what do the yoruba people believe their king links? course hero

Who are the Yoruba people?

It is said the Yoruba people believe that their civilization began at Ile-Ife where the gods descended to earth. [1] The Ethnic group became popular internationally due to their trading with the Portuguese which gave them guns for their trade. The Yoruba were invaded by the Fulani in the early 1800s, which pushed the people to the South.

Who was the first divine king of Yoruba people?

Oduduwa was the first divine king of the Yoruba people. It is said the Yoruba people believe that their civilization began at Ile-Ife where the gods descended to earth. [1] The Ethnic group became popular internationally due to their trading with the Portuguese which gave them guns for their trade.

What is the Yoruba faith?

The Yoruba faith and several other religions that derived from it are also popular in many Caribbean and South American countries. The Yoruba people believe that there is a Supreme God, called Oludumare, and that he governs the Earth through a series of minor deities, known as the orishas, that work as his assistants.

How did the Yoruba become so popular internationally?

The Ethnic group became popular internationally due to their trading with the Portuguese which gave them guns for their trade. The Yoruba were invaded by the Fulani in the early 1800s, which pushed the people to the South. In the late 1800s, they formed a treaty with the British Empire and were colonized by Britain beginning in 1901. [2]

Why is Yoruba important?

Many people find themselves drawn to Yoruba because it offers them a chance to connect to a spiritual heritage that predates colonization and the Transatlantic slave trade. In addition, Yoruba has had significant influence on other belief systems that are considered a part of the African diaspora.

What is the story of the Yoruba gods?

The Yoruba religion has its own unique creation story, in which Olorun lived in the sky with the orishas, and the goddess Olokun was the ruler of all of the water below. Another being, Obatala, asked Olorun for permission to create dry land for other creatures to live upon. Obatala took a bag, and filled it with a sand-filled snail shell, a white hen, a black cat, and a palm nut. He threw the bag over his shoulder, and began to climb down from the heavens on a long gold chain. When he ran out of chain, he poured the sand out beneath him, and released the hen, who began pecking at the sand and began spreading it around to create the hills and valleys.

What did Obatala do after drinking palm wine?

He then planted the palm nut, which grew into a tree and multiplied, and Obatala even made wine from the nuts. One day, after drinking a bit of palm wine, Obatala got bored and lonely and fashioned creatures out of clay, many of which were flawed and imperfect. In his drunken stupor, he called out to Olorun to breathe life into the figures, and thus mankind was created.

What do Yoruba orishas do?

Much like the saints of Catholicism, the Yoruba orishas work as the intermediaries between man and the supreme creator, and the rest of the divine world. While they often act on behalf of mortals, the orishas sometimes work against humans and cause problems for them. There are a number of different kinds of orishas in the Yoruba religion.

What is the Ashe in Yoruba?

Finally, the Yoruba religion also has Ashe, a powerful life force possessed by humans and divine beings alike. Ashe is the energy found in all natural things—rain, thunder, blood, and so on. It is similar to the concept of the Chi in Asian spirituality, or that of the chakras in the Hindu belief system.

What is the name of the divine, supreme being who is the creator of all things?

In addition to being a spiritual state, Olodumare is the name of the divine, supreme being who is the creator of all things. Olodumare, also known as Olorun, is an all-powerful figure, and isn't limited by gender constraints.

What is the Yoruba spirituality?

Unlike many western religious beliefs, Yoruba spirituality emphasizes living a good life ; reincarnation is part of the process and is something to be looked forward to. Only those who live a virtuous and good existence earn the privilege of reincarnation; those who are unkind or deceitful don't get to be reborn.

Why were the Yoruba so popular?

The Ethnic group became popular internationally due to their trading with the Portuguese which gave them guns for their trade. The Yoruba were invaded by the Fulani in the early 1800s, which pushed the people to the South. In the late 1800s, they formed a treaty with the British people and were colonized by the British in 1901.

Why are some cities in Yoruba considered clans?

Some towns and cities of the Yoruba people are collectively considered to be clans due to similarities in their origins and cultures. A number of other cities, though non-Yoruba, have histories of being influenced by the Yoruba. These cities are Warri, Benin city, Okene, and Auchi. The Yoruba diaspora has two main groupings.

What happened to the Yorubas in 1960?

These events weakened the southern Yorubas in their resistance to British colonial and military invasions. In 1960, greater Yorubaland was subsumed into the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The historical records of the Yoruba, which became more accessible in the nineteenth century with the more permanent arrival of the Europeans, tell of heavy Jihad raids by the mounted Fulani warriors of the north as well as of endemic intercity warfare amongst the Yoruba themselves. Archaeological evidence of the greatness of their ancient civilization in the form of, amongst other things, impressive architectural achievements like Sungbo's Eredo that are centuries old, nevertheless abound.

Why did the Yoruba monarchs abdicate?

In all cases, however, Yoruba monarchs were subject to the continuing approval of their constituents as a matter of policy, and could be easily compelled to abdicate for demonstrating dictatorial tendencies or incompetence . The order to vacate the throne was usually communicated through an aroko or symbolic message, which usually took the form of parrots ' eggs delivered in a covered calabash bowl by the Oloyes.

What is the Yoruba diaspora?

The Yoruba diaspora has two main groupings. The first one is composed of the recent immigrants that moved to the United States and the United Kingdom after the political and economic changes in the 1960s and 1980s.

What is the history of the Yoruba?

The historical records of the Yoruba, which became more accessible in the nineteenth century with the more permanent arrival of the Europeans, tell of heavy Jihad raids by the mounted Fulani warriors of the north as well as of endemic intercity warfare amongst the Yoruba themselves.

Where is the Yoruba city?

The Yoruba eventually established a federation of city-states under the political ascendancy of the city state of Oyo, located on the Northern fringes of Yorubaland in the savanna plains between the forests of present Southwest Nigeria and the Niger River.

Where does the Yoruba religion come from?

The Yoruba religion is constituted by a conglomerate of beliefs, primarily from the territory comprising modern-day Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Benin. The Yoruba faith and several other religions that derived from it are also popular in many Caribbean and South American countries.

Who are the orishas in Yoruba?

In the Yoruba pantheon, the orishas are divine mediators between Oludumare, the Creator of the world, and humanity. However, since most Yoruba beliefs are based on oral traditions, there are many different accounts regarding how the orishas came to be.

Why did Orunmila ask Oko?

This situation went on for some time, until an orisha called Oko asked Orunmila why the orishas didn’t have any specific knowledge of their own, so they could directly help humans without having to reach for him every time they needed help .

Why did Erinle become a river?

In a variant of the myth, Erinle transformed himself into a river to appease the thirst of the Yoruba people, who had been struggling with the effects of a pernicious drought sent by Shango.

How did Erinle become a divinity?

In a third account, Erinle became a divinity after kicking a poisonous stone. A fourth version of the myth suggests that Erinle was turned into the first elephant (it’s unclear by whom), and only after he had spent some time living like this, was the hunter granted orisha status. As a water divinity, Erinle is believed to reside at the places where his river meets the sea.

How long did Shango rule?

He was supposed to have lived at some point between the 12th and the 14th century AD. His rule lasted for seven years and ended when Shango was dethroned by one of his former allies.

What is Eshu the deity of?

When associated with the latter, Eshu is the deity of mischief. Curiously enough, when acting as an agent of cosmic order, Eshu was also referred to as the enforcer of divine and natural laws.

Basic Beliefs

See more on learnreligions.com

Creation Story

Deities and Orisha

Practices and Celebrations

Reincarnation

Influence on Modern Traditions

Sources