Basic Space: Primal Religions- Yoruba

Location: The Yoruba are located in West Africa; predominately in Nigeria. However, they are also located in Benin and Togo. This area includes savanna grassland in the north and tropical rain forest region in the south. The Yoruba favor living in cities, such as Ife, the center of the Yoruba religion

Cosmological view: The Yoruba see reality as being divided into two; heaven and earth. Heaven is the invisible home of the gods and ancestors, and earth is visible home of the human beings. The purpose of the religion is to maintain the balance between the worlds.

The Yoruba believe that Olorun is the original source of power in the universe. He has deities who act as an in between the people and himself.

Sacred Symbols: The Yoruba have a lot of symbols in their religion. For example, they use wood and metal carvings, plants and animals as symbols of gods and ancestral spirits. Some symbols are made to identify divinities. These include sculptures, bowls, stools and masks. Wooden figures are also very common, especially when representing twin birth. Edan, one male and one female figure, joined by a chain, is another symbol. They are used for initiation into the Ogboni society.

Edan Symbol

Sacred Locations: One sacred location is Osun-Osogo Sacred Grove. It is believed that the goddess of fertility Osun landscaped the grove with shrines, sculptures and art in honor of Osun. The Yoruba people see it as a symbol of identity. At many sacred locations, one can find an Akoko Tree, which is a symbolic marker for sacred spots in the Yoruba religion.

Sculptures in Osun-Osogo Sacred Grove

Gods: The major god is Olorun, who is believed to be the original source of power. There are many lesser deities under Olorun called orishas. Whiler they are lesser than Olorun, they are still very significant. One orisha is Orisha-nla, who created the earth. Another important god is Ogun, the god of war. He inhabits the area between the ancestors and the rest of the orishas.

Orisha Ogun

Totems,taboos: The Yoruba primarily use totems as their totems. There are a number of taboos in the Yoruba religion. In fact, they are actually very important to the religion. It is taboo to say that the King is dead because the Yoruba view the King as a mortal God. It is it taboo to say that a fat person is heavy. One final example is that it is taboo to ask whether a project was successful or not.

Shaman: The Shaman leads the people and helps to restore their soul. They call on Olorun, the father of all creation to do so. He gives the Shamans wisdom, purity and peace to help them with their responsibility.

Rituals: There are many important death rituals in the Yoruba religion. For example, when the corpse is lowered to the grave, the survivors bring an animal victim and offers his gift to the minister. Another ritual is the daily worship of gods. Every morning, the worshiper stands in front of the shrine, usually alone, and proceeds to worship the god.