and at times even saved lives. I have no idea if these mysterious people are still around, or those gift have travelled out of our island.

This post is not one of race, but of the spiritual connection of the Black man/woman and his/her God. This has to do with how the body of melanated people is programmed, spiritually.

I may be repeating this, but too many times I have gone into church, or other places, happy and well, and come out with headaches and different sorts of aches, from picking up everyone’s energy. This can and does happen to many people, not just ones with colour, but that spring into action spirits that overtakes the body, that shouts and speaks languages, the quantum leap into a terrific space that has no end, and that falls us into trances, that high vibration that takes us out of body and changes our features, our voices, our aura – this is all most common in black people.

This thing that embarrasses me at times, when I am on the plane and shout out, because something passed through my body like a lightening rod, and I am knocked breathless for some seconds, hoping that the person sitting beside me does not change his seat from fright, fear or wonderment.

We all have a point of connection programmed within us somewhere. For some people it is in their stomach, some their feet, some their head, others their hands of feet, some the teeth. Ever been hit with a tooth ache from no where, which eventually goes away by itself never to return, and you have no cavity? Or a sneeze fit you cannot control? A weird yawn that has a particular sound from your regular yawn, or even shouting from your sleep?

Someone here in Nigeria told me of his own father who was a great spiritualist, a prophet as he is called here. He had locks that touched the ground, only wore white and walked barefoot. He was a peculiar man to all who knew him. Almost nomadic in his movements. For days upon days, he would leave his house and enter the bush to fast and pray. He practiced Christianity but he was highly spiritual, highly evolved. He chose Christianity as his “house”, all spiritualist must have a cover, religion has its place. As such he was revered by his community. and was said to know the cure for many ailments.

He would walk by someone’s gate, and if the Spirit of God came upon him, he would enter, shouting that there was evil in the yard. He would proceed to dig by a tree’s roots with his bare hands until he found what was buried there, exposing the evil of whomever planted it. He was one to be reckoned with, a man with this greatness was never one to challenge, he was feared and respected. Before he died, he informed his children that he would be traveling. Three months after he had left, his son, who is also herbalist, would receive three visitors who told him that they were sent by his father. Upon hearing this and knowing that his father had died three months prior, he invited them to come in and sit down. They told him that his father had advised them to come to Lagos to see him after visiting him the day

HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY – WHAT EXACTLY ARE THEY?

Whenever I pray for myself or for others I always include peace, love, unity, prosperity, happiness. Yesterday I sat on my bed and stared through my window. It was daytime, noonish to be exact, and as usual the estate is quiet and peaceful. I began to think as I stared out my window, about life and what makes us happy.

The “us”, here means humans, I often think of us here on this planet. In my mind I began to answer the questions I was posing to myself. The most obvious answer was money. To many people having access to money was happiness. Some people in my head (the interview I was having there), said they just wanted to be comfortable, others said they wanted to live like a rock star, that would make them happy. Others wanted to be able to afford whatever they wanted and never worry again about money, to be able to splurge on whatever they desired. Then I began to visualize examples of people, two to be specific, in certain positions in life. I saw them clearly in my head.

The first person I saw was a man who lived in an open land. He was surrounded by nothing except nature, beautiful greenery, tall trees and green grass, some straw coloured, having been beaten by the sun. He was short about, 5ft 5 or 6″. He looked Asian, he had a shabby looking straw hat on his head. His pants were worn, and of khaki colour and was a little below his knees, and his shirt was the same colour, also worn and open, exposing his hairless chest which showed his rib cages. However he did not look starved or Mal-nourished. He had some lines on his face, which, although he had a boyish look, one could tell that he was perhaps in his fifties or older. He was agile in his movements and he walked across the common, as the heat of the day bore down on him unyieldingly. Not far off from him was a shack made out of bamboos which were brown, and a thatched roof the same colour.

A river was near by, so as he drew closer, the sun seemed to ease up its temper for a bit and if you listened carefully, although you could not clearly see the river, you could hear its waters rolling along serenely. Some birds flew over head breaking the silence for a moment, he heard them and so did I. We both looked up, he was unaware of my presence of course, but I was so very curious of him. I liked the serenity, the peace that I felt within his environment and what came from him. I could even feel his heart beating as he contemplated his next move. Upon seeing the birds, he stopped and took something from his back pocket. It was a sling shot, he bent and picked up a stone and skillfully fired it off in the air, a house bird fell (a pigeon). He wanted to aim again, but the other birds, warned by what just happened, scattered in bids to save their lives. He smiled as he picked up his kill, and pranced towards his shack. I smiled too as I pranced along also.

We got to the bamboo shack, his house. It was square with hardly anything in it. There was some tree trunks as seats perhaps, some calabashes he seemed to use as plates, what looked like palm fronds on the floor used for as bed, some tools. Some wood carvings of images and in a corner were coconuts, a bunch of bananas and some fruits I did not recognize. He went inside for a knife, and picked up an old helmet he used as pot. He then went outside behind the shack and made a fire from wood and stones and set out to heat water so he could remove the feather from the bird he just killed.

A loud noise of a car horn brought me back to this reality, and I could see a small grey car going up the top of my road about to turn the corner. I tried all my best to go back to where the man was in my head, but I wasn’t allowed. That blank stare through my window, which was my key to this adventure was lost. It was as if I had a spiritual experience, an out of body one perhaps, what am I saying? Not “as if”……..I had a spiritual experience. I was allowed to enter this mans world as a non

PSYCHIC ATTACKS AND PSYCHIC DEFENSE

“Psychic Defense” is a phrase I actually abhor, believe it or not. The word Psychic that is.

Remember Miss Cleo? She made a mockery of it, the psychic networks commercialized it, and naysayers have their jokes and skepticism they go after it with.

There are many ways to describe the “seer” but for this post I will go with the word above. Most of you do not even know that you fight a spiritual battle daily.

Reading this as I write, I am marveled at how many people discount Obeah, believing that it “doesn’t exist” or is simply nonsense. Not all Spiritual Wickedness is “Obeah” in the practical sense. Some are your own mother, father, sister, brother, aunts, cousins, neighbour, friend, co-worker… This spiritual battle I speak of is the minds of men and women. More often than not it is the family member who is causing the trouble in the family or who has turned the brightest child of the mother crazy, and it can all be done through “psychic attacks.”

Psychic Attacks are negative energies that are transferred mentally, usually through negative thoughts projected onto another person (jealousy, anger, bad wishes, etc). Psychic attacks can also happen by simply walking into a space where a malevolent entity dwells. I had a client some years ago who could never find or keep a boyfriend. I divined for her and it wasn’t obeah, nor was it Egbe. Instead, it was a spirit who said it had “fallen in love with her” five years ago and has since “married her”. My client remembered that it was 5 years before that her last boyfriend had suddenly packed up and left her house.

Obeah, on the other hand, is the practical act of using negative energy to inflict/manipulate others or change their destinies. But Obeah can also be positive and this is done when that negative energy is reversed and the person affected can now live normally or better.

We know not the power of our minds, some people more than some. It is common for a person not to be happy for another who has more than he does. I have a sister that is the definition/example of this.

My senior sister was using a crimping iron on my hair one day. I wore shorts and she noticed my skin.

“Your skin is brown and pretty,” she told me.

Before I could respond, the crimping iron fell from her hands and right onto my legs. I received severe burns on my leg which took years to fade. What happened here was that although my sister complimented my skin, the comment was fueled by jealousy in her heart. I never knew then that my sister was insecure of her dark skin, but the iron falling onto my legs after the comment was the physical projection of what she truly felt. Not admiration, but anger and perhaps hate.

This is a form of ‘Psychic Attack’, a spiritual attack through mental projection.

It is difficult to escape someone having a negative thought about us, but we can protect ourselves from the effects such thoughts can have.

Often times when you lose your job, a co-worker may have moved you because of his/her dislike for you or his/her anger that you have the position that they don’t believe you deserve. This thought can manifest in your sudden decision to quit, or the quarrel between you and your boss that happened out of the blue, or some silly mistake you would never normally have made.

But this can also have a different effect: The co-worker dislikes you and wants you to leave, but you are spiritually conscious, attuned to your higher self, and have embraced your spirituality – so instead of you leaving, your co-worker has suddenly decided to quit.

What I have described here is the number one way of defending yourself from Psychic Attacks.

Be Aware. Be Present In Your Life. Embrace Your Spirituality. Be Conscious.

How does this protect you? Because you’ll understand that when you ride the train, bus, or visit a crowded space, you have walked into a pool of many different energies. If one clings to you and life becomes abnormal, you’ll start asking questions and this will send you searching for spiritual answers, and looking for spiritual answers leads you to solution.

When you embrace your spirituality, you become awake, conscious, so you no longer see things the way others do. You come to realize that everything has a spiritual explanation, and this is what needs your attention, what is the spiritual reason?

Many people do not realize this, because the human body is programmed with emotions, so often times when there is an argument brewing, some people will not walk away from it, having to always get the last word in. I have been in situations like that many times, I am a work in progress where this is concerned, but this is something that you must pay attention to.

A person with a bad temper is more likely to be affected by walking into or attracting a negative energy, than a person with a calmer temperament. The negative energy can quickly affect the person with the bad temper, making him angry quickly and causing chaos. The more chaos, the better, as this negativity is like food for this energy, it is like vampire-ism, yes there lives among us are many spiritual vampires, I will deal with this another time . The calmer person is too “closed” for the negative energy to have much success, and without success, there’s no “food”.

There was an old house I once lived with family. In that house there were constant heated quarrels, police visits, fights, bad relationships, just constant chaos and sadness.

One morning I had a vision of an old Italian looking woman with black hair pinned atop her head. She was stout and wore a white dress. If scrooge had a wife this would be her, in her looks. Wearing a disgusting scowl, she shrieked at me in the dream, that this was her house. It was built in 1901 and if we want her to stop the chaos that she has created, then we must give her a certain type of alcohol. She wailed this to me repeatedly until I forced myself to wake up. I called a meeting with everyone and told them what I saw. I am the practical spiritualist, so it was up to me to continue giving her what she demanded in order to keep peace. A part of me resented this, as I grumbled, that “nuh duppy cyaan bad mi up fi gi dem nutten”, but I did what she asked, and the place has been peaceful ever since.

This was a case of a Psychic Attack. This earth bound version of Mama Celeste, who was possibly a racist and a man hater (since no relationship seemed to survive in that house back then) when she had a body, created chaos among all inhabitants of this house. She was probably a drunk in life and now one in death. As you can see, no one threw Obeah toward the household, but an old hag without a body turned everyone against each other day after day…If I had not been among them, it would have continued, but my spirit confronted her in her world, and she begrudgingly confessed and gave me her demand as the solution. Blessed be Orunmila, my Ori

can see, no one threw Obeah toward the household, but an old hag without a body turned everyone against each other day after day…If I had not been among them, it would have continued, but my spirit confronted her in her world, and she begrudgingly confessed and gave me her demand as the solution. Blessed be Orunmila, my Ori, my guides and Osun.

2. Prayer. – Prayer is the key to life! I cannot stress this enough. It matters not if you believe in anything as in man, Spirits or God. Put your words out to the universe and they will hear you. It is prudent to spill positive words, as this will be accepted greatly among the elders who receives them. Negative words are heard and can even be answered, but be mindful of the seeds you sow.

Pray against attacks of any form. This will put all your non-physicals in motion in your defense, there is nothing better in this human world than prayer. It is a spiritual tool, use it.

(Quick fact: When I first began to read people, it was through prayer and song. Words and sound, it was what I used to open up the doors to people lives and with simple prayer, I could see everything).

Water – Water is the source and there is nothing stronger to cleanse yourself or your home of negative energies, (see my post on water HERE).

Chicken Coop or Pet – If you are in the Caribbean one of the best ways to rid your house of negative influences is to have a chicken coop. Not only does it help you rid yourself or house of negative influences, but these animals take the attack upon themselves and away from you. Don’t be surprised if the animal dies or falls sick suddenly. Our animals often absorb spiritual blows before it can affect us. If where you live cannot accommodate that, get an animal.

Avoid The Colour Red – No one should wear this colour and I know why, but I will not deal with the reasons on any post. Just wearing the color red can get a person killed or ill – yes, it’s that powerful. It can pull millions of malevolent beings which will cause great harm. Avoid it if you can. If you must wear red, blend it with white to calm it down. Remember we are not alone here in this realm, many unseen eyes watches us daily. Colour have specific meanings within the realms unknown.

Be Careful of Your Own Thoughts – Most often you pull negative energies unto yourselves with your bad thoughts of others, or of yourself. There are some people out there with such protection that if you wish bad for them, it is you who will feel it. At times, the problem begins with you.

Wear Crystals – The trick to finding the right Crystal is to pick the one that pulls you. You must be attracted to that particular Crystal and not the one that someone recommends. Crystals are great for creating a shield between you and negative forces. You can avoid a lot with just wearing a crystal everyday.

8. Meditate- When you meditate you open yourself up for answers, you become attuned, connected. This will allow for defense of you and yours. You plug yourself into the universe who is alive and well.

9. Pay homage to mother earth and nature- This space we occupy belongs to the earth which is the womb and also nature, they are one in the same. When you pray, mention them, along with the four cardinal points of the earth, wisdom. Salute the elements, as the Sun holds the secret to our Divine All. There is nothing that is non-physical that visits this realm that can disrespect the earth and nature. If we show our respect, we will be rewarded by them. They will defend us.

10- Honor you ancestors-They are with you daily and will show up in your dreams to warn, heal and care you.

Remember, try never to offend your fellow human, you have no idea who you deem as your enemy is. Some of us here on this planet, are not ordinary people or are even human as you believe (ponder on this), so in all things, be good, try.

There is more to this, but I will see you in class.

PARADISE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

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