Ifa is the religion and a form of divination created by the Yoruba people. Ifa was started by Orunmila. He was a prophet, now he is an orisha. Olodumare is the most high God of Ifa. The Irunmole are creative energies that caused the universe to be. Orishas are deified ancestors; they represent natural forces and parts of the psyche. The goal of Ifa is to fulfill your destiny. You must have Iwa-Pele (good character) and you should get your future divined. Ifa has many priesthoods, the Babalawos divine the future. I will explain more religious concepts in later paragraphs. The Yoruba live in southwestern Nigeria. During the transatlantic slave trade a lot of them were taken to the Americas. Ifa became very influential in the newly created religions in the African Diaspora.
Beliefs
Everyone has ori. Ori means consciousness and soul. When you align with this you will achieve inner peace. The main focus of a person that fellows Ifa is Iwa-Pele (good character). This is primary, without this your beliefs mean nothing. They have scriptures called Odu. There are 256 of these. They can help people solve any problem in their live. People of this faith don't believe in original sin. They believe we are all omo rere ( good and blessed children). Ife means love in the Yoruba language. It is paramount! A famous saying is "unconditional love is truth; everything else is illusion." They believe family members reincarnate.
Olodumare- He is the creator of all that was, is, and ever will be.
Irunmole- They are forces created by Olodumare to create the universe. They are like angels.
Orisha- They are deified ancestors. They are the gods and goddess of this religion. Some of them or all of them were irunmole before they became or orishas. A good example of this Orunmila. He witnessed creation. He started off as a irunmole, then he became human, and after his death he became an orisha.
List of Orishas
Eshu- He connects people to spirits. He tricks people so they can learn a lesson. He does this so people can fulfill their destiny. There is no malicious intent. He's my favorite orisha.
Ogun- He is the orisha of war, protection and technology. He found a place on earth where humans could live. He was married to Oya but she left him for Shango. He fought Shango because of this.
Oshun- She is a river orisha. She rules over love. She is like Aphrodite. She supports growth.
Obatala- He is the orisha of wisdom. He created humans out of clay. One day he got drunk and made handicapped people.
Oya- She represents transformation. She is the orisha of lighting, death, and rebirth.
Shango- He is the king of the orishas. He is very dominate. He is the god of thunder. He is very marian like Ogun.
Yemaya- She is the orisha of the ocean and motherhood. She helps people become fertile and divine.
These are the most important orishas. There are many others, but this will suffice.
The egungun are the ancestors. Men will wear colorful clothes and a mask to celebrate the ancestors.
Priesthoods
Babalawos: They are priests of Orunmila. They use a form of divination called Ifa. They use palm nuts and a divination chain to divine.
Doctors/herbalist: They fellow Osanyin (orisha of medicine).
Male Elders: They were priests of Obatala. They gave the king advice on how to govern.
Shango Priests: Kings were initiated into this priesthood.
Ogun Priests: They were the warriors.
Farmer Priests: They made sure farming was done properly. They were followers of Oko (orisha of farming).
Ifa in the Americas
During the transatlantic slave trade many Yoruba was brought to the Americas. Ifa is the mother of Santeria, Umbanda, Quimbanda and Trinidad Orisha. Exu and Pomba-Gira spirits of Quimbanda are based on Eshu. It had a big impact on Haitian Vodou. Some the Orishas even became Loa (Vodou deities)!!!!!!!!! Click here if you want know more about the Yoruba tribe.
Conclusion
Ifa is a wonderful religion created by the Yoruba. They believe in a creator, creative forces, deities, and ancestors. They believe good character is a must for fulfilling your destiny; and everyone is naturally good. Everyone has a Ori and it is always changing. They have there own scripture and divination system. Love is also important it is a part Iwa-Pele. They have priesthoods that have different functions in society. They were brought to the Americas and had a big impact on religions that area. Sad to say most Yoruba are Christians today. They turned away from the ways of their ancestors. One day someone may show them the beauty of their own religion, so they can go back to it.
References
http://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/yor/index.htm
https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/topic-essays/show/16?start=0
http://www.ileifa.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj8xD0ouSJU
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