Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
RELIGION
OP
THE
YORUBAS
. especially i n r e l a t i o n to
the R e l i g i o n o f Ancient 3gypt
By
iii
I
II
III
PAGE
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I n t r o d u c t i o n
Olorun,
The Supreme D e i t y
37
60
IV
B.
81
IPA
100
VI
Ilk
VII
The D e i f i e d S p i r i t s of Ancestors
and other S p i r i t s - A. ORO
B. ELUKU
130
VIII
The D e i f i e d S p i r i t s o f Ancestors
and other S p i r i t s - C. AGEMO
D. EGUNGUN
E. ADIMU ORISA
P. GELEDE
Ikk
G.
IX
X
167
19k
XI
ABlfcu"
2. Prayer
1+. Images or Idols,
6. Secret Societies
225
iv
CHAPTER
CONTENTS
PAGE
XII
2Z+8
XIII
XIV
269
298
XV
Magic i n Yorubaland
Survival o f Hieroglyphics, Emblems
and other Symbols
XVI
S u r v i v a l o f Hieroglyphics, Emblems
and other Symbols (continued)
3U9
XVII
C o n c l u s i o n
366
Egyptian Survivals
398
APPENDIX I I
Yoruba Hieroglyphics-
kk5
APPENDIX I I I
Bibliography
k52
APPENDIX"
328
LIST
OF ILLUSTRATIONS
D3SCRIPTI0N
PIGU3H
Pacing
PAG3
1.
A t y p i c a l Yoruba hut
2.
An Oyo Yoruba
3.
An jlgba Yoruba
o
o
k.
5.
Yorubas :
6.
15
7.
32
8.
An image of Esu
61
9.
62
An image of Obalufon
77
10.
(Yoruba proper)
S k i t i type
86
11.
I f a Utensils
12.
13.
106
1U.
Shrine of Yernoja
111
15.
116
16.
118
17.
127
'
On
87-90
157
18.
19.
Adimuorisa - A s i n g l e 3yo.
157
20.
168
21.
Orisa I b e j i
172
(Twin gods)
22.
173
23.
A s i l k - c o t t o n Tree.
Uk
22+.
175
25.
177
vi
DSSC/riPTIOH
27]
28,
Images of 13 su
29.
30,
A Procession of Ogbonis
31,
A Sacred Tree
32,
Yoruba Pots
33,
Babalav/o's Paraphernalia
34,
35,
Hieroglyphic I n s c r i p t i o n s
36,
Hieroglyphic I n s c r i p t i o n s
37,
Hieroglyphic I n s c r i p t i o n s
38,
Hieroglyphic I n s c r i p t i o n s
39
Hieroglyphic I n s c r i p t i o n s
40
Hieroglyphic I n s c r i p t i o n s
41
Hieroglyphic I n s c r i p t i o n s
42
Ukhure
43
Ukhure I I - Sacred S t i c k
44
45
46
47
I k e r e Monolith
48
Ore
49
Ore's
50
I - Sacred S t i c k
Slave
vii
DESCRIPTION
FIGURE
Facing
PAGE
51.
Sacred Crocodile
3kd
52.
3kl
53.
Image o f Ololcun
356
5k.
Image o f Olokxm
356
55.
A C o l l e c t i o n of Sacred Images
358
56.
The Oni of I f e
360
57.
361
58.
363
59.
364
60.
396
Map
o f Yorubaland
|
i
CHAP T E R I .
I N T R O D U C T I O N .
THE
RELIGION
OF THE YORUBAS
CHAPTER
I-
INTRODUCTION.
The
A great divergence
i s now g e n e r a l l y abandoned",
or w i t h Dr. S s t l i n Carpenter
Others
I t came ab extra
Know-
us."
-2-
The
a r . Farrow
strictly,
This i s q u i t e a reason-
by an undergrowth of a n i m i s t i c
i n g anthropologists declare t h a t the debased t r i b e s of Austral i a and West A f r i c a show signs of a higher c i v i l i z a t i o n they
have l o s t " goes on t o say t h a t "the races among whom f e t i c h ism i s found e x h i b i t a well-known feature of the decadence of
2
religion".
These quotations r a i s e questions which r e q u i r e
1. pp. V I I seq.
2. Op. c i t . , p.38.
-3-
The
A l l these w r i -
F i r s t among these
This d i f f i c u l t y
A f r i c a n mental-
i t y i s extremely complex, and i t s complexity which always def i e s s u p e r f i c i a l a n a l y s i s , has l e d t o the erroneous view that
i t i s "equally v a r i a b l e not only as between d i f f e r e n t i n d i v i 1
duals, but o f t e n i n one and the same person."
Added t o t h i s
1. Dr. Farrow, Op. c i t . p.29.
The
task
Ignorance o f the
Both Bishops
-5-
religion.
A l l t h i s enabled
r e f e r r e d t o above.
- Favourable wind".
Again, a f t e r c r i t i c i s i n g E l l i s f o r
"duru (always,
2
and only) means "Hard or d i f f i c u l t " . The real meaning of the
word i s "important, g r e a t , d i s t i n g u i s h e d "; e.g.
"Nkan duru",
Pig.1
A t y p i c a l Yoruba hut
fife
Pig. 2
An Oyo Yoruba
(Yoruba Proper)
Pacing page 6
His acquaintance w i t h
cated native s i s d i r e c t , thus f a c i l i t a t i n g the task o f obtain i n g f i r s t - h a n d and trustworthy i n f o r m a t i o n when necessary.
YORUBALAND AND ITS PEOPLES.
I t i s a f e r t i l e and well-populated
West A f r i c a , r i c h i n t r o p i c a l vegetation
dant economic crops.
region i n
and by
i s approximately U,000,000,
1, Histor y o f N i g e r i a p.32.
2. 1931 Census.
Some w r i t e r s exclude
remaining t r i b e s to them.
w h i l s t a study o f t h e i r be-
e f f e c t of the
to
she says: "What i s one god i n Yoruba, you get as several gods
i n Dahomey.""^
1. H i s t o r y of N i g e r i a by A.C. Burns pp. 63 & 61*.
-8-
than the
The s i g n i f i c a n t f a c t , how-
ever, i s t h e ease and r a p i d i t y w i t h which the Yorubas assimil a t e western ideas, the splendid r e s u l t s achieved by them
w i t h i n the short p e r i o d between the advent o f the B r i t i s h and
1. The word i s corrupted i n America; hence the s l i g h t
difference i n spelling.
Pig.
A W e a l t h y l b a clan P a r m e r
Pig* 5
Yorubas: E k i t i
Type
P a c i n g page 9
Within
was
Such a
The
follow-
and indeed o f
of
-10-
unfashionable t o appear i n the public s t r e e t s without a comp l e t e covering of two or three ample and well-dyed c l o t h e s ,
draped round the body i n not ungraceful f o l d s . "^
I t should be noted here that the populations of the towns
and v i l l a g e s have since increased considerably, the p o p u l a t i o n
of Ibadan now being 300,000,
A f t e r a v i s i t t o West A f r i c a f o r l i n g u i s t i c purposes Prof.
D. Westerman thus described the Yoruba people: "The Yoruba
people are remarkable f o r t h e i r attainments.
They l i v e i n
irre-
An enquiry i n t o
consonant i s 'n'.
I n e i t h e r case,
cept i n the case o f the nasal 'n' and the l e t t e r 'gb', a deep
g u t t u r a l sound, which has no equivalent i n English.
The
do not e x i s t :- Q
v, x, z and p_ (pronounced as i n p a r t ) ,
( s w i t h d i a c r i t i c a l mark) i s pronounced l i k e
sh i n shame.
The vowels are a, e, e, o, o, u and are a l l broad sounds.
1. No sign i s used t o i n d i c a t e the middle tone.
-12-
i s pronounced l i k e
-ar i n park
- a
name
- e
' bend
- o
rode
-aw
raw
- u
rule
Some o f the
words.
Before, the note on orthography i s concluded i t i s neces-
sary
I f a syllable i n a
e.g.
languages generally.
'dati .
1
'that boy'
This i s e s p e c i a l l y
The l e t t e r 'h' ('h' w i t h a d i a c r i t i c a l mark) representing a deep g u t t u r a l sound does not e x i s t i n the Yoruba
language.
(11)
i n Yoruba.
(12)
The aspirate i s o f t e n e l i d e d .
(13)
'r
(11+)
i s often s u b s t i t u t e d f o r 'n'.
noun phrase.
Dr. Farrow
Unfortunately
there i s no authentic h i s t o r y
Op. c i t r a p. 166.
'arguing
Such records
Pig. 6
Various
speculations have been made, several t h e o r i e s have been propounded by d i f f e r e n t w r i t e r s , but no one has y e t succeeded i n
i d e n t i f y i n g the l o c a l i t y ao as t o e s t a b l i s h a connexion between
t h a t l o c a l i t y and the Yoruba r e l i g i o n .
I n the absence o f records, the Yorubas themselves have
no d e f i n i t e knowledge o f t h e i r o r i g i n .
Hence the e p i t h e t
to the name o f I f e .
importance
still
There i s no
-16-
or north-east.
view which has held the f i e l d i n recent years and which has
been quoted by prominent w r i t e r s w i t h complacency and seeming
approval i s that o f Sultan B e l l o o f Sokoto.
i n t o the i n t e r i o r o f A f r i c a , t i l l
they f i x e d t h e i r residence.
Thus i t
Do the people
-17-
I f there i B
of t h e i r conqueror.
Dr.
Farrow too has c o l l e c t e d i n t e r e s t i n g f a c t s about the t r a d i t i o n s , myths, customs, idioms and s a c r i f i c e s o f the Yorubas
1. 0. c i t . pp. 456 & 457.
-18-
Commenting on these f a c t s
S i r . A.C.
as
The p r o b a b i l i t y i s f u r t h e r strengthened
Semitic peoples.
-20
CONNECTION WITH ANCIENT EGYPT. Whilst i t i s d o u b t f u l
whether the view of an A s i a t i c o r i g i n i s c o r r e c t , there
can be no doubt t h a t the Yorubas were i n A f r i c a a t a verye a r l y date.
The f a c t s lead-
S i m i l a r i t y or I d e n t i t y o f Language.
B.
S i m i l i a r i t y or I d e n t i t y o f Religious B e l i e f s .
C.
D.
A.
S i m i l a r i t y or I d e n t i t y o f Language.
Thus, ran-mi i n
-21-
Yoruba mean "send me" or "help me" or " i n f e c t me" or "pain me"
1
or " c a l l me" , e t c . according t o the p o s i t i o n o f the accent on
the word ran or according t o the context i n which the words
occur.
This word
For example,
22
conceal" or "concealed".
same meaning e.g.
fi p
-23-
Two examples
Yoruba ( s h o r t 'a' becomes ' e' according t o r u l e 5 above and ' i '
becomes nasalized) The Yoruba word ghin which means "behind"
or "the back o f a t h i n g " i s generally applied t o a j u n i o r person,
e s p e c i a l l y t o the younger o f twins who i s named K'ehin-de ( l i t .
t o come behind).
Ahi,
t h e r e f o r e , i s "the younger"
i n the same way as the word "Junior" when added t o the name
o f a son bearing same name as h i s f a t h e r .
S i m i l a r i t y or I d e n t i t y o f Religious B e l i e f s .
Most o f
Ra s u r v i -
-2U-
The
(wo - s e t ) . The
"dwarf" bears
Khonsu must
have been known to the Yorubas. The i n i t i a l l e t t e r 'kh' d i s appears i n Y'oruba (See r u l e 9) and the word becomes osu i n
Yoruba which means "the moon".
I t has been observed above that the v/ord amon e x i s t s i n
the Yoruba language w i t h the same meaning as' i t had in. the
language of the Ancient Egyptians. The God Amon i s one of
the gods formerly known t o the Yorubas.
mon, mimon,
-25-
(Ewe language)
= t o be.
I t i s quite probable that the word i s of Semitic o r i g i n ,
and that i t comes from a root which means t o l i v e or t o e x i s t .
'The Hebrew word f o r " t o be", " t o e x i s t " i s D*
f"| ha-ya.
I t is
I n Tshi language Ye mi
-26-
According t o r u l e (1)
Thus
The Egyptian
I d e n t i t y or s i m i l a r i t y o f r e l i g i o u s ideas and p r a c t i c e s .
The
-27-
p r a c t i c e s w i l l now be mentioned
(1)
death.
"We
Gbogbo ohun t i a ba
s h a l l have to give
reach
the H a l l of Heaven".
Wigbati mo ba ku. emi pelu re y i o l o r o
o niwaju Olorun
"Whenever I d i e , both you and I w i l l have t o
2
The d e i f i c a t i o n of Kings.
-28-
mentioned.
be
This i s quite as
For example,
are not given haphazardly but according t o the p r e v a i l i n g circumstances at the time when the c h i l d r e n were born.
Every person
" I Afplabi, a
descendant o f L i s a b i " .
(1+)
Strong b e l i e f i n a f u t u r e l i f e .
Yoruba word f o r the verb " t o d i e " i s Ku, that i s , " t o become
a luminous s p i r i t " .
expression 0 ku o d i arinako.
2. Op. C i t . p. 62.
3. The noun i s I k u , death, t h a t i s , the process o f becoming a
luminous s p i r i t . The word Ku i s used i n the same sense by the
Ewe people o f the Gold Coast e.g. Ma ku Mawu " I w i l l die
God's death."
-30-
l i f e and q u a l i t y .
"it
The good
This
luminous s p i r i t ; "
I n the
spirit
I n the
This
ancestors were regarded by the Ancient Egyptians as the companions o f the l i v i n g and i n - d w e l l i n g i n t h e i r descendants.
" I n N i g e r i a there i s s i m i l a r l y the b e l i e f i n a guardian s p i r i t ,
who i s i n v a r i a b l y o f the same f a n i l y , and usually the s p i r i t o f
2
the f a t h e r . "
The f o l l o w i n g Yoruba expression may be quoted
1. Sayce Op. C i t . pp. 69 & 70.
.
2. F l i n d e r s P e t r i e , Ancient Egyptians, p. 1+3 Col. 127, Sec.38.
-31-
i n support o f t h i s :-
The b e l i e f also f i n d s
I n t o t h i s hole
hole.
illustra-
F i r s t o f a l l , there i s a s u r v i v a l
i s derived.
two c o n t r a d i c t o r y senses - i n one sense t o denote the promptness w i t h which the King's orders must be obeyed, and i n another
sense t o denote the delay which usually leads t o a man being
2
caught and pressed i n t o the King's service.
Pig. 7
-32-
Other
1 -
l o b i Danga
The
Ata of I g b i r r a .
Secondly, there i s a s u r v i v a l of names of animals. The
Yoruba word f o r l i o n i s Kini-Un which i s derived from two
Egyptian words, v i z : Qimi, "black", and Un, "being".
The
Salug
Aje
s_aluga,
"the god of
-33-
The phrase i s
a contemptuous term which preserves the idea of the w a s t e f u l ness of f o r e i g n domestic servants i n Ancient Egypt who hardly
knew the value o f the crockery and other a r t i c l e s which they
sometimes smashed to pieces.
F o u r t h l y , there i s a s u r v i v a l of customs.
w i l l be mentioned here.
Two o f these
A notev/orthy p o i n t of
I n Ancient Egypt
In
She occupies a p e c u l i a r p o s i -
"mistress of the
Previous to b u r i a l
-31+-
1
has put an end t o such p r a c t i c e s , but the idea s t i l l survives
and corresponds t o a s i m i l a r idea leading t o a s i m i l a r custom
i n the e a r l y days o f Ancient Egypt, the p r a c t i c e being s l i g h t l y
modified by the s u b s t i t u t i o n o f ushebti f i g u r e s f o r l i v i n g
persons.
I t is
I t i s quite possible
t h a t i n t h i s way the Yorubas derived from the Greek word A i gup - tos the word a - g u - to(n)
-35-
A f t e r an i n q u i r y i n t o West A f r i c a n R e l i g i o n s, i n c l u d i n g
t h a t o f the Yorubas, S i r Harry Johnston wrote as f o l l o w s :"The more one inquires i n t o those i n t r i c a t e r e l i g i o n s of West
A f r i c a especially i n the whole region o f the Niger, the more
we come i r r e s i s t i b l y t o the conclusion that they are founded on
ideas which have t r a v e l l e d a l l the way from Egypt or from the
1
Southern Mediterranean Shores".
Dealing w i t h the .same subject another w r i t e r says "When
one thus s u p e r f i c i a l l y has surveyed our present knowledge o f
these Gold Coast people, one cannot but remark a most neglected
side o f our studies.
I t i s that o f the r e l a t i o n s h i p c u l t u r a l l y
-36-
CHAPTER I I
OLORUTT,
THE
SUPREME
DEITY.
37.
CHAPTER
II.
Every stage o f t h e i r
r e l i g i o u s l y , e a t r e l i g i o u s l y , and d i e r e l i g i o u s l y . "
Their r e l i g i o n i s mainly a n i m i s t i c .
The m y s t e r i o u s , t h e
uncanny, t h e u n f a m i l i a r as w e l l as t h e g r e a t f o r c e s o f n a t u r e
a re regarded as being i n d w e l t by s p i r i t s t h r o u g h whose agency
t h e y possess the p e c u l i a r forms o r s u p e r n a t u r a l powers which
mark them o u t as o b j e c t s o f v e n e r a t i o n .
F e t i c h i s m and
polydaemonisra i n t h e f o r m o f w o r s h i p o f a n c e s t r a l s p i r i t s p l a y
a g r e a t p a r t i n t h e r e l i g i o n , and thus a r i s e s t h e worship o f
"gods many and l o r d s many."
38.
I t i s t r u e t h a t a l a r g e number o f Yoruba d e i t i e s cannot be
graded. B u t t h e r e i ? no doubt t h a t g r a d a t i o n s o f s t a t u s o f
some s o r t e x i s t s i n n a t i v e minds, and t h a t some d e i t i e s stand
so p r e - e m i n e n t l y above a l l o t h e r s t h a t t h e i r r e l a t i v e p o s i t i o n
t o one a n o t h e r and t o t h e o t h e r d e i t i e s can be d e f i n i t e l y
ascertained.
A f t e r a c a r e f u l and e x h a u s t i v e r e s e a r c h t h e w r i t e r
b e l i e v e s t h a t the g r a d a t i o n s o f s t a t u s r e c o g n i s e d by t h e n a t i v e s
as e x i s t i n g between t h e i r d e i t i e s a r e as f o l l o w s
1.
2.
3.
possessin g
a t t r i b u t e s f a r t o o n o b l e , f a r t o o a b s t r a c t and r e f i n e d t o have
o r i g i n a t e d f r o m t h e thought o f a p r i m i t i v e p e o p l e .
He i s
1.
2.
S p e l t by o t h e r w r i t e r s as O r i s h a .
S p e l t by o t h e r w r i t e r s as Eshu.
He i s
39.
t h e j u s t and i m p a r t i a l Judge, sometimes m e t i n g o u t judgment
on t h e wicked i n t h i s w o r l d and c e r t a i n l y b r i n g i n g a l l men t o
judgment i n t h e n e x t w o r l d . He i s O l o r u n adake - d a j o "God,
t h e s i l e n t b u t a c t i v e Judge." He i s Q l q r u n Olore "God, the
b e n e f a c t o r . " He i s Q l o r u n A l a n u , " t h e m e r c i f u l God." The
c r e a t i o n o f t h e u n i v e r s e i s a s c r i b e d t o Him. He t h e r e f o r e
bears t h e t i t l e o f E l e d a " C r e a t o r " . Other t i t l e s g i v e n t o Him
a r e e q u a l l y s i g n i f i c a n t . He i s Alaye " t h e L i v i n g One." E l e m i
"Owner o f S p i r i t " , t h a t i s t h e s p i r i t g i v e n t o human b e i n g s ,
Qga-ogo " t h e H i g h One o r t h e L o r d o f G l o r y . "
These l o f t y i d e a s r a i s e one's s u s p i c i o n a g a i n s t t h e
p o s s i b i l i t y o f t h e i r b e i n g t h e p r o d u c t o f Yoruba t h o u g h t .
It
B u t an e x p l a n a t i o n i s necessary
Yoruba-
Some a n t h r o p o l o g i s t s may be i n c l i n e d t o
Orisha s
enjoye d
The p r e s e n t w r i t e r who
one
i s i n close contact
To v/hat
or
O^^cKvaS
the p o s s i b i l i t y o f a p h i l o l o g i c a l
Op. G i t . p. 29
The Making o f R e l i g i o n , Chaps IX and X I .
p a r t s , v i z . 01' - orun.
s y l l a b l e 01 i s o n l y a r e d u p l i c a t i o n o f the i n i t i a l l e t t e r o f
o r u n t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e l e t t e r '1' g e n e r a l l y used t o denote
ownership o r agency.
the
sky o r o f t h e heavens."
used by t h e Yorubas.
'heavens' i s Horu.
T h i s i s t h e sense i n w h i ch i t i s
d y n a s t i e s and d u r i n g t h e e a r l y p a r t o f t h e d y n a s t i c period',
the
The changes
(originally
I t w i l l be remembered t h a t a f t e r t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e
O l d Kingdom t h e f a i t h o f O s i r i s spread f r o m Abydos i n t h e D e l t a
1.
2.
e.g.
Oru 0, Oru 0,
Oru f i oka f u n e i y e j e
Oru 0, Oru
"Oh Oru, Oh Oru
Oru a l l o w e d t h e b i r d s t o e a t h i s c o r n
Oh Oru, Oh Oru"
42.
t o o t h e r p a r t s o f Egypt, and a c c o r d i n g t o P r o f . Sayce, i t was
a t one time u n i v e r s a l i n Egypt.
L a t e r on, O s i r i s
title
This i d e n t i t y o f
o f O s i r i s c o n s t i t u t e s a prima
So
assumption
I t i s quite
1.
H i s t o r y o f R e l i g i o n s by G. F. Moore,
V o l . I . p.151.
be t r a c e d t o elements i n the O s i r i a n
faith.
Osiris.
was
have t o
The
"truth"
The
a i y e ko gba,
t i orun ko "An
idle
One
inactive."
The
.
.
.
.
See Chapter I , p. 27
See Chapter I . p. 25
Op. C i t . p. 171.
Sayce, Op. C i t . p. 157, Note 1.
Z becomes S. Bode Sadu i s the Morth-Western
t e r m i n u s o f Yorubaland.
The
departed s p i r i t s .
One o f t h e g r e a t o b j e c t s o f t e r r o r i n p r i m i t i v e
Yorubaland i s what i s known as Ohun Didu.
Even a
courageous a n i m al l i k e t h e l i o n i s s a i d t o dread i t s
approach and i s b e l i e v e d t o use the f o l l o w i n g words
when r o a r i n g :
( o r nkan) d i d u , on ko beru e n i k a n .
"Except the
l i t e r a l l y as " t h e b l a c k t h i n g , "
" t h e uncanny,"
The word d i d u s h o u l d
be t r e a t e d as a noun i n t h e g e n i t i v e case r a t h e r t h a n
as a d e s c r i p t i v e a d j e c t i v e .
Idols
p a i n t e d b l a c k , r e s e m b l i n g the Didu o f O s i r i s e x i s t i n
Yorubalancl.
1. Op. C i t . pp. 117 & 118.
2. See Maspero, Dawn o f C i v i l i z a t i o n , p. 130.
The l e g e n d a r y O s i r i s i s d e s c r i b e d as a p e r s o n
p o s s e s s i n g a b l a c k complexion. The Yorubas c a l l
themselves E n i a Didu " B l a c k men" l i t e r a l l y ,
"The People o f Didu." The word d i d u i s
pronounced by most t r i b e s as dudu c f . f i f u n and
f u f t o p i p a and pupa, t i t u n and t u t u n , e t c . The
v a r i a n t r e a d i n g dudu i s g i v e n by T i e l e , R e l i g i o n
o f A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n s , t r a n s l a t i d n by B a l l i n g a l ,
p.187.
r
45.
5.
Here was
t h e abode o f t h e O s i r i f i e d B u l l .
The
The
reference t o the
w o r s h i p o f t h e o s i r i f i e d . B u l l ( O s i r i s - a p i s ) at A l u .
6.
f o r m o f b i n i w h i c h i s t h e name o f an i m p o r t a n t c i t y
in
Yorubaland.
7.
o f O s i r i s and compounded f r o m t h e
names o f E n y p t i a n d e i t i e s or f r o m E g y p t i a n words.
f o l l o w i n g s e l e c t l i s t may
(i)
NYISUA.
The
be g i v e n i n support o f t h e
statement
Sua.
Sua
a nome i n a n c i e n t Egypt.
46.
The meaning of N y i s u a , t h e r e f o r e ,
i s "the l i v i n g
( s o u l o f ) Sua - nit3-"
r
( i i ) NYANIOTPON. T h i s i s t h e P a n t i
v/ord f o r God. I t c o n s i s t s o f
word yei; k u i s t h e m o d i f i e d f o r m o f t h e A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n
word Khu,
a nome i n A n c i e n t Egypt.
"the
Nyjfflkujaon, t h e r e f o r e , means
l i v i n g s o u l o f Punt5"
(iii)
This i s the Ga
means "th e
l i v i n g Anon 'J
lo
( i v ) MAU. T h i s i s t h e Ewe word f o r God. I t i s d e r i v e d d i r e c t l y
11
MAWU f r o m t h e name of t h e E g y p t i a n goddess Maut , t h e
goddess o f t r u t h .
12
( v ) PRISE. T h i s i s t h e J e k r i word f o r God. I t w i l l be shown
^ * w . t h a t , t h i s j f f o r d i_s d e r i v e d f r o m Horus.
1 . T h i s i s a common d e s i g n a t i o n b Y T h V ' p r V s T d i n g d e i t y o f nomes
i n A n c i e n t Egypt. Cf. t h e " l i v i n g s o u l o f Ra". See Sayce
Op.Cit, p . l l l .
2. The P a n t i Language (Twi or T s h i ) i s spoken on t h e Gold Coast,
West A f r i c a .
3. N a s a l 'n'
4. See Note 5 on p r e v i o u s pa^e
5. See note G on p r e v i o u s page
6. The Ga Language i s spoken on the G o l d Coast, T/est A f r i c a .
7. See Note 5 on p r e v i o u s page
8. CP. The Yoruba word 'mon' s e e Chapter I , p.2:4
9. See n o t e on t h i s v/ord i n page 22
10. The Ewe language i s ppoken on the G o l d Coast and i n Lome
11.
See Maspero, Dawn of C i v i l i z a t i o n , p.507. P i n a l t i s dropped;
see r u l e 2 Chapter I , p.12.
12. The J e k r i Language i s spoken i n N i g e r i a , W e s t A f r i c a .
o
2+7.
(vi)
CHUKU.
The
first
s y l l a b l e appears t o be a s o f t e n i n g down o f t h e
word Khu ( E g y p t i a n Khu, "luminous s p i r i t , "
The o r i g i n a l word, t h e n , would be Kuku.
"soul").
The
Khu
has
CHINEKE.
T h i s i s a n o t h e r I b o Word f o r God - C h i -
neke(n).
The f i r s t s y l l a b l e here a l s o i s a
The second s y l l a b l e
The
AYIBA.
T h i s i s t h e I j a w word f o r God.
.
1.
2.
3.
2+.
5.
OEU.
^' X f-Ayiba.
v
t h e r e f o r e , means "The C r e a t o r
S o u l s ."
48.
(*)
ABASI.
This i s the E f i k
word f o r God,the d e r i v a t i o n o f
g
which may be t r a c e d t o t h e E g y p t i a n word Bast. The E f i k
1
about
i t s meaning, a r i s e s f r o m f a i l u r e t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e meaning o f
i t s component p a r t s w h i c h a r e as f o l l o w s : - 01'odu-ma-re. The
word O d u means "a c h i e f " , "an e x a l t e d personage". Olodu i s i t s
5
4
i n t e n s i v e f o r m , i n d i c a t i n g c o m p l e t e n e s s ( e . g . O b i r i , "woman''
o l o b i r i , a woman i n t h e f u l l
"I
Now
a c c o r d i n g t o E g y p t i a n b e l i e f t h e h i g h e s t reward w h i c h w i l l be give!
1. The E f i k Language i s spoken i n t h e E a s t e r n p a r t o f N i g e r i a ,
West A f r i c a .
2.. F i n a l t i s dropped,and s r e c e i v e s a vowel t o from a s y l l a b l e .
See R u l e 2 Chap.I p . l 2 ~"
3. Op. C i t . p.27
4. The E g y p t i a n word. "Du" means a "mountain",an e l e v a t e d p i e c e ,
of land. '..
5. I t w i l l be shown l a t e r t h a t t h i s word i s o f E g y p t i a n o r i g i n .
6. The word Odu may a l s o be r e l a t e d t o t h e word ^Otj^,a domain i n
Sekhet - Aaru p r e s i d e d over by O s i r i s . "01odumare"will then
mean "The owner o f t h e Ot or domain t o w h i c h I must r e t u r n " ,
t h a t i s , O s i r i s , I f t h i s d e r i v a t i o n i s accepted,the u n d e r l y i n g
i d e a i s by no means d i f f e r e n t f r o m t h a t a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e
o t h e r d e r i v a t i o n . The w o r d i s a p p r e n t l y a combinatio n o f t h e
two ideas .
49.
g i v e n t o t h e good s o u l i s t o be p e r m i t t e d " t o see God f a c e t o
1
f a c e and t o l o s e i t s e l f i n i t s i n e f f a b l e glory'.'
A return to
O s i r i s f o l l o w e d by i d e n t i f i c a t i o n w i t h h i m i s t h e d e s i r e o f
every devout w o r s h i p p e r o f O s i r i s . Among t h e Yorubas, t h e i d e a
o f t h e s o u l g o i n g or r e t u r n i n g t o t h e Supreme D e i t y a f t e r d e a t h
i s i n e x i s t e n c e and i s e n s h r i n e d i n t h e w o r d Olodumare, as i t s
meaning c l e a r l y shows. The idea i s one w h i c h may be r i g h t l y
r e g a r d e d as a r e l i c o f t h e O s i r i a n
faith.
An i m p a r t i a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e above f a c t s cannot b u t l e a d
t o t h e c o n c l u s i o n t h a t a c l o s e c o n n e c t i o n e x i s t s between Olorun
o f t h e Yorubas and O s i r i s o f t h e A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n s and t h a t t h e r e
must have been a t i m e when t h e former was i d e n t i f i e d w i t h t h e
latter.
... .....
50.
The peasant c o u l d n o t soar t o t h e h e i g h t s o f p r i e s t l y specul a t i o n o r be c o n t e n t w i t h e m p t y a b s t r a c t i o n ; he c o u l d n o t
all
t h e i n t r i c a t e n i c e t i e s o f o r g a n i z e d w o r s h i p . He
follow
therefore
a s m a l l p r i e s t l y c l a s s f o r Olorun
among t h e Yorubas, f o r
t h e r e i s a f a i n t t r a c e o f t h e w o r s h i p o f Olorun .
But a knowledge
But t h i s
51.
The name o f O s i r i s , however, i s well-known
t o t h e Yorubas who
The name s u r v i v e s i n i t s o r i g i n a l f o r m o f O s i r i
1_
2
i n t h e e x p r e s s i o n gba 6 a i r l r e o r da o s i r i bo o w h i c h means " t o
T h i s myth a c t u a l l y e x i s t s I n a m o d i f i e d f o r m i n Y o r u b a l a n d .
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ijebu dialect.
Ijesa dialect.
A b r i d g e d E d i t i o n p.363.
I t w i l l be shown l a t e r t h a t t h e name o f Typhon i s
known t o t h e Yorubas.
52
F u r t h e r evidence., o f t h e f a c t t h a t t h e myth o f O s i r i s i s
well-known t o t h e Yorubas i s c o n t a i n e d i n . t h e f o l l o w i n g
Yoruba l e g e n d :"The saicred c i t y o f I f e was once p l u n g e d i n t o g r e a t
a f f l i c t i o n and misery"owing t o t h e f r e q u e n t r a i d s
o f t h e Igbos who p r e s e n t e d themselves i n a s u p e r n a t u r a l
g u i s e . A l l e f f o r t s t o check t h e r a i d s were u n s u c c e s s f u l .
A l l p r a y e r s f o r h e l p were unanswered. The o r a c l e gave
no h e l p f u l response. Moved w i t h g r i e f , but f i r e d w i t h
p a t r i o t i c z e a l , Moremi, t h e w i f e o f one o f t h e m y t h i c a l
k i n g s o f I f e , made e f f o r t s t o save t h e c i t y . The key t o
the salvation o f the c i t y l a y i n the discovery o f t h e
t r u e n a t u r e o f t h e i n v a d e r s . T h i s d i s c o v e r y Moremi
determined t o make. Before s e t t i n g out f r o m I f e , she
went t o t h e r i v e r O s i m i r i and vowed t o o f f e r a c o s t l y
s a c r i f i c e t o t h e god. o f t h e r i v e r i f her e f f o r t s s h o u l d
be d i v i n e l y crowned w i t h success. Her p r a y e r s were heard.
Her s e a r c h f o r t h e s e c r e t s o f t h e Igbos was s u c c e s s f u l .
She discovered, t h a t they were mere men covered w i t h
grass o r r u s h e s . She r e t u r n e d and d i s c l o s e d t h i s s e c r e t
t o he r c o m p a t r i o t s who d e f e a t e d t h e I g b o s by s e t t i n g
t h e i r grass c l o a k s on f i r e . She r e t u r n e d t o the r i v e r t o
f u l f i l h er p r o m i s e.
The god, however, was not s a t i s f i e d
w i t h a l l t h a t she b r o u g h t , b u t he demanded t h e s a c r i f i c e
o f her o n l y son Ela' or Olurogbo. The son was d u l y
s a c r i f i e d ; b u t he managed t o r e v i v e , and ascended i n t o
the.heavens by means o f a r o p e . "
Commenting on t h i s myth Dr. Johnson says:"We may d i s c e r n i n t h i s l e g e n d a c o n f u s ed i d e a o f t h e
s t o r y o f Jephtha, and t h a t o f t h e B l e s s e d V i r g i n and
her sonr"
I n d e a l i n g w i t h p r i m i t i v e legends no g r e a t e r m i s t a k e s can be
made t h a n t o view them w i t h p r e c o n c e i v e d C h r i s t i a n i d e a s and t o
i d e n t i f y them h a p h a z a r d l y w i t h s c r i p t u r a l s t o r i e s . The prominent
f i g u r e i n t h e above l e g e n d i s a h e r o i n e , n o t a hero as i n t h e
case o f Jephtha. The B l e s s e d V i r g i n c o u l d n o t be s a i d t o have,
o n l y one son.
No.
scriptural stories.
The l e g e n d has no c o n n e c t i o n w i t h
I t i s only a combination of d e t a i l s
53.
Moremi represents I s i s , and E l a or Olurogbo r e p r e s e n t s Horus,
the son of I s i s , whom Set t r i e d t o destroy. The Yoruba legend
s t a t e s that i t was the son of Moremi who ascended i n t o the heavens
I t should be observed t h a t the word E g b e j i , the a l t e r n a t i v e name
of the son of Moremi means "the son of the l i v i n g one".
According
54.
The name s u r v i v e s i n O r i s a O s i . "the i d o l of the god
Osiris ",
1
He i s
55.
and a r e c o g n i t i o n of g r a t i t u d e to Him as a s p e c i a l duty
incumbent upon man.
save me"
here:-
re
"May
bed
f o r b i d " , l i t . "May
a thing".
The Yorubas a t t r i b u t e t h e i r presevation to the d i r e c t agency
of .Olorun. Before r e t i r i n g to bed they entrust one another i n t o
H i s keeping as i s shewn above.
Ara ko l e b i ?
For
Awon a r a l i e nkp
thank God."
"Thanks."
" I f man
does not
see
extremity.
56.
RELATION BTgnPSKN OLORUN .AND HIS WORSHIPPERS.
A p o i n t has now
Love f o r t h e D e i t y
certainly
exist,
B e l i e f i n His
Apart from
o f f e r i n g o f s h o r t p r a y e r s and t h e r e t u r n i n g o f t h a n k s ,
full
w o r s h i p o f m u l t i t u d i n o u s gods.
and perhaps j e a l o u s l y
57.
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
I n view o f t h e c h a r a c t e r
o f Qlqrun
I f Olorun had
r e g u l a r w o r s h i p a r i s i n g f r o m f e a r would have
occurence o f
B e s i d e s, i t has been
I t i s c l e a r , however, t h a t i t i s n o t
t e d w i t h t h e r o o f o f t h e world.'"
The t i t l e s , p r a y e r s and
thought.
Nor i s i t c o r r e c t t o say t h a t "he i s n o t i n any sense
g
Omnipotent." The p r o v e r b on w h i c h t h i s erroneous statement i s
based cannot .be .traced among t h e masses o f t h e JToj^ubaSj^npr ^
1. A. B. E l l i s , Yoruba Speaking Peoples, p.38
2.
- ditto
3.
- ditto
-
58.
nor does t h e w r i t e r f i n d any support f o r i t among the Yoruba
p r i e s t s and m y t h o l o g i s t s . That "a man
cannot cause r a i n t o f a l l
more t h a n a r e c o g n i t i o n o f d i v i s i o n o f l a b o u r among t h e d e i t i e s
and o f Olorun's r e l u c t a n c e t o p e r f o r m t h e d u t i e s which He
a s s i g n e d t o an i n f e r i o r d e i t y .
I t c e r t a i n l y does n o t i m p l y
A k i r a omo l i
had
well-known
o.la; Qlorun n i f u n n i
"Children
o r i g i n o f H i s name make i t q u i t e c l e a r t h a t t h e l o f t y
ideas
59.
The r e l i g i o u s thought of the Yorubas must have been a f f e c t e d
when i t came i n t o contact w i t h Egyptian r e l i g i o u s
thought,
The
Yet i t i s a l s o
a being
who
1.
2.
C H A P T E R
III.
MAJOR DEITIES :
A.
E S U.
- 60 CHAPTER I I I .
THE
A.
ORISAS.
E S' U,
the D e v i l .
The c o n c e p t i o n o f O l o r u n i s t h a t o f a
pure s p i r i t , an e x a l t e d personage
t o o remote t o be worshipped. .
On t h e
He i s an O r i a a
He r e c e i v e s wor-
H i s worshi p
He i s g e n e r a l l y des-
town o r o u t s i d e t h e house.
or
those who
h i s enemies
i n d i s c r e e t l y d i s h o n o u r him.
I n some p a r t s o f t h e c o u n t r y ( e . g . Ondo) he i s v e r y
a c t i v e l y worshipped.
- 61 sometimes i n s p i r e d by f e e l i n g s o f a d m i r a t i o n f o r h i s g r e a t s t r e n g t h ,
i n consequence of. which p r a y e r s and g i f t s are o f f e r e d t o him, n o t
o n l y t o a v o i d h i s malevolence
b u t a l s o t o secure h i s a c t i v e f a v o u r ,
e s p e c i a l l y a g a i n s t enemies.
There i s a s t r o n g b e l i e f i n h i s
forms.
s t u c k i n t o t h e ground i n . a s l a n t -
The stone i s o f t e n
This form
other places.
1. A c o u s i n o f t h e w r i t e r i s known by t h i s name.
2. The l a t e paramount c h i e f o f Lagos was known as Esugbayi.
3. T h i s i s t h e name o f a w o r s h i p p er o f Esu who i s w e l l known
to t h e w r i t e r .
- 62 (iii)
times i t i s h o l l o w .
mark on i t .
holes.
Sometimes i t i s e r e c t e d w i t h o u t any
s h e l l s r e p l a c e the h o l e s .
three
The p i l l a r i s u s u a l l y covered i n
Here
"The f i r s t f i g u r e shows t h e d e v i l i n a k n e e l i n g p o s t u r e ,
s u p p o r t i n g w i t h i t s hands b r e a s t s o f t h e female t y p e .
The i d e a expressed i s t h a t t h i s d e i t y g i v e s nourishment.
I t i s t o be noted t h a t f i g u r e s o f t h e d e v i l a r e always
g i v e n a h a i r dressed a f t e r t h e f a s h i o n o f women."
(b)
there i s a close r e l a t i o n .
Myths e x p l a i n i n g t h e cause o f t h e
c l o s e r e l a t i o n w i l l be g i v e n i n t h e next
chapter.
The w o r s h ip o f Esu
very d r e a d f u l .
i s v e r y s i m p l e , but i s sometimes
He
Sometimes
t h e i r b l o o d i s splashed
i s o f t e n contented t o receive a
p a r t o f the g i f t s o f f e r e d t o other o r i s a s .
When he i s c o n s u l t e d
a human v i c t i m
o f f e r e d t o Esu
t h e sum
r e a l i z e d a s l a v e t o be o f f e r e d t o t h e god.
t o t h e s a c r i f i c e o f a s l a v e a t Ondo.
Ellis*
statement
i n a way
He a l s o r e f e r s :
Dr. Farrow c r i t i c i z e s
Colonel
accuracy.
1. E - j e . The word jj_e i s d e r i v e d from y_e e x p l a i n e d above. I t means
"perfect".
2. The Yoruba method o f r e c k o n i n g i s i n c l u s i v e . The week c o n s i s t s
r e a l l y o f four days.
3. O p . C i t . , page 66.
t h e r e was a p u b l i c
shown ! l a t e r
s a c r i f i c e o f a human v i c t i m .
I t w i l l be
t h a t t h i s s o l i t a r y i n s t a n c e o f human s a c r i f i c e
t o expect t h a t the c h a r a c t e r o f t h e
d e i t y s h o u l d be w e l l understood
ties i n i t s delineation.
and should p r e s e n t no d i f f i c u l -
elements i n t h e c h a r a c t e r o f t h e
The g e n e r i c name
departed one".
a difficulty.
saves".
who
out, evacuate" or from shu to be ( o r become) dark," and i s t h e r e fore supposed to s i g n i f y "darkness" or "the dark one",
the
explanation.
( i i ) E s u i s c r e d i t e d w i t h good and
bad
qualities alike.
He
deity.
- 66 The
f a c i l e e x p l a n a t i o n t h a t t h e s a y i n g means t h a t "Esu i s n o t
as b l a c k as he i s p a i n t e d " i s d e f i n i t e l y u n s a t i s f a c t o r y .
Whenever
he i s p a i n t e d b l a c k , he i s r e a l l y b l a c k .
(iii)
as a female d e i t y .
The f i r s t f i g u r e o f a p o r t a b l e image o f t h e
d e i t y d e s c r i b e d above i s t h a t o f a f e m a l e , w h i l s t t h e second
f i g u r e i s t h a t o f a male.
S t r u c k by these c o n t r a d i c t o r y f e a t u r e s ,
figure:
"This ( i . e . t h e h a i r dressed a f t e r the f a s h i o n o f women)
might l e a d t o t h e s u p p o s i t i o n t h a t Esu i s regarded as a
female personage, o r t h a t t h e r e i s a male and a female d e v i l .
The t r u t h i s , hov/ever, t h a t he i s regarded as the one and
o n l y such being and i s alv/ays spoken o f as 'he' ; b u t t h i s
does n o t p r e c l u d e h i m f r o m possessing c e r t a i n f e m i n i n e
characteristics". 1
involved
i s sufficient to nullify
i t i s t h e r e f o r e n o t i n f l e c t e d f o r t h e purposes o f g e n d e r .
The
The p r e s e n t w r i t e r ,
Ancient
i s also
to the enemy of O s i r i s .
Such a d e i t y i s E s u .
He i s
Chapter
- 68 w a i t e r s on A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n R e l i g i o n always s a y t h a t " S e t i s t h e
enemy o f O s i r i s " .
1
I t must be noted
Olorun.
t h a t t h e word o r i s a i s used
T h i s demands a n e x p l a n a t i o n *
instead of
I n the c a s e o f A n c i e n t
E g y p t i a n R e l i g i o n the o p p o s i t i o n e x i s t e d o r i g i n a l l y between t h e
e l d e r H o r u s , and t h e n between O s i r i s and s u b s e q u e n t l y
younger Horus on. the one
between t h e
So too i n
orisas.
"orisa"?
i t s h o u l d be n o t e d t h a t t h e r e a r e t h r e e forms o f t h e
term, v i s * , o r i s a , o y i s a
i d o l , a d e i t y o r a god.
and o r i s e ^ , e a c h o f w h i c h s i g n i f i e s
The word
two p a r t s v i z * o r i and s a .
The
oris a
may
an
be d i v i d e d i n t o
f i r s t p a r t i s a m o d i f i e d form o f
The
s u r v i v a l o f t h i s word i n
Y o r u b a h a s been p o i n t e d out i n t h e p r e v i o u s c h a p t e r *
The
Horus-
o f t h e mountain"*
1* S a y c e , R e l i g i o n o f A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n s p.74;
F r a z e r , t h e G o l d e n Bough, p o p u l a r e d i t i o n , p*U75;
B r u g s c h , Mas p e r o, Wieldeman, W i l k i n s o n e t c * e t c *
2. T h i s i s a s l i g h t l y m o d i f i e d f o r m o f o r i s a w h i c h i s f r e q u e n t l y
used i n Benin C i t y .
I t i s sometimes c o n t r a c t e d t o O ' i s a o r
o'ise*
3* T h i s form i s a l s o u s e d i n B e n i n C i t y .
o r i - t s h e by t h e J e k r i s .
U* See page
above*
5* The E g y p t i a n word h o r = t o be h i g h *
I t i s modified
to
The grounds
requires amplification.
ted
I t w i l l be remembered t h a t Horus r e p r e s e n -
the A s i a t i c i n v a d e r s who
"Set
settled
i n Ancient Egypt, w h i l s t
r e p r e s e n t e d t h e p o p u l a t i o n w h i c h had
Pharaonic Egyptians"^.
title
been conquered
Horus became t h e t i t l e o r p a r t o f t h e
o f t h e d e i t i e s worshipped
i n Southern Egypt.
The
worship
a t one
time
S e t t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h e N o r t h was w i d e l y worshipped
t h e r e , but was
of
by t h e
the S o u t h .
r e g a r d e d as t h e enemy o f H o r u s , t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e
H i s w o r s h i p was n o t c o n f i n e d t o the North o f E g y p t ,
Hence
i n p r i v a t e as w e l l a s i n the p u b l i c a c t s d e p i c t e d on
monuments, by a l l who
say
by a l l
l , i +
there
certain
T, a f i n a l consonant i s e l i d e d . T h i s i s a common o c c u r e n c e
i n Y o r u b a . The f i n a l consonant o f a m o n o s y l l a b l e r e c e i v e s
an a d d i t i o n a l v o w e l , but i f t h e m o n o s y l l a b i c word i s j o i n e d
to a n o t h e r word, t h e f i n a l consonant i s e l i d e d .
2. See Masp. Dawn o f C i v i l i z a t i o n , p , 8 3 v i g n e t t e and n o t e 3.
3. S a y c e , Op. G i t . p.166
f
h. Op. C i t . pp.150-1
5.
- 70 d i s t r i c t s p e r s i s t e d i n t h i s d o u b l e w o r s h i p down t o t h e l a t e s t
times o f paganism .
The Y o r u b a s must have m i g r a t e d from one o r
more o f s u c h d i s t r i c t s .
1
F u r t h e r e v i d e n c e i n s u p p o r t o f the i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f
E s u w i t h S e t i s s u p p l i e d by t h e f a c t t h a t E s u i s r e p r e s e n t e d by a
s t o n e w h i c h i s o f t e n adored
S e t was a l s o r e p r e s e n t e d by a s t o n e .
"another E g y p t i a n g o d
A c c o r d i n g t o Wieldeman,
who was o c c a s i o n a l l y r e g a r d e d
as i n c o r p o r a t e
3
i n a s t o n e was S e t " .
was
E s u i s a l s o r e p r e s e n t e d by p i l l a r s ;
so a l s o
Set**.
It
The d e r i v a t i o n , t h e n , would be as f o l l o w s :-
H o r u s ; h i s e l i d e d , and t h e f i n a l consonant
i s e i t h e r 'a' o r ' e*.
receives
a vowel w h i c h
I t s h o u l d be n o t e d here t h a t t h e r e a r e s e v e r a l words, i n
West A f r i c a n language s w h i c h denote d e i t i e s
t h e same o r i g i n .
and a r e t r a c e a b l e t o
F o r example, t h e words 0 - r i - s e
Arose, A - l u - s i , A - r u - s i ( i b o language)
(Sekiri
language),
of e i t h e r horus-set o r horus.
The o r i g i n o f t h e term S e t i s t h u s g i v e n by D r . T i e l e
"The name S e t i s perhaps
connected v/ith
Sati-ray
o f t h e s u n and P h a l l o s " 5
I t i s p r o b a b l e t h a t t h e r o o t i d e a o f t h i s word has s u r v i v e d i n a
1. Maspero, Op. C i t . p.200
2. O t h e r gods so r e g a r d e d a r e Amon and P t a h . The Y o r u b a word
f o r a s t o n e i s 0 - k u - t a i . e . t h e s o u l o f p t a h o r t h a t which
incorporates the soul of Ptah.
3. R e l i g i o n o f t h e A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n s , p.154.
k S e t i s r e p r e s e n t e d by p i l l a r s , owing t o h i s i n d e n t i f i c a t i o n
v/ith Shu, s e e below.
5. H i s t o r y o f Egypt ( t r a n s . B a l l i n g a l ) p.51.
I n consequence o f t h e s e images, C o l o n e l E l l i s
d e s c r i b e d E s u as a p h a l l i c god.
few o f t h e images, but he
The
has
p r e s e n t w r i t e r has s e e n a
i s convinced
t h a t E s u i s not a p h a l l i c
support
N e v e r t h e l e s s , t h e images l e n d
crude
an
t o t h e t h e o r y o f a c l o s e c o n n e c t i o n between E s u
degenerate
between e a r t h and s k y .
to E g y p t i a n mytho-
f o r c i b l y s e p a r a t e d S i b u , t h e god
goddess o f t h e s t a r r y s k y .
According
o f t h e e a r t h , from H u i t ,
He t h u s became t h e god
H i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n was
As a sun-god he was
t i o n . o f power.
animates m a t t e r " .
regarded
He was
space
t h a t o f a god
o f the
the
in a
L a t e r on
as a b e n e f i c e n t d e i t y and an impersona
the l i f e - g i v e r , "The
p r i n c i p l e which
Through h i s b e n i g n i n f l u e n c e , r i g h t e o u s n e s s
and
truth reign.
At a l a t e r p e r i o d , however, g r e a t e r a t t e n t i o n was
to t h e s c o r c h i n g h e a t emanating from him t h a n t o t h e
animating
effect of h i s rays.
1. Sometimes t r a n s l i t e r a t e d Geb
2. Maspero, Op.
or
paid
Keb.
C i t . p.127.
root
first
2
t h a t o f s c o r c h i n g , and s e c o n d l y t h a t o f s t r e t c h i n g out,growing. .
The
benevolent
and as a m a l e v o l e n t
i s r e g a r d e d both a s
deity-^.
the
(E-shu)^
latter.
i s c l e a r t h a t the c o n c e p t i o n o f E s u i s a f u s i o n o f the c o n c e p -
t i o n o f S e t and t h a t o f Shu.
"to
darken".
su-bu ( s h u - b u ) , t h a t i s , s t r e t c h out o v e r o r c o v e r up
( b u s p l a c e , b o t h i n A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n l a n g u a g e and
the p l a c e
i n Yoruba).
sun-god c l o s e l y a l l i e d
to S e t .
The
a f t e r w a r d s as
the
r e a s o n why.Esu i s
c r e d i t e a j w i t h t h e o p p o s i t e q u a l i t i e s o f b e n e f i c e n c e and m a l e v o l e n c e
t h u s becomes c l e a r *
to
H i s b e n e f i c e n c e and m a l e v o l e n c e
t h e conception', o f Shu, w h i l s t h i s m a l e v o l e n c e
1.
3.
are t r a c e a b l e
i s also traceable
- 73 to S e t .
An i l l u s t r a t i o n o f the f u s i o n , o f e l e m e n t s i n
mythology i n Y o r u b a r e l i g i o n c a n be g i v e n i n . suppor t
c o n c l u s i o n s by q u o t i n g
t h e B l a c k Man's Mind".
Egyptian
of. t h e above
thus :
"As'you e n t e r y o u n o t i c e t h e f i g u r e o f a man w i t h o u t
l e g s ( O k e ) , t h e door-keeper; then t u r n i n g to the l e f t , you
w i l l s e e a f i g u r e i n c l a y d r e s s e d i n c h a i n armour as i n . t h e
days o f E l i z a b e t h , , r i d i n g a h o r s e .
He i s c a l l e d OKAKWU 3
o r an o f f i c e r .
P a s s i n g a l o n g the l e f t w a l l we f i n d a
f i g u r e d r e s s e d as a prime m i n i s t e r o f IYASE. Then i n t h e
Open space i n t h e c e n t r e o f t h e s q u a r e t h e r e a r e two f i g u r e s ,
one on y o u r r i g h t and one on y o u r l e f t as y o u s t a n d w i t h
y o u r back t o t h e door f a c i n g AKE.
The one on. y o u r l e f t
r e p r e s e n t s OYISA ( g o d ) and t h a t on y o u r r i g h t ESU, t h e d e v i l .
EU i s d r e s s e d a s a s l a v e i n a h a t and c l o , t h c a r r y i n g a
k n i f e a t h i s w a i s t and a s t i c k c a l l e d UKPOPO* i n h i s r i g h t .
OYISA on t h e o t h e r hand i s d r e s s e d l i k e , a k i n g We how
s t a n d b e f o r e t h e throne o f AKE, who d r e s s e d l i k e a k i n g
s e a t e d w i t h a v/ife (IREBU) w i t h h e r babe on e i t h e r s i d e o f
him".
2
Ake
" a n axe".
I t w i l l be remembered t h a t a n axe (
symbol o f a god i n A n c i e n t E g y p t .
neter-*) i s t h e
l y a s e means " t h e l i v i n g
set"
i s the generic t i t l e f o r a
I n t h e above p a s s a g e i t i s u s e d s i m p l y as a s u b s t i t u t e f o r
The f i g u r e o f Ake who, d r e s s e d l i k e
a king i s seated
suggests
t h a t i t i s a r e l i c o f t h e f i g u r e o f the d i v i n e t r i a d o f H o r u s , .
2. S i m i l a r f i g u r e s e x i s t e d i n A n c i e n t E g y p t . The f i g u r e i s a l s o
known as A l a p a f u j a i n Y o r u b a .
3. 0-ka-kwu i s d e r i v e d from two words, v i z . k a and khu.
k T h i s s t i c k i s the same as Agongo Ogo o r the knobbed c l u b
d e s c r i b e d above ( s e e p.6o)
5. S e e Masp. 0p. G i t . , p.221; Budge,Ancien t E g y p t i a n Language p.103
6. See n o t e on p . 9 above.
7. See pp 9-11
above.
- Ik O s i r i s and
Isis
(son,
f a t h e r and m o t h e r ) .
Irebu i s
derived
2
from Rebu , " the name o f a p e o p l e who
who
were o f t e n
d w e l t on t h e
r e f e r r e d to i n h i e r o g l y p h i c
I t may
be
s y m b o l i z i n g a god
remarked in. p a s s i n g
by means o f an axe
west o f E g y p t
inscriptions.
t h a t the p r a c t i c e
o r by means o f a
of
figure
of Yorubaland i n general.
the c e n t r e
k i n g who
of
The
o f a d e i t y ' s w o r s h i p o r to the
i s regarded as w i e l d i n g
the d e i t y .
The
generally
name i s sometimes g i v e n t o
supreme a u t h o r i t y
d i f f i c u l t y a r i s i n g from the
a t t r i b u t e d to E s u
I t has
p a r t l y derived
and
t h a t Shu
Now
i s t h u s the one
the
behalf
characteristics,
explained.
Ra
I t has
also
became a sun-god by b e i n g f u s e d
into
i s known by
in
feminine
says:
on
b e e n p o i n t e d out
himself
i n h a b i t e d by
He
district
'
god
two
Shu.
o t h e r names, w h i c h
known by
t h r e e d i f f e r e n t names.
are
him.
As
he
a t noon, and
Tun
evening" ~
The" f u s i o n o f Shu
names o f K h e p e r a and
The
the a p p l i c a t i o n o f
Trim to Ra would f a c i l i t a t e
o f t h e s e names f o r Shu.
happened.
i n t o Ra and
As
the
the
substitution
a m a t t e r o f f a c t , t h i s i s what
name o f K h e p e r a was
also applied
to.Shu.
As
r e s u l t o f t h i s , E l e g b a r a , the a l t e r n a t i v e name f o r E g u i s d e r i v e d
1. See MaBperoOp, C i t . p. 175
2. See T i f c l e , 6 p . C i t . , p.14; Rebu and an i n i t i a l vowel.
3. F o r example,'Ake'the c e n t r a l p a r t o f t h e town o f Abeokuta.
4. S a y c e , Op. C i t . , p..218.
- 75
from K h e p e r a .
F o r the sake o f c l e a r n e s s the process o f d e r i v a t i o n w i l l be f u l l y g i v e n h e r e .
The i n i t i a l l e t t e r Kh i s a t h i n
sound w h i c h , when f o l l o w e d by a v o w e l , i s e l i d e d i n Y o r u b a ,
u n l e s s i t occurs i n a monosyllabic word,
When f o l l o w e d by a
vowel i n t h e m i d d l e o f a word i t i s hardened i n t o k.
When
f o l l o w e d by a consonant', i t i s a l s o hardened i n t o k, but i t musV
1
s y l l a b l e s i n c e e V e r y consonant-must
2
have i t s own v o w e l i n Y o r u b a ,
leaving epera.
Kh i n K h e p e r a i s t h e r e f o r e
elided,
p l a c e b e i n g t a k e n by b o r by a t h i c k l a b i a l s p e l t k g i n o t h e r
West A f r i c a n l a n g u a g e s o r by gj>, a n o t h e r t h i c k l a b i a l
to West A f r i c a n l a n g u a g e s .
-to
as
for
peculiar
I n the c a s e o f E p e r a , i s changed
"As a s u b s t i t u t e f o r "Shu
who,
A reduplication, o f the i n i t i a l
vowel o f a word
is
I t i s thus
w h i c h i s c e r t a i n l y a m o d i f i e d form o f e g b e r a .
The change i s
lead to
T h i s i d e n t i t y o f E l e g b e r a w i t h Khepera w i l l e x p l a i n the
r e a s o n why E s u i s c r e d i t e d w i t h f e m i n i n e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .
K h e p e r a i s a god,
and n o t a g o d d e s s .
Why
t h e G r e e k s chose t o
g i v e h i s name a f e m i n i n e t e r m i n a t i o n i s unknown.
he was r e p r e s e n t e d by f e m a l e i m a g e s
The f a c t
that
p r o b a b l y l e d .the G r e e k s t o
noteworthy" f a c t i n t h i s c o n n e c t i b n i i s the d e r i v a t i o n
The d e r i v a t i o n i s as f o l l o w s
i s e l i d e d , l e a v i n g o j g r i , p. becomes
:-
and as Y o r u b a i s a
obiri^
The s u r v i v a l o f f e m a l e images o f E l e g b e r a
( K h e p e r a ) , t h e ' f e m i n i n e t e r m i n a t i o n - o f K h e p e r a and t h e d e r i v a t i o n
o f the word o b i r i ( n ) "Woman" from K h o p r i - a l l p o i n t t o t h e
e x i s t e n c e o f female images o f K h o p r i ( K h e p e r a) i n A n c i e n t E g y p t ,
i n consequence o f w h i c h E s u i s now
characteristics.
1. T h e r e a r e two h i e r o g l y p h i c r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f K h e p e r a .
One
o f t h e s e i s a male f i g u r e , and t h e o t h e r a femal e f i g u r e . Sea.
Budge, A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n Language, pp. 52 & 53>., S e c t i o n 3
Nos. 18 & 19.
2. S e e page 75 (Kh) e p e r a .
3. Sometimes s p e l t w i t h t h e n a s a l n t h u s ; o b i n r i n . The same word
x i s t s i n the I b o languag e spoken i n S o u t h e r n N i g e r i a and i n
he F a n t i l a n g u a g e spoken inx t h e G o l d C o a s t . I n e a c h c a s e the
meaninct i s t h e same.
P i g . 10
An image o f Obalufon.
P a c i n g page
77
- 77 OBA'UFON o r OBALUFON.
The i d e n t i f i c a t i o n . o f E s u w i t h S e t w i l l a l s o
throw
The d e i t y h a s been d e s c r i b e d
as ' t h e god o f
already explained.
s h o u l d n o t be s u r p r i s i n g i f t h i s name s u r v i v e s iru Y o r u b a l a n d ,
i n v i e w o f the i d e n t i f i c a t i o n , o f S e t w i t h E s u .
The f a c t i s
and 'ufon o r
Tv<fov
The
f
second p a r t 'ufon or l u f o n
t-u-ph-o-n, p_h b e i n g e q u i -
i d e n t i f i e d S e t w i t h Ziphon,
adopted by the Y o r u b a s t h e
- 78 t h e i n i t i a l l e t t e r t o r z was e l i d e d i n k e e p i n g w i t h t h e r u l e
t h a t e v e r y noun i n Y o r u b a must b e g i n w i t h a v o w e l .
To t h e
word 'ufon t h e word oba i s added, and t h e compound word becomes
oba'ufon, and i s pronounced by some Y o r u b a s i n t h i s way t i l l
today.
The p l a c i n g o f two v o w e l s t o g e t h e r i s u n u s u a l i n
Yoruba.
Hence t h e l e t t e r 1 i s i n s e r t e d f o r t h e s a k e o f euphony
and t h e word becomes o b a - l - u f o n .
The name. Oba'ufon o r Obaluftjn
i s t h e r e f o r e a n o t h e r name f o r E s u and i s d e r i v e d f r o m Typhon
the G r e c i a n name f o r S e t o r S u t .
1
I n c o n f i r m a t i o n o f t h e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n j u s t made,
s h o u l d be n o t e d
it
The Y o r u b a word f o r a p i g i s e - l e - d e .
T h i s word i s
"piercing" ,
2
instrument f o r p i e r c i n g " .
t h e form o f a p i g t h a t Typhori, w h i l e h u n t i n g by n i g h t , p i e r c e d
the eye o f O s i r i s ,
t h e r e a s o n f o r t h e name g i v e n by t h e Y o r u b a s
to t h e p i g becomes
obvious.
Obalufon. p o s s e s s e s c o n s i d e r a b l e power b e c a u s e
he i s
During the l a s t
The
t h a t t h e human s a c r i f i c e w i t n e s s e d b y
A f e w i n s t a n c e s o f human s a c r i f i c e s made t o
O b a l u f o n ( E s u ) l a s t century.may be g i v e n h e r e , e s p e c i a l l y as:
*
(ii)
Iwe I r o h i n .
"We h a v e a g a i n t o d e p l o r e t h e f a c t o f a human s a c r i f i c e
w h i c h took p l a c e a t I k e r e k u on Tuesda y morning t h e 1 2 t h " .
T h i s town a n n u a l l y s a c r i f i c e s a s l a v e t o O b a l u f o n .
"The v i c t i m i n t h i s c a s e i s t h e t h i r d i n t e n d e d for- t h e
.purpose t h i s y e a r ; t h e f i r s t d i e d , and t h e second
escaped.
"
" R e g a r d i n g human s a c r i f i c e s i n " t h i s town by t h e E g b a s ,
we hiave o b t a i n e d t h e f o l l o w i n g i n f o r m a t i o n , w h i c h we
b e l i e v e t o be c o r r e c t .
Of t h e two hundred township s
i n Abeokuta t h e f o l l o w i n g were accustomed to s a c r i f i c e
human b e i n g b e f o r e t h e y l e f t t h e i r town :Igbein
1. a n n u a l l y .to O b a l u f o n
Ikereku
1 annually t o Obalufon
Iwo
1 a n n u a l l y t o Oranmiyan~
Owu
1 a n n u a l l y t o Amunibuwa-5
Oko
7 annually to l o c a l d e i t i e s ; not
done s i n c e t h e t r i b e l e f t t h e i r o l d
town to come t o Abeokuta."
I t w i l l be s e e n from t h e i n s t a n c e s g i v e n above t h a t ,
a p a r t from l i e s a and Ondo w h e r e t h e w o r s h i p o f E s u was most
pronounced, human s a c r i f i c e s t o E s u o r O b a l u f o n were w i d e s p r e a d
i n Yorubaland.
The p r e v a l e n c e o f human s a c r i f i c e t o O b a l u f o n
is' an a d d i t i o n a l and s t r i k i n g
confirmation), o f th e d e r i v a t i o n o f
CHAPTER
THE
M A J O R
B.
IPA.
IV.
D E I T I E S
(Continued)
81.
CHAPTER I V .
The O r i s a a - c o n t i n u e d .
B. I F A , t h e O r a c u l a r D e i t y .
Ifa,
t h e o r a c u l a r d e i t y i s b y f a r t h e most p o p u l a r and
d e i t y i n Yorubaland.
Although h i s recogni-
t i o n i s not a s g e n e r a l a s t h a t o f E s u , and h i s s t a t u s ,
a c c o r d i n g t o some e x i s t i n g myths, i s i n f e r i o r i n some r e s p e c t s
to t h a t o f E s u , y e t h i s p l a c e i n t h e l i f e o f every Yoruba i s
unique.
Among some o f t h e t r i b e s h i s w o r s h i p i s n o t a s f r e q u e n t
as t h a t of E s u o r o f t h e l o c a l d e i t i e s , but h i s importance
i s acknowledged by a l l .
important
with
He i s w o r s h i p p e d a n d c o n s u l t e d on a l l
o c c a s i o n s , and h i s d i c t a t e s c a n n o t be d i s r e g a r d e d
impunity.
B e l i e f i n him i s a v e r y i m p o r t a n t
woof o f t h e r e l i g i o u s l i f e
s t r a n d i n t h e warp and
o f t h e people.
I t i s a v i t a l factor
i n t h e i r p s y c h o l o g i c a l background, even up t i l l
today.
Despite
a c e n t u r y o f i n t e n s i v e C h r i s t i a n e v a n g e l i z a t i o n a n d about two
c e n t u r i e s o f Mohammedan p e n e t r a t i o n i n t o t h e c o u n t r y ,
in I f a s t i l l
belief
p r o f e s s i n g one o r o t h e r o f t h e h i g h e r forms o f r e l i g i o n . ^
The
d e s i r e t o probe i n t o t h e d a r k bosom o f t h e f u t u r e
i s e s s e n t i a l l y human.
a s t h e u n c i v i l i z e d man i s , he cannot b u t s e e k f o r g u i d a n c e
from some o r a c u l a r d e i t y .
The u n c i v i l i z e d Yoruba t u r n s
82.
n a t u r a l l y to I f a f o r guidance i n regard to the future.
He
c o n s u l t s him on a l l m a t t e r s g r e a t and s m a l l . Hence there:
has-, come i n t o e x i s t e n c e an o r a c u l a r system, i n v e s t e d w i t h
s u c h g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e t h a t modern i n f l u e n c e h a s done v e r y
l i t t l e to minimize.
I P A PRIESTS.
The
"The
f a t h e r o r t h e b i g man
i n mysteries".
who
d e a l s w i t h s e c r e t s " , "An
adept
of i t a priests; i s very l a r g e .
The
a t t r a c t i v e because i t i s l u c r a t i v e .
I f a priesthood
i s a l s o .<:.
A n o t h e r p r o v e r b s a y s t h a t the w i s e s t
adopt& t h e
worship of I f a .
s t u d e n t o f I f a c u l t must undergo a. l o n g p r o c e s s o f
extending
over a p e r i o d of t h r e e to seven y e a r s .
c i n g h i s c o u r s e he has; t o pay
150
thing.
a sum
passages,
B e f o r e commen-
r a n g i n g between 100
a c c o r d i n g t o h i s f i n a n c i a l c a p a c i t y or t h e
of h i s teacher.
training,
and
reputation
D u r i n g t h i s p e r i o d he h a s t o memorize l o n g
r e t e n t i v e memory.
He h a s t o memorize 4,096 d i f f e r e n t
be h i s p e r i o d o f t r a i n i n g .
No
a c c o m p l i s h e d t h i s f e a t , but
a s soon a s a s t u d e n t
shorter
w o r k i n g knowledge o f t h e p r i n c i p a l ones, he
stories
will
has
acquires
i s ready f o r the
e l a b o r a t e r i t u a l o f i n i t i a t i o n , w h i c h i n c l u d e s t h e ceremony
o f p u r i f i c a t i o n by w a t e r and t h e p a s s i n g o f a t e s t known a s
83.
Pinodu.
For the purpose o f t h i s t e s t the candidate d i p s h i s
hands i n t o c o n s e c r a t e d I f a water. He t h e n r e c e i v e s on t h e
palm o f h i s hands-, f l a m i n g o i l from a new lamp and r u b s i t on
h i s body. I f he s u s t a i n s no i n j u r y , t h e n he becomes an I f a
p r i e s t who has; g i v e n p r o o f t h a t he i s s e c u r e a g a i n s t a l l i l l s
and w i l l t h e r e b y be a b l e to s a f e g u a r d o t h e r s a g a i n s t them.
T h e r e a r e three, g r a d e s o f I f a p r i e s t s - .
first
Those o f t h e
grade a r e c a l l e d O l o r i , t h o s e o f t h e Becond O r i s a .
t h o s e o f the t h i r d , Awon t i a t e n i I f a .
"Those o f t h e
and
first
c a n b o t h w o r s h i p t h e i r own
s u f f e r i t to be t h u s u s e d
c l a s s , who
Those o f t h e
and d i v i n e w i t h i t ,
w h i l s t those o f the t h i r d
have b e e n brought
1)6 t h e i r p o s i t i o n t h r o u g h
the
s e r v i c e s o f Olodus o r C h i e f Babalawos, a r e , b e s i d e s b e i n g
t i t l e d to. w o r s h i p t h e i r own
or
I f a and d i v i n e w i t h i t ,
p r i v i l e g e d t o e a t o f any s a c r i f i c e t h a t may
en-
also
be o f f e r e d t o o r
b e f o r e t h e I g b a Odu. o r t h e c a l a b a s h o r gourd v e s s e l
sacred to
J . J
Odu,
a p r i v i l e g e w h i c h i s d e n i e d t o t h o s e of t h e f i r s t
two
graded
blue
dress.
MYTHOLOGICAL ORIGIN OF THE
Ifa
Yorubas.
CULT.
c u l t i s t h e b e s t o r g a n i z e d r e l i g i o u s system o f the
As i t has; been p o i n t e d out above, i t i s m a i n t a i n e d
by an i n t e l l i g e n t p r i e s t h o o d whose members a r e s u b j e c t e d
p r o t r a c t e d c o u r s e of i n s t r u c t i o n b e f o r e i n i t i a t i o n .
1. Bp. Johnson, Yoruba Heathenism.
to a
What, t h e n ,
Skis t h e o r i g i n o f t h e c u l t ?
Who
i s Ifa
T h e r e a r e s e v e r a l myths e x p l a i n i n g t h e o r i g i n o f t h e
c u l t and g i v i n g d e t a i l s about t h e d e i t y .
he r e p r o d u c e d h e r e .
A few o f t h e s e w i l l
They a r e g i v e n n o t b e c a u s e
any
reliance
which
c a n s e r v e asi c l u e s t o w a r d s t h e u n r a v e l l i n g o f t h e i r t r u e o r i g i n .
The
first
o f t h e s e myths i s g i v e n by Mr.
Oyesile Keribo
I t runs thus
:-
:-
-85A n o t h e r i n t e r e s t i n g myth i s g i v e n by t h e l a t e
Mr.
:-
O t h e r Names o f I f a .
The
Yoruba p e o p l e a r e v e r y f o n d o f g i v i n g t i t l e s
d e i t i e s and d i s t i n g u i s h e d p e r s o n s .
to
call
They a r e a l s o
to
reluctant
times s u b s t i t u t e t i t l e s
f o r names.
The
following i s a
s e l e c t i o n o f t i t l e s g i v e n t o I f a :1.
2.
3.
I:
7.
8.
.9.
10.
11.
12.
Orunmila
Olodumare
Ikuforiji
Olujeni
Oba Qlofa. a sun I o l a
Mini
Erintunde
Edu
Alajiki
O k i t i b i r i a-pa-o j o - i k u
Ela
oyigiyigi.
1
1. N i g e r i a n S t u d i e s , p.
96.
xxa u t e n s i l s *
troys.
F a c i n g page 86*
-86MODE OF DIVINATION.
The m a t e r i a l s u s e d f o r d i v i n a t i o n a r e a w h i t e n e d
c i r c u l a r h o a r d known as. Qppn I f a and
s i x t e e n palm n u t s .
Stometimes a r e c t a n g u l a r b o a r d o r a r e c t a n g u l a r f a n i s used.
At o t h e r t i m e s t h e number o f palm n u t s i s i n c r e a s e d by
one.
When t h e d i v i n e r h a s s e c u r e d a l l t h e n e c e s s a r y m a t e r i a l s he
proceeds
( i ) He
to
i n e i t h e r of t h e f o l l o w i n g ways :p u t s a l l t h e palm n u t s on h i s l e f t
t a k e them up w i t h one
hand.
palm and
attempts
g r a s p o f t h e palm o f h i s r i g h t
Or
( i i ) He h o l d s the s i x t e e n p a l m - n u t s l o o s e l y i n the
right
hand.
When e i t h e r of t h e s e p r o c e s s e s , i s
The p r o c e s s i s r e p e a t e d e i g h t
t i m e s and t h e f i g u r e formed by r e c o r d i n g t h e r e s u l t s i s c a l l e d
a n Odu
nut.
t h u s b r i n g i n g th e number t o 256.
Behind
each of these
256
on t h e d i v i n i n g b o a r d .
The " f o l l o w i n g i s a. l i s t
l)
4)
7)
(10)
(13)
(16;
Eli
Ogbe
Odi m e j i
Ba.ra irteji
Osa m e j i
Oture meji
Ofu m e j i .
(2)
(51
(8)
(ill
(l4;
o f t h e s i x t e e n p r i n c i p a l Odus :Oyekun m e j i
Iroshu meji
Qkara(n) meji
Ika meji
I r e t e meji
Owara m e j i
Ogunda m e j i
Oturupon m e j i
Ose m e j i
-87-
'
'
F i g . 12.
The f o l l o w i n g a r e t h e d i a g r a m m a t i c r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f
t h e Odus :1.
Eji
Oghe
11
0 0
1 1
or
0 0
11
0 0
11
0 0
2.
Oyeku
Meji
or
0 .
3.
11
1
Iwori
.Meji
11
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
or
1
11
1 1
4.
Odi
1
11
11
11
11
Meji
or
00
0 0
0 0
0 0
-885.
1
Iroshu
Meji
0
or
1
6*
1
Owara
Meji
11
11
or
00
00
7.
1
Meji
11
1 1
11
11
0
or
8.
11
11
11
11
11
11
Okara(n)
1
1
0
00
00
00
00
00
00
0 0
00
00
0
Ogun&a M e j i
or
00
Meji
or
9.
Bara
-8910.
11
Meji
11
or
11.
1
Osa
Ika
0
1
Meji
or
12.
11
11
1 1
11
Meji
0
or
00
I
1
0
13.
1
1
Irete
or
0 0
1
1
Meji
or
14.
1
0
11
Oture
11
0 0
1 1 1 .
Oturupon
00
Meji
0
0
0
0
-9015.
1
Ose
Meji
11
1 1
or
0 0
0 0
11
1 1
16.
I 1
I I
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
Meji
1 1.
Ofu
0 0
or
1 1
I
The o r a c u l a r r e s p o n s e o f I f a i s g i v e n i n t h e form o f
a parable.
Hence t h e s a y i n g
Owe n i I f a i p a
Omqran n i imo;
B i a b a wipe mo
Qmoran a mo
N i g b a t i a ko b a mp
A n i , ko s e .
" I f a always speaks i n parables.
I t i s t h e w i s e man who u n d e r s t a n d s h i s speech.
When we s a y , u n d e r s t a n d i t ,
I t i s t h e w i s e man who u n d e r s t a n d s i t .
I f we c l a i m t o u n d e r s t a n d i t
When we r e a l l y do n o t u n d e r s t a n d i t ,
T h e n we s a y , T h e r e i s something t e r r i b l e about
it.
When a p a r t i c u l a r Odu t u r n s up on t h e d i v i n i n g b o a r d
t h e d i v i n e r r e c i t e s t h e a p p r o p r i a t e s t o r y o r c o u p l e t and
i n t e r p r e t s t h e r e s p o n s e t o t h e e n q u i r e r as b e s t
:
he c a n .
Of a l l t h e s e Odus.E.ii Ogbe i s r e g a r d e d a s t h e p r i n c e .
Whenever h i s f i g u r e appears^ on t h e d i v i n i n g board, t h e babalawo
a t t a c h e s , t h e g r e a t e s t i m p o r t a n c e t o t h e o c c a s i o n and, a f t e r
w a r n i n g t h e e n q u i r e r about t h e s e r i o u s n a t u r e o f t h e r e s p o n s e
-91t o be e x p e c t e d ,
q u i c k l y c h a n t s t h e f o l l o w i n g words :-
B i a b a bo o j u
B i a b a bp imu
I s a l e agbqn n i a p a r i r e .
A da f u n O r u n m i l a n i g b a t i o n l q gba ase. lowo Olodumare.
rubo.
Olodumare s i wa f i a s e f u n u.
Nigbati
gbogbo a i y e
Lati
"When we wash o u r f a c e ,
When we wash o u r nose
We f i n i s h o f f b e n e a t h t h e c h i n . "
" I f a was- c o n s u l t e d f o r Orunmila, when t h e l a t t e r was g o i n g t o
r e c e i v e a u t h o r i t y from t h e A l m i g h t y .
t h e A l m i g h t y gave him a u t h o r i t y .
He s a c r i f i c e d .
And
When a l l . t h e w o r l d
heard
t h a t he h a d r e c e i v e d a u t h o r i t y t h e y came t o him. A l l t h a t
he
s a i d came t o p a s s .
E v e r s i n c e t h e n we s a y , 'Amen o r
1
"So be i t i "
Opele.
T h e r e a r e o t h e r d e i t i e s w h i c h are. c o n s u l t e d as o r a c l e s
by t h e Y o r u b a s .
The c h i e f o f t h e s e i s O p e l e who i s r e g a r d e d
I n t h e o r y he i s e x p e c t e d
t o be c o n s u l t e d
e v e r y day by everybody, b u t i n p r a c t i c e t h i s n o t t h e c a s e .
"He i s a l w a y s
r e p r e s e n t e d by e i g h t f l a t p i e c e s o f wood o r m e t a l
o r something e l s e ,
strung together
s i d e , p l a c e d a t e q u a l d i s t a n c e s from e a c h o t h e r and j o i n e d
together.
-92HISTORICAL ORIGIN.
An e n q u i r y
i n t o t h e h i s t o r i c a l o r i g i n o f the c u l t i s
an easy t a s k i f t h e t h e o r y o f a c l o s e c o n n e c t i o n between t h e
r e l i g i o n o f t h e Y o r u b a s and t h a t o f the A n c i e n t
Egyptians,
w h i c h was p r o p o s e d and a p p l i e d i n t h e p r e c e d i n g c h a p t e r s , i s
a l s o applied, here.
A l t h o u g h t h e e x i s t e n c e o f the s y s t e m
a&
records,
i t s e s s e n t i a l e l e m e n t s c a n he found i n v a r i o u s r e c o r d s .
Most o f t h e i d e a s c o n n e c t e d w i t h i t a r e , u n q u e s t i o n a b l y ,
r e l i c s o f the O s i r i a n f a i t h .
The
Ifa,
Osiris.
The
d e r i v a t i o n i s a s follow :-
noun b e g i n s w i t h a. v o w e l , the i n i t i a l
borrowed from a n o t h e r
An
S i n c e every Yoruba
consonant o f a noun
language e i t h e r r e c e i v e s a v o w e l - p r e f i x
o r i s dropped, e s p e c i a l l y i f i t i s
Hence the i n i t i a l
a weak n a s a l c o n s o n a n t .
consonant i n n e f e r i s dropped l e a v i n g e f e r .
'e* sound i s r e p r e s e n t e d i n Y o r u b a by
'i*,
and t h e
sound
Hence t h e
word n e f e r b e c o m e s : I f a . I t i s n o t e w o r t h y t h a t t h e i n i t i a l
sonant
'n
word e.g.
i s r e t a i n e d when t h e word i s a t t a c h e d t o
qpe-nifa or (^pe-lifa
"The
palm-nuts u s e d f o r I f a d i v i n a t i o n a r e
The
term Odu.
of
con-
another
t r e e from w h i c h t h e
obtained".
n e x t p o i n t t o be c o n s i d e r e d i s t h e o r i g i n o f
the
Among t h e A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n s t h e b e l i e f e x i s t e d
d i v i d e d i n t o r e g i o n s o r domains.
of
o f Sekhet - Aaru,
r e p r o d u c e d by P r o f e s s o r E . W a l l i s Budge i n h i s e d i t i o n o f t h e
Book o f t h e Dead, d e s e r v e c o n s i d e r a t i o n .
i n the f i r s t
the
to
the
to
list
The number o f A a t s
i s f o u r t e e n , and i n t h e second, f i f t e e n .
number o f t h e Odus o f I f a i s s i x t e e n .
Now
I t i s quite easy
r e f e r r e d t o above.
t h e number i n t h e f i r s t
whom t h e y p r o v i d e a n Odu
list,
two
one f o r O s i r i s h i m s e l f , f o r
e n q u i r e r who, a c c o r d i n g t o t h e O s i r i a n f a i t h , would e x p e c t t o
f i n d a p l a c e i n the f i e l d s o f Aaru a f t e r death.
They
would
for Osiris,
the
e n q u i r e r i s r e c o g n i z e d by t h e f a c t t h a t many I f a p r i e s t s
a l w a y s p r o v i d e s i x t e e n p l u s one palm-nuts.
The e x t r a one i s
i s noteworthy t h a t e a c h o f t h e Odus i s d e s c r i b e d a s
i
h a v i n g a t w o - f o l d c h a r a c t e r e.g. O b a r a m e j i , Ofu m e j i .
The
e x p l a n a t i o n o f t h i s l i e s i n t h e f a c t t h a t each-odu r e p r e s e n t s
a domain a n d t h e d e i t y p r e s i d i n g o v e r i t , a s shown i n t h e l i s t s r e f e r r e d t o above.
I t h a s been p o i n t e d out above t h a t a s soon a s a n Odu
t u r n s up t h e babalawo
story or couplet.
( I f a P r i e s t ) r e c i t e s an appropriate
A number o f s u c h s t o r i e s o r r e l i g i o u s
songs
"Ifa,
The c o n c l u s i o n i s
i r r e s i s t i b l e t h a t t h e Yoruba p a s s a g e s a r e m o d e l l e d upon t h e
s t a t e m e n t s o f O s i r i s about t h e A a t s o f S e k h e t - Aaru.
A n o t h e r noteworthy p o i n t i s t h e f a c t t h a t i n r e c o r d i n g
the
r e s u l t s o f h i s d i v i n a t i o n t h e babalawo u s e s E g y p t i a n symbols,
1.
M e j i = Two.
-95t h a t i s , s t r o k e s o r c i r c l e s - I I I o r 000^-.
The
given.
facilitate this,
l i s t s of the
I t w i l l be
s i x t e e n p r i n c i p a l odus w i l l be
four l i s t s
differences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
four
i n s e r t e d here.
s e e n t h a t t h e d i f f e r e n c e s between t h e names o f
Odus i n t h e
Ellis
a comparative t a b l e of
he
The l i s t s
are,
are
i n almost a l l c a s e s , p h o n e t i c
as f o l l o w s
Johnson's
Buru
Yekun
Ode
Di
Losho
Or on
Abila
Akala
Kuda
6a
Ka
Durapin
Ture
Leti
Shi
Pu.
Ogbe
Oyekun
Iwori
Edi
Urosi
Owara
Bara
Okaran
Ogunda
Osa
Eka
Oturupon
Eture
Erete
Ose
Ofu
1, Ogbe i s
Book o f
becomes
appears
the
:Dennett.
Phillips'
Ogbe
Oyeku
Iwori
Odi
Iroshu
Owourin
Obara
Okauran
Oguda
Osa
Ika
Otu rupon
Otura
Irete
Oshe
Ofu
Ogbe
Oyeku
Iwori
Odi
Iroshun
Owourin
Obara
Okouron
Oguda
Osa
Ika
Oturupon
Otura
Irete
Oshe
Ofu
d e r i v e d from u b e n - f. a t i t l e o f O s i r i s see
the Dead p . 5 7 8 . Compare N e f e r - u b e n - f . 'u'
'0', and 'b' becomes l a b i a l gb'.
B"uru
to be a l o c a l name.
B
2, Y e k u ( n ) Ye - ku = t h e l i v i n g Ku. T h i s o c c u r s i n
t h e 3 r d Aat, 1 s t l i s t , i n t r o d u c t i o n p. 180* *
5
See
Budge, A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n Language pp
107 &
127.
2.
A l l the r e f e r e n c e s i n t h i s s e c t i o n a r e made t o
Book of the Dead, e d i t i o n by P r o f . Budge.
the
3.
A l l t h e r e f e r e n c e s i n t h i s s e c t i o n a r e made t o
Book o f t h e Dead, e d i t i o n by P r o f e s s o r Budge.
the
7. A b i l a i s wrong s p e l l i n g . B a - R a = t h e s o u l o f Ra.
'O i s o n l y an i n i t i a l v o w e l .
1
11. Ka = S o u l .
12. D u r a p i n a p p e a r s t o be a wrong s p e l l i n g o f Oturupon.
O t u r u comes from A t r u o r O t r u and pon from pua - n i t .
See 1 3 t h A a t , 2nd l i s t , i n t r o . , p. 1 8 1 .
1
14. The d e r i v a t i o n o f I r e t e i s d i f f i c u l t .
comes from R e r t u . See p . 4 8 1 .
I t probably
1. A l l t h e r e f e r e n c e s i n t h i s s e c t i o n a r e made t o
t h e Book o f t h e Dead, e d i t i o n by P r o f e s s o r Budge.
It
i sinteresting
t o compare t h e t i t l e s
of I f a with
those
o r from E g y p t i a n words.
A few examples o f t h e s e
g i v e n h e r e :- ( i ) Orun-mi-la .
w i l l be
The l i t e r a l t r a n s l a t i o n
be saved"'.
of t h i s
T h e r e i s no
This i s
d e r i v e d from L a . ( i i i ) E d u , a c o n t r a c t i o n o f e y i - d i d u
"That which i s b l a c k " .
image o f O s i r i s ( I v ) Olodumare.
T h i s h a s been e x p l a i n e d i n
c h a p t e r two.
The m y t h o l o g i c a l s t o r i e s g i v e n above a l s o c o n t a i n
e l e m e n t s from t h e myth o f O s i r i s . . The s t o r i e s r e f e r t o t h e
goodness o f I f a , t h e b e n e f i t he c o n f e r r e d upon o t h e r s , h i s
p e r s e c u t i o n and d e i f i c a t i o n .
i n t h e myth o f O s i r i s .
A l l t h e s e d e t a i l s have p a r a l l e l s
f i n d s a p a r a l l e l i n t h e one e x i s t i n g between O s i r i s a n d S e t .
The r e f e r e n c e t o Orungan
i n the s t o r i e s i s s i g n i f i c a n t .
o f t h e noonday sun i n a n c i e n t E g y p t i a n R e l i g i o n i s R a . T h e
sun-god i s b e l i e v e d t o have s a i d
: " I am Khepera i n t h e
The r e l a t i o n
1. S a y c e , t h e R e l i g i o n o f A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n s ,
p.218
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
The s u r v i v a l of t h e O s i r i a n f a i t h i n Yorubaland i s
nowhere b e t t e r i l l u s t r a t e d than i n t h e case of I f a ,
of
the god
divination.
The o r i g i n of t h e I f a system must be t r a c e d to
I t s basis l i e s
Egypt.
Afa or Aga.
four Osing s h e l l s . .
1.
2.
PP. 264-65.
I n the shadow o f the Bush p. 174
Many of these
the
can
TV
away and s c a t t e r e d .
s p e c i a l time - -.
11
Human s a c r i f i c e s
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
The foregoing remarks supply adequate grounds f o r regarding E s u as being c l o s e l y connected w i t h the Egyptian god S e t , and
t h e r e f o r e w i t h Shu, Khepera and Typhon.
The conceptions of E s u i s
H i s worship
Rooted i n the
has so preponderated
C H A P T E R
THE
MAJOR
'
ORISAS
C.
Obatala.
E.
and F .
(continued)
D. Oduduwa
Aginju
and
Yemoja
CHAPTER
-100V..
,C. OBATALA
Next i n importance to I f a cornea Obatala who
described as "the great god".
i a popularly
He belongs t o the a n i m i s t i c
He e a s i l y evokes t h e i r r e l i g i o u s f e e l i n g s .
The
are never
thrilled
But he d i d not
Before r e t i r i n g t o the-heavens to l i v e aa
a f a c e , mouth, noee,
eyes, e a r s and s k u l l .
Another myth r e p r e s e n t s Obatala as the sole c r e a t o r of the
f i r s t man
Another myth
He i s ,
"His worshippers
shea-butter
Inexpensive
o f f e r i n g s of e d i b l e
Prayer s f o r t h e g i f t of
He represents the
102.
the highest moral conception a t t a i n e d by the Yorubas. H i s
i n f l u e n c e perhaps e x p l a i n s the s u p e r i o r i t y of the Yorubas t o
many o f t h e i r neighbours, a f a c t a t t e s t e d t o by s e v e r a l
observers.
1
TITLES. The followin g are the t i t l e s of the god :1. OBATALA. T h is word has been t r a n s l a t e d as the "King o f
Whiteness", "Lord o f the White Cloth", "Lord o f
the V i s i o n s " , according to the nature o f the
accents p l a c e d on the l a s t two vowels by each
t r a n s l a t o r . The r e a l meaning of the word w i l l
be given l a t e r .
2. ORISA POPO. " O r i s a who kneads c l a y " , or ORISA ALAMORERE
~~" "^The O r i s a who owns the best c l a y " . These two
t i t l e s are given to him i n the myth which d e p i c t s
him as t h e c r e a t o r of the f i r s t man and woman
whom he formed out of c l a y .
3. ORISA OJ* ENIA. "The o r i s a who causes man to l i v e " , that
i s , he who breathes l i f e i n t o man and thus brings
him i n t o e x i s t e n c e .
4. ALABA-NI-ASE. "Be who proposes and a l s o disposes". T h i s
t i t l e r e f e r s to h i s great power.
5. ORISA NLA
6. OBABA ARUQEO.
7. ORISA GBIGBINIKI.
HISTORICAL ORIGIN.
I t denotes a "King".
103
t o t h e grave ( a l a ) . Another secondary meaning derived from
i t i s a l a which means"a Boundary".
What, then, i a the o r i g i n of t h i s word a l a ?
The ideas a s s o c i a t e d w i t h the god whose name incorporates the
word s t r o n g l y suggests an Egyptian o r i g i n .
No sooner i s t h i s
i n the C o p t i c .
Hence he i s
10k
"the c r e a t o r of the heaven and the earth, the lower world, t h e
water and the mountains ' who has formed the male and the female
1
To
negroes r e s i d e d at E l e p h a n t i n e .
I t i s q u i t e p o s s i b l e that t h e
Now
there are two words i n Yoruba which mean "to model", or "to
mould", and they are ma and su?
The d e r i v a t i o n i s a s f o l l o w s .
1.
2.
3.
The termination
105
okuri
or okunrin
or okonrin
i s obtained .
.
.
.
The use of white i n connection w i t h the worship of Obatala
must have been suggested by the white colour of the R i v e r N i l e I t i s probable that the Yorubas l i v e d on the bank where the
white N i l e flowed unmixed w i t h the blue N i l e .
The s u r v i v a l of Obatala who
1.
2.
Fig.13
Statues
The
106
D.
ODUDUWA
They are
There i s
107
t h a t Oduduwa was, o r i g i n a l l y , the worthy w i f e of Obatala, the
god of p u r i t y . L i k e her husband, she possesse d many f i n e
attributes.. L a t e r , when her worship became degenerated,
s t o r i e s were invented i n defence of the r e v o l t i n g f e a t u r e s
a s s o c i a t e d w i t h her worship.
t r a n s f e r r e d to her.
are
e x i s t e n c e , and as
T h e i r union s regarded as
The union i s
1.
She i s always
108
.'V
Neither
of these d e r i v a t i o n s i s c o r r e c t .
I t should be noted that the forms Oduduwa. Odudua. and Odua,
r e f e r to one and the same person - the f i r s t i s an enlarged form,
and the t h i r d a contracte d form, of the
The name may
The word Odu ,
1
second.
dua.
e x a l t e d personage".
Odu-dua.
The
first
or "Mother Mut".
The
109
I t i s remarkable
or Seb?
E a r l i e r i n t h i s Chapter Obatala, the other d e i t y of the
u n i o n , has been i d e n t i f i e d w i th Khnum. An Egyptian t e x t at
4
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
110
CONCLUSION:
Shrine
of
Yemaja.
P a c i n g page 111
Ill
E.
and
P.
The
112
The o r i g i n
of several of the well-known Yoruba d e i t i e s i s
thus traced t o Obatala and Odudua.
HISTORICAL ORIGIN.
The d e r i v a t i o n of Aganju i s u n c e r t a i n . I t
(2)
(3)
(4)
1.
2.
1H3
(5)
This w i l l be explained l a t e r .
O-ru(n)
from Horu
= Sun.
i
1.
Osi i s a c o n t r a c t i o n of O a i - r i r e f e r r e d t o i n
Chapter I I I above.
CHAPTER
THE
MAJOR
0RISA3
V I
(continued)
Or, Sango
H.
I.
J, Sopono
Orisa Oko
Ogun
CHAPTER V I .
THE MAJOR ORISAS
a.
continued,
Sango.
No d e i t y i s more
The ground f o r
He i s also known
He ta
Sango.
has been taken t o mean "one who receives", "a r e c e i v e r " , but
t h i s i s only a f a n c i f u l and l i t e r a l explanation.
The f o l l o w i n g d e s c r i p t i o n o f the d e i t y given by Colonel
E l l i s , though containing some e r r o r s which had been detected by
Dr. Farrow, i s noteworthy :"Shango i s
115
E l l i s , op, c i t , p.47
i:i;6
occurs i n the r e l i g i o u s
incorporate i n a stone?
"the
117
ancestors.
Professor Leo Frobeniua regards Sango "the ram-headed god
This i s i n c o r r e c t , i n
The i n i t i a l consonant i s e l i d e d / h
i n Yoruba.
i s redundant
F i g . 16
F a c i n g page 118
1118
H.
OGUN
i s o l a t e d i n d i v i d u a l s or by v i l l a g e s , but a t I l e s a he i s s t i l l
worshipped as a n a t i o n a l god.
I n t h i s town elaborate r i t e s
He i s therefore the
H i s worship i s t h e r e f o re
kept a l i v e by hunters.
S o l d i e r s , blacksmiths and others who make use of i r o n
implements also worship t h e d e i t y .
protection
The s o l d i e r
therefore
The blacksmiths
The B r i t i s h
I t s v a l i d i t y r e s t s p a r t l y on t h e
119
country.
or other
I n connection w i t h t h i s ceremony
1.
2.
120
a f f o r d a clue f o r i d e n t i f y i n g i t w i t h i t s prototype .
The f i r s t p o i n t t o note i s ifos name, which i s derived from
khu.
Such a
1:21
be
smiths.
Now
the
West A f r i c a n languages.
1.
2.
122
I.
ORISA
OKO
Nearly every v i l l a g e or
He
Honey
They are d i s t i n g u i s h ed by
A f t e r due
123
Th
an i r o n club?
Oko.
Orisa Oko i s worshipped r e g u l a r l y by women
festival i s
This i s not the
Oko.
"V
3.24
HISTORICAL ORIQIN.
be noted.
Orisa Oko 1 B a p h a l l i c d e i t y .
I n l a t e r Egyptian
125
The c h i e f elements i n t h i s Ancient Egyptian c e l e b r a t i o n
survive i n the worship of Orisa Oko.
T h i r d l y , i t has been pointed out that the priestesses of
the god are " d i s t i n g u i s h e d by wearing, stuck on to middle
of
Now
in
I t i s noticeable that
fertility.
J.
SOPONO
"1 26'
As the god
the B r i t i s h Government.
MYTHS. Sopono i s one o f the d e i t i e s which are believed t o have
sprung from the body of Yemaja.
1.
2.
X21
on behalf o f the f a m i l y a f f e c t e d .
(2)
A pot o f
washed.
I t i s t h i s black powder t h a t i s
1128
c r i t i c i z e s Colonel E l l i s f o r s p e l l i n g i t as Shan-kpan-na.
says that the correct s p e l l i n g i s Sho-po-no.
both o f them are r i g h t , each i n h i s own way.
He
The f a c t i s that
Colonel E l l i s
He
Sojoono.
1. op. c i t . p.56
2. 0 w i t h a dot = aw.
3. See Chapter I p.13 Rule I I
1:2.9
This i s
to i t .
Sopono then
.. .
CHAPTER
VII
A. ORO.
B. ELUKU.
130
CHAPTER
VII.
Before t h e e s t a b l i s h -
ment o f the B r i t i s h Government i n N i g e r i a the penalty f o r i n t r u sion i n t o these secret s o c i e t i e s by women or by the uninitiated was
death without mercy.
1.
on t h e d i s t i n c t i o n
131
not always i n s p i r e d by
I t i s t r u e t h a t t h e t e r r o r i n s p i r e d .by. the Of IsastLs^the s p i r i t s
of the dead.
ancestral
No s p i r i t -
0R0
1.
2.
3.
i;3.2
Oro i s a god r e s i d i n g i n the bush.
ORO
i n t o a g u i l d known as Osugbo.
133
The King o f the Egbas i n those days was known as the Make
His p r i n c i p a l Chiefs were the Nlado or the Prime M i n i s t e r , the
Jaguna or the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, the Mogaji or the
probable successor t o e i t h e r of the former c h i e f s . The Alake,
Chiefs and p r i e s t s were a l l members of the Ogbon'i Council.
WORSHIP. Rite s and ceremonies are performed both i n the town
and i n the bush.
Ceremonies performed i n the town are preceded by a proclamation
of confinement of women and the u n i n i t i a t e d .
Wo o f i r i
m'oju k u r o l t h a t i s , T e r - r o r l T e - r - r o r l l T-e-r-r-orl'. .
1
look a t i t I
Now
The confine-
three l u n a r months.
1.
Dare you
ment may
ko
134
On ordinary occasions or on the occasion o f the Yam f e s t i v a l ,
the ceremonies consists o f parade round the town by the members,
dancing, drumming, d r i n k i n g and ceremonially swinging the Oro-sticls
on t h e i r way t o and from the Council H a l l or l i e Osugbo
(House o f Oshugbo).
4. 'Burial ceremonies. Corpses of members o f the g u i l d cannot be b u r i e d u n t i l t h e necessary ceremonies have been
performed. For the performance of the ceremonies the
r e l a t i v e s of the deceased have t o pay a fee t o the
Ogbonis. B u r i a l w i l l not be sanctioned u n t i l the fee
i s p a i d and valuable presents o f d r i n k s are made t o
the Ogbonis. This custom i s now being viewed w i t h
disfavour and may soma be wiped out.
Ceremonies are also performed i n the bush.
a secluded spot i s selected.
For t h i s purpose
- death.
135
1.
2.
3.
Ceremony o f executing c r i m i n a l s .
Pn t h i s subject Adesola
Thejt
So he gave them Pro. The people began t o worship the god and
the King that the silence was due t o the presence of women. The
women having been sent away, the "voice" o f the god immediately
became audible. Hence the mysteries o f Pro-worship are closed t o
women.
1. A s i m i l a r ceremony i s observed by the Benins.
136
(or M a l e ) .
2
On the occasion o f a feast the king's w i f e peeped at t&e--Oroceremonies from the King's chair where she had concealed 'hSBi^If.
The people c a l l e d upon I t a (another name f o r Oro), but there was
no answer.
t h r o a t before r e t u r n i n g t o Oro.
Oro the hunter came back, blamed the people f o r t h e i r
disobedience, and s u b s t i t u t e d a piece o f s t r i n g t i e d t o a s t i c k
f o r the g i f t o f h i s own f l e s h .
137
Others
138.
That god i s Orion or Orion-Sahu .
The Yoruba god Oro i s a
s u r v i v a l o f the Egyptian god Orion. The d e r i v a t i o n o f the
name i s as f o l l o w s :- t o incorporate a f o r e i g n word i n t o
Yoruba language, the f i n a l consonant o f the word ( i f any)
must receive a vowel so as t o form a s y l l a b l e or must be
e l i d e d . Hence 'n i n Orion i s elided l e a v i n g Orio. I n
Yoruba, two vowels coming together are e i t h e r separated by
the a d d i t i o n a l o f a consonant or reduced t o one by the omission o f any one o f them. Following t h i s r u l e Orio becomes "Oro".
1
I n connection w i t h
Oro worship, Oro i s said t o devour the tree used f o r the s a c r i f i c i a l ceremony and i n the case o f execution, t o devour the
the
criminal.
Such a co-
1-39
The d e r i v a t i o n i s as f o l l o w s : - A l l Yoruba nouns commence w i t h a
vowel, hence n i s e l i d e d ; e = i and er = a i n Yoruba; hence the
word becomes I t a .
The t i t l e o f Oro
140
ISJS.
I t i s t h e r e f o r e , easy t o
S
the v a r i e t y of sense i n which the word Oro i s used, shov/ing the
character of the god as an a n c e s t r a l s p i r i t belonging t o the
f a m i l y , t he t r i b e o f the n a t i o n and i l l u s t r a t i n g the s e v e r i t y o f
the punishment which the god i s capable o f i n f l i c t i n g .
1. See T i e l e , H i s t o r y o f the Egyptian R e l i g i o n , t r a n s B a l l i n g a l , p . 5 2
2. N!J.ado i s a contracted form of Onilado.
3. Ja from the West A f r i c a word Je or Ye,which means " t o l i v e ,
to exist".
4. Recently a human s a c r i f i c e t o Oro was a l l e g e d t o have.been
o f f e r e d at Ikorodu. The c h i l d i n v o l v e d was about four years o l d .
See
i g e r i a nOp.cit.
D a i l $ Times,
5. See NDennet,
p.54 August 20,1941.
t'4l
B.
ELUKU.
He i s worshipped occasionall y by
worshipped,
Great secrecy i s
There i s a g u i l d
A l l women
songs:-
The f o l l o w i n g i s a t r a n s l a t i o n o f one of
1:42
I t - i s i n connection w i t h f u n e r a l rites,however, that gome
i n t e r e s t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n concerning Ellaku worship can be gleaned.
I f a member of the Eluku g u i l d <Sies, the s u r v i v i n g members meet
t o perform solemn f u n e r a l r i t e s .
Unlik e the f u n e r a l r i t e s
t h a t i s :-
Eat r i c h l y i n t h i s w o r l d I
We know not whether there i s e a t i n g i n heaven,
Do w e l l i n t h i s w o r ld I
^
We know not whether there i s well-doing i n heaven.
He i s
him t o death".
The word
modified form o f the word ye , which means " t o l i v e " , and ku. i s
a m o d i f i e d form o f Khu which means a. "luminous s p i r i t " . The
word Eluku, t h e r e f o r e , means "The l i v i n g s p i r i t " .
I t i s not possible t o i d e n t i f y the worship w i t h any
p a r t i c u l a r one i n Ancient Egypt, but there i s no doubt t h a t i t
i s a s u r v i v a l , i n a p r a c t i c a l form , o f the b e l i e f that the soul
of man does n o t d i e but l i v e s on as a khu or luminous s p i r i t .
1.
Yu sometimes becomes l u .
CHAPTER
THE
DEIFIED
AND
SPIRITS
OTHER
VIII
OF ANCESTORS
SPIRITS
(continued) -
C. AOEMO
D. EGUNGUN
E.
F. GELEDE
ADIMU ORISA
G. ABIKU.
144
CHAPTER
VIII.
C.
AGEMQy*-
The forms .
I n t r u s i o n i n t o the secret
u n i n i t i a t e d , although i n some
145
t o twenty-four inches. I t i s open at the-top and contains
some o f the secret paraphernalia o f the c u l t . What the contents
are no u n i n i t i a t e d person can say, as these are j e a l o u s l y
guarded by the members o f the c u l t .
a deep bush.
Agemo on h i s head.
I n a d d i t i o n t o t h i s he wears a headgear
He i s e n t i r e l y envelo-
This form
have t o be screened w i t h c u r t a i n s .
11+6
The Agemp p a r t y then r e t i r e t o the lodge house where dancing
and me.rriment continue throughout the day. A l l through the
ceremony great nespect i s shown to the Agemo. Even c h i e f s
p r o s t r a t e before; i t . Women, who are allowed to witness the
dancing have t o p r o s t r a t e themselves sideways.
On the- following; day the Aggmq p a r t y c a r r y t h e i r
paraphernalia back to the bush and conclude the f e s t i v a l w i t h
the performance of rites- and ceremonies i n the bush.
1
man
He is.
He
This i s i n c o r r e c t .
chameleon i s Oga.
The meaning of the word Age,mo cannot be derived from the
meanings o f i t s component p a r t s .
t h a t i t . i s a borrowed word.
I f the. theory proposed i n the- previous; chapters isapplied here and a search i s made f o r the o r i g i n of word
i n the religious-- l i t e r a t u r e o f Ancient'Egypt,
1. Corn-pare the Ukulunkulu of the Zulus.
147..
i t w i l l be found t h a t Agemo i s a s u r v i v a l o f an Ancient Egyptian
d e i t y or d e i t i e s .
Geb-Amon .
(II)
148
because Geb i s the god representing the e a r t h i n which Amon
7
l i e s hidden.
He i s
He causes r a i n'
1
The animal
JZ
M9>
D. ' EGUNGUN.
The b e l i e f in, the existence o f the s p i r i t s o f departed
ancestors and o f other persons among the Yorubas i s nowhere
1
b e t t e r i l l u s t r a t e d than i n the case o f the Egungun c u l t and o f
the Adminu-Orisa c u l t which w i l l be described l a t e r .
The c u l t o f Oro, Eluku, or Agemo i s that o f a s i n g l e s p i r i t .
The Egungun c u l t i s that of numerous s p i r i t s who may appear.at
any time and especially on important occasions. The l a t t e r c u l t
shows that the Yorubas p i o u s l y b e l i e v e that the s p i r i t s o f
departed members o f the f a m i l y are never f a r away and they are
ready t o take an active part i n a l l matters p e r t a i n i n g t o t h e
welfare o f the f a m i l y or o f the community.Whilst t h e sentiment prompting the worship o f the s p i r i t
d e i t i e s described above i s c h i e f l y that o f f e a r , the c h i e f s e n t i -
He may do so .-.'singly,
151
The Qya wears a much f u l l e r and more picturesque dress than
the other Egunguns. He wears a mask which gives him a weird
appearance.
Egungun Oya i s supposed to have been imported from tne Niger
D i s t r i c t . Oya i s the name of the goddess of the Niger and
f
'
Souls"
and worship,by those who belong t o the cult,and the plays organized
by such persons s t i l l a t t r a c t large crowds which are composed of
unsophisticated persons and those who lack any other form o f amusement .
HISTORICAL ORIGIN. The h i s t o r i c a l o r i g i n , of the Egungun c u l t i s
easy t o t r a c e . F i r s t of a l l , i t should be noted t h a t the t r a n s l a g
t i o n o f the word as a "bone" or "skeleton"
.154.
The word.for the masquerader i s egungun, the f i r s t vowel'is a
middle tone vowel and the remaining two are h i g h tone vowels;
-hence t h e h i g h accents placed on them. The v/ord therefor e
d i f f e r s e n t i r e l y from egun - gun which means a "bone".
I t i s probably
1. .See chapter I I .
2. The Ibo word f o r egungun i s Mawu or Mau, a word which i s
derived from the name o f the Ancient Egyptian goddess
Mau-t. See chapter I I above, page 46.
E.
155"
ADIMUORISA .
entails.
The c u l t i s p e c u l i a r t o the Aworis who dwell near the coast.
I n the olden
days some o f the persons thus caught are sacrificed as p r o p i t i a t i o n o f the orisas t o ensure a successful celebratio n of the
festival.
A secret password i s
A severe
15
who j o i n s i n the f e s t i v a l without knowing the pass-word. I n the
olden days the penalty of death used t o be i n f l i c t e d .
Two days before the f e s t i v a l the trunk of a banana t r e e or
the trunk of a small t r e e i s wrapped up l i k e a mummy and
dressed
chiefs.
Drumming goes on m e r r i l y
J
^
P i g . 18
Pig.19
Adamuorisa - A S i n g l e E70
Pacing page 157
I-ha-ha'. I
I - h a - h a i l l E s'erukeru. 0 se
mi t i b a l a k a t i b a l a k a , 0 se mi t i b o l o k o t i b o l o k o .
"Hal-lol
Hal-lo'.I
I-ha-ha-arall!"
Hal-loll I .
There i s no cause f o r f e a r .
I f e e l l i k e dancing t h i s way. I
11
He i s c l a d from
^
1. Adamu Orisa does not mean "We confuse the o r i s a s . Such a
wrong t r a n s l a t i o n i s due t o imperfect knowledge, o f the
language.
;
He i s also
The death
Oba
w i t h i n a few days.
The priesthoo d connected w i t h the c u l t i s drawn from the
Akarigbere and I d e j o Chiefs of Lagos. The p r i e s t s are always
s c a n t i l y c l a d and clean shaven.
The Eyps and other masqueraders are sometimes escorted by
large r e t i n u e s .
word 'ye' which means"to live',' " t o e x i s t " . Eyo therefore means
0
'
1601'.-
I t may be i n t e r e s t i n g t o note the f o l l o w i n g pasages describ ing the b e l i e f s i n Ancient Egypt which have survived i n Egungun
and Adimuorisa s p i r i t worship i n Yorubaland
1.
:-
2.
1.
2.
3.
4.
i6i
.>- '.<"
2.
i n Ancient Egypt.
a man T
The a l t e r n a t i v e name o f Adimu, t h a t i s , O-gu-ra(n) i s
noteworthy. Gu i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n o f Khu, and Ra i s the
name o f the Egyptian sun-god. O-gu-ra(n), t h e r e f o r e ,
means "the soul of Ra". Now i n Ancient Egyp>t Atumu was a sun-god. According t o Professor Maspero - "The sun
e x i s t i n g before the w o r l d they ( i . e . the Egyptians)
2
c a l l e d Creator - Tumu, Atumu". i n the theology o f
H e l i o p o l i s , Atumu and Ra were i d e n t i f i e d under the
s i n g l e name o f Atumu-Ra, t h a t i s , the sun-god
pre-mundane and e t e r n a l -
I t i s t h e r e f o r e , not s u r p r i s i n g
1.
16$.
P.
GELEDE.
164
HISTORICAL ORIGIN. I t i s d i f f i c u l t t o look at t h e Geledes
without t h i n k i n g o f the forms which the Horus Gods used t o .
assume i n Ancient Egypt whenever they paraded the s t r e e t s on .
f e s t i v a l occasions f o r the b e n e f i t of the peasants, e s p e c i a l l y
those who could not grasp the abstract teaching o f the p r i e s t s
regarding the gods who resided i n the temples. The masks o f
some of t h e Geledes resemble .some o f the masks worn by the Horus
gods and the funerary gods i n Ancient Egyptian p i c t u r e s . .
1.
2.
See Chapter I I I p.
.a.
166-ABIKU
b e l i e f o f t h i s s a c r i f i c e i s that the
166
. Sometimes the
CHAPTER
THE
IX.
MINOR
0 R I S A JS.
1i67
CHAPTER IX.
tew t r i b e s or towns.
i n character as t o command the worship o f only, a few i n d i v i d u a l s o r . t o lose t h e i r names and worship.
An account o f the worship of the major Orisass and of
s p i r i t worship i n d i f f e r e n t p a r t s of. Yorubaland has been
given i n the previous chapters. An account o f the minor
Orisas which deserve a t t e n t i o n w i l l now be given.
A.
A\ja?.
A\ja> i s a beneficent d e i t y .
She i s supposed t o be a
n a t i v e medical doctors.
which means t o e x i s t .
l i v i n g one"'.
Aja, t h e r e f o r e , means
See? Chapter I .
1
168
"
B.
A j a Saluga.
of an a n c i e n t E g y p t i an d e i t y .
I n Yorubaland he i s the god. o f wealth.
Traders
I n t h e i r opinion, there i s no t r u t h i n t h e
Hence the
To f i n d
1,69
p r o f i t s i from the s a l e of t h e i r wares.
C i v i l i z a t i o n has not y e t succeeded i n o b l i t e r a t i n g
the l a s t v e s t i g e of the worship of t h i s d e i t y among the
educated elements i n Yorubaland.
On important occasions;
Afconi.
He i s a great admirer
On
I n dealing with
170
such persons h i s malevolence i s implacable*
The god has been d e s c r i b e d a s an e l f p o s s e s s i n g the head
and t a i l of a dog and only one l e g , the other p a r t s of i t s
body being of human form*. I t s monstrous appearance would account
f o r the t e r r o r which i t i s supposed to s t r i k e i n t o
cowardly
minds.
The h i s t o r i c a l o r i g i n of Aroni cannot be d e f i n i t e l y
i
stated.
(Annu).
Dadav
Such c h i l d r e n a r e
are named a f t e r
him.
Dada i s a d u p l i c a t i o n of the
171 .
word Da.
I t s u r v i v e s as the name of a Yorubai d e i t y having
very l i t t l e i n common w i t h i t s a n c i e n t Egyptian namesake;
E.
One of these a n i m a l s
i s the leopard.
The Yoruba word f o r a leopard i s ; Amotekun.but the word
Ekun " T i g e r " i s sometimes s u b s t i t u t e d f o r i t .
The leopard i s regarded by the Yorubas a s a king*
When
This:
or
tiger.
i n c a r n a t i o n of a man's spirit.;.:
The word Amotekun may be d i v i d e d i n t o t h r e e p a r t s b
Amo(n)-to-eku(n>. that i s *
P i g . 21
Orisa I b e j i
( T w in Gods)
F a c i n g page 1 72
172
Ketiinde .
1
Yorubaland
to
extent a s t h e i r r e a l r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s *
F a i l u r e toldo t h i s w i l l
The
j S1
1
Pig.22
173
or vegetables.
I t i s customary f o r the mother of twins t o beg on t h e i r
behalf.
( I b e j i n k i 9, "Twins a r e s a l u t i n g you").
c a r r i e d about f o r t h i s purpose.
Sometimes twins a r e
Persons so s a l u t e d have t o
O f f e r i n g s o f f r u i t s a r e sometimes
I n the
This unity
P i g . 23
A s i l k Cotton Tree
F a c i n g page 171+*
G.
I g i . ('Trees).
Yorubaland has i t s s a c r e d t r e e s .
important are the f o l l o w i n g
1.
:-
Africa.
I t often grows to
t r e e s of the f o r e s t " ,
1
2i
Isoko,
A f r i c a n Oak*
I t i s o f t e n marked
Ayan.
T h i s t r e e i s sacred to Sango, the god of l i g h t n i n g .
It is
A-pa, A f r i c a n Mahogany.
Ape
i s venerated on account of i t s u s e f u l n e s s.
p r o p e r t i e s of t h e i r barks and
7
medicinal
leaves.
Tree.
175
of uses*
I t i s . t h e r e f o r e regarded as sacred*
Reverence
t
i s p a i d to a s p e c i e s of the t r e e which i s r e g a r d e d as a
r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of a l l the others*
Palm l e a v e s are emblems of sacredness.
Any p l a c e or
They
shrines.
t h i r d w i f e of Sango and i s i d e n t i f i e d w i t h a r i v e r f l o w i n g
near Ibadan i n a s o u t h - e a s t e r l y d i r e c t i o n towards the lagoon.
The word O-ba i s d e r i v e d from the Ancient Egyptian
word "ba" which means "a s o u l or s p i r i t " .
With i t s a c c e n t s
regarded
Oke.
I t i s also
live in a h i l l y
of p r o t e c t i n g h i s worshippers
i s capable
The f a l l i n g of
As soon a s t h i s happens s a c r i f i c e s of
176
A& Abeokuta where t h e town i s b u i l t on rocks and h i l l s ,
the god i s much worshipped. One of the h i l l s i s known as;
Olump, t h a t i s , a h i l l made by the l o r d o r d e i t y . U n t i l a
few decades ago i t was b e l i e v e d that a hole on t h i s h l . i l could
serve a s a h i d i n g p l a c e f o r a l l the e a r l i e r s e t t l e r s a t
Abeokuta and would become h e r m e t i c a l l y s e a l e d should the
enemy a s s a i l them there.
The town
Oke may p o s s i b l y be a d i s t a n t
Olarosa.
Olarosa i s t h e t u t e l a r y d e i t y of houses.
I n a country
A s t i c k or
Chapter I I I . page 8.
S e e Maspero, Dawn of C i v i l i z a t i o n , p. 110.
t77
Olarosa probably means "the god l a stands ( a t the door)
a s a means of p r o t e c t i o n " .
K.. Olokun.
Olokun i s one of the d e i t i e s s p r i n g i n g from t h e body,
of the goddess Yemoja.
The word Olokun (Oni-Okun) denotes the owner or l o r d of
1
the sea.
and i s worshipped
to the d e i t y .
The writer* witnessed the ceremonies performed by the
devotees of the d e i t y a t V i c t o r i a beach a few y e a r s ago.
The
late
i n the afternoon.
Then f o l l o w e d
.J*
178
the worshippers was thrown i n t o the sea as a s a c r i f i c e
to the d e i t y .
ceremonies.
Olokun-su or Elusu, the w i f e of Olokun i s the guardian
d e i t y of the bar between the Lagos lagoon and the Bight of
Benin.
the
v i c i n i t y a r e sacred to her.
A l l fishes in
I n f r o n t of the a l t a r were
be explained l a t e r .
chalk marks.
These marks w i l l
He had destroyed l a r g e
179
numbers when Qbatala i n t e r f e r e d to save the remainder,
forced. Olokun back t o h i s palace, and bound him i n
seven i r o n chains u n t i l he' promised to abandon h i s '
design,"
H i s t o r i c a l Origin.
1
The h i s t o r i c a l o r i g i n of t h i s d e i t y w i l l be d i s c u s s e d
l a t e r , but i t should be noted here t h a t i t s name i s derived .
from an Egyptian word.
Oni,
Oku(n).
means owner or l o r d .
The word
O l o r i Merin.
purpose.
1*
180
rounded tops i s regarded a s a s u f f i c i e n t
of the d e i t y .
representation
Jakuta, I f a , Qbatala and Odudua who a r e regarded a s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of the E a s t , West, North and South winds
r e s p e c t i v e l y and a s j o i n t custodians of towns.
Worship.
of Hermopoliis i n
181.
four Yoruba d e i t i e s r e f e r r e d to above a r e elemental d e i t i e a
Just a s the a u x i l i a r y gods t o Thoth i n Hermopolis were
regarded a s elemental d e i t i e s . Secondly,
i
-<r
were represented by baboons.
t h e Egyptian dei,tiea
I t i s s i g n i f i c a n t that t h i s
Thirdly,
of the four p i l l a r s
The f o u r heads of
the god Shu, when s e p a r a t i n g Sibu from Geb, had to make use
of a mound.
S i x t h l y , t h e connection
5
of the s e p a r a t i o n of Sibu from Geb by Shu i s f u r t h e r
1. G.F. Moore, H i s t o r y of R e l i g i o n s , Vol. I * pp.171 &
2. Maspero, Dawn, of C i v i l i z a t i o n , p. 14:8.
3. GF.Moore, opcit. p. 171.
4. Maspero, Op.cit. p.128, note 4.
5. Maspero, Opcit. pp.128 and 129.
182
i l l u s t r a t e d by the gruesome s a c r i f i c e o f f e r e d to the Yoruba
deity.
myth j u s t r e f e r r e d to t h a t e x p l a i n s t h i s e v i l custom.
It
god
i d e n t i f i e d w i t h Sut or Set
Shu.
M -Qlosa.
OlpSffi i s a; beneficent goddess.
The
U n l i k e E l u s u , she i s k i n d to fishermen,
helping
She a l s o protests;
who
s a c r i f i c e s of fowls, sheep,
I n the olden
t.83
Temples i n her honour were b u i l t along the shorescQf
the lagoon, but v e r y few of these now remain.
In these
A. SacrecH, p r o t e c t i v e f l u i d .
, r
T h i s f l u i d was supposed to
I t i s probably f o r t h i s
reason that the Yorubas apply the word O-sa (Awr-eah) to the
lagoon and the word 031.' -osa to the lagoon d e i t y .
N,
184
The word Osu -pa i s derived from two Ancient Egyptian
words, namely, Khonsu and pa.. Khonsu i s the name of the
Moon-god i n Ancient Egypt and i t becomes Osu i n Yoruba by
the f o l l o w i n g process.
Kh i s e l i d e d s i n c e nouns i n Yoruba
u s u a l l y begin w i t h a vowel; On-su i s f u r t h e r modified by
the e l i s i o n of the weak n a s a l consonant which i f i t had been
a hard consonant would have r e c e i v e d a vowel to form i t s
own s y l l a b l e ; the word thus becomes O-su (the moon). Pa
means a house or a d i s t r i c t . The word Osupa, therefore,
means "Khonsu (the god) of the house or d i s t r i c t " .
0.
Osahin.
who
e i t h e r by i n s p i r i n g them to use s u i t a b l e m e d i c i n a l
on
by
185
H i s t o r i c a l Origin.
The o r i g i n of psahin must be t r a c e d to- Egyptian mythology.
The word O-sahi(n) i s derived from the Egyptian word Sahu
which i s the name of a s t a r god
Egyptian god
i d e n t i f i e d w i t h Orion.
The
Reference-
T h i s s p i r i t u a l body was
s a i d to "'germinate" .
god
Sahu
I t w i l l be remembered
i d e n t i f i e d w i t h O s i r i s , and h i s wife
Sahu-Orion and
therefore
usually
by the sparrow-hawk.
cow
The f i g u r e of Horus i s
I t i s t h i s same
by
the
t r a n s f e r r e d to Osahin by
j _i
1.
iii
- _ - - - -'-
- -
186
mere a s s o c i a t i o n of f i g u r e s always seen
together.
It
Ososi.
He a s s i s t s h i s worshippers i n v a r i o u s ways, e s p e c i a l l y by
p r o t e c t i n g them w h i l s t engaged i n hazardous hunting and by
d r i v i n g animals i n t o snares and p i t f a l l s .
w i t h h i s brother
He c o l l a b o r a t e s
i n g i v i n g e f f e c t i v e a s s i s t a n c e to hunters.
He i s represented
described above.
Q.
Osumare.
He i s
A. s p e c i e s of python
187
The name may be d i v i d e d i n t o two p a r t s - Osu (Oshnu) and
Mare.
,f:
to gather, to c o l l e c t , t o c o v e r " ,
The
2
to whom I s h a l l r e t u r n "
The d e i t y i s probably a, s u r v i v a l
Osun.
same name..
goddess i s a c t i v e l y worshipped.
beads.
Worshippers!
- I I p. 48
188
Oshun i s one of the d e i t i e s to whom human s a c r i f i c e s a r e
made i n time of need.
The o r i g i n of t h i s goddess i s not d i f f i c u l t t o t r a c e .
Her name -(J-su(n) or Q-shu(n)
S. Oya.
The goddess Oya must be d i s t i n g u i s h e d from Oya the
s p i r i t of ancestors described i n t h e preceding
chapter.
(Odo Oya).
This
T h i s image symbolizes
2
The word Q-ya comes from the West A f r i c a n word "ye"
which means "to e x i s t " . I t , therefore, means "the l i v i n g one".
1. I s i s and O s i r i s ( t r a n s l a t i o n by Mead L X X I I I , 3 and k)
2. See Chapter I pages 2k and 25.
1.89
T.
Oye.
during
the months of December and January has made such an. impression
on the mind of the Yorubas a s to wrest from them the honour
of a d e i t y .
He i s supposed t o d w e l l i n
(Shigidi).
Dr Farrow, a f t e r denying
t,;
1.
2;
190
of f u l f i l m e n t , the ugudu made f o r the, occasion ceases
to be an O r i s a and - i s destroyed.
Whenever anyone wishes, to revenge himself on another
s e c r e t l y , he c o n s u l t s a babalawo.
Sometimes a t h i c k
By way
of
a week to complete.
to the s t a t u s of O r i s a .Sugudu.
s u p e r n a t u r a l power to i n f l i c t
r u i n i t was made.
I t i s c r e d i t e d w i t h powers of motion.
escape i n j u r y i f
Some of the
:-
1i91
The sender of the Sugudu must remain awake while i t i s
on i t s mission.
I f he were to f a l l a s l e e p , the e v i l t h a t he
grievous
sender.
on .the b a s i s of thought p r o j e c t i o n .
He develops h i s w i l l power i n
Under
person,
192
The; word E-pu-gu-du consists: o f three partav uShu) i s
a modified, form of. Sut eac Shu, the:- Ancient Egyptian god
1
wiiose; c h a r a c t e r has; been sketched!!, abQnre.
s p i r i t of the; mountain,"
Hi: may be; thus seen t h a t S^lugudu i s a l s o a s u r v i v a l o f
the- god. Sut:. our Shu which has.- been i d e n t i f i e d w i t h thee Yoamba
god; Eteu ( E s h u ) ,
The; worship; o f Sugudu i s similar.' to; t h a t of ESAU, Hence)
2
BlV Wariatow says; that Sugudu i s a k i n to E'au,
The; image; o f
Elsu i s ; decorated, w i t h cowries;; so a l s o i s the; image; of S^ugudtai.
E$u i s an e v i l and! f i g h t i n g dfeitys he received, human: s a c r i fices
the:: mountain,, stone and. sand!, the redl and. arid, ground, as;
d i s t i n g u i s h e d l fromi the moist b l a c k s o i l of the; valley,** I t
h a s been pointed', out above t h a t Sugudu means; "Shu. the; s p i r i t
of the; raountttainv
ll:
Stee Chapter' I I I ,
Op,cit pf2&
.
See above; guoJtationi f rom E l l i s ; re; the; guardianship o f
Sugudu*
ty Maspero, opwcit, p,133*
193
the redL e a r t h .
These? c o n s i d e r a t i o ns
SELOW
t h a t Siugudu i s another'
C H A P T E R
X.
PRIESTHOOD
4.
IMAGES OR IDOLS.
PRAYER
5.
TOTEMISM. ,
6.
SECRET
PLACES
OF
WORSHIP.
SOCIETIES.
194.
CHAPTER
"Man
X.
PRIESTHOOD
AND
WORSHIP.
i s the c r e a t u r e of r e l i g i o u s i n s t i n c t s ,
and must'
"a k i n d of commerce
between men
and gods".
The
The b e l i e f i s strong t h a t
2.
195.
consequences t o t h e i n d i v i d u a l o r t o t h e community. The
e s s e n t i a l goodness o f t h e gods i s , t h e r e f o r e , a fundamental' i d e a
i n Yoruba r e l i g i o u s w o r s h i p .
"The R e l i g i o u s Consciousness",
Pratt
o b j e c t i v e and t h e s u b j e c t i v e .
I t must be
n o t e d h e re t h a t t h i s t y p e o f w o r s h i p e a s i l y degenerates
into
196.
minds o f the w o r s h i p p e r s , e l a b o r a t e and sometimes grotesqu e
p a r a p h e r n a l i a t o g e t h e r w i t h s i m i l a r r i t e s and ceremonies form
t h e e s s e n t i a l f e a t u r e s o f the w o r s h i p . T h i s t y p e o f w o r s h i p
g r e a t l y strengthens the f a i t h of t h e worshipper b o t h i n the
e f f i c a c y o f t h e w o r s h i p and i n t h e goodness o f t h e d e i t y .
is
Yoruba r e l i g i o u s w o r s h i p / o f an e m o t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r .
The
Whichever o f t h e s e emotions i s c a l l e d i n t o p l a y
u s u a l l y throws t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l s i d e o f t h e w o r s h i p i n t o t h e
background.
The
s i m p l e emotion;
emotion o f f e a r i s wfttKm
o f t e n e x c i t e d as a
b u t i t i s sometimes f u s e d w i t h a d m i r a t i o n ,
w o r s h i p o f m a l e v o l e n t d e i t i e s such as E l e g b a ra who
owing t o t h e f e a r o f h i s malevolence
i s worshipped
and t o t h e a d m i r a t i o n o f
h i s great strength.
The s e n t i m e n t o f l o v e i s s t r o n g l y m a n i f e s t e d i n Yoruba w o r s h i p ,
is
b u t i t / n o t so overwhelming
as t o deepen i n t o m y s t i c i s m .
PRIESTHOOD.
The Yorubas a t t a c h g r e a t importance t o t h e c o r r e c t
o f acts o f worship.
T h i s importance n e c e s s i t a t e s t h e e s t a b l i s h -
performance
as
men.
has
r e s i s t e d t o some e x t e n t t h e o n s l a u g ht o f w e s t e r n c i v i l i z a t i o n i s
t h e f a c t t h a t i t i s m a i n t a i n e d by an o r g a n i z e d and, i n some cases,
a trained priesthood.
p r i e s t h o o d i s , t h e more c o n s e r v a t i v e and i r r e p r e s s i b l e t h e
r e l i g i o n becomes.
197
Among t h e Yorubas, p r i e s t s occupy p o s i t i o n s o f g r e a t r e s p e c t
i n t h e community. Dr. MacDougall c o n s i d e r s t h a t t h e r e a r e a few
human b e i n g s able t o e x e r c i s e r e v e r e n c e , and t h a t those who do a r e
g e n e r a l l y r e g a r d e d as t h e m i n i s t e r s and d i s p e n s e r s o f d i v i n e power.
The c h i e f p r i e s t s i n Yorubaland e n j o y g r e a t r e s p e c t almost
amounting t o r e v e r e n c e , e s p e c i a l l y t h e Babalawos and those who
o f f e r p r o p i t i a t o r y s a c r i f i c e s t o much dreaded d e i t i e s . They a r e
g i v e n t i t l e s which p l a c e them on a h i g h p e d e s t a l i n s o c i e t y . I n
1
some p a r t s o f t h e c o u n t r y , t h e y a r e more p o w e r f u l t h a n t h e c h i e f s .
I n a l l i m p o r t a n t Yoruba towns t h e r e are Ogboni o r s i m i l a r
2
societies.
as a
I t s h o u l d be n o t e d h e r e ,
now
be g i v e n .
The F i r s t Order.
The f i r s t o r d e r i s t h a t o f t h e p r i e s t s o f I f a .
by f a r t h e most i m p o r t a n t .
This order i s
"Fathers o r M a s t e r s o f S e c r e t s " .
1.
2.
See Chapter V I I .
Peoples
198.
W i t h i n t h i s o r d e r t h e r e a r e v a r i o u s grades.
The f i r s t grade
i s t h a t o f Oluwo o r t h e s e n i o r c h i e f t o whom a l l t h e members o f
the o r d e r owe the d u t i e s o f l o y a l t y and obedience.
Next somes
the A.iigbona. t h e c h i e f a s s i s t a n t t o t h e Oluwo. A f t e r h i m comes
the O d o f i n , t h e Oluwo's deputy, who i s second i n r a n k t o Oluwo;
when a c t i n g as a deputy, t h e A j i g b o n a f u n c t i o n s as t h e C h i e f
a s s i s t a n t t o him. The t h i r d p r i e s t i n rank i s t h e A r o , who a c t s
as deputy f o r h i s two s e n i o r s , when b o t h a r e absent. The n e x t i n
rank i s t h e Asare-Pawo, t h e messenger who summons meetings and
prepares t h e l i e Osugbo o r l i e Odi ( t h e p l a c e o f m e e t i n g ) ; he
has a deputy named Asawo. The c h i e f p r i e s t e s s o f t h i s o r d e r i s
known as A p e t e b i o r Esu o r Awayo and i s r e g a r d e d as t h e w i f e
of Orunmila a l t h o u g h i n r e a l i t y she may be t h e w i f e o f t h e c h i e f
p r i e s t o r o f any o t h e r p r i e s t . The p r i e s t who f u n c t i o n s as
e x e c u t i o n e r i s known as Aworo; he takes precedence over a l l t h e
r e m a i n i n g p r i e s t s o f t h i s o r d e r who have n o t been s p e c i f i c a l l y
mentioned.
A l l thes e p r i e s t s and p r i e s t e s s e s b e l o n g t o t h e f i r s t
rank.
The second r a n k o f t h e f i r s t o r d e r c o n s i s t s o f t h e p r i e s t s
of
Osahin and A r o n i
( t h e gods o f medicine
p r i e s t a t l i e I f e , a l l t h e p r i e s t s and p r i e s t e s s e s o f t h e f i r s t
o r d e r wear w h i t e c l o t h e s .
The I f a p r i e s t a t I f e wear
clothes.
1.
See c h a p t e r
IX
above.
l i g h t blue
199.
A Babalawo's i n s i g n i a o f o f f i c e are a w r i s t l e t o f palm f i b r e
o r o f w h i t e , b l u e and r e d beads, an I r u k e r e
" b u l l o c k ' s or cow's
t a i l " , and a sacred s t a f f .
The s t a f f may assume one o f t h e f o l l o w i n g forms - ( a ) a p l a i n wooden r o d ( b ) a r o d w i t h a rounded t o p
( c ) a wooden or i r o n r o d o r s t a f f shaped l i k e an Ukere s t i c k
described i n a l a t e r chapter
( d ) a s t a f f shaped l i k e an Ada o r
crook described a l s o i n a l a t e r c h a p t e r .
The second Order.
1
The second o r d e r o f p r i e s t s i n c l u d e s .
( 1 ) t h e p r i e s t s o f Sango (Shango).
t h a t i s , a c h i e f p r i e s t and h i s t w e l v e a s s i s t a n t s .
They r e s i d e near the town o f Kuso, t h e s p o t a t w h i c h
ango i s s a i d t o have descended f r o m heaven i n t o
earth.
the
own Magbas.
The p r i e s t s are a l s o known as Oni-Sango o r
Odu-
Shu-Sango.
( 2 ) The p r i e s t s o f a l l t h e o t h e r O r i s a s except O r i s a
Oko.
These f o r m t h e second r a n k o f t h e o r d e r .
I n s i g n i a o f t h e second o r d e r :
The p r i e s t s o f ango wear a s p e c i a l badge o f r e d , w h i t e
b l a c k beads as n e c k l a c e s o r w r i s t l e t s ;
b r a c e l e t on t h e l e f t arm;
beads as n e c k l a c e s and
Red
and
iron
a l s o b r a s s a n k l e t s and
armlets.
and w h i t e are t h e c h i e f d i s t i n g u i s h i n g c o l o u r s o f t h i s
order.
The T h i r d Order.
1.
2.
The T h i r d Order.
200.
The t h i r d o r d e r i n c l u d e s
(1) The p r i e s t s and p r i e s t e s s e s o f O r i s a Oko, t h e god
Agriculture.
of
deified
I n s i g n i a o f t h e T h i r d Order.
The i n s i g n i a o f t h e p r i e s t e s s e s o f O r i s a Oko have been
d e s c r i b e d above. These c o n s i s t o f a v e r t i c a l badge 1 i n c h l o n g
and | o f an i n c h w i d e , h a l f r e d , h a l f w h i t e , s t u c k on t o t h e
f o r e h e a d o f t h e wearer and w h i t e dresses g e n e r a l l y .
P r i e s t s and o t h e r p r i e s t e s s e s o f t h i s o r d e r wear a w h i t e
badge on t h e i r foreheads.
The above o r d e r s a r e d e t e r m i n e d
f u n c t i o n s p e r f o r m e d b y the d i f f e r e n t p r i e s t s and p r i e s t e s s e s .
f u n c t i o n s p e r f o r m e d b y t h e Babalawos a r e t h e most i m p o r t a n t
t h e r e l i g i o u s , t h e s o c i a l and
ding to E l l i s
The
from
the p o l i t i c a l p o i n t s o f view.
Accor-
p l a c e i n t h e p r i e s t h o o d i s t h a t i t i s t h r o u g h h i s agency as t h e
p r i e s t o f I f a , t h e god o f d i v i n a t i o n , t h a t man
necessary t o be done t o p l e a s e t h e o t h e r gods.
l e a r n s what i s
The p r i e s t s o f t h e
I f a t h u s , t o a c e r t a i n e x t e n t , c o n t r o l and d i r e c t t h e w o r s h i p
of
Functions.
3fes
I n t h e case o f a
201.
Babalawo, t h e course i s l o n g and expensive.
T h i s has been
d e s c r i b e d i n Chapter I V above. The course i s sometimes s h o r t e n e d ,
and no one has been f o u n d who has gone t h r o u g h such a l o n g and
thorough cours e as t o enable h i m t o p e r f o r m t h e f e a t o f r e c i t i n g
t h e 4096 I f a S t o r i e s f r o m memory.
Candidates f o r t h e o t h e r p r i e s t h o o d s a l s o undeggo a n o v i t i a t e
o f a more o r l e s s d u r a t i o n .
The t r a i n i n g , e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e cases
o f t h e p r i e s t s o f A r p n i and Osahin, i s c o n s i d e r e d
indispensable.
o f the
Yorubas - t h e p r i e s t h o o d i s w e l l o r g a n i z e d arid t h e p e r i o d o f
t r a i n i n g i s long.
a course o f i n s t r u c t i o n i n "heathenism"
years.
The
f o r a p e r i o d o f seven
t r a i n i n g g i v e n d u r i n g t h e p e r i o d i s so thorough t h a t a c e n t u r y
Mohammedan i n f i l t r a t i o n
a l s o has been n e g l i g i b l e ,
w h i l s t heathen t e m p l es f a r o u t h h i n e many o f t h e o t h e r b u i l d i n g s
i n t h e town and heathen p r i e s t s engaged i n p r o p a g a t i n g t h e i r t e n e t s
as a c o u n t e r a c t i o n t o C h r i s t i a n propaganda can be seen i n t h e
streets.
The f u n c t i o n s o f t h e p r i e s t h o o d w h i c h r e q u i r e adequate
t r a i n i n g f o r t h e i r a c c u r a t e performance may thus be summarized
(1)
(2)
Other p r i e s t s p r a c t i s e d i v i n a t i o n i n a s m a l l way, u s i n g
v a r i o u s methods.
?,02,
Some us t h e method known as Keke
This i s
s t a l k s , one o f w h i c h i s b e n t , t h e g u i l t y p e r s o n b e i n g
t o b e a b l e t o draw t h e b e n t s t a l k w i t h o u t
believed
fail.
( 3 ) They conduct t r i a l s b y o r d e a l , t h e r e b y e n f o r c i n g m o r a l i t y ,
p r e p a r e and s e l l charms, . amulets and o t h e r j u j u s i n
t h e i r s t o c k - i n - f c r a d e.
I n o r d e r t o p e r f o r m these d e l i c a t e and i m p o r t a n t f u n c t i o n s
s a t i s f a c t o r i l y , p r i e s t s a r e r e g a r d e d as s a c r o s a n c t
persons a r e i n v i o l a b l e .
and t h e i r
always s e v e r e l y punished.
The
family.
I n t h e case
o f O r i s a Oko, t h e o f f i c e i s c o m p u l s o r i l y h e r e d i t a r y , as t h e i r o n
staff -
emblem o f t h e god
"Almost w i t h o u t e x c e p t i o n , e v e r y f a m i l y -
and, though s p e c i a l p r i e s t s a r e a p p o i n t e d
for the
1.
who p e r f o r m s
1,1
203.
H i s t o r i c a l C o n n e c t i o n o f P r i e s t h o o d w i t h A n c i e n t Egypt.
The account o f t h e Yoruba p r i e s t h o o d j u s t g i v e n cannot b u t
r e f l e c t t h e i n f l u e n c e o f t h e r e l i g i o n o f A n c i e n t Egypt on t h a t o f
t h e Yorubas.
A few p o i n t s o f s i m i l a r i t y i n r e g a r d t o the p r i e s t h o o d may now
be noted . of
priests
F i r s t , there i s s i m i l a r i t y i n regard t o t h e p o s i t i o n / i n
each c o u n t r y .
priesthood -
On t h i s s u b j e c t , D i o d o r u s says about t h e E g y p t i a n
"The p r i e s t s a r e i n g r e a t c r e d i t and a u t h o r i t y
These p r i e s t s
are c a l l e d t o a s s i s t t h e K i n g s w i t h t h e i r c o u n s e l i n m a t t e r s o f
g r e a t importance,
f o r e t e l l i n g t h i n g s t o come
Compare
u l
According t o S i r F l i n d e r s P e t r i e
"the
title
2
The f o l l o w i n g passage
shows t h e e x i s t e n c e o f a s i m i l a r i d e a i n A n c i e n t Egypt:temples
g r e a t numbers...
we f i n d female s i n g e r s
-.
"Ina l l
and indeed i n
204.
s i n g e r s , t h e inmates o f t h e house o f women.
The s i n g e r s f o r m t h e
harem o f t h e god."
F o u r t h l y , t h e ceremony o f c o n s e c r a t i n g a young v i r g i n t o
g
O r i s a Oko
i n Yorubaland i s i d e n t i c a l i n almost e v e r y r e s p e c t w i t h
t h e ceremony o f d e d i c a t i n g a v i r g i n o f t h e g r e a t e s t b e a u t y t o
Amen.^
p u r i f i c a t i o n are i d e n t i c a l .
The
o r i g i n o f t h e w h i t e and t h e r e d c o l o u r s o r o f t h e w h i t e
O r i s a Oko.
The t i t l e o f an o r d i n a r y p r i e s t i n A n c i e n t
o r u-eb,
I t is
"wash",
"purify",
s u r v i v e s i n t h e Yoruba word
p u r i f y b y washing".
The
"sacrifice",
Sua
survives i n
" s e t a p a r t b y washing".
The word
I t a l s o s u r v i v e s i n 0-su
"a r o u n d l o c k o f
a p r i e s t , l i t . 0-su-gbo
= a consecrated
p e r s o n t o a ba o r i n c a r n a t e s o u l o f t h e t r i b e o r n a t i o n .
1. Erman, L i f e i n A n c i e n t Egypt, pp 295-296
2. Dennet, N i g e r i a n S t u d i e s , p.164
3. S t r a b o ( E d i t i o n Bonn) X V I I , p.46
4. Gbo i s a m o d i f i e d f o r m o f ba o r b a u , souls;.
205.
The word K h e r - i b o r K h a r - i b was t h e t i t l e o f a p r i e s t o r
m a g i c i a n i n A n c i e n t Egypt. Some Yoruba words a r e d e r i v e d from
the t i t l e .
F o r example: A - k a - r i - g b o , (Kh become K, e r becoming
a and b becoming t h e t h i c k l a b i a l p e c u l i a r t o West A f r i c a n
Languages), and A k a r i g b e - r e . A k a r i g b o was, a c c o r d i n g t o Yoruba
t r a d i t i o n , f o r m e r l y a p r i e s t , b u t t h e t i t l e i s now used f o r t h e
paramount c h i e f o f I j e b u Remo, a d i s t r i c t i n Yorubaland.
A - k a - r i - g b e - r e i s t h e t i t l e o f one o f t h e c h i e f p r i e s t s connected
w i t h Adamu-orisa i n Lagos. The p h o n e t i c m o d i f i c a t i o n o f K h e r i b t o
A - k a - r i - g b e - r e i s almost i d e n t i c a l w i t h t h a t o f A k a r i g b o ;just
n o t e d ; t h e f i n a l s y l l a b l e - r e w h i ch i s d e r i v e d from Re, t h e Sungod, s u g g e s t i n g t h a t A k a r i g b e - r e was o r i g i n a l l y t h e c h i e f p r i e s t
o f Re o r Ra, t h e Sun-god, as i n A n c i e n t Egypt.
i
been e x p l a i n e d i n t h e p r e c e d i n g c h a p t e r s .
PRAYER.
y
The Yorubas f i r m l y b e l i e v e i n t h e e f f i c a c y o f p r a y e r .
They
b e l i e v e t h a t a prayer c o n s c i e n t i o u s l y o f f e r e d by a worshipper o r
by a p r o p e r l y q u a l i f i e d p e r s o n, e i t h e r i n a c o n s e c r a t e d p l a c e o f
w o r s h i p o r wherever c i r c u m s t a n c e s demand, i s bound t o be answered.
Hence f r o m dawii t i l l
dusk t h e y o f f e r e j a c u l a t o r y p r a y e r s as
Esu
(Chapter
ll)
806 o
prayers.
T h i s proneness
important factors.
t o p r a y e r i s due t o t h e o p e r a t i o n o f t h r e e
The f i r s t o f t h e s e i s t h e o p e r a t i o n o f t h e
t i o n o f t h e i n s t i n c t f o r s e l f - p r e s e r v a t i o n which i s c o n s t a n t l y
s t i m u l a t e d i n a p r i m i t i v e community where l i f e i s much exposed t o
danger owing t o the i g n o r a n c e o f many o f t h e laws of n a t u r e .
The
t h i r d f a c t o r i s the o p e r a t i o n of the b e l i e f f i r m l y r o o t e d i n t h e
mind o f West A f r i c a n s g e n e r a l l y t h a t t h e r e i s c o n s t a n t i n t e r a c t i o n
between s p i r i t and m a t t e r , t h a t s p i r i t s and gods t a k e a c t i v e
i n t e r e s t i n human b e i n g s and t h a t t h e f a v o u r of the f o r m e r can be
secured b y t h e l a t t e r by a p p r o p r i a t e means, and t h a t t h e f o r c e s
o f t h e w o r l d a r e d i r e c t e d by i n t e l l i g e n c e .
Such a b e l i e f as t h i s
o r s u b m i s s i on t o t h e w i l l o f God o r o f t h e d e i t i e s
and s p i r i t s .
P r a y e r s are o f f e r e d t o
Olorun,
t h e Supreme D e i t y .
As t h e
"May
God
save me",
A dupe lywp q i p r u n
"We
O l q r u n sanu
thank God".
"May
Qlprun
g i v e n i n Chapter I I .
Prayers are o f f e r e d t o t h e household d e i t i e s by t h e e l d e r l y
members o f t h e f a m i l y , s i n c e t h e g r e a t e r p r i e s t h o o d s do n o t f o r b i d
or e l i m i n a t e t h e household p r i e s t h o o d .
o b t a i n e d i n A n c i e n t Egypt.
T h i s i s s i m i l a r t o what
A c c o r d i n g t o Maspero,
"Each f a m i l y
in
207.
i t s w a l l s j lamps were c o n t i n u a l l y k e p t b u r n i n g b e f o r e them, and
fell
I n r e t u r n t h e y become t h e
its
protectors,
i t s guardians, and/counsellors.
them i n e v e r y exigency:.:'
of daily l i f e . "
This i s
dedicated t o a c e r t a i n d e i t y . "
T h i s system o f a l l o t t i n g a
p a r t i c u l a r day t o each d e i t y s e r v e s as a b a s i s f o r t h e c a l c u l a t i o n
o f t h e Yoruba week and f o r t h e r o t a t i o n o f market days.
The day s a c r e d t o any p a r t i c u l a r d e i t y i s observed as a day
as
of rest.
and i s g e n e r a l l y r e g a r d e d / t h e
f i r s t day o f t h e week b y h i s w o r s h i p p e r s .
The e a r l i e s t f o r m o f Yoruba week c o n s i s t s o f a c y c l e o f f o u r
days.
T h i s , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e i n c l u s i v e method o f r e c k o n i n g , i s
208.
n i n e days and o f seventeen days r e s p e c t i v e l y .
The l i s t o f days and t h e i r p r e s i d i n g d e i t i e s a r e as f o l l o w s : l s t . Day:
Esu o r I f a o r Awo.
2nd. Day:
Qbatala o r O r i s a l a
3rd. Day:
Odudua o r Ogun
4 t h . Day:
Jakuta.
from
are a l l survivals o f
Egyptian d e i t i e s .
E$u i n t h e above l i s t i s a s u r v i v a l o f Shu who, as i t has
been p o i n t e d
with Osiris.
Nefer),
o u t b e f o r e , was i d e n t i f i e d w i t h Ra and t h r o u g h h i m
Hence t h e t i t l e o f O s i r i s , I f a ( A n c i e n t
i s used a
s u b s t i t u t e f o r Esu.
A-khu-o) i s p r o b a b l y d e r i v e d
entity",
f r o m Khu;
Awo (A-wo,
i t means
Egyptian
A-hwo,
"an unknown
"a s e c r e t "
Qbatala i s t h e same d e i t y a s O r i s a l a .
Mistress o f t h e under-world"
Odudua means
and i s a t i t l e a p p l i e d t o O s i r i s o r
h i s c o n s o r t as t h e p r e s i d i n g d e i t i e s o f t h e u n d e r w o r l d .
t h e god o f i r o n ;
is
h i s name i s d e r i v e d
f r o m t h e word
J a - k u - t a means
"Lord or
Ogun i s
Khu. J a k u t a
The name
"The L i v i n g S o u l o f Ptah".
1.
The
Yoruba
1.
2.
3.
4.
Esu
(E-shu)
Obatala
Odudua
Jakuta
Esu corresponds
'
Ancient Egyptian
Shu
(husband o f T a f n u i t )
S i b u (husband o f N u i t )
O s i r i s (husband o f I s i s )
S i t (husband o f Nephthys) o r
Ptah or Mih.
1
t o Shu, Q b a t a l a corresponds
t o Sibu, since
J a k u t a corresponds
1
to
S i t , t h e E g y p t i a n w a r r i o r god, o r t o P t a h o r Min.
The
recog-
The i n s i s t e n c e on t h e
n o t be e n t i r e l y due t o i n c l u s i v e method o f r e c k o n i n g .
d e i t i e s a l s o s u r v i v e i n Yorubaland.
s u r v i v e i n an i n d i r e c t way.
frog-headed
As a m a t t e r o f f a c t , t h e y
I n a p i c t u r e drawn by Faucher-G-udin
Such a p i c t u r e
210.
word Ogdo-ad i s a p p l i e d t o a n o t h e r o b j e c t c o n t a i n i n g f r o g s w h i c h
have come t o be r e g a r d e d as d e i t i e s .
"Osiris,
(one) o f t h e e i g h t gods."
The word Monad a p p l i e d t o Thot t h e l e a d e r o f t h e e i g h t gods
s u r v i v e s i n t h e Yoruba words mu-na
A-mona
"a l e a d e r " ,
"a g u i d e "
"sharp",
"strong"
and
words reminiscent o f t h e s t r e n g t h
and l e a d e r s h i p o f Thot.
The Yoruba word f o r a f r o g i s d e r i v e d f r o m t h e c o l l e c t i o n o f
frog-headed d e i t i e s i n t h e Ogdoad.
p_2 i s a m o d i f i e d f o r m o f pau,
of l a ,
, , & n
E g y p t i a n godV.
"many", and
O-po-19
lo
i s a modified form
t h e r e f o r e means
"many gods" -
"an e x t r a o r d i n a r y
Seven
211.
hence they u s u a l l y have a few a d d i t i o n a l days, ranging between
two and f i v e i n number, which are known as Ako-pjo and are
observed as days o f r e s t . The c l a i m s o f the gods t o which the days
are s a c r e d are superseded.
The only god who c o u l d be worshipped
on such days i s 0-s^. The days do not enter i n t o the c a l c u l a t i o n
of the. '.week" and are t h e r e f o r e i n t e r c a l a t o r y .
On t h i s b l o c k , o f f e r i n g s o f palm o i l , k o l a
212
of a s i m i l a r custom among the Ancient Egyptians. According to
F l i n d e r s P e t r i e " I n the houses ( o f the Ancient E g y p t i a n s) there
were permanent p l a c e s o f worship, marked by a r e c e s s i n t h e main
h a l l , about 2 f e e t wide coloured red."
These a r e g e n e r a l l y con-
These a r e
The s a c r e d
and
213.
the e f f i c a c y of the j u j u s e r v e s as an e f f i c i e n t check to the
would-be i n t r u d e r s .
The Yoruba word f o r a grove i s Igbo.
To t h i s word i s
F o r example,
Igbo Pro,
(usually contracted to
grove of Agemp(n)",
Igbo Eluku,
Igbo AgeraoXn),
"the
and so
forth.
. The s o l i d temples to which p r i e s t s are attached are f a i r l y
c l e a n ; they a r e swept p e r i o d i c a l l y , e s p e c i a l l y on Ako-ojo
ordinary or i n t e r c a l a t o r y days"
approaching f e s t i v a l s .
"extra-
and a l s o i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r
The method of s e t t l i n g d i s p u t e s
chapter.
l i e Ogboni,
l i e Osugbo
" I d o l House"
"Do
The f i r s t i s
not pry i n t o
that i s ,
Omo-a-riwo.
the
phrase
214.
The word riwo seems to be a modified form of r i v o ;
a
River Nile.
rivo
Omo means
"a c h i l d " .
i.e.
the
s o i l a f t e r innundation.
The phrase a r i v o
a - riwo.
the
Su
i s a p a r t of the word
Gu-su
i s gu-su,
t h a t i s IQiu-su.
"frankincence";
the L a t i n word f o r f r a n k -
incence i s t u r a l i - s or t u r a r i - s .
The L a t i n word f e r e
"almost"
s u r v i v e s i n i t s e n t i r e form
"almost".
There i s no doubt,
2.
815.
and even of Roman i n f l u e n c e penetrated to the Gulf of Guinea
i
(Aat) .
to the 'ba'
or i n c a r n a t e s o u l of the t r i b e or n a t i o n
has been
Some
these show t r a c e s
which i s t r e a t e d a s an i d o l .
I n every house
2.
216.
c o u r t y a r d of each compound.
Portable images e x i s t , and these are used more as p r o t e c t i v e
or t u t e l a r y d e i t i e s than f o r the purpose of worship.
When one of twin c h i l d r e n
a r e destroyed a f t e r the
the Egyptian o r i g i n
The word f o r an
q.-ere-s,
a vowel to
I
217.
left
at present by the
observed
Yorubas.
Some r a c e s or t r i b e s
Although totemism
Itis
For
i s the i n c a r n a t e s o u l of the t r i b e .
a c c i d e n t a l l y k i l l s a leopard u s u a l l y says
" A l a s , my brother".
The p o s s e s s i o n
2.
218.
more
I t may
A few o f the o r i l e
I j i - m e r e ( r e d monkey or baboon);
Agbo (ram);
Ekun
(( ht ai rg te r )or
t a g ) ; Edu(n)
n)
; s Aniotekun
( l e o p a r(monkey);
d ) ; Efon E( rB iu (f fn a) l o )(;e l eAp-hgabnot()n; ) - rIik(a n( )
(rope);
Opo (post or p i l l a r ) ;
of i r o n ) ;
Ogu(n)
( i r o n , o r i g i n a l l y the god
Ele-gu-gu ( c r o c o d i l e ) .
Among the E k i t i s
exists,
The word
819.
( o r i comes
qmp means a c h i l d ;
re
i s the
I j i - m e r e t h e r e f o r e means "a l i v i n g
T h i s name d e f i n i t e l y r e f e r s to the h i s t o -
c h i l d r e n or f a v o u r i t e s e r v a n t s of Ra.
A-gbo (ram) i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n of the Egyptian word ba or bau
( s o u l or s o u l s " , the ram totem being regarded a s an i n c a r n a t i o n
of
the s o u l or s o u l s of the c l a n .
Ty-phon.
modified form.
cp.
Ku-ku, c l o u d s ) .
"My
Lord"
and i s given o f f e r i n g s .
According to Wiedemann, "the i d e a of an animal i n c a r n a t i o n
of d e i t y i s thoroughly E g y p t i a n
1.
i n order to a s s o c i a t e
220.
with mankind h e ( i . e . a god) must of n e c e s s i t y become i n c a r n a t e ,
otherwise he cannot express h i m s e l f i n human speech, nor a c t
with
visible effect."
I l l e g i t i m a t e c h i l d r e n who
their
now
No v i s i t o r to West A f r i c a could
s o c i e t i e s r e s t upon strong p s y c h o l o g i c a l b a s e s . F i r s t
of
gregarious
of the t r i b e e a s i l y e x c i t e s t h i s i n s t i n c t , e s p e c i a l l y i n a
p r i m i t i v e community where t r i b a l f e e l i n g i s strong and s a f e t y i s
guaranteed by membership i n a recognized
1, Op. c i t . pp 173 and 174
2. H i s t o r y of the Yorubas, p.86.
group.
Secondly, the
821.
i n s t i n c t of s e l f - e l a t i o n r e s u l t s i n the s e l e c t i o n of a sub-group
which considers i t s e l f superior i n i n t e l l i g e n c e to the other
members of the group. The sub-group always l a y s c l a i m to e s o t e r i c
knowledge and l a t e n t power denied to others. T h i r d l y , the i n s t i n c t
of c u r i o B i t y . i s always e x c i t e d by these s o c i e t i e s , with the r e s u l t
that the u n i n i t i a t e d are impelled to- seek admission to the s o c i e t i e s wherever or whenever i t i s p o s s i b l e to do so.
semi-religious.
the
Exam-
"Crocodile",
Leone
peoples and
i n various p a r t s of N i g e r i a .
speaking
g u i l d s of
the
s o c i e t y of the E f i k s .
or
spirit
i s most prominent.
. Examples of s e m i - r e l i g i o u s
the
of the Ibos,
and
These
To t h i s l i s t must
223.
be added the risa-Oko g u i l d , a s e c t i o n o f which i s reserve d
e x c l u s i v e l y f o r women, and the w i t c h c r a f t g u i l d .
given l a t e r .
preceded by i n i t i a t o r y r i t e s , i n c l u d i n g the a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f an
oath of secrec y i n regard t o the m y s t e r i e s o f the c u l t or g u i l d .
The p e n a l t y f o r the divulgence o f s e c r e t s i s always severe; before
the establishment of the B r i t i s h Government, as i t has been pointed
out above, th e death penalty used to be imposed.
Connection with Ancient Egypt.
Yoruba s e c r e t s o c i e t i e s show t r a c e s of connection with
Ancient Egypt.
The d e r i v a t i o n s of some
223.
of them have already been given i n the preceding chapters.
other points of connection with Ancient Egypt w i l l now be
few
given.
v i r t u e and wi&dom".
the
demands a t t e n t i o n .
"ba" or "bau"
which
forms ending i n
The
or
of
that i s , a s o c i e t y .
A West A f r i c a n word u s u a l l y a p p l i e d to s e c r e t s o c i e t i e s or
t h e i r meeting p l a c e s deserve a t t e n t i o n .
The Yorubas c a l l i t
or Od ( O t ) .
1.
2.
or the
god
Stromata I p.670.
bau or bou, a or o being used inter-chanceably i n Egyptian
224.
those of Onitsha c a l l i t O-bo-do, land or town ( o r i g i n a l l y the
p l a c e i n h e r i t e d by a c l a n or g u i l d ) . The Onitsha Ibos a l s o use
the word M-gbo-du, Oracle. Other t r i b e s use s i m i l a r words i d e n t i c a l i n meaning and g e n e r a l a p p l i c a t i o n with those given above. The
widespread use o f the o r i g i n a l word and i t s m o d i f i c a t i o ns i l l u s trates- the impress o f Egypt on West A f r i c a n c u l t u r e , e s p e c i a l l y
i n regard to r e l i g i o u s or s e m i - r e l i g i o u s s e c r e t s o c i e t i e s . The
o r i g i n a l i s probably bu-du the p l a c e or s h r i n e of Od or Ot.
C H A P T E R
P R I E S T H O O D
XI.
&
W O R S H I P
1, S e r v i c e and S a c r i f i c e ,
2. Cannibalism.
3 Tabus.
(continued)
225
CHAPTER. X I .
PRIESTHOOD AND WORSHIP (continued)
SERVICE AND SACRIFICE.
The r e l i g i o n of the Yorubas covers the whole p e r i od o f
l i f e from the cradle t o the grave.
Qlprun, ku i s e !
K i Qlprun
Ka a kun wa,
"May Olorun a s s i s t us i n l o o k i ng a f t e r
child".'
the c h i l d should worship and what ewos (tabus) he must observe may
226
be compared w i t h a s i m i l a r custom i n Ancient Egypt which has thus
of
been described by Prof . Erman - " a t the b i r t h ^ a c h i l d come the
seven Hathor goddesses and discover what fat h i s god has a l l o t t e d
to him, and even though a man attempt t o escape h i s d e s t i n y ,
the
outing".
When t h i s
The r i t e i s known as
227
Egyptian c u l t " .
Other instances o f p u r i f i c a t i o n among the
Yorubas w i l l be noted l a t e r .
1
I n the
Such
On the occasions o f
I n t o x i c a t i o n , rude
228
that the crude elements i n t h e worship of by-gone centuries have
survived w i t h possible additions
There i s no doubt t h a t a part
of the l i c e n t i o u s worship c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f the popular r e l i g i o n
i n Ancient Egypt has survived i n Yorubaland.
Testimonies t o
the existence o f such a worship have been borne by several w r i t e r s
of Egyptology.
The f o l l o w i n g are a few examples o f the t e s t i monies which show s i m i l a r i t y between Ancient Egypt and Yorubaland
i n regard t o l i c e n t i o u s worship :-
I t i s through t h i s
229
o f the town, or group dancing a t a selected spot.
These dances u s u a l l y appear a t f i r s t s i g h t t o the nonn a t i v e as grotesque and confused.
t h e i r poetry".
should be discussed.
Yorubas t h a t r i g h t r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e gods as w e l l as t h e i r
favour can only be secured by g i v i n g them t h e i r dues.
men and gods are swayed".
"By g i f t s
230
The f i r s t p o i n t t o note i s t h a t s a c r i f i c e among the
Yorubas has both a p o s i t i v e and a negative aspect.
The p o s i t i v e
aspect i s shown i n the o f f e r i n g o f g i f t s t o the gods; the negative
aspect may be seen i n the observance o f ewos or tabus, by which
the worshipper shows a s p i r i t o f s e l f - d e n i a l by r e f r a i n i n g from
comes from a confederate p r i e s t , but some simple-minded v/orshippers regard the voice as t h a t o f a god.
This p r a c t i c e may be .
"Dhe
" I t i s clear
231.
a clasg o f p r i e s t s v/hose duty i t was t o
and a l l t h e
are sacred
238
Just as appropriate o f f e r i n g s must be made to d e i t i e s , so
also must appropriate o f f e r i n g s be made f o r p a r t i c u l a r purposes.
Bishop James Johnson, who has s t u d i e d the subject o f Yoruba s a c r i f i c e
c closel y w r i t e s :
"For every p a r t i c u l a r s a c r i f i c e a c e r t a i n v i c t i m i s
prescribed, and sometimes the same animal may be prescribed
f o r more than one s a c r i f i c e ; and so i t i s w i t h meat and d r i n k
o f f e r i n g s e.g. against death i n sickness, a sheep, and f o r
l o n g e v i t y , a dog; f o r s t r e n g t h t o the body, a ram, sheep and
a cock; against losses, a basket o f eggs, most o f which are
u s u a l l y employed w i t h leaves sacred t o I f a ; against being l i e d
upon ( i . e . being slandered), domestic pigeons and palm nut
s h e l l s ; against t r o u b l e and m i s f o r t u n e , r a t s T against drought,
small crabs from which water drops each time each makes a leap;
against a f l o o d from incessant r a i n or f o r confusion o f a p l o t ,
s n a i l s ; against a f i r e accodent, a w i l d hog or a duck w i t h
d i f f e r e n t kinds o f I f a leaves; f o r v i c t o r y i n a time of war
a ram sheep and an o l d cock together; against the death o f a
very young c h i l d , a hen t h a t had had chickens; to be permitted
to come to a t i t l e and f o r the destruction, of a p l o t , a w i l d
hog."l
An analysis o f these o f f e r i n g s shows t h a t they are
connected w i t h the sacred animals i n Egypt.
233
p r i v a t e ; and secret as w e l l as p u b l i c vows were made
i n the hope o f f u t u r e favours." 1
S a c r i f i c e s can be described from"the p o i n t o f view o f the
range o f persons f o r whom they are intended or from the purpose?
f o r which they are intended.
S a c r i f i c e f o r an i n d i v i d u a l i s u s u a l l y described as Bbo
O r i ( s a c r i f i c e t o one's guardian s p i r i t ) .
A family, s a c r i f i c e i s known as Ebo Agbole " S a c r i f i c e
o f the household".
A township s a c r i f i c e i s known as Ebo Igboro " S a c r i f i c e
of the open s t r e e t " *
A c i t y s a c r i f i c e i s known as Ebp Agbalu " S a c r i f i c e o f
sweeping the town" or Ebo 9ba " S a c r i f i c e o f the k i n g " .
S a c r i f i c e s which derive t h e i r t i t l e s from objects f o r
which they are o f f e r e d are many and v a r i e d. Bishop Johnson's
collections o f such s a c r i f i c e s i s very r e p r e s e n t a t i v e and i s given
i n the f o l l o w i n g passage :"There i s a great v a r i e t y o f s a c r i f i c e , and.each p r e s c r i b ed' s a c r i f i c e , o r each s e t o f such a s a c r i f i c e , takes i t s
name generally from which i t i s o f f e r e d .
Among them may be mentioned the f o l l o w i n g :the redemption s a c r i f i c e ;
the exchange s a c r i f i c e ;
the wealth and the l o n g e v i t y s a c r i f i c e ;
the s a c r i f i c e f o r recovery from i l l n e s s and preventing
death;
those f o r the possession o f s t r e n g t h and f o r the
avoiding o f losses , o f any k i n d ;
those f o r p r o t e c t i o n against being a cause o f t r o u b l e
to?, one* s own s e l f ;
those against being s u c c e s s f u l l y p l o t t e d against;
those ag'ainst a f i r e accident and f o r the removal o f
. drought, or the prevention, or the cessation o f a
.'-flood o f r a i n ;
t h a t f o r a t t a i n i n g t o some t i t l e and o f f i c e o f
d i g n i t y and that f o r securing a long enjoyment o f the
o f f i c e , e s p e c i a l l y i f he who seeks i t had been t o l d
beforehand through I f a d i v i n a t i o n , t h a t h i s enjoyment
1. Yoruba Heathenism.
23k
of i t w i l l not be l o n g ;
t h a t f o r securing the sign or mark ojn~ one's forehead
t h a t would assure him o f h i s safet y from the approach
and touch o f the angel o f death, and o f v i c t o r y and
triumph over d i f f i c u l t y and t r o u b l e ; and
t h a t f o r a c q u i r i n g s u p e r i o r i t y t o others etc.
These various s a c r i f i c e s mentioned, "being
atonement s a c r i f i c e s , suggest the existence o r i g i n a l l y
i n the mind o f the Pagan Yoruba, t h a t s i n and the
anger o f an offended god are the cause o f the various
i l l s i n c i d e n t a l t o human l i f e , t h a t l D l e s s i n g s are only
t o "be had from him and according t o h i s w i l l , and
t h a t f o r t h i s he i s t o "be p r & p i t i a t e d "by means o f
s a c r i f i c e and o f f e r i n g , since he who desires them i s
a sinner". 1
MODES OF SACRIFICE.
Modes o f s a c r i f i c e vary according t o the nature or
*
object o f the s a c r i f i c e .
When the object o f the s a c r i f i c e i s t o redeem o r t o
make an o f f e i i h g i n exchange f o r the l i f e o f the person the
f o l l o w i n g modes' may be adopted :(a) The s a c r i f i c e w i l l be taken t o a s t r e e t , a crossroad
o r
highway and l e f t t h e r e .
The a c r i f i c e u s u a l l y
A noteworthy
sacrifice
'
^ -
Dialogue, I .
235
(c) I n the case o f Ebo IparQ Ori "The
s a c r i f i c e of
the
Sometimes
head
The
b e l i e f underlying the
animal v i c t i m may
be taken across a r i v e r ( i f
be thrown i n t o a r i v e r or buried
The
inhabitants
come out i n
t r a n s-
ference of t h e i r g u i l t to i t . .
Offerings of t h i s type are known as G u i l t
Offerings.
236
When the c h i e f object i s t o secure d i v i n e help f o r
accomplishing a purpose, t h e f o l l o w i n g method i s adopted :The blood o f the v i c t i m i s s p r i n k l e d upon the l i n t e l s
and upon the door hanging on one o f them.
I f a bird-
i t . t o f a l l on the
an atonement s a c r i f i c e .
237
c h i e f s are being i n s t a l l e d t o t h e i r o f f i c e , and i t s d e t e s t a t i o n
by c h r i s t i a n s has proved an impediment t o t h e i r acceptance
of c h i e f t a i n c i e s .
A somewhat s i m i l a r method i s adopted i n the case o f
Ebp Isami.
This marking i s
I t i s the l e a f o f
238
Commenting on the p a r a l l e l s "between the.Yoruba and.
the Hebrew s a c r i f i c e s , Dr. Farrow says :
'
close
239
"between the Yorubas and the Hebrews w h i l s t both o f them were i n
Egypt.
During the e x i l e several colonies o f Jews r e s i d e d i n
various p a r t s o f Egypt and many Jews s e t t l e d i n Egypt a f t e r the
Dispersion, some o f whom were included i n the comprehensive term
"Jews, devout men, out o f every n a t i o n under heaven" .
The resemblances are so close as t o suggest a c t u a l contact r a t h e r
than mere i n f i l t r a t i o n .
1
A t t e n t i o n has already
o f f e r e r i s o f t e n f i r s t p u r i f i e d w i t h water.
This i s q u i t e
Another important
A Yoruba s a c r i f i c e o f seven
or the seven
The meat o f f e r i n g s ,
Egyptians.
For example, Setna, an Egyptian King, i s s a i d t o have
1; Acts, Chapter I I , v. 5
''
"~~
2. Erman, Egyptian R e l i g i o n , p.179.
3. Brusgsch, Thesarua, pp.117 e t seq.; The Book o f the Dead ( E d i t i o n
W a l l i s Budge), Chapter 17; G r i f f i t h , Demotic Magical Papyrus,
PP. 78, 79.
r
2k0
"caused ox, goose, wine t o be brought; he made a b u r n t - o f f e r i n g ,
a d r i n k o f f e r i n g before I s i s o f Ooptos and Harpokrates" .
1
given, showing how c l o s e l y a l l i e d was the s a c r i f i c e t o the worship o f Esu, the s u r v i v a l o f t h e Ancient Egyptian god Sut o r Set.
A t t e n t i o n was also c a l l e d t o t h e s i m i l a r i t y between the p r a c t i c e
of human s a c r i f i c e i n Ancient Egypt-' and the same p r a c t i c e i n
Yorubaland.
D e t a i l e d d e s c r i p t i o n s o f the s a c r i f i c e as witnessed
or experienced by various w r i t e r s o r observers w i l l now be given:
?
the-eighteenth century Captain John Adams says :"The h o r r i d custom o f impaling a l i v e a young female t o
p r o p i t i a t e the favour o f the goddess p r e s i d i n g over the
r a i n y season, t h a t she may f i l l the horn o f p l e n t y , i s
p r a c t i s e d here annually.
The immolation o f the v i c t i m
takes place soon a f t e r the v e r n a l equinox, and
along w i t h her a r e ' s a c r i f i c e d sheep and goats; which,
together w i t h yams, heads of maize and p l a n t a i n s , are
hung on stakes on each side o f her.
Females destined
to be thus destroyed are brought up f o r the express
purpose i n the king's o r caboceer's s e r a g l i o , and i t i s
s a i d t h a t t h e i r minds have been sojpowerfully wrought
upon by the f e t i s h men t h a t they proceed t o the plawe o f
execution w i t h as much cheerfulness as-those i n f a t u a t e d
1. G r i f f i t h ' s World's Best L i t e r a t u r e , p. 5273.
2. Maspero, Dawn o f C i v i l i z a t i o n , p.122; See also Maspero,
Lectures h i s t o r i q u e s , pp.71-73
3. The prevalence o f human s a c r i f i c e i n Ancient Egypt can be
judged by the numerous references t o the p r a c t i c e i n works
on Ancient Egypt.
The f o l l o w i n g are a few instances:Maspero, New L i g h t on Ancient Egypt, pp.3132; Murray, Osir e i o n , p.30: P l u t a r c h , I s i s and O s i r i s , ( t r a n s l a t i o n by Mead)
L X X I I I , 3, 4; Athenaeus ( e d i t i o n Bohn) IV. 72 e t c.
241
Hindu women who are a l s o "burnt w i t h t h e i r husbands.
One was impaled whil e I was a t Lagos, but of course
I d i d not witness the ceremony.
I passed by where
her l i f e l e s s body s t i l l remained on the stake a few
days afterwards". 1
I n a l e t t e r dated 20th August Mr. B i c k e r s t e t h who
paid
*
new
had s t u d i e d the s u b j e c t v e r y
of
:-
242
of h i s l a s t word, or h i s l a s t groan, heard and
taken up "by the people, would be a s i g n a l f o r joy
and thanksgiving and f o r drum beating and dancing,
as an e x p r e s s i o n of t h e i r g r a t i f i c a t i o n , because
t h e i r s a c r i f i c e has been accepted, the d i v i n e
wrath i s appeased and the prospect of p r o s p e r i t y
or i n c r e a s e d p r o s p e r i t y assured," 1
Sometimes the v i c t i m i s o f f e r e d by means of a basket
i n t o which he i s hurled and which would then be f o r c i b l y
thrown flown from a great height.
T h i s i s known a t Abeokuta
as Basket S a c r i f i c e .
Dr. Farrow thus d e s c r i b e s the human s a c r i f i c e which
he experienced a t Abeokuta :"The l a s t p u b l i c human s a c r i f i c e i n Abeokuta was
o f f e r e d i n 1891
A slave. was purchased who was
to become the v i c t i m and was kept shut up f o r a week
or ten days before being k i l l e d . . . . The v i c t i m
during the days of h i s i n c a c e r a t i o n was c a l l e d by
the honourable t i t l e Oluwo (a t i t l e given to a
r u l e r of the c o u n t r y ) , and was allowed (according to
the u s u a l custom) to have every wish g r a t i f i e d ,
excepting only l i b e r t y and l i f e . On the day immediat e l y preceding the'death, he was taken i n procession
round the township, made much of, and allowed to
g r a t i f y h i s e v e r y d e s i r e . On the f a t a l day he was
brought out and p u b l i c l y clubbed^ to death. . The
body was then t o s s e d about, k i c k e d , mocked and
abused; but afterwards worshipped as an o r i s a . " 2
I t may be added here t h a t the more u s u a l custom
was the beheading of the v i c t i m .
The f o l l o w i n g i s a
2k3.
w i t h cam-wood and t r e a t e d i t with the g r e a t e s t
honour". 1
Human s a c r i f i c e was the supreme s a c r i f i c e of the
Yorubas.
I t was a p r a c t i c a l demonstration
of the d e s i r e ,
Nowhere i n Yorubaland
I t i s a l s o o f f e r e d to
When the
2Uh
Yorubas emerged i n t o the l i g h t of c i v i l i z a t i o n , they had
reached
C o l o n el
actually
literally
eaten has arisen,from the use of the Yoruba word " j e " i n a .
r e s t r i c t e d sense.
This i s a wrong t r a n s l a t i o n .
Like
245
I t has been pointed out i n a previous chapter t h a t the word
comes from the West A f r i c a n root-word "ye" which means "to e x i s t ,
to l i v e " .
I f " j e oba"
means "to eat the king" , then " j e a i y e " must mean "to e a t the
world", " j e oga" must mean "to e a t the master" even where a
person assuming the post of a master has no predecessor, and
" j e oye" must mean "to eat a c h i e f t a i n c y .
w i l l be made i f the root-word
A s i m i l a r mistake
"ye" i s t r a n s l a t e d l i t e r a l l y i n
S e v e r a l examples of t h i s p r a c t i c e have
W r i t i n g on t h i s s u b j e c t ,
importance
The f o l l o w i n g passage w r i t t e n by
24$
Professor Erman c l e a r l y supports t h i s statement
:-
Since the
as
"All
s a c r i f i c e have t h e i r negative s i d e s .
The ewos or taboos may be general or p a r t i c u l a r .
The
f u n e r a l obsequies of a r e l a t i o n i s an ewo
peoples.
to a l l Yoruba speaking
247
i t i s an ewo.
The ewos may be moral or ceremonial, or merely
imposed by custom.
Some o f them a r e v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g , and i t i s
remarkable that c i v i l i z a t i o n has KB* proved powerless i n a b o l i s h ing them.
Whatever may be t h e i r nature or scope, the ewos a r e
regarded a s p r e - r e q u i s i t e s f o r the welfare of the i n d i v i d u a l or
group and a s n e c e s s a r y c o n d i t i o n s f o r maintaining r i g h t r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h the d i f f e r e n t d e i t i e s .
Neglect of ewos i s regarded a s
fraught w i t h d i r e consequences.
Anyone caught w h i l s t i a f r i n g i i g
the t r i b a l or n a t i o n a l ewos w i l l have himself to blame f o r the
s e v e r i t y o f the p u b l i c punishment which may be exacted f o r t h e
offence.
P A G E S
C H A P T E R
P R I E S T H O O D
2^8 - 2 6 8 .
XII.
AMD
WO R S H I P.
Owing to a Bookbinder's e r r o r , t h i s
chapter has been placed a f t e r Chapter
XIII.
The e r r o r i s regretted.
269
Chapter X I I I .
The Yoruba Conception of
oooo
Man.
Man
i s essentially-
s t a t e of
They b e l i e v e t h a t man
has a m a t e r i a l body
entity.
Various w r i t e r s have explained how
the notion of
For
Primitive
of a c t i v i t i e s
He f e e l s that he
has
and
This
who
270.
The b e l i e f i s t h u s extended to i n c l u d e b e l i e f i n the
p o s s e s s i o n of a second i n d i v i d u a l i t y by every human being.
Such a b e l i e f as t h i s i s bound to be f u r t h e r
The
developed.
showjphysical c h a r a c t e r i s -
be i n c a r n a t ed i n a new-born c h i l d ,
as
an
individual.
I n West A f r i c a , the b e l i e f i n a second i n d i v i d u a l i t y
exists.
or two
i s the possessor of
a f a i r amount of p s y c h o l o g i c a l knowledge.
requires
I t also requires
Failure
caused
one
271
their
r e f l e c t d i s c r e d i t a b l y , on
During a man's
A f t e r death i t
D i r e c t l y the b r a i n
272
after
sunset.
Qkan "heart", " h e a r t - s o u l " , i s an immaterial part of man*
The word i s used i n two
senses.
I n the f i r s t sense i t
part of man.
I t i s b e l i e v e d to be
man.
11
may
I t may
who
It
I t i n c l u d e s t h a t part
I t i s b e l i e v e d to
I t - i s a s u b s t a n t i a l part of man
which uses
becoming d i s s o c i a t e d from i t .
be r e - i n c a r n a t e d .
I t i s by
This
273
p a r t of the conception of man i s not f u l l y , worked out to
show whether the same otean can belong to two persons.
The Yorubas b e l i e v e that a s man's okan or h e a r t - s o u l
may l e a v e the body and become incapable of r e - e n t e r i n g i t .
This idea
A. w i t c h i s
I f the b i r d i s s e i z e d , the
"His h e a r t - s o u l i s gone".
I t i s the
Olorun
I t i s a l s o regarded a s the
highest p a r t of man which makes use both of the okan. "'heartsoul" and of "ara." "body".
L i k e okan. i t i s imperishable.
In
274
"the
For
example, I k u mi "my, s p i r i t " "something which i s p a r t and p a r c e l of me" and hence "something very easy f o r me to deal with".
Minor I n d w e l l i n g S p i r i t s .
The p a r t s sketched above comprise the e s s e n t i a l elements
i n man.
I t i s reA proverb
He may
be
He
275,
I p i n 1.1 eun
This deified
of Yoruba Idioms, i s i n c o r r e c t .
In
way
" I am t h i r t y " i s
S e v e r a l other
0p C i t . P.133L
276
ku l i aiye" ,
1
the e a r t h " .
l,!
as " f i r e i s dancing."
The f a c t i s
a t a give --away-price"'.
Inori*
T h i s d e i f i e d s p i r i t i s supposed
Offerings a r e made
These a r e
Of
277
the t h r e e s p i r i t s , 3 p o r i i s the l e a s t important.
Prayers; are o f f e r e d t o the Olori. and t o Epori, hut no*
t o I p i n I j e u n which receives s a c r i f i c e s o f food d a i l y .
The
278
The f o u r t h soul
The u n i t y
The p e r s o n a l i t y i s not d i v i d e d up i n t o
Dr William:
279
opinion as t o the presence o f several consciousnesses i n one
person subordinate t o the dominant s e l f says " I b e l i e v e
t h a t we are compelled t o recognize; t h a t sometimes, and not
i n f r e q u e n t l y , a s i n g l e human organism or person i s the
seat o f more than one stream of conscious knowing, f e e l i n g
and s t r i v i n g , more than one stream of mental a c t i v i t y . . . , I ,
who consciously, address you, am only one among several selves
or egos which my organism, my person comprises:";
Professor W i l l i a m James, another great a u t h o r i t y ,
saysi'Apart from a l l r e l i g i o u s considerations, there i s a c t u a l l y
and l i t e r a l l y more l i f e i n our t o t a l soul than we are a t
any time aware of.
Our
i n t u i t i o n s , hypotheses, f a n c i e s , s u p e r s t i t i o n s , persuasions*,
c o n v i c t i o n s and i n general a l l our n o n - r a t i o n a l operations,
come from i t . . . .
I n i t a r i s e whatever m y s t i c a l operations
The
man.
880.
possessed by i n d i v i d u a l s must be traced t o t h e i r connection
w i t h t h e i r respective f a m i l y groups seems t o be confirmed
by the f o l l o w i n g suggestion o f a "Larger Self" made by
S i r O l i v e r Lodge i n the Hibbert Journal o f October 1923:**We are, each o f us, l a r g e r than we know; t h a t
..each o f us i s o n l y a p a r t i a l i n c a r n a t i o n o f a
l a r g e r s e l f . The i n d i v i d u a l as we know him i s
an incomplete f r a c t i o n ; a p o r t i o n o n l y o f the
whole s e l f i s brought, a t &B& one p e r i o d , i n t o
i n t i m a t e contact w i t h matter and close associat i o n w i t h a m a t e r i a l body
"As regards Reincarnation i t i s probably a
mistake t o suppose t h a t the same i n d i v i d u a l whom
we knew i n b o d i l y form i s l i k e l y t o appear again
at some f u t u r e date. There may be exceptions but as
a r u l e t h i s seems u n l i k e l y t o happen. What may
happen, however, i s t h a t some other p o r t i o n o f the
l a r g e r s e l f becomes incarnate
"How l a r g e a s u b l i m i n a l s e l f may be, one does
not know; but one can imagine t h a t i n some cases
i t i s very l a r g e , so t h a t i t contains the p o t e n t i a l i t y
f o r t h e i n c a r n a t i o n not only o f a succession o f
ordinary i n d i v i d u a l s , b u t of r e a l l y great men
"
L i f e a f t e r death.
Without a c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f man's l i f e a f t e r death o r
of h i s d e s t i n y i n t h e l i f e h e r e a f t e r a d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e
conception o f man would be incomplete.
I t has been p o i n t e d out above t h a t t h e Yorubas c r e d i t
man w i t h both a m a t e r i a l body and an immaterial body.
The m a t e r i a l body i s known as Ara.
at death.
the
281
i s regarded as the seat o f i n t e l l i g e n c e and courage and t h e
residence of d i v i n i t y o r genius i n the case o f a k i n g o r any
other d i s t i n g u i s h e d person.
i s preserved i n a vase and worshipped as an emblem o f d i v i n i t y ; otherwise i t i s reduced t o powder and mixed w i t h rum
t o be drunk by the king's successor who thus preserves the
t r i b a l o r n a t i o n a l d i v i n i t y r e s i d i n g i n the deceased king.
The dead body i s known as Oku,
explained above.
As a matter* f
0
A man's
Hence t h e
282
members o f t h e f a m i l y , e s p e c i a l l y t o those t o whom the death
of i t s possessor has n o t yet been announced.
I t also remains i n
bless t h e c h i l d r e n .
"The " s p i r i t . '
children".
I t should be noted t h a t a f t e r death the heart-soul i s no
longer c a l l e d glean.
s p i r i t r e s t i n g i n a grave" o r i w i n "disembodied s p i r i t
wandering about i n a n t i c i p a t i o n of customary ceremonial b u r i a l ,
or eml(n) "disembodied s p i r i t viewed i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e other
members o f the family."
The s p i r i t o r Emi(n) i s o f t e n c r e d i t e d w i t h the same characteristics
The s p i r i t of
283
As i t has been p o i n t e d
The b e l i e f , however, l i n g e r s i n t h e
284
one thousand cowries. On the way homeward the
elder brother murdered the younger and took h i s
cowries;. I n response t o enquiries he said t h a t
he had l e f t h i s b r o t h e r behind on the road. As
search f a i l e d t o y i e l d any trace o f t h e l a d i t
was supposed t h a t he had been kidnapped and sold.
From h i s decaying bones sprang up a very large
Olu or edible fungus, which was discovered by h i s
mother, and, as she was about t o pluck i t , t h e
fungus sang:
"Do not
.Do not
Do not
I am a
I
I
I
I
I
pluck
pluck
pluck
lowly
me, Mother,
me, Mother ,
me, Mother ,
p l a n t on the ground.
went t o the v i l l a g e f r o l i c : ,
went t o the v i l l a g e f r o l i c ,
am a l o w l y p l a n t on the ground:
was g i v e n a thousand cowries*
am a l o w l y p l a n t on the ground.
Do not
Do not
Do not
I : am a
pluck
pluck
pluck
lowly
me, Mother,
me, Mother,
me, Mother,
p l a n t on t h e ground.
285
Heaven and H e l l .
Souls and s p i r i t s do not merely go t o t h e Deadland.
Their f a t e i s determined by t h e l i f e they had l e d w h i l s t
i n the f lean.
The Yorubas; believe i n two kinds o f heaven.
i s known as Orun r e r e "Good Heaven".
go*
The f i r s t
When he
286
B e l i e f i n a f u t u r e judgment i n the h a l l o f heaven i s
s t r o n g l y entrenched i n the minds of the Yorubas. I t
contains the idea o f a righteous judgment, o f a place where
wrongs w i l l be r i g h t e d and grievances redressed.
The b e l i e f '
2.
287
3.
4.
5.
6.
A. man's: s p i r i t
continues t o e x i s t w i t h e s s e n t i a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s which
preserve h i s i d e n t i t y .
7.
8.
'
9*
10.
opinion:-
The f a t e of the" s p i r i t i n
288
the next w o r l d depends upon the. judgment i t receives at:
the judgment h a l l o f heaven.
12. That the k i n g during h i s l i f e t i m e i s d e i f i e d and
worshipped.
worshipped.
deities.
family*
be
289
1.
2.
3.
8.
9*
1.
290
The resemblance between the Ancient Egyptian conception and:
the Yorubtt conception of man can now be t r a c e d i n d e t a i l .
F i r s t , there i s the p h y s i c a l body, known as Khat i n
Ancient Egyptian and as Ara i n Yoruba.
decay.
Both are l i a b l e t o
From the d e s c r i p t i o n
death, and both are supposed t o need the tfee. food and d r i n k
o f f e r e d t o them a f t e r death*
I t should be noted t h a t when a Yoruba man wishes t o r e f e r
to h i s r e a l p e r s o n a l i t y he uses the word ka.
For example, he
I myself.
I t should be noted t h a t as the same word O-ka(n) i s used
291
Both are supposed t o be c l o s e l y associated w i t h t h e sxaul
and t o be "the source both of t h e animal l i f e and o f good
and e v i l i n man?
Somehow among
The d i f f e r e n c e i s t h a t
standpoint
of i t s significance.
This d i f f e r e n c e o f p o i n t
392
soul" i s Emi(n).
293
a k i n to that of a deity.
i n d i c a t i o n o f t h e c o n n e c t i o n o f t h e Y o r u b a s w i t h Coptos;
i n A n c i e n t E g y p t where t h e god Min was a c t i v e l y w o r s h i p p e d ,
A c o r p s e o r a disembodie d s p i r i t
" t h a t w h i c h h a s become a Khu .
i s known a s O-ku.
lt!
t h a t i s t h e p r o c e s s o f becoming a luminous s p i r i t o r o f
g i v i n g up t h e Khu.
S i x t h l y , t h e word 3-ekhe-m s u r v i v e s i n Y o r u b a a s e k f i n i t i a l and f i n a l consonants
means " c o n f i d e n c e " .
are elided.
literally, " I
a t t a c h e d Z i n Yorubaland
and i n Ancient
Egypt.
t h e l a t t e r c o u n t r y , t h e Eat name i s o f t h e g r e a t e s t
importance.
This
derivation i s as follows:-
0 i s the i n i t i a l
vowel,
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f Yoruba nouns; t h e l e t t e r e i s o f t e n
r e p l a c e d i n A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n l a n g u a g e by t h e l e t t e r u e.g.
Tern, Turn; hence r e becomes r u ; f i n a l n a s a l consonant
i s elided;
importance
1.
Oru-ka i s t h u s a s u r v i v a l o f
t o names t h u s becomes o b v i o u s.
See Chapter V I
O r i s a Oko, above.
894
L a s t l y , Sahu o r s p i r i t u a l body h a s no
i n Yoruba.
w h i c h has
counterpart
I t must n o t be c o n f u s e d w i t h Sahu i . e. O r i o n
s u r v i v e d i n Y o r u ba a s O - s a n h K n ) . The
of the counterpart
i s p r o b a b l y due
absence
to t h e f a c t that
the
d e t a i l e d above, i d e a s w h i c h may
The f o l l o w i n g a r e a few
The
be r e g a r d e d a s
s u r v i v a l s e x i s t i n Yorubaland i n connection
t h e c o n c e p t i o n o f man and
1.
constituent
with
h i s d e s t i n y i n the f u t u r e world*
o f them:
i d e a o f heaven*
It
no
p l a c e f o r t h e i d l e , t h a t t h e r e i s a b e l i e f i n judgment
a f t e r d e a t h , and
t h a t the s p i r i t
return to O s i r i s .
The
11
these
of t h e good p e r s o n w i l l ,
i d e a s s u r v i v e i n Yorubaland.
s p i r i t r e t u r n s t o E l e m i "'Owner o f S p i r i t s "
and
or
must r e t u r n " ;
The
i d e a o f r e t u r n t o t h e gods i s not p e c u l i a r t o
Osirian faith.
Prof.Wiedemann s a y s "The
i n d e s t r u c t i b l e p a r t s of a man
living
and
have f o u n d t h e i r
The
Doctrine
to
Ancient Egypt.
1.
way
of I m m o r t a l i t y
p. 10
the
in
the
295
the
and t h a t o f t h e f i e l d s o f I a l u i n C h a p t e r I I a n d IV.
H e l l i s known by t h e Y o r u b a s a s Qrun A p a d i .
usually
I t s f u l l , form i s Ar-pa-odi; p a p e r
house; Odi, a n E g y p t i a n
d e i t y r e g a r d e d a s w i c k e d a n d a l w a y s r e v e l l i n g i n tormenting.:
others.
2.
A-pa-di, t h e r e f o r e,
The s u r v i v a l o f t h e i d e a o f g u a r d i a n and f a m i l y s p i r i t s
been n o t e d i n C h a p t e r I .
has
The f o l l o w i n g p a s s a g e f u r t h e r
i l l u s t r a t e s the point:-
The i d e a of metempsychosis.
Compare t h e Y o r u b a ^ w i t h t h e
E g y p t i a n i d e a e x p r e s s e d a s f o l l o w s : - "The E g y p t i a n s were
the
f i r s t who
a s s e r t e d t h e d o c t r i n e t h a t t h e s o u l o f man i a
The d i f f e r e n t c o n c e p t i o n s o f t h e f u t u r e l i f e .
into
"
A c c o r d i n g tb->
existed
after
he e x i s t e d was n o t so c l e a r t o t h e i r
i n t h e s k y , o t h e r s t h a t he s a t on t h e b r a n c h e s o f t r e e s w i t h
3i.
2.
F l i n d e r s P e t r i e , A n c i e n t E g y p t (1914), p. 235
Herodotus, Edn. Botei. Bonn, i i , 123.
296
t h e b i r d s , and o t h e r s t h a t he remained
on e a r t h
The
peasants
b e l i e v e d . . . . . t h a t he went t o t h e f i e l d s o f E a r u . .
h e r e he would p l o u g h t h e l a n d and r e a p t h e h a r v e s t s ,
and when t i r e d i n t h e e v e n i n g , he would s i t under
t h e sycomore, and p l a y d r a u g h t s w i t h h i s c o m p a n i o n s " .
Hence t h e n e e d f o r t h e n o b l e and
r i c h t o be accompanied by s l a v e s and w i v e s .
was
the
This
t h e c a s e i n A n c i e n t Egypt where i n t h e l a t t e r
days
2
s l a v e s and w i v e s were r e p l a c e d by u s h e b t i f i g u r e s .
5.
The e x i s t e n c e o f s e v e r a l i n d i v i d u a l i t i e s i n one
t h e same Ego.
and
T h i s i s t h e same i n Y o r u b a l a n d a s i n
A n c i e n t Egypt. P r o f . Erman w r i t i n g on t h i s s u b j e c t s a y s
"They ( i . e . t h e A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n s ) ) d i d not
c o n s i d e r man a s a s i m p l e i n d i v i d u a l i t y ; he
c o n s i s t e d o f a t l e a s t t h r e e p a r t s , t h e body,
t h e s o u l , and t h e g h o s t , t h e image, t h e d o u b l e
o r t h e g e n i u s , a c c o r d i n g a s we t r a n s l a t e t h e
word Ka.
" 3
C o n c l u d i n g Remarks.
T h e r e i s no doubt t h a t t h e a d v a n c e d c o n c e p t i o n by
Y o r u b a s i n r e g a r d to t h e n a t u r e of man
1.
2.
i s due t o c o n t a c t
L i f e i n A n c i e n t Egypt, p 306
F l i n d e r s P e t r i e , A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n s ( 1 9 2 5 ) , p.27, c o l . 8 0
s e c t i o n s 35 & 36.
See a l s o Sayee, The R e l i g i o n o f A n c i e n t E g y p t , p p . 5 2 ,
112 &
3.
the
171
Erman, L i f e i n A n c i e n t E g y p t , p.307.
297
w i t h the l o f t y r e l i g i o n of A n c i e n t Egypt.
i m m o r t a l i t y , heaven, and
L o f t y ideas of
judgment a f t e r d e a t h a r e not
f o u n d among p r i m i t i v e p e o p l e , and t h e i r p r e s e n c e
often
i n Yoruba-
l a n d can o n l y f i n d s o l u t i o n i n a t h e o r y o f c o n t a c t between
t h e Yoruba c i v i l i s a t i o n and a h i g h e r c i v i l i s a t i o n .
civilisation
be s e e n i n t h e p o i n t s of s i m i l a r i t y a n d
above i n t h i s
chapter.
identity
That
as
noted
may
C H A P T E R
PRIESTHOOD
1.
Death
2.
Funeral
XII
AND
and
WORSHIP ( c o n t i n u e d )
Burial
Guilds.
Customs
-2U8DEATH AND
worship
BURIAL CUSTOMS.
of the Yorubas.
S p i r i t worship
i s p a r t o f the
Great importance i s t h e r e f o r e a t t a c h e d to
the p r o c e s s of t r a n s i t i o n from t h e i n c a r n a t e s p i r i t
disembodied s p i r i t .
disembodied s p i r i t
religious
t o the
E v e r y e f f o r t i s made t o s e e t h a t t h e
e n j o y s the b l e s s e d n e s s dependent upon t h e
due
performance of h i s f u n e r a l obsequies.
A common s a l u t a t i o n i n Y o r u b a l a n d
e x p l a i n e d i n Chapter
a luminous s p i r i t
one
a f t e r death.
The
you
become a Khu" i . e .
w i s h e x p r e s s e d by the
saluta-
t i o n i s q u i t e i n k e e p i n g w i t h t h e b e l i e f and hope o f t h e A n c i e n t
E g y p t i a n s who
prayed
a t one
stage i n t h e i r r e l i g i o u s h i s t o r y e a r n e s t l y
"luminous s p i r i t "
The
two
i n s t e a d of a
i d e a s survive i n Yoruba-
the
Khu.
example o f A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n p r a y e r f o r th e p r i v i l e g e
be a khu
you
of
taken
from
remain on e a r t h and n ot d i e i n an
t h e r e i n f o r e v e r and
ever".
deter-
They a l s o b e l i e v e t h a t u n l e s s t h e p r o p er
rites
and
ceremonies
p e r f o r m e d t h e s p i r i t w i l l n o t be a b l e t o j o i n t h e f a m i l y
but w i l l
As
be
compelled
t o wander about w i t h o u t
spirit,
rest.
t i o n s a r e made t o a f f o r d him
or a
prepara-
due b u r i a l a c c o r d i n g t o custom.
It
sorrow.
of
When t h e d e a t h o f a p o p u l a r p e r s o n o r a c h i e f o c c u r s
s h o u t s and l a m e n t a t i o n s .
Some o f them a s s i s t
T h i s done,
t h e m a j o r i t y o f them r u s h i n t o t h e s t r e e t s t o make a p u b l i c
announcement by c r i e s and s i n g i n g .
At On do, i f t h e d e c e a s e d i s
j o i n i n the parade w i t h b r a n c h e s o f
I n o t h e r p a r t s of t h e c o u n t r y , t h e
The f o l l o w i n g i s t h e u s u a l form
f u n e r a l c r y :- " E p a l l !
0-oro!! .
11 a nwal
E r e - p a i O-o-o-roi Mo
Awa
ko r i o i
parade
of
Baba wa l o l o n i i i l B a b a ( o r
Iya)
de o j a , ko s i l ^ j a
-250Mo de i t a , ko s i n i i t a . Mo de i l e , ko s i n i i l e . Ng ko n i r i i
mo 0. 0 d i g b e r e , 0 d i a r i n a k o . " "Alas . .'. Or o i l ' .
Our f a t h e r
h a s gone today!! . We cannot f i n d him - A l a s ! Oro! 1! I go t o
t h e market, he i s root i n themarket. I go t o t h e s t r e e t s , he i s n o t
in the s t r e e t s .
I go t o t h e house, he i s not i n t h e house.
N e v e r s h a l l I s e e him.
He has become a d i s e m b o d i ed s p i r i t t o be
met a t b y - p a t h s . "
1
f o r at l e a s t t h r e e h o u r s
a f t e r death has o c c u r r e d .
The e l d e s t son o r t h e b r o t h e r of t h e d e c e a s e d i f t h e r e be
son sends f o r the babalawo who
whether
t h e d e a t h i s due
will
consult I f a
o r a c l e as to
t o n a t u r a l c a u s e s or t o w i t c h c r a f t , and i f
t h e l a t t e r i s t h e c a s e , t o p o i n t out t h e c u l p r i t .
d e c l a r e the s p i r i t
no
of the d e c e a s e d t o be i n danger,
p e r f o r m s two i m p o r t a n t c e r e m o n i e s .
He
I f the o r a c l e
t h e babalawo
s a c r i f i e s a goat or a
o f the d e c e a s e d w i l l
directions.
The babalawo a l s o
the
thereby
performs
A f t e r t h i s he e x o r c i s e s t h e s p i r i t
of
t h e d e c e a s e d from t h e house, b i d d i n g i t p r o c e e d t o i t s d e s t i n a t i o n
in
peace.
OOF'DSG
-251-'
water .
on a mat
spread
The
t h e f e e t r>.re t i e d close
up t o t h e neck and
jaw and
tied
of t h e deceased i n
t h e next w o r l d .
The
in
t h e l y i n g - i n - s t a t e may
j o i n i n t h e mourning. The
last for
are
invited
v i s i t o r entering
w i t h a c r y w h i c h may
of real
1.
or may
n o t be an expression
sorrow.
The
c h i e f mourners a r e not a l l o w e d t o t a k e p a r t i n t h e g e n e r a l
merriment; t h e y a r e shut up i n a n e i g h b o u r i n g
o c c a s i o n a l w a i l s , and t h e r e t h e y remain
apartment.
d u r i n g the whole p e r i o d
between t h e w a s h i n g o f t h e c o r p s e and i t s b u r i a l .
bidden
hours.
t o wash, and t o t a k e f o o d a t l e a s t
The male members of t h e f a m i l y who
do a r e o f t e n exempted from t h e o b s e r v a n c e
The women, too, a r e sometimes p e r s u a d e d
The work o f d i g g i n g t h e grave
r e l a t i v e s of the deceased.
t h e house o f t h e d e c e a s e d ;
The
twenty-four
custom.
to t a k e some n o u r i s h m e n t .
i n v a r i a b l y dug i n
on h i s p r e m i s e s .
1
t h e c o r p s e i s taken out
through
d e c o r a t e d and c a r r i e d on a p i e c e o f b o a r d
f o r the purpose.
They a r e f o r -
f o r the f i r s t
sometimes i t i s dug
I n some p a r t s of Y o r u b a l a n d
They u t t e r
on
the s t r e e t s ,
the
richly
or on a door u n h i n g e d
F r i e n d s and r e l a t i o n s o f t h e d e c e a s e d
accompany
and making p r e s e n t s
on h i s b e h a l f by t h r o w i n g h a n d f u l s o f c o w r i e s t o t h e s p e c t a t o r s
or p a s s e r s - b y .
1.
T h i s p r a c t i c e h a s been m o d i f i e d by t h e s u b s t i t u t i o n
a photograph f o r the corpse of the deceased.
of
-253The p r o c e s s i o n r e t u r n s t o t h e house i n t h e e v e n i n g , r e a d y f o r
t h e i n t e r n m e n t o f t h e c o r p s e . B e f o r e t h i s i s done, a sheep or a
goat i s p r o v i d e d f o r a s a c r i f i c i a l ceremony. As soon a s t h e c o r p s e
i s l a i d i n the grave(which i s . u s u a l l y s h a l l o w ) , the animal
p r o v i d e d f o r t h e purpose
drop over t h e c o r p s e .
i s k i l l e d and i t s b l o o d i s a l l o w e d t o
The
c h i l d r e n of the deceased a l s o
shed
a r e v e r y heavy.
B e s i d e the g r e a t c o s t
i n Yorubaland
o f p r o v i d i n g ample f o o d
the
goats,
or d u r i n g t h e c e l e b r a t i o n o f t h e f u n e r a l
Sometimes a whole f a m i l y i s p l u n g e d i n t o r u i n
by
i n t o s l a v e r y t o meet up t h e e x a c t i o n s o f t h e f u n e r a l g u i l d s .
y e t t h e heavy burden i s borne w i t h complacency,
the b e l i e f being
v e r y s t r o n g t h a t u n l e s s t h e f u n e r a l o b s e q u i e s are d u l y
t h e s p i r i t o f the d e c e a s e d cannot
FUNERAL GUILDS.
o b t a i n r e s t and
Some g u i l d s or s e c r e t
w i t h t h e performance
And
performed
peace.
s o c i e t i e s are connected
of funeral obsequies.
The c h i e f o f t h e s e
now
-254Of
To
a l l these
g u i l d s t h e Ogboni g u i l d i s t h e most i m p o r t a n t .
t h i s g u i l d b e l o n g s a l l the c h i e f s and l e a d i n g p e r s o n s i n
comnunity.
confers
dignity.
g u i l d d i e s , h i s r e l a t i v e s have to pay
other presents
t o the
o t h e r members o f t h e
ceremonies.
inability
r e l a t i v e s t o p r o c u r e the p r e s e n t s
u n i n i t i a t e d are f o r b i d d e n t o t o u c h the
presents
on t h e
c o r p s e i n a hot
r e l a t i v e s of the
performance
the
i n good t i m e ,
sundry.
c o r p s e , and p r e s s u r e
The
i s thus
r e l a t i v e s t o h a s t e n the c o l l e c t i o n o f
so as t o f r e e t h e m s e l v e s from t h e
rottening
the
exerted
and
B u r i a l i s sometimes d e l a y e d by
indirectly
the
of money
g u i l d f o r the
of the necessary
o f the
and
When a member of
a l a r g e sum
the
climate.
deceased
Otalelegbeje
inconvenience of a
Hence the
song o f t e n
the
fast-
h e a r d from
:ro
gba
Omo r e a san l i g b e h i n
the
o f t h e Ogboni g u i l d by
p a i d by
the
Writing
Chronicle
native
writes
same p r e s e n t s
given to the
s u r v i v i n g members
a d e c e a s e d member's r e l a t i v e s w i l l have t o
be
subject
of Yoruba f u n e r a l customs i n
of Abeokuta who
has
studied
the subject
Nigerian
P e y i s a r a Sopein, a
very
c l o s e l y thus
:-
"Otalelegbeje i s
deserves
a t t e n t i o n . The p a r t p l a y e d by Egungun i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h f u n e r a l
o b s e q u i e s i s i n t e r e s t i n g and s i g n i f i c a n t ;
i t shows t h a t t h e
Y o r u b a s f i r m l y b e l i e v e t h a t the s o u l l i v e s a f t e r d e a t h and i f
f u n e r a l ceremonies
a r e p r o p e r l y p e r f o r m e d , i t goes t o t h e abode o f
s p i r i t s . A g r a p h i c account
by D r . F a r r o w : 1.
2.
of t h e Egungun c e r e m o n i e s
i s thus given
i . e . p r e s e n t s o f o i l , yams, g o a t s , c a t t l e , d r i n k s e t c .
i . e . t h e song g i v e n above.
-256"While t h e mounning r e l a t i v e s a r e a s s e m b l e d , a p e r s o n
who a c t s a s Efgun l i e s hidden i n t h e a d j o i n i n g room.
P r e s e n t l y one o f t h e mourners s t r i k e s on t h e ground
thrice
and c r i e s o u t , Baba, baba, baba . Da mi l o h u n i
i . e . F a t h e r , f a t h e r , f a t h e r ! Answer me . From t h e
a d j o i n i n g room comes an answer i n 'Egungun V o i c e '
( v e r a t r i l o q u i a l ) , and a l l a r e c o m f o r t e d and f i l l e d w i t h
j o y , on t h e s u p p o s i t i o n t h a t the s p i r i t o f t h e d e c e a s e d ,
a l t h o u g h unseen, i s i n d e e d p r e s e n t w i t h them. F o o d
h a v i n g been p l a c e d by t h e women i n t h e Egun's room
(he h a v i n g c o n c e a l e d h i m s e l f , or d e p a r t e d ) a f t e r he h a s
answered, e a c h g u e s t goes i n and h e l p s h i m s e l f , t h u s
p e r f o r m i n g an a c t o f communion w i t h the d e c e a s e d .
The
Egun does not wear h i s d r e s s w h i l e c o n c e a l e d i n t h e
room; but s h o u l d he d e s i r e t o come out and j o i n i n t h e
f e s t i v i t i e s , he dons i t and w i l l t h e n speak a s , and
s t a t e h i m s e l f t o be, the s p i r i t o f t h e one who i s b e i n g
mourned
Some days a f t e r t h e b u r i a l an Egun comes
at n i g h t and c a l l s out t h e name o f t h e d e c e a s e d ; and,
a f t e r f u r t h e r days have p a s s e d , he comes i n t h e daytime,
accompanied by f o l l o w e r s , and p r o c e e d s t o t h e house o f t h e
d e c e a s e d , where he r e p o r t s t h a t he has s a f e l y r e a c h e d t h e
s p i r i t w o r l d , and i s w e l l and happy. I n r e s p o n s e t o t h e
good news, he i s p r o v i d e d w i t h food, rum and palm wine ,
of w h i c h he p a r t a k e s i n p r i v a t e s i n c e s p i r i t s must not
be see n t o e a t I When he and h i s f o l l o w e r s have f i n i s h e d ,
l o u d groans i n d i c a t e t h a t he i s d e p a r t i n g . "
1
T h e s e ceremonies a r e r e g a r d e d a s r e a l i t i e s ,
o n l y t h e c h i l d r e n and simple-minded
but a c t u a l l y i t i s
p e r s o n s who
do n o t
realize
ceremonie s
just
d e s c r i b e d are u s u a l l y performed
the e l e v e n t h or t w e l f t h
on t h e
The word
The c e r e m o n i e s must
day.
p r e c e d i n g c e r e m o n i e s a r e known a s I t a
and I j e
1.
are
Op.Cit p.110
" t h e t h i r d day's
respectively.
cermonies"
on s e v e r a l
t h a t t h e f i g u r e w h i c h he saw on e a c h
re-incar-
connecte d w i t h Oro w o r s h i p a r e a l s o
I f a member o f t h e Oro g u i l d d i e s , a l l t h e o t h e r
A ram i s a l s o o f f e r e d t o them.
The c e r e m o n i e s
then
E a c h o f t h e k o l a n u t s i s made t o t o u c h t h e h e a d o f t h e
T h i s ceremony
i s r e p e a t e d t h r e e t i m e s a g a i n when p r a y e r s f o r b l e s s i n g s on t h e
l i v i n g ^ e s p e c i a l l y on t h e e l d e s t
a r e o f f e r e d t o t h e dead.
1. pp.115,116
has
performance t h e newly d e i f i e d
kills
For i t s
accommodate them-
s e l v e s as b e s t as p o s s i b l e - t h e gods c r y i n g w i t h a l l t h e i r might
and t h e men
time.
As i t i s n o t p e r m i t t e d t o t h e u n i n i t i a t e d t o know how
spirit
f e a t i s performed,
the
this
and
by t h e god.
w h i c h are topmost,
or sometimes l e f t
s t r e a m i n g on one o f i t s
U n l i k e t h e Egungun and t h e
i s t o t h e former t h a t s a c r i f i c e s
V i e w i n g i t i n t h i s c o n n e c t i o n , t h e mats or c l o t h s ,
and i t s suspension
to s i g n i f y that
cast b e h i n d i t on i t s f l i g h t t o t h e
s p i r i t w o r l d , these e a r t h l y encumbrances as u s e l e s s t o i t
A f t e r the c o m p l e t i o n o f t h i s Oro-pagi ceremony t h e y ( g o d s and men)
again r e p a i r t o t h e house; and h a v i n g r e g a l e d themselves
with the
o f merriment c h a r a c t e r i z e s a l l t h e ceremonies.
t h a t i s , t h e c h i e f member o f t h e Oro G u i l d .
-26I
lying
of t u r n i n g the
who
monial b u r i a l .
are denied t o
For example, i n t h e o l d e n
would p e r f o r m c e r t a i n ceremonies
persons d y i n g f r o m i n f e c t i o u s d i s e a s e s .
The d u t y o f a proper b u r i a l o f t h e dead i s r e g a r d e d w i t h
g r e a t s o l e m n i t y i n Yorubaland. I t i s b e l i e v e d t h a t those
fail
who
T h i s d e r i v a t i o n shows a t t h e o u t s e t t h a t t h e r e i s some c o n n e c t i o n
between t h e two r e l i g i o n s .
Next one may n o t e t h e f a c t t h a t i n Yorubaland
there i s the
t h e disembodied
whole f a m i l y s p i r i t i n t h e o t h e r w o r l d . A s i m i l a r b e l i e f e x i s t e d
i n A n c i e n t Egypt where i t was b e l i e v e d t h a t a t b i r t h "each person
r e c e i v e d a p a r t o f t h e f a m i l y s p i r i t , which guided h i m and was
his
i n n e r p e r s o n a l i t y , and on d y i n g he r e j o i n e d t h e v/hole f a m i l y
2
s p i r i t which r e c e i v e d and p r e s e r v e d him".
The
(1925)
-263The f o l l o w i n g i s a d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e custom as g i v e n by w r i t e r s on
E g y p t i a n customs :(a)
(b)
(c)
Compare
W i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n o f t h e r e f e r e n c e t o t h e p e r i o d o f embalming and
t h e m o d i f i c a t i o n of t h e p r a c t i c e o f besmearing o n e s e l f w i t h d i r t ,
n e a r l y a l l the d e t a i l s s u r v i v e i n Y o r u b a l a n d and may
p r a c t i c e among a l l t h e Yorubas or among some o f t h e
The
be seen i n
tribes.
d u t y of t h e son towards h i s f a t h e r i n Y o r u b a l a n d i s a l s o
I n the l a t t e r ,
festival
-26k"
I t has been remarked above t h a t when an i m p o r t a n t man d i e d , i t
was u s u a l i n Y o r u b a l a n d f o r some o f h i s s l a v e s and wives t o be
b u r i e d w i t h hirn.
The p r a c t i c e i s s i m i l a r t o t h a t o f A n c i e n t
Egypt d e s c r i b e d as f o l l o w s
"During the e a r l y periods o f Egyptian c i v i l i z a t i o n , the
r i g h t t o a f u t u r e l i f e would o n l y be c l a i m e d by t h e
wealthy.
The l i v e s o f many women, c h i l d r e n , s l a v e s and
animals had t o be s a c r i f i c e d t o accompany h i s double
i n t o the other w o r l d " .
1
L a t e r t h e p r a c t i c e o f s a c r i f i c i n g t h e l i v e s o f human beings i n
t h i s way was r e p l a c e d by t h e p r o v i s i o n o f c l a y f i g u r e s known as
u s h a b t i s and modelled l i k e t h e f i g u r e s o f human b e i n g s . The
number o f u s h a b t i s was a t one t i m e v e r y l a r g e b u t was l a t e r
2"
at
f o u r hundred.
fixed
I t i s n o t e w o r t hy t h a t 400 i s an i m p o r t a n t
f i g u r e i n Yoruba enumeration,
i t being r e g a r d e d as a v e r y i m p o r t a n t
So a l s o a r e Yoruba
Stone c o f f i n s .
1.
Maspero, New L i g h t on A n c i e n t Egypt, p.305
2. See F l i n d e r s P e t r i e , A n c i e n t Egyptian,p.27,Col80,Sec.36
3. "There are t h r e e manners o f f u n e r a l among them, namely, t h e
sumptuous, t h e mean between b o t h , and t h e l o w e s t . I n t h e
f i r s t i s spent s i x hundred crowns, i n t h e second two hundred,
and t h e l a s t i s o f l i t t l e c o s t " ( D i o d o r u s , t r a n s l a t i o n by
Cogan, I I , i v . 6 2
4. See P e t r i e , Hyksos and I s r a e l i t e C i t i e s , p.47
A f u r t h e r d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e f i r s t mode i s t h u s given by t h e
same w r i t e r :" t h e body was almost i n v a r i a b l y p l a c e d on i t s back, w i t h t h e
hands by t h e s i d e s o r f o l d e d over t h e b r e a s t
No t r a c e
o f m u t i l a t i o n o f t h e corpse was f o u n d . Prom t h e abundant
remains o f c l o t h , we i n f e r t h a t every body was wrapped i n
c l o t h b e f o r e b u r i a l , and where we d i d f i n d c l o t h i n any
s t a t e o f p r e s e r v a t i o n , i t was m a n i f e s t t h a t the body h a d
n o t been s i m p l y dressed i n a s i n g l e garment, but swathed
i n many f o l d s o f linen'.'
1
c o l o u r s , t h a t i s , w h i t e and r e d , w h i c h a r e t h e r e s p e c t i v e
c o l o u r s r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e N o r t h and t h e South o f A n c i e n t Egypt
respectively.
The custom o f b u r y i n g c h i l d r e n i n p o t s
and o f p u t t i n g vases
or p o t s
i n graves was e x t e n s i v e l y p r a c t i s e d d u r i n g c e r t a i n
p e r i o d s i n A n c i e n t Egypt.
The Yorubas do n o t p r a c t i s e t h e custom o f p o t b u r i a l s , b u t
t h e y o f t e n p l a c e p o t s on graves and p u t meat and d r i n k o f f e r i n g s
i n these p o t s .
1 . See P e t r i e , Hyksos and I s r a e l i t e C i t i e s , p.30
2. Maclver, E l Amrah and Abydos. p.8
, 3. e.g. W h i te i s t h e c o l o u r o f t h e crown o f N o r t h Egypt and
Red i s t h e c o l o u r o f t h e South. These c o l o u r s are a l s o
given r e l i g i o u s s i g n i f i c a n c e i n connection w i t h the
Adamu-Orisa c u l t .
7
'&
See M a c l v e r , E l Amrah, pp.7-14
8
s p i r i t s i s u r g e n t l y needed, t h e s p i r i t s a r e u s u a l l y
ancestral
summoned and
ceremonies o f t h e g u i l d are a l s o o f E g y p t i a n
origin.
C e r t a i n words used i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h f u n e r a l s
s h o u l d be n o t e d .
I t was an e s s e n t i a l element i n t h e O s i r i a n
f a i t h that the
this
o f t h e Book o f t h e Dead.
This i s
The word i s p o s i . t h a t i s
Pa i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n o f t h e A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n word p e r ,
w h i c h means a house.
Osi i s a c o n t r a c t i o n o f O s i r i s .
Posi
t h a t i s t h e p l a c e where
The A n c i e n t E g y p t i a n custom i s t h u s
:-
1.
CHAPTER
XIV.
M A G I C
Y 0. R U B A. L. AY N D.
298
CHAPTER XIV.
MAGIC IN
YORUBALAND.
The one i s so d o v e t a i l e d
be
The
elements.
As i n the
According to S i r
At
299
a c e r t a i n number o f r i t e s , s a c r i f i c e s , p r a y e r s and chants,
which t h e god h i m s e l f had r e v e a l e d and which obliged him t o do
what was demanded o f him". T h i s statement
about magic i n
Even i n t h e c a s e of b l a c k magic
spirits
On the
300
Negative magic takes the form of taboos. These taboos have
beeri,described i n a previous chapter where a t t e n t i o n has been
c a l l e d t o t h e i r importance as a cohesive f a c t o r i n the s o c i a l
l i f e of the community,, P o s i t i v e Magic assumes the foams of
s o r c e r y , e x e r c i s e o f mysterious powers f o r good or i l l , use of
charms and p r a c t i c e of o c c u l t i s m f o r t h e r a p e u t i c or other purposes', and performances based, on a claim t o p o s s e s s i o n of
e s o t e r i c and mysterious knowledge.
B e l i e f i n the i n t e r a c t i o n
between mind matter and the interdependence of both on one
another i s an important f a c t o r i n the Yoruba practice: of magic*
T h i s i s not expressed t h e o r e t i c a l l y , but the p r a c t i c a l working
of magic i n Yorubaland i s i n e x p l i c a b l e without such a b e l i e f
a s i s so c l e a r l y seen i n a l l a s p e c t s o f Yoruba magic.
as
Another term
301
to v i s i b l e o b j e c t s , l i v i n g or dead, which a r e worshipped on
account of t h e i r supposedly inherent s u p e r n a t u r a l q u a l i t i e s .
The terms used i n d e s i g n a t i n g i n v i s i b l e o b j e c t s include
"WITCHCRAFT", "SUPERSTITION","OCCULTISM","MAGIC", "MEDICINE",
"MANA", "ORENDA", and o t h e r s / Of these, the terms "medicine"
and "Mana" deserve comments.
I n connection w i th magical p r a c t i c e s i n Yorubaland, the
term "medicine" has been a p p l i e d t o the supernatural means
of compassing one* s ends.
"medicine" i s "ogun".
A clear distinction
302
"Medical Doctor" i e used i n a good sense; ELEGBOQI i s used
i n d i f f e r e n t l y ; BABA-ALAWO and ADAHUNSE are used i n d i f f e r e n t l y
according t o the use made by the persons so designated o f t h e i r
knowledge and powers; 0L0Q0N "Owner o f medicine", i s always
used i n a bad sense; Ologun Buruku "Owner o f bad medicine" i s
d e f i n i t e l y a "BLACK MAGICIAN".
T h is term
I t i s probably
30k
shootingo"
This
At
He r e l a t e d how he v i s i t e d
"He w i l l , d i e tomorrow".
in
The w r i t e r
who
305
The n a t i v e doctor was. c a l l e d i n again and he pointed t o a
stone which he had t i e d up pensively i n a corner o f t h e
room. He remarked t h a t the man* s s p i r i t had been t i e d up by
means o f t h e rope and stone and t h e man would n o t d i e u n t i l
the rope had been cut. The n a t i v e doctor c u t the rope, t h e
stone f e l l on the ground, and the p a t i e n t d i e d w i t h i n a few
minutes*
The intended v i c t i m s
1
I t i s then wrapped up
u n v e i l e d image w i l l become b l i n d .
An e f f o r t was; made r e c e n t l y t o use the l a t t e r method i n
dealing w i t h a public: offender. A rowdy mob) surrounded the
offender a: house and asked him merely t o l o o k out o f windows, a t
1
or p o i n t i n g the f i n g e r .
306
w h i l s t t h e operator r e c i t e s t h e f o l l o w i n g i n c a n t a t i o n :I k a ko l o j u ,
0 ko ma l o j u
Ika k i i r i r a n ,
0 ko ma r i r a n .
"A f i n g e r
.you w i l l
A finger
you w i l l
has no eyes;
have no eyes.
never sees;
never see ( a g a i n )
11
I t i s used c h i e f l y by b u r g l a r s .
s t i c k s as f o l l o w s :Asun-fonfpn n i t i i f on,
Asun-fpnfpn n i t i i g i a j a .
0 k i y i o sai sun-fpnfon.
Soundly sleeps sound sleep,
Soundly sleep t h e house r a f t e r s *
Soundly you must sleep.
This i s s i m i l a r t o
I t i s b e l i e v e d t h a t a man can be i n j u r e d o r
307
(7) Ikoko gbjgbona* or "hot pot". This i s a. "medicine" consisting of decotions of herbs and other ingredients which are
boiled i n a pot. I t i s used for two purposes* I t i s used for
promoting a s t r i f e between husband and wife by an interested
t h i r d party* The b e l i e f i s that as long as the pot i s boiling,
s t r i f e and misunderstanding w i l l develpp i n intensity, A
common threat among the Yorubas i s A T I QBE IKOKO Hff KA INA
"Your pot i s already on the f i r e " , that i s , supernatural
forces have beenjset i n motion bymeans of the hot pot f o r the
disruption of your domestic peace and happiness*
The
goes; to the person or party which has the more powerful "pot"
on the f i r e *
(8) yjgqpp.
308
"Where t h e a t t e n t i o n , d e s i r e and v i r t u e o f a
r a t i o n a l soul, which i s w o r t h i e r than the s t a r s ,
concur w i t h the power o f the sky, i t i s i n e v i t a b l e
t h a t e i t h e r a word or some other instrument o f
marvellous power he produced which w i l l a l t e r the
t h i n g s o f t h i s world, so t h a t not only n a t u r a l
o b j e c t s but also souls w i l l be i n c l i n e d t o those
ends which the wise operator desires;".
To t h i s passage P. Amaury Talbot adds :- "Again, i f some
malignant soul t h i n k s hard o f i n f e c t i n g another, and longs
f o r t h i s a r d e n t l y and has f u l l confidence, i n h i s own power t o
i n f l i c t such i n j u r y , 'there i s no doubt t h a t nature w i l l
obey thought! "
1
Thought-projection i s thereby e f f e c t i v e l y p r a c t i s e d .
B e l i e f i n the e f f i c a c y o f
Although there
idea i s present.
cursing, "malediction"
309
Among" the Ijebus the use of Epe i s common. The users have so
developed t h e i r w i l l power that inhabitants, of the neighbouring
d i s t r i c t s sometimes go to "buy epe from them. . I t i s believed
that i n the case of powerful epes the range of t h e i r efficacy
i s hot limite d by distance and that t h e i r action i s immediate*
11
expression
and may bring a sharp rejoinder that one i s uttering a curse 0 sepe fun u
him".
e fun ar a re,
fun ara re.
gbe n i ,
ka onika
eeinsin onika
ko l e kun n i .
"One who does good does i t for himself,
One who does e v i l does i t for himself,
Virtue has i t s good reward,
E v i l has i t s e v i l consequences.
.If one* s conscience i s c l e a r , the harmful f l y sent
a wicked man can do one no harm".
by
310
EXAMPLE OF CONTAGIOUS MAGIC.
The Yoruhaa b e l i e v e i n the e f f i c a c y o f contagious magic.
They exercise great care i n keeping t h e i r wearing apparel or
other belongings which, by a s t r e t c h o f imagination, can
possibly be used f o r e v i l purposes.
The f o l l o w i n g examples o f contagious Magic may be given
here :( l ) BIBU-LESE.
be i n j u r e d i f h i s f o o t p r i n t s on t h e sands o r on s o f t earth
be t r e a t e d w i t h ogun (medicine). Persons s u f f e r i n g from
acute rheumatism o r e l e p h a n t ! t i l s
very o f t e n t r a c e
t h e i r s u f f e r i n g t o m a l i c i o us treatment o f t h e i r f o o t p r i n t s .
This use o f f o o t p r i n t s i s o f t e n r e s o r t e d t o by m a l i c i o us
persons who f a i l t o secure a d i r e c t means o f wreaking vengeance
of t h e i r offenders.
A law o f r e t a l i a t i o n i n Yoruba i s :-
"Bi o ba b a a. k i o pa a: b i o ko ba ba a. bu u 11 ese." I f
you meet him, t h a t i s your enemy o r offender, k i l l him; i f
you do not meet him, poison or harm him by means o f h i s f o o t prints."
I n the olden days t h e person p o i n t e d out by t h e babalawo
as having caused the death o f another person i n t h i s way used
t o be sentenced t o death.
( i i ) K i k o - i t o . "The use o f s p i t t l e f o r harmful purposes".
The inrush o f western c i v i l i z a t i o n has h a r d l y diminished^
the b e l i e f amoftg t h e Yorubas t h a t a severe cough or
consumption may be caused by removing a person's s p i t t l e
and t r e a t i n g i t magically.
As a matter o f fact,consumption
arun-ikotp
treatment o f s p i t t l e " .
"dog's b i t e " .
r a p i d healing*
(v.)
A. method o f
This i s a process
312
a wall* This i s supposed to he a symbol of the physical
or mental powers of the owner tied, up i n a p a r t i c u l a r manner*
The owner becomes incapable of movement i n a particular
direction or maintains an inexplicable form of movement for
which he i s not responsible* Hence when a person f a i l s to
act when he ought to act or behaves i n an irresponsible
way the Yoruba taunt i s Nwon d i tabi nwon ndi o n l "Have
you been magically bound or are you being so bound?" This
remark w i l l put the person concerned, i n h i s right sense.
( v i i . V Ma kan
Some objects
I f these a r e
Otherwise
1
the dress of an egungun .
to act on the person who has touched i t u n t i l the destruction of the sacrilegious person i s completed*
CHARMS AND ARHBLEBS.
The use of charms and azmuLeta i s widespread i n YorubalancU
Neither c i v i l i z a t i o n nor any form of superior r e l i g i o n introduced
into the country has had much effect i n r e s t r i c t i n g i t s use*
A great variety of the charms and annalists may be found
I n different parts of the country*
others are inanimate*
i
1*. See Chapter V I I I . above*
313
I t i s noteworthy t h a t animals are used, as p r o t e c t i v e
charms.
They are
The
so dreaded, t h a t no one
" i n v i t e a l e to protect
In
The/buyer
Cases of
Well may
the native exclaim: "Ye have taken away my gods which I made
315
possesses
Whilst such a
A. form o f c i v i l i z e -
"A-means o f
As l o n g as
the b e l i e f e x i s t s t h e r e , i t w i l l always
31i6
They
literally,
317
t e r r i b l e r e a l i t y i n African l i f e .
Contributors t o t h e symposium
secret s o c i e t i e s .
3t8
I t i s popularly
conscious.
The weird cries; of birds at night are often regarded
a s definite signs, of the presence of witches.
Should a person
Me ke lana. pmp ku l o n i
Witches
Of course, such a
319
Wizards are not as a c t i v e or a s numerous as witches i n
Yorubaland. They a r e a l s o c r e d i t e d with supernatural powers,
and they have t h e i r s e c r e t guilds:, t h e i r f a v o u r i t e haunt "being
the foot of the A f r i c a n Mahogany t r e e known as Apa.
This tree
i s sacred i n Yorubaland. I t i s regarded as an emblem of
vengeance and must not be cut down u n t i l the i n d w e l l i n g t r e e
s p i r i t ha been duly p r o p i t i a t e d by the o f f e r i n g of a fowl and
palm o i l .
I n t h i s o b j e c t i v e form they c a r r y
out t h e i r n e f a r i o u s p r a c t i c e s a t night
There, i s no doubt that somnambulism i s p r a c t i s e d by w i t c h e s
and wizards, but the b e l i e f i n metamorphosis i s a r e l i c of superstition.
and
wizardry.
I t must b e added! h e r e that, although the average Yoruba
i s a happy and merry person, yet the numerous occasions of dread
i n s p i r e d by supposed a c t i v i t i e s of witches and wizards are dark
spots i n h i s l i f e .
disseminating
by
inestimable.
DIVINATION.
I n some of the e a r l i e r chapters a d e s c r i p t i o n of the c h i e f
supernatural
320
I n a d d i t i o n to t h e s e t h e r e a r e a few other methods of
devinipg the f u t u r e .
. The f i r s t of these i s by the use of ceremonial water.
This
For
He
then r e c i t e s - a l a r g e number of i n c a n t a t i o n s u n t i l he b e l i e v e s
t h a t the water has been developed thereby i n t o a supernatural
condition.
Both
I n reply to further
On the f a t h e r a s k i n g f o r h e l p with an
321;
11
I t i s also an
The thing"looked a t " may assume any o f the forms described above.
322
RAIN-MAKING-.
Among the magical powers claimed by Yoruba magicians
i s t h a t of rain-making.
I n every A f r i c a n S o c i e t y the r a i n -
I n Yorubaland
who
But the f a c t t h a t r a i n f a l l
or an
s e c t i o n i s p l a c a t e d by means of g i f t s , he may
downpour of r a i n to mar the occasion.
cause a heavy
These i n s t a n c e s
323
NECROMANCY.
Necromancy i s practised , by t h e Yorubas, who s t r o n g l y
b e l i e v e i n t h e p o s s i b i l i t y o f communicating w i t h t h e dead*
I t i s p r a c t i s e d i n a m i l d fiorm by t h e heads of f a m i l i e s .
Reference has. been made above t o t h e p r a c t i c e o f t a l k i n g t o t h e
'
This
- and whose d e l i v e r a n c e s
T h i s success must be a t t r i b u t e d t o
324
The p r a c t i c e of necromancy i s s i m i l a r i n many respects; to
what obtains among modern s p i r i t u a l i s t s i n Europe and America.
The necromancers: c l a i m t h a t t h e i r i n t e r c o u r s e with^/dead^and.
they sometimes f u r n i s h the proof o f i t s r e a l i t y .
commands u n i v e r s a l a s s e n t .
'
The p r a c t i c e
i n t e r c o u r s e i s a s e c r e t j e a l o u s l y guarded by the p r i e s t s .
A- form o f necromancy connected w i t h b u r i a l customs i s known
as Iyaku " p a r t i n g with t h e dead.
I t has . been v i v i d l y d e s c r i b e d
;
3&S>
I n t o the body of an Ogbugbu (wild-duck) e t c . "Then a a t r i l l
v o i c e i s heard i n a neighbouring grove, which a f t e r repeated
s & r i k l n g s on the ground, d e c l a r e s h i s w i l l , a s r e q u e s t e d .
The above account shows evidence of c o l l u s i o n and,
although
i n seme
Dawn of C i v i l i z a t i o n p. 213-4.
P r o f e s s o r Upmaa a l s o says t h a t
Divination.
This i s also
t r u e of the Yorubas.
3*
Medicine.
4
purposes.
4*
at U n i v e r s i t y C o l l e g e and Catalogued by P r o f e s s o r ^ l a n d e r s
P e t r i e i n h i s book e n t i t l e d "Amulets.".
Amulets a r e a l s o
6.
CONCLUDING REMARKS.
The p o i n t s of s i m i l a r i t y and
CHAPTER
XV.
388.
CHAPTER
XV.
i t i s the
s u r v i v a l o f Ancient Egyptian H i e r o g l y p h i c s .
Various w r i t e r s have seen the h i e r o g l y p h i c s , but t h e i r
s i g n i f i c a n c e has h i t h e r t o been shrouded i n mystery.
Their identity
w i t h Egyptian h i e r o g l y p h i c s i s a s u r p r i s i n g r e v e l a t i o n t o the
present w r i t e r .
Ife.
I n s c r i p t i o n s on page 815.
(See next sheet of paper)
I t should be noted t h a t Dennett
ll
i n v e r t e d the f i g u r e s .
~
(a)
'389.
The lower symbol o f ( a ) J
meaning "good".
2
of Egypt.
^nefer)
i s the E g y p t i a n h i e r o g l y p h i c
symbol Onku
u s u a l l y h e l d by d e i t i e s .
The symbols, t h e r e f o r e ,
Isls
The f i g u r e
c o n s i s t i n g o f one ateb i n v e r t e d over the o t h er and j o i n e d
together by a c i r c l e - , t h e r e f o r e , denotes the "unions o f both
p a r t s o f Egypt."
(e) W i s the E g y p t i a n l e t t e r ' a * , the i n i t i a l of the god sat or
8ttt
The h a l f moon o i s the symbol o f Northern o r Southern
Egypt.
The f i g u r e t h e r e f o r e , denotes. " S e t r e i g n i n g over
Northern Egypt".
'
7
1.
8.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
p.187
Budge, Op.Cit.p.75, Nos. 45 and 46.
"
"
"
47.
See Qenasius, Hebrew.Grammar, l i s t s o f Alphabets W i s the
Phoenician o r C o p t i c m o d i f i c a t i o n of the o r i g i n a l l e t t e r
sekbet.
See s i m i l a r examples on the Moabite stone.
8. Maspero, Op.Cit., p.134.
9. See Chapter I X above. '
10. Budge, Op.Cit., p.72, Nos.40, 48 and 43.
ft
ft
ft
1 0
330
The above i n s c r i p t i o n s are made on the ground i n f r o n t
of Ake,
a d e i t y i n Benin,
F i g u r e (a) r e f e r s to Egyptian
probably the t r i a d of O s i r i s .
deities,
Figure (e) r e f e r s to S e t .
The f i g u r e s , when
theory
the
Yorubas.
2.
F i g u r e s (b)
( b ) / r eeffeerr and ( c ) S e k l e t have been
explained above.
Egyptian
l o t u s flower.
3.
I n s c r i p t i o n s on page 192.
The f i g u r e marks the entrance to Arovia, a grove s a c r e d to
Ovia.
figure * I
1Z] H
*I
form
| HI
which i s a p a r t of the
and
31.
5.
s y l l a b i c word
6.
mas.
The s i g n c:
The figures?
described by Dennett, as cows' heads are probably crude represent a t i o n s o f the head i n the h i e r o g l y p h f o r Set.**
7.
t i v e of land.
a l s o resembles the
c h a r a c t e r determinative
o f nu, c i t y . 7
0
8.
or WW
H D
are
Egyptian symbols f o r twenty, and 5 i s n e f e r explained above.
The number probably i n d i c a t e s the number o f d e i t i e s worshipped .
1
i n the v i l l a g e .
1. Ilaspero, Dawn of C i v i l i z a t i o n p.223.
2. See f i g I (d) above.
3. Budge, Op.Git. , p.32'.
4. "
*
p.62, No.2t.
5 : The c h a r a c t e r s i n t h i s f i g u r e c l o s e l y resemble P h o e n i c i a n
c h a r a c t e r , see the comparative table o f Alphabets i n G e n e s i u s /
Hebrew Grammar.
**""*"'
6. Budge, Op.Gsit., p.75.
7.
p.76 No.1
Z 8. S e a Gengsius, Hebrew Grammar* L i s t of alphabets.
9. Budge Op.Cit.p.75, No.55 the s i g n
i s w e l l known i n Egyptian
Writings,
10. Budge Op.Git.p.128.
,,!
l,!
332
2.
I f a symbols.
I I I or 0 0 0 .
Yoruba T r i b a l Marks.
I t i s i n t e r e s t i n g to note t h a t most
A few examples o f
irv
^rEE
:Er
rv
~:
(d) Pele
Hi
( f ) Keke or G9mbo
(e)
VI
III
Ture
in
OWU MARKS.
(a) Abaja Olowu
(b) Keke Olowu
1.
Budge Op.Cit., p . 1 0 7 .
IN -
00
O .
* 333~
I F E MARKS.
OHDO MARKS
." -~
(Three long s t r o k e s )
(Four h o r i z o n t a l s t r o k e s )
If911 Marks;
g|_
(Eight t h in strokes)
Igbomina Marks
(Three t h i c k s t r o k e s )
V
Jebu. Marks
111
(Three long s t r o k e s )
Egba Marks
: ~ r i H": -7:. - TT.- * *
( V e r t i c a l & horizontal strokes)
Yagba Marks
(Three s h o r t s t r o k e s )
Dead*
. The Yagba t r i b a l marks deserve comment*
writings* '
1* Budge Op.Git.p.
Nos.J+0-46o
the top.
The words O y i s a and E s u have been explained i n a previous
chapter.
ing two.
s o u l o f Re o r Ra". .
2
o f a l o t u s flower a t dawn.3
11
335
"a f a i r y , e l f , . o r nobgoblin".
The i n i t i a l vowel i s
I t consists of an
336-
c l e a r l y proves t h i s statement.
I n the
by means of which he i s
The f i g u r e of a b i r d on. a f i g u r e s i m i l a r to
a l o t u s i n shape i s a f u r t h e r confirmation
of the
Egyptian
o r i g i n of the emblem.
F u r t h e r , a p a r t of the emblem has been described
the r e p r e s e n t a t i o n of a horse.
as
The noteworthy
together.
son.
"338
(the l i v i n g Ra)
. . .
(0 i s an i n i t i a l !
building !; nyan comes from the West A f r i c a n root word "ye" which
1
o b e l i s k o f the l i v i n g Ra".
Dr. Johnson g i v e s a good d e s c r i p t i o n o f the o b e l i s k :1. See chapter I I p.
0 - r a ( n ) - y a ( n ) = the l i v i n g Ra.
No.3.
330
The f i r s t symbol d i f f e r a
<Q
(2)
(1)
the god Ra holding the same emblems on page 136 o f the Dawn o f
Civilization.-^
1. H i s t o r y o f the Yorubas, p.1U6.
2. See the characters as drawn i n the accompanying sketch o f
the Obelisk.
3 . See also v i g n e t t e s on pages 3 8 0 and 5 8 8 , Book o f the Dead,
t r a n s l a t i o n by Budge.
340
Near the p i l l a r are the remains o f two other p i l l a r s , the
r e c t a n g u l a r bases on which they f o r m e r l y stood being found
nearer the foot o f the standing p i l l a r .
probably formed a t r i a d .
The three p i l l a r s
Some w r i t e r s
Dennett a l s o
tusksTalbot
I t may be
stedfastness and d u r a b i l i t y
Hence a t H e l i o p o l i s
This passage i s s i g n i f i c a n t .
Secondly, i t
Thirdly,
-342
The word
1 i
the work o f a stone mason, and t h a t the myth must have been
invented when the knowledge o f such masonry had vanished.
The s t a t u e i s about t h i r t y inches high, w i t h hands
1,!
and the
on
forehead
libations
The h a i r
"The treatment
o f the h a i r
i s d e c i d e d l y i t s head...
.The
The s t a t u e i s "some t h i r t y
T h i s . a l s o has a s o r t of .
.344
The points
of
of r u f f - l i k e ornament.
the h a i r i s on the r i g h t s i d e
This lock of
The s u r v i v a l of t h i s l o c k of h a i r i n
theory
The
There i s no
of the f o l l o w e r s of Re i n h i s d a i l y journey.
346
OTHER SYMBOLS.
Among the other r e l i c s the most important a r e the
symbols found i n the c r o c o d i l e temple a t l i e I f e .
These c o n s i s t
rudely
sun-worship.
346-
are
"O Ra i n h i s egg-
g l i t t e r s on the h o r i z o n " .
The
I n the d e s c r i p t i o n
The
i t i s highly
Ife.
F u r t h e r i t has been pointed out above* that "the d i v i n e
1,
347
Ancient Egypt, e s p e c i a l l y when the g r e a t development o f s o l a r
worship caused Sebek, the c r o c o d i l e god, to be I d e n t i f i e d w i t h H a l
L a s t l y , i t should be noted that blocks of stone were o f t e n found
is
i n Egyptian Temples*
t i o n :-
i n t h e temple .
11
This e f f i g y
A l l these are s u r v i v a l s o f a
relics.
ion
1* F l i n d e r s P e t r i e , Koptos, 2Zi*
348. .
a r c h a e o l o g i c a l value and who could h a r d l y be induced to p a r t
w i t h t h e i r precious t r e a s u r e s .
L a s t l y , reference must be made here to the stone
c h a i r presented by a former Oni of I f e to S i r W i l l i a m Macgregor
and p l a c e d , together w i t h other r e l i c s , i n the Egyptian Court
of the B r i t i s h Museum
CHAPTER
XVI.
- - 349 CHAPTER
XVI.
OTHER
One
above i n l i e I f e
Who
Afrida?
What i s t h e i r
religious significance?"
Some o f these questions have been p a r t l y answered i n
connection w i t h the d e s c r i p t i o n o f the r e l i c s .
Attention
has
by
traced
g l a s s work i n t o Benin.
and
the
This b e l i e f i s
based on the assumption.', t h a t once a n a t i o n i s c i v i l i z e d , circumstances and environment cannot cause i t to degenerate and
that
non-
Unless i t can
be
influencing
explanation
of the phenomena.
Over a g a i n s t these suggestions and b e l i e f there i s the .
unshaken evidence of the n a t i v e s of I f e t h a t the r e l i c s were the
works of the ancestors
beliefs*
the
are out o f p l a c e
- 351
by those of the Egyptians, i t i s d i f f i c u l t to deny a c t i v e contact
between the Yorubas and the E g y p t i a n s .
I t was probably
The stone-
Around them i s
direction,
The H e l i o l i t h i c c u l t u r e , according to P r o f e s s o r
Smith
I t i n v o l v es the production o f
raumunification
(8) The s u n - c u l t
conditions.
a f f i n i t y of the Yoruba p i l l a r s at l i e I f e t o
workmanship.
The a f f i n i t y o f the
, i s black a l s o " .
The i n i t i a l consonant
and the
It is
The country r u l e d
The f a c e o f O s i r i s
was black and h i s black image was known as didu or dudu, words
which mean "BLACK" i n the Yoruba language.
G r a n i t e s t a t u e s of gods may be found i n v a r i o us parts of Ancient
Egypt.^
Among those
Here a few
J u s t as H e l i o p o l i s t h e c h i e f
origin.
The word I - f e i s of E g y p t i a n
"The word I - f e
the f i n a l
Yoruba/
- 355 Yoruba i s p h o n e t i c a l l y w r i t t e n i . )
That t h i s i s the c o r r e c t
d e r i v a t i o n i s supported by two f a c t s .
as impossible.
l i e I f e may,
t h e r e f o r e , be regarded
as a s u r v i v a l , i n
"The House of the
Ra."
other s u r v i v a l s may
be noted.
Yoruba and i s derived from the colour of the golden orb of the
sun at s u n r i s e or at sunset.
"round".
The idea of
horizon.
There i s evidence
The r e l i c s
T h i s v a l u a b l e r e l i c i s thus
on the s i t e of the c i t y of l i e I f e .
The people o f
But why
Yoruba p r i m i t i v e c u l t u r e *
According to E g y p t i a n mythology, Turn or Atumu (Adumu)
was the god o f the p r i m o r d i a l o c e a n ,
abyss.
Atum-Ra o r Ra-Tum.
the s u r v i v a l o f Turn.
I t w i l l be remembered that
Both are
connected w i t h c r e a t i o n ;
Olokun was
"it
Now the f a c i a l
characteristics
An i m p a r t i a l study o f the
The f i g u r e c l o s e l y resambles
a t y p i c a l example of whom
B e s i d e s , the
i s a l s o noteworthy.
I t has been
u-eb, which means a " p r i e s t " , the "pure one", "one whose duty i s
to i n s p e c t the p u r i t y of s a c r i f i c i a l v i c t i m s " . 3
fore means " s a c r i f i c e , pure o f f e r i n g i n Yoruba".
The term
I t means
e x i s t s , the l i v i n g one".
The mass of r e l i c s found a t Ebo-Olokun s t r o n g l y suggests
that i t was an a n c i e n t cemetery.
t e r r a - c o t t a s o f a l l k i n d s , d e p i c t i n g men
and animals, j a r s , p i p e s ,
All
IFE.
The ONI, the King or paramount c h i e f of I f e , i s a p r i e B t
king.
may
U n t i l q u i t e r e c e n t l y the sword of
ceremonies
of the
f i n d close p a r a l l e l s
I t should
According
to
Dr. T i e l e :
" H e l i o p o l i s was h e l d i n the g r e a t e s t esteem; coronation
ceremonies took place there as at Memphis, and the kings
who were crowned there had the s p e c i a l t i t l e bestowed on
them o f Haq.-an, l o r d of On". 2
SURVIVAL OF OTHER EMBLEMS AND: SYMBOLS
IFA UTENSILS.
Prominent among I f a u t e n s i l s which show t r a c e s of Egyptian
o r i g i n a r e the I f a r a t t l e s .
p o i n t i n g to the
f o u r p o i n t s f the compass.
There i s no doubt t h a t cosmological ideas are a s s o c i a t e d
w i t h the heads carved on I f a t r a y s .
They r e p r e s e n t, according to
= =
. - -~
ii
ii
ii
ii
i
ii
II
Eji
Ogbe
i
Iwori
The arrangement i s as
Meji
Bast
2. Oyeku Meji
West
3. I w o r i Meji
South
4. Odi Meji
North
E-su
Sango
Obatala
O-gu(ii)
T h e i r i d e n t i t y w i t h the
- 362
culture.
n e
warrior god,
but Shu,
the
god
of the r i s i n g sun.
I n using the t r a y f o r o r a c u l a r purposes the babalawo
faces the e a s t and turns the head r e p r e s e n t i ng E - s u
and h i s domain towards the E a s t .
(Shu)
sun.
and
says
i n the evening"
Professor
and
and
of
surviving
elements
A satisfactory
It is
Sometimes i t i s
The;
REMARKS.
The
.The s u r v i v a l o f a n c i e n t E g y p t i a n d e i t i e s i n Yorubaland
CHAPTER X V I I.
C O N C L U S I O N .
366
CHAPTER X V I I - CONCLUSION,
"Science i s n e i t h e r f i n a l nor absolute*
I t i s only a
The t r u t h of t h i s
The student of r e l i g i o n
However
finality.
be/
S c i e n c e knows no
of tomorrow.
The tone of t h i s t h e s i s has; i n some p a r t s been c r i t i c a l .
T h i s i s due to two reasons. F i r s t , the r e s u l t s achieved by
previous w r i t e r s , h i g h l y a p p r e c i a t e d a s t h e s e a r e , can only
be greeted w i t h i n t e r i m cheers, and not w i t h prolonged, applause
denoting f i n a l i t y .
comparative
I t h a s been t r e a t e d , not
367*
The d e s c r i p t i o n of Yoruba R e l i g i o n g i v e n i n the preceding chapters can l e a d to only one conclusion, namely, that
the impress of Egypt on i t i s c l e a r and i n d e l l i b l e .
a p p l i e d t o elements i n r e l i g i o u s or s o c i a l l i f e a r e of Egyptian
origin.
the
form
368
"And God s a i d , l e t us make man i n our own image,
a f t e r our l i k e n e s s : and l e t them have dominion over
the f i s h of the sea, and over the fowls of the a i r ,
and over t h e c a t t l e , and over a l l the e a r t h , and
over every creeping t h i n g t h a t creepeth upon the
earth"*
3*
S e m i t ic root ha-ya
The
select-
of t h i s work*
4* I b i t l agbara awon ogun t i t u n tft B r i t e i n gbe wa n i i d a l o j u
i s e a t i y i y a v i awon to a n f i keke-ogun ,1a n i n u won. Yoruba War P i c t o r i a l No.16, p.8.
"The s t r e n g t h of the new B r i t i s h o f f e n s i v e l i e s i n the
e f f i c i e n c y and e x c e l l e n t f i g h t i n g s p i r i t of the tanksoldiers"*
1* I t has- been pointed out above t h a t the S e m i t i c root-word
ha-ya ( o r chaya) p l a y s an important r o l e i n West A f r i c a n
languages. The f i r s t s y l l a b l e which v a r i e s w i t h i n f l e c t i o n s
i n Hebrew i s l e f t out i n West A f r i c a n languages*
I n Ancient Egyptian the same root-word p l a y s an important
r o l e . The f i r s t s y l l a b l e ha- or cha- i s the Egyptian cha or che -(Greek ^ E - ) , and the second s y l l a b l e -ya becomes
par or per i n Ancient Egyptian. The l e t t e r y does not e x i s t
i n Ancient E g y p t i a n language; i t s p l a c e i s taken by p. Hence
-ya = -par or -per. The o l d e r form Kho-pi-ru i s a l s o found.
The importance of the root-word i n both the West A f r i c a n
la^^frerjAnttidnlfc^
cannot be over estimated.
See E l l i s , Yoruba speaking peoples, Comparison o f four
West A f r i c a n Languages, pp.305-398; Budge,Ancient Egyptian
Language, pp.141-142; P o t t , Ueber d i e Versehiedenhelt des
menshilchen Sprachbaus von Wilhera von Humbolt, i i pp.
496-498 (1876).
36
5*
survive.
I t i s s i g n i f i c a n t that
of Yorubaland.
The s i m i l a r i t y or i d e n t i t y o f magical b e l i e f s and pract i c e s , b i r t h and death ceremonies, p r i e s t h o od and worship has
been noted i n the preceding c h a p t e r s .
4
p. 89
See Chapters I I t o V I I I above.
e.g. Salug i n Ancient Egypt and Salug-a i n Yorubaland.
Chapters:- X t o XIV.
3&e
I t i s a s u r v i v a l of the
deities
In i t s
e s s e n t i a l f e a t u r e s i t r e f l e c t s the conservatism c h a r a c t e r i s t i c
of the Ancient Egyptians*
attempt
a t symthesis or r e c o n c i l i a t i o n * G e n e r a l l y speaking, i t i s a
corrupt form of t h e Ancient E g y p t i a n r e l i g i o n .
I t i s a clear
1944.
tendency
37$
t o develop having "been a r r e s t eefe by the i n f l u e n c e o f environment,
and the tendency t o d e t e r i o r a t e having been checked by t h e i r
p r a c t i c a l and s o c i o l o g i c a l value. On the other hand, some o f
the l o f t y elements i n Ancient Egyptian R e l i g i o n seems to have
degenerated i n Yorubaland i n t o rank animism or f e t i c h i s i r u
The general impression i s t h a t the Yoruba r e l i g i o n has degenerat e d from a more l o f t y r e l i g i o n , the more p r i m i t i v e p a r t s o f i t
showing close a f f i n i t y w i t h t h e Egyptian monotheistic b e l i e f
i n "one and only god".
lost,
o f things i s upward.
A\ comparison o f Yoruba r e l i g i o n w i t h i t s
c i t PA46.
378
The decadence of r e l i g i o n adversely affected the whole
of Yoruba culture. This f a c t i s attested to by S i r
Flinders. Petrie when he says: "The discoveries made by Leo
Proebenius show that there was. considerable a r t i s t i c
c i v i l i z a t i o n somewhere between 1000 and 3000 years ago, and
that the present West African i s , much degraded below hie
former s t a t u s " . This statement applies with equal force to
Yorubaland and the Yorubas.
1
Attention had^een c a l l e d
I t remained
point, resulting i n the transfer of worship to the anthropomorphic and animistic d e i t i e s , and relegating Olorun into the
background as a Deity too distant to worship.
The survival of several elements i n the Osirian f a i t h i s
a further testimony to the r e l a t i o n between O s i r i s and Olorun
a a sketched, i n a previous chapter.
373
Egypt are: t h e O s i r i a n f a i t h , the c u l t o f ancestors o r anthro=
pomorphic gods, and the h e l i o l i t h i c c u l t u r e . Of these three
elements, the O s i r i a n f a i t h occupies: the most prominent p a r t .
The c u l t o f ancestors i s widely d i f f u s e d , w h i l s t t h e h e l i o l i t h i c c u l t u r e , wide-spread through i t s r e l i c s may he, i s no
longer as a c t i v e o r i n f l u e n t i a l i n regard t o r e l i g i o u s worship
as t h e two preceding ones. I n the case o f Egyptian r e l i g i o n
there i s no absolute d i v i s i o n between the elements: the three
elements e v e n t u a l l y became a s s i m i l a t e d as f a r as-, possible or
continued t o be placed side by side. This i s also tru b
Yoruba r e l i g i o n , b u t t h e O s i r i a n f a i t h occupies? the most* prominent p o s i t i o n .
"ATLANTIC" CULTURE.
This l a t t e r
I t was a c u l t u r e
I t was; permeated
I t t r a v e l l e d eastwards t o Egypt,
I t passed through
374
the p i l l a r s of Hercules or the S t r a i t s of G l l b r a l t a r , and then
along the West coast of A f r i c a i n a southerly directio n u n t i l
i t reached Yorubaiand, where i t has for centuries; defied
attempted obliteration by r i v a l cultures.
As a result of t h i s intercourse
5.
The Bow.
375
6, The existence o f the "Templum" idea i n Yoruba.
This idea
c e r t i f y t h a t : F i r s t l y : A l l the monuments
bow,
1 . Op.cit, p. 336.
376
the home of Poseidon* a- posterity, the Sea-God by them
named Olokun; the land of "a people of whom Solon
declared: They had even extended t h e i r lordship over
Egypt and T y r r h e n e l .
nl
With the
377
Over against t h i s statement there i s a mass o f weighty
and over-whelming evidence. F i r s t o f a l l t h e r e i s the evidence
o f the Yorubas themselves who say t h a t their- ancestral home
was i n the North, or North-East. Unless i t can he proved t h a t
they came t o Yorubaland^by .way o f the sea, t h e i r c u l t u r e can
h a r d l y escape being untouched by the c u l t u r e o f the North o r
North-East, e s p e c i a l l y as i t has been proved t h a t they have
very l i t t l e i n common, i n regard t o t h e s u r v i v a l o f f o r e i g n
c u l t u r e , w i t h the t r i b e s o f t h e Sudan. Their m i g r a t i o n t o
Yorubaland by way o f the Sudan i s a f a c t o f h i s t o r y , a t t e s t e d
t o by Sultan Bello o f Sokoto and^others.
about 1870
B.ci'
378
respectively penetrated f a r into the Sudan and probably
reached the approaches of the Gulf of Guinea*'
I t i s inconceivable that Egyptians, who imigrated i n
large numbers to the South West and c a r r i e d on commercial i n t e r course with the remotest regions of the Sudan did not exert;
any c u l t u r a l influence on the people among whom some of them
must hatfe settled.
Dealing with the spread of the c u l t u r a l influence of
Egypt Sirj, Harry Johnston s t a t e s that there are traces of
Egyptian influence reaching down to the Gold Coast and the
Gulf of Guinea.
Intercourse between Egypt and West A f r i c a during the
close of the l a s t era and the beginning of the present one.
i s a fact of history?
I t i s an influence which
to are the impluriuro, the lpjw,the hand loom and the "Templum" idea.
X. Op. c i t Vol.1, p.19.
379
The existence o f these Etruscan elements? must be admitted*
Yoruba
I n a d d i t i o n i t should be observed t h a t ^ " funerary customs' resemb l e d those o f the Etruscans",
the theory,
Etruscan c i v i l i z a t i o n f l o u r i s h e d i n Crete, Between Egypt
and Crete t h e r e was close i n t e r c o u r s e f o r several c e n t u r i e s .
I n Cambridge Ancient H i s t o r y i t i s stated, t h a t "There are c l e a r
connections between the Egypt o f Rameses and t h e Minoan w o r l d "
1, Vol.11. P.447.
2. Vol.11. P.277, On the whole subject o f t h e r e l a t i o n
between Crete w i t h i t s Minoan and Etruscan or Tyrrhene
c i v i l i z a t i o n and Ancient Egypt see Cambridge Ancient
H i s t o r y Vol.11., pp.431-438.
380
An important point worth noting i s that the Etruscan
"implurium" s t y l e of building had been introduced into Egypt,
that the women's hand-loom existed i n Ancient Egypt and that
the templum town planning existed at Heliopolis i n Ancient
Egypt, a town which appears i n many respects as the prototype
1
of l i e I f e *
Their
The theory
11
381
i s the s u r v i v a l of the Ancient Egyptian d e i t y known as Adimu
or Adurau "Lord of the p r i m o d i a l abyss". This i d e n t i t y places
him i n the n a t u r a l r e l a t i o n w i t h other Yoruba d e i t i e s who are
s u r v i v a l s of Egyptian d e i t i e s .
Prof. Proebenius r e f e r s t o the s i m i l a r i t y between t h e Yoruba I f a c u l t and a system o f d i v i n a t i o n i n A l g e r i a and other
p a r t s of Nopth A f r i c a .
i s not disputed.
The North A f r i c a n o r i g i n o f I f a c u l t
later
382
To sum up: Yoruba primitive culture does not appear t o be
a survival of an "Atlantic" culture exclusively, a culture
which i s supposed to have t r a v e l l e d down the West Coast of
Africa, from North Africa . The weight of evidence i s i n -favour
of the theory that Yoruba primitive culture i s a survival of
Ancient Egyptian culture containing, among others, elements
of the culture which prevailed i n North A f r i c a many centuries
ago. Evidence i s also available that the transmission of the
Ancient Egyptian culture followed a trans-continental route
from Egypt to the Western shores of Africa.
Egyptian history.
no king i n Egypt.
and l a t e r ,
383
a f e u d a l p r i n c e i n Egypt,_ I t covers t h e p e r i o d o f the Old
Kingdom, The Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom, the Greek P e r i o d
and t h e Roman period. The worship c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f t h e
d i f f e r e n t periods as w e l l as other d i s t i n g u i s h i n g elements
survive i n Yorubaland, producing a medley o f " b e l i e f s
representing v a r y i n g stages o f developnent, a l l o f which were
to be seen among peoples which successively i n h a b i t e d the
Mediterranean area from p a l a e o l i t h i c t o c h a l c h o l i t h i c times"
and, on the whole, resembling " t h a t o f the Ancient Egyptians,
who combined a b e l i e f i n the existence o f an omnipotent and
omniscient supreme God, c a l l e d Neter, w i t h t h a t i n m u l t i t u d e s
of subordinate d e i t i e s , mostly p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n s o f n a t u r a l
phenomena".
This race i s b e l i e v ed t o be d i f f e r e n t
384
may u l t i m a t e l y s e t t l e the question as t o whether the Ancient
Egyptians were Caucasians, Semites or "Negroes". I n t h e
meantime i t i s s u f f i c i e n t t o agree w i t h some o f the l e a d i n g
Egyptologists t h a t they were not Caucasians, hut that t h e i r
1
S u f f i c e i t t o say
385
Words; i f f these languages, which are derived from the Ancient
Egyptian language, are of the same type as those which, s u r v i v e
i n Yoruba.
spirit,
disembodied
luminous s p i r i t .
I n Ga, i t survives as p a r t of
the
I n Igabo
386
derived from F a n t i or F e n t i , an Egyptian
1
God-.
This suggests
Again, N.yi-sua
387
insurmountable. Two examples w i l l , be given here* Dr. G.T.Basden,
who had l i v e d among the Ibos f o r t h i r t y f i v e years and had
written two valuable books on t h e i r culture says " A l l my
1
have been
The word
I t is
the same word as- the Yoruba word Ibo "ocult beings", the Ibo x
word igbo applied t o an Ibo sub- t r i b e , the Yoruba word igbo .
"The haunt of s p i r i t s " the word e-gbe,"a community of s p i r i t s "
the word aru-gbo "an o l d person", the egbo "a secret society,
and similar words; i n other West African languages. The words
are a l l derived from the Ancient Egyptian word ba-u or bo-u
or bau, " s p i r i t s or souls", p l u r a l of ba . The l e t t e r b remain
3
I i s an i n i t i a l vowel,
388
of a t r i b e i s not peculiar t o the I b o s .
1
belonging to the ancestral soul of rba, an Ancient E&yptian feudal deity The word ibo i s used by the Yorubas i n connection
with the practice of l o t t e r y , with a view t o detecting a
malefactor or selecting an o f f i c i a l .
389
l e t t e r g being added because the aspirate i s pronounced i n a
peculiar way corresponding to the o r i g i n a l Ancient Egyptian
l e t t e r h (h with a d o t ) .
The word bohnsum or bonsum or bosum i s also derived from
Ancient Egyptian language.
390
Dr. H.J. Melzian and others. Some of the d i f f i c u l t i e s which
confronted them w i l l vanish when approached i n the l i g h t of
the theory proposed i n t h i s work. There is. no doubt that the
application of the theory would lead to a revision of the class i f i c a t i o n s and conclusions set f o r t h i n t h e i r respective works.
Instances of
survival of Greek or Roman terms have also been given. The surv i v a l of the Cretan double-bitted axe has already been noted.
Next to Egyptian culture, the greatest influence i n Yoruba
culture has been exerted, by Hebrew culture.
The survival o f
391
further research. I t requires a detailed examination similar
to what has been done i n the case o f the impress of Ancient
Egyptian culture. I t i s most probable, however, that the r e s u l t
of adequate research work w i l l point t o Ancient Egypt as the
medium which f a c i l i t a t e d the impress?.
MORALITY AND RELIGION.
1
398
"The moral system of Yoruba heathenism teaches reverence t o the
gods which i s t o show i t s e l f i n , amongst other things, a dailyearly morning worship t o them before t h e i r images before any
business i s done, the exercise of f a i t h i n them and t h e i r
guidance, and other assistances by consulting them on a l l
important matters; respect and reverence f o r age and f o r a l l
authority; f i l i a l regard and reverence f o r age and obedience
to parents on the part o f children always, and care and concern
for them under the i n f i r m i t i e s of sickness, and o l d age, and
i n times of necessity produced by other circumstances; a great
regard f o r marriage and the perpetuity of the bond, submission
to t h e i r husbands on the part of wives, and care and protection
on -the part o f the husbands; the exercise o f the duties of
h o s p i t a l i t y t o a l l , especially t o strangers; f i d e l i t y t o
friendship under a l l circumstances;* chastity, truthfulness; i n
speech, honesty, kindness, and among some t r i b e s courage also;
whilst under i t s influence, murder and t h e f t , and sometimes
the practice o f witchcraft, are punished with death; adultery
and fornication with a. severe social disgrace and fines and
s e l l i n g into slavery, and where the honour of a king s wife
i s concerned, with death sometimes; suicide, with a dishonoured
b u r i a l ; and neglect and indifference t o pay a debt, and
insolvency, with much social dishonour; and i t discountenances,
among other things, pride and vanity and extravagance*
1
393
for the l i f e of polygamy which have ruled the country f o r
centuries and for the very long incessant i n t e r - t r i b a l
warfares which have ruined i t .
"The motives f o r v i r t u e are a b e l i e f i n a r e t r i b u t i v e
providence, either f o r good or for-evil;, the fear of social
disgrace and o f punishment also, which would f a l l not only
upon an individual wrong and e v i l doer, but upon his relatives-,
and other connections also; the prospect of a long l i f e on
earth, desire f o r prosperity and dread of the anger o f the
gods and of punishment from them" .
1
394
I n the same s t r a i n he might as well blame C h r i s t i a n i t y for a l l x
the horrors o f the I n q u i s i t i o n .
I t must he admitted that the Yorubas often f a l l f a r below
the standard indicated by the above system, . Gruesome practices
and immoral acts may be witnessed among some of the t r i b e s ,
and t h i s fact has prevented some observers from seeing very
l i t t l e beyond the gruesome practices o f the heathen world
enumerated by St. Paul i n the f i r s t chapter of h i s epistle
to the Romans. A dispassionate survey o f the facts cannot but
produce testimony t o the existence of the moral system sketched
above. The difference between Biafcop Johnson's description and
the dark picture drawn by others l i e s c h i e f l y i n the difference
between the accepted ideal of the t r i b e or nation and a c t u a l i t y
as i l l u s t r a t e d by actions of i n d i v i d u a l persons or tribes:,
f a l l i n g below the ideal. Such a difference i s discernible
even i n highly c i v i l i z e d communities outside A f r i c a , irrespect i v e o f the centuries o f Christian c i v i l i z a t i o n forming the
background of t h e i r c i v i l i z a t i o n .
I t may be repeated that the gruesome practices referred
to by Dr. Parrow constitute a clear evidence of degeneracy
from a high ideal of morality which i s s t i l l discernible among
a welter o f repulsive acts.
The contribution o f r e l i g i o n to the sense o f social
s o l i d a r i t y among the Yorubas i s by no means negligible.
Observers have t e s t i f i e d to the strong social sense characteri s t i c of the A f r i c a n , t o "the sense o f the continuity of
1
C .
A
395
that
and t o the fact/"the.individual i s regarded only as a l i n k
1
i n a chain of l i f e which binds together the generations".
This sense of s o l i d a r i t y i s strengthened by b e l i e f i n the same
deities and by the b e l i e f that the bond of union between
ancestral and departed s p i r i t s on the one hand,, and l i v i n g
or the other
members of the t r i b e or nationals indissoluble by death or
distance.
What w i l l
happen to the religions of African peoples i s one of the important factors which w i l l , determine what w i l l happen to them
on the whole. I n the case of Yoruba r e l i g i o n , the foundation
and the superstructure have been adversely affected.
b e l i e f s are being ousted by science.
The o l d
the
the
396
the Missionaries. The f i r s t two of these c i v i l i z i n g agencies'
introduce much that i s material; they destroy without adequate
provision f o r substitutes or f o r the re-building of what i s
destroyed. That task i s l e f t c h i e f l y to the Missionaries.
They have to see that a new system of morality i s b u i l t ' u p ,
and that adjustment from the o l d to the new i s done without
detriment.
I t s good elements
The bad
I t i s l i a b l e , however, t o
397
i t s adaptation to l o c a l conditions and circumstances as t o
make i t a poor and degenerate form of what i t r e a l l y i s .
This, as i t has pointed out above, i s what has happened t o the
l o f t y r e l i g i o n of Ancient Egypt. Mohammedanism i n Yorubaland
i s sharing the same fate.
Whether
He
APPENDIX 1.
EGYPTIAN SURVIVALS,
- 398 APPENDIX
EGYPTIAN
SURVIVALS.
A.
A SELECTION OP YORUBA DEITIES
i n whose forms Ancient Egyptian deities survive i n Yorubaland
or whose names are derived from Ancient Egyptian words.
1.
2.
10.
ORISA
11.
12.
BARA
13.
14.
OKE
-; 399 -
15.
SUGUDU
16.
IPA
17.
18.
19
ODI
SO. OBATALA
21.
22.
ODUDUA
YEMOJA
23.
OLOKDN
24.
OLOSA
25.
DADA
26.
OGU(N)
27.
OSU(N)
28.
SOPONO
29.
30.
31.
32.
ORO
33.
ITA
34.
ELUKU
35.
A-GE-M0N
36.
37.
GE-LEDE
38.
IBEJI
39.
40.
-! 4,66 B
A SELECTION OP EGYPTIAN DEITIES
which have Burvived i n Yorubaland.
1.
Amon ( I & V I I I ) .
20.
Nin-ip (VI)
2.
Bast ( I & I I )
21.
Nu
3.
Geb
22.
Pash-t ( I )
( I I & VIII)
(VII)
4. Hathor ( I I & V)
23. Pt ah (VI)
5.
Horn -m - l a (V)
24.
Ra
6. Horus-Bakhu ( I I & V)
25.
Rpa
(I)
7. Horus
26.
Set
(V)
8. Hapi M i r i t (V)
27.
Shu
( I I I , V & IX)
(III)
(I? I I & I I I ) .
10.
Khepera ( I I & I I I )
29.
11.
Khonsu (IX)
30.
Sut ( I I I )
12.
Khnum (X)
31.
Sahu (IX)
32. Sekri ( I I )
14.
Kherti ( I I )
33.
15.
I s i s (XI)
34.
16.
Orion ( V I I )
17.
Osiris ( I I )
18.
19.
Mut (V)
-:uoi NOTES.
1.
PTAH also survives i n such words as :Ye-gba-ta, (the l i v i n g soul o f Ptah), the name of one of
the chiefs i n Ode Ondo; O-ta, a cannon-ball.
2.
3.
lu
mausoleum.
5.
SO-KA-RIS.
- U02 -
C.
A SELECTION OF DEITIES
i n other p a r t s o f West A f r i c a which are
s u r v i v a l s o f Ancient Egyptian D e i t i e s o f whose
names are derived from Ancient Egyptian words.
ABASI
AYI-BA
A s u r v i v a l o f Bas-t.
Nigeria.
Ba = s o u l .
See Chapter I I
A s u r v i v a l o f Mau-t.
A s u r v i v a l o f Horu.
Amsu i s an
-v UQ3:~
D.
A SELECTION OP EGYPTIAN DEITIES
which have survived i n other p a r t s
o f West A f r i c a .
1.
Amon
7.
Mnevis
2.
Bast o r Pasht
8.
Sob-ku
Horus
9.
Tanen
k*
Horus-Set
10.
5.
Mau-t
11.
6.
Amsu
12.
E.
A SELECTION OP WEST AFRICAN TRIBES
whose names are derived from those o f Egyptian
d e i t i e s o r from Egyptian words.
I.
Nigeria.
Name o f T r i b e .
1. YO-RUBA
2. I-Bl(N)NI
See Chapter I I .
3 . SEKIRI
i+. SOBO
r kOk- Derivation,
Name o f Tribe,
5.
BA-RIBA
ba = s o u l ,
6.
I-GA-RA
7.
E-G-BA
ba = s o u l .
8.
A-WORI
Ha-oiri-t
9.
I-JE-BU
10.
I-JE-SA
11..
E-KI-TI
B above.
12.
YA-G-BA
I-GBO-MINA
E-GUN
Gu(n)
15.
I-BO
Bo = bau = souls.
16.
ON-DO
13.
Mina = Min.
= Khu, luminous s p i r i t .
i.e.settlers
I I . Other p a r t s o f West A f r i c a .
17.
GA
(Gold Coast)
Ga i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n o f k a - soul .
18.
FANTI
(Gold Coast)
19.
TCHI
(Gold Coast)
20.
2 1
A-SANTI
or A-SHANTI
(Gold Coast)
SU-SU
( S i e r r a Leone)
Ancient
Egyptian
ade-f
or a t e - f
= crown, plumes, d i x .
1.
ade
(crown)
2.
ako
(male)
ak
= male
3.
abo
ab
= female
(female)
ala or
ala
I-arau
(boundary,
white)
I-alau
5. ala
( p a r t o f the
I-aro
' name o f a d e i t y )
4.
6.
8.
Amu
Anion
amon
a-pa
pa or per
Ra
/Amu
(a n a t i v e o f
Amu)
9 a-ra
(body)
Yoruba
- 1+06
Ancient
Egyptian.
10. a-ra
(thunder)
Ha
11. a-ra
(wonderful
performance)
Ra
Superior s k i l l i s regarded as a
g i f t o f the god Ra.
12. a-re
(a wretched
or m i s e r l y
person)
Re or Ra
13. a-ro
(river,
name o f a town
near a r i v e r )
I-aro o r
I-alo
11+. a-sa
(shield)
sa
=s a d i v i n e f l u i d regarded as being
capable o f p r o t e c t i n g gods and men
from e v i l .
15. a-se
(door,gate)
16. a-ke
(axe)
17. a-dua
(prayer)
se-b
qe-h
dua o r
tua
18. a-ga
(chair)
qa
= t o be h i g h , t h a t which i s high.
19. A-ta or A t t a
Atthar
20. A-ga-ra
Ka
21. Agbara
Khepera
(power,strength)
22. a-gba
ba
(an e l d e r l y person,
o l d man)
an e l d e r l y o r o l d man i s regarded
as the f u l l i n c a r n a t i o n o f the
s p i r i t o f the t r i b e .
- 1+07 Yoruba.
Ancient
Egyptian.
23. a-ru-gbo
(an o l d man)
ru-ha ,
ba
evening) a-ru-gbo
soul
;
the evening
o f the ba i . e .
the l a t e r stage
of l i f e .
21j.. a-wu-re
Khu & Re
25. A-gu-ra
Khu & Ra
26. A-ka-ri-ghp
Kharib
or Kherib
= h i g h p r i e s t i n ancient Egypt.
Akarigbo i s the t i t l e of the paramount
c h i e f o f I j e b u Remo. See Chapter X.
27. ade-nibi
atef &
nibi-t
28. ba
ba
29. ba-ra
(beg)
ba & Ra
30. ba-ra
(mausoleum;
great house)
per & aa
31. Dada
( a name)
Da
32. da-ra
Ra
33. da-ra
Ra
(good, b e au t i f u l )
= great house.
See T i e l e , H i s t o r y o f the Ancient
Egyptians,. ( t r a n s . B a l l i n g a l ) p. 107.
See Chapter
- 2+08 Yoruba.
Ancient
Egyptian.
3k* d i d u o r
dudu
(black)
didu o r
dudu ( t a t )
35. enia or
un
eni-yan o r
uni-yan
(human being,
mankind)
36. e-re
Re
(play,games)
probably a s u r v i v a l o f games
played on f e s t i v a l occasions i n
honour o f the god Re o r Ra.
37. e-re
(image,idol)
qere-s
38. e-re
ere or ara
(species o f
serpen^ python)
39 e-gu(n)-gu(n) Khu
or e-gu(n)
(masquerade)
u-eb
1+0. e-bo
e-00
("sacrifice)
1+1 e-ku(n)
Khu
(district)
J+2. e-mi(n)
(spirit)
Min
1+3. e-se
se-t
("sin, of fence)
kk. f a
(carry)
fa
1+5. Fa-te-ru
Pat-heru
1+6. Pa-we
Nefer and
ue-b
- k09 Yoruba.
(blow)
kQ. to
(fly)
Ancient
Egyptian.
nef o r naf
= wind, breeze, a i r , b r e a t h ,
to blow, The Yoruba word a-fe-fe
= wind, breeze, i s probably
derived from t h i s word.
af
(high)
50. gbo
( t o be old)
bau
or
bou
(souls,spirits)
51 gbo
ba
(hear, smell)
52. ge-le-de
See Chapter V I I I .
53. Iba b i r i
ba
5km Igbo-raina
55. Igho
Bau
56. Ibu
bu
(place,the
depth o f the
sea)
The
bu = place. Sometime i t i s
modified t o ' h i e.g. i b i = place.
Ki bu e e ? (Ondo d i a l e c t ) L i t .
trfaaf place are you going t o ?
c.p. ibusun, ibudo, abule.
1
57. I-gbo-do
(name o f a
place)
bau & do
58. I-ke-re-ku
59. I-ku
(death)
Khu
(spirit)
Yoruba.
60. I f a
Nefer
61. I t a
Neter
62. I - k i - r e
Khu & Re
63. I - l a
La
61+. I - s e - h i n
(a town)
sa-hu
See chapter X
65. I-ta-bo
(a town)
66. I - t o - k u
(a d i s t r i c t )
I - t o - k u = I t a - o k u . Neter-Khu.,
a well-known Egyptian phrase.
See No.65 above.
67. I-te-bu
Ne.ter & bu
68. I - t e
(throne)
Te-s horu
69. I t e s i
(a d i s t r i c t )
Neter-osiri
= the d i v i n e O s i r i s . I t e s i =
I t a Esi or O s i ( r i )
70. i-sdn
(service,
worship)
Isis
see chapter X
71. I - n a - b i r i
or Ina-bere
na-pri-t
= a kind o f g r a i n . I n a b i r i or
inabere i s a k i n d o f g r a i n .
72.
nui
= e i t y . u i s changed t o 1
.'... See Chapter I
P*1U r u l e 11+.
i-lu
(city,town,
country)
73. I - r e
71+, Ja-ku-ta
75. ka
Re
= t h a t which i s good,goodness.
ka
- U11
Yoruba.
Ancient Egyptian.
76. Ka-ra(n)
Ka & Ra
(the name o f a k i n g )
77. Ka-ra
(apartments)
Ha & Ra
78, Ka-Nla
Ka & l a
79. K o b i t i
Qobt or Kobt
80. Ko
(build)
qp-t o r qe-t
b u i l d . The f i n a l consonant
t i s e l i d e d i n Yoruba.
81. ku
(die)
Khu
Khu = luminous s p i r i t . Ku =
t o become a luminous s p i r i t .
The word appears i n the same
sense i n several West A f r i c a n
languages.
82. K u t i
( a name)
Khuti
83. Kemta
81+. ku-re-ku-re
Khu & Re
(fairy,hobgoblin)
85. Koro
(corner)
Konb- or ken-b
86. Kesi
Kesi
K e s i , a c i t y i n Upper Egypt;
K e s i , a d i s t r i c t i n the town o f
Abeofcuta. See Budge, Book o f
the Dead, p. 31+0.
87. L i s a
Horu-Set
88. Loro
Orion
- 1+12 Yoruba.
Ancient Egyptian.
Khu
89. Maku
(A Yoruba name)
90* Ma-gba
Anion and Va
( I f a jbriest)
la-ku, do not d i e .
Ma-gba = Omon-agba, people o f
the ba, i.e.' those who possess;
i n a s p e c i a l manner, the
s p i r i t o f the tribe.See Ch. IV.
91. mon
Amon
mimon
( h o l y clean)
92. mo(n)or'
ma(n)
(mould
shapen)
raa-su
93. Ntebo
94. Odi
(a d e i t y )
Qt o r Od
a a d e i t y . t or d. receives?.
a vowel t o forra ja new s y l l a b l e .
95. Odu
(chief,
an e x a l t ed
personage)
du-
= mountain.
= l a k e , r i v e r , aettlement.
96. odo
do
(river,we11)
97. Odu-dua
See Chap.V
du & dua-t
See chapter V
98. 0 - k u ( n ) - r i ( n )
(man)
Kh-nu-mu
99. o - b i ( n ) r i ( n )
Kh-op-ri
See C h a p . I l l & V f o r f u l l
explanation.
Khu
100. o-gun
(a d e i t y )
101. o-ku
Khui
(a dead person).
102. O-gun
(war,battie)
Khu
- 1+13 Yoruba
Ancient Egyptian,
103. 0-ke
ba-khu
see c h a p . I l l above.
104. Omi
l-oma,
mi o r mu
105. Oni-sua
or Oli-sua
Sea-nit
106. O-re
Re
Ore = f a i r y , e l f , disembodied
spirit.
107. O r i
hor
= t o be h i g h .
top, surface.
108. Oro
(a d e i f i e d
Orion
spirit)
109. Oru(n)
(sun)
Horu
O r i = head,
110. o r u
ru-ha
(evening,night)
evening.
111. o r u
(heat)
Horu
112. Ooru(n)
(name o f a
field i n
Yorubaland)
Ooru
or
Aaru
= the E l y s i a n F i e l d ,
113. Osu
(moon)
Kh-onsu
= moon-god.
11U. O s i r i
(plot,
conspiracy)
Osiri
Osiri
115. Osi
(poverty,
wretchedness)
- U1U Yoruba.
Ancient Egyptian.
116. 0-so
(wizard,part
of a name)
So-ka-ri
117. O-u(n)
or O-hu(n)
(voice;
Kher-ou
118. o-ba
(king)
ba
= soul. T he k i n g i s regarded as
the ba or the incarnate soul o f
the t r i b e or n a t i o n .
119. o-ba
ba
ISO. Oba-ni-sua
ba & sua-nit
121. o-kan
(heart)
ka
= heart - s o u l . Okan = h e a r t ,
conscience,soul, innermost being.
122. o-ga
(master)
qa
= t o be high; Oga = a c h i e f ,
an e x a l t e d person, master.
125. O-de
(hunter)
de-b
124.
La
A-mon
= hidden. Omon i s a p p l i e d t o th
hidden seed o f a f r u i t , and hence
to a c h i l d i n embryo, and t o anyt h i n g small i n comparison w i t h
another.
o-la
(honour)
125. omo(n)
or'oma(n)
(child)
126. o-po
pau
(quantity,
cfov/d)
(po - many) pau
127. o-s:a
(lagoon)
sa
pond, lake.
128. q-ta
(enemy)
Ptah
See Chapter V
129. Osi-ko-minu
(a f a m i l y
name)
Osi(n) &
Osi-ko-minu = O s i r i s Khominu =
O s i r i s o f the "Gods E i g h t " . See
Masp. Dawn o f C i v i l i z a t i o n p.149.
Khominu
- 415
Yoruba.
Ancient Egyptian.
130. o-ko
(boat)
Kho-t
or Khe-t
boat.
131. Sabe
Sabe-s
(a Yoruba t r i b e )
132. s i - g i - n i b i
133. Su
(mould.
shapen)
ma-su
134. t a
. ( t o break
open)
ptah
at t o break open.
c i t . p.69 No.37.
135. we
.(wash,make
. clean)
ue-b
136. wui
(rise,swell)
= r i s e , swell.
137. y i ( n )
hin
B p r a i s e . See Budge, o p . c i t . p.
41 No.7. H i s e l i d e d and y, i s
s u b s t i t u t e d i n Yoruba.
138. yq
(rejoice)
hoo
139. wombia
nubia
140. w o m b i l i ki
Obellscus
(praiBe>)
- M6
Yoruba.
Ancient Egyptian.
141. Suru
(patience,
forebearance)
142. 0-go
(glory,
radiance)
Suru-d
=s p r o s p e r i t y , patience, forebearance.
Khu
g l o r y , radiance. Kh becomes g,
and u becomes o. .See Budge,
A n c i e n t Egyptian Language, p.74
No.9.
143. O-l-otu
(Manager)
Ot
144.-.Ta.
(sell)
Ta
145. 0-pa-ba-ta
per ba and
( S t i c k used.
Ptah
by Adamourisa '
masquerade:)
146.
O-gu-ra(n)
(An Adamuorisa
masquerade)
Khu & Ra
Qu = Khu.
of Ra.
147.
.Biri-kiti
(Round)
Khopri &
Khuti
128.
O-gu(n)
Khu>.
Yoruba.
149* I-gba
(two hundred)
ba
. .
150* I-rin-wo
(four
hundred)
Nin
151, Sa(n)
(wash)
Sua.-u
152, ita-gbe
(a sacred
.. emblem used'
by chiefs; o f
Ogboni Secret
Society)
Neter and
ba
153, O-lu-ku-lu-ku
Eu
154, Wu-ra.
(gold)
Khu-Ra
Sua
waBh.
Yoruba.
-U18Ancient Egyptian.
155. I r e l e
* e-nen
(submission, (submission,
.humility)
..humility)
156. 0 ku
(a. s a l u t a t i o n indicat i n g good
wishes) '
Khu
157. So
(watch)
Sa o r So
158. 6 - b i r i - k i t i
Khopri and
Khuti
T5he d e r i v a t i o n o f 0 - b i r i from
Khopri has been noted above
(Chapter I I I ) ; t h a t o f K i t i
from K h u t i has been noted i n
t h i s Appendix under s e c t i o n
B above. Khopri Khuti =
Khopri (the sun-god) o f the
two horizons.
- M9 II.
Names o f Animals.
Yoruba.
Ancient Egyptian
1. I n o k i
(ape o r baboon)
2. A-gu-ta(n)
or
A-gu-to(n)
" Noki-t
a. fabulous beast,ape,baboon.
Ha-khu
3. K i n i - un
(lion)
Qimi + Uh
black being.
4. 0-b9
(monkey)
Bau
or
Bo-u
5. A-gbo
(ram)
Ba o r bau
or bo-u
6. Adiye
(hen,cock,
fowl)
Khadu
7. Malu
(bull)
Gmo(n) + a l u
Malu = omo-alu, n a t i v e o f a l u
i . e . the d s i r i f i e d b u l l o f
a l u . See Chapter I I .
8. Olo-gbo
(.cat)
Ba o r bau
or bo-u
s s p i r i t s , souls. The c a t , a
sacred abimal i n Ancient
Egypt, i s regarded by the
Yorubas as being indwelt by
s p i r i t s . H"ence the term
Ologbo, possessor o f s p i r i t s .
9. E-ku-te
(rat)
. Ku + Te-mu
10, La-gi-do
. (monkey)
La,Khu, + Do
11. Pe-peiye,
Pe-pe-eiye
(duck,goose)
Pe;
12.0-ni
(Crocodile)
Au-nu
See; Chapter I p. 32
Yoruba.
13. Ere
(boa)
14. E-kun
(tiger)
Ere or Ara
Khu
Ka + Ftah
17. A-ka-la
(.vulture)
Ka + La
18. A-iJapa
(tortoise)
Pa
19. A-wun or
A-un
(tortoise)
Un
being.
20. E-le-de
(Pig)
de(b)
21.. E - r i ( n )
(elephant)
ri-ri-t
R l r i t = hippopotamus tt e r i ( n ) n n i
Yoruba <* e r i ( n ) - o m i , i . e . water
elephant. The elephant i n Benin
d i s t r i c t i B > e - r i - r l or e - n l - n l .
n ) being s u b s t i t u t e d f o r r '
f
22. I-ka(n)-du
(a* *)
ka + du
28. Ka-ri-ka
(ant - l a r g e
" type)
Ka-ari-ka
24. 0-ka.
(boa constrictor)
ka
= a species o f snake.
25. 0-ke-te
Khu + Te-mu
Okete = a k i n d o f large r a t .
26* O-gi-da(n)
(tiger)
Khu + da
Khu becomes g i .
27. 0-po-lo
(frog)
pau + l a
cp.Ku-da,Gh.rV.
Yoruba.
Amon, Khu + du
28. Ma-gu-du
(a - species
of ants)
29 Gu(n)-n-te Khu + Te-mu
(cockatrice)
30, E-le-gu(n)
-gu(n)
(alligator)
Khu
NOTES'. .
1. The above l i s t contains only a short s e l e c t i o n
of Yoruba words o f Egyptian . o r i g i n . The s e l e c t i o n
i s confined mainly t o r o o t s , the compounds from
the r o o t s being l e f t out as f a r as. possible. The
range o f Egyptian s u r v i v a l s i n Yoruba covers a t
l e a s t one-half o f the e n t i r e Yoruba vocabulary.
2. Most o f the animals mentioned i n the above l i s t
were sacred animals i n Ancient Egypt.
- U22 G.
SELECT LISTS OP WEST AFRICAN LANGUAGES CONTAINING
SURVIVALS OP.ANCIENT EGYPTIAN WORDS.
The Yoruba Language i s not unique i n respect o f
s u r v i v a l s o f Ancient Egyptian words.
A f r i c a n Languages contain s i m i l a r s u r v i v a l s .
For the
Ibo
2.
I jaw
3.
Igabo Isoko
4.
Egun (Alada)
5 Ewe
6.
Tshi
7. Ga.
- U23 IBO.
Ibo.
1. Chuku
(God)
Khu
2. Chi-neke(n)
(God)
Khu &
Nekhen
3 Mo (maw)
(.spirit)
Ma or Mo
=- s p i r i t . See T i e l e , H i s t o r y o f the
Egyptians p.85 Ma i s the Egyptian
s p i r i t o f Order i n the universe.
k. M i r i o r
M i l l (water)
Miri-t
5. Madu
(person)
Madu-t
an Egyptian god.
6. Mau
(masquerade)
Mau-t
7. I f a o r Efa
(divinationinstrument)
Nefer
8. O r i - m i l i
or
Ori-miri
or
Osi-mili
or
Osi-rairi
hor &
miri.
9. Wu o r Nwu
(die)
Khu
Kh I s changed t o w. wu
khu =
t o become a luminous s p i r i t i . e ,
to d i e . See Chap. I .
Khu
D e r i v a t i o n : same' as i n 9 above.
I. 0, Owu or On-wu
(death)
I I . Ala
(land) .
Iaro,Ialo,
ala
- hzh I bo.
Ancient Egyptian.
12. A-gu
(spirit,carved
images,
leopard)
13. N-so
(holy, .
divine)
Khu
Sa
1h. Mbo-ni
(diviner)
ba and un
15. O-gu
or
Oggu
(magic, ;ju;ju)
Khu
16. I-bo
(a t r i b e i n
Southern
Nigeria)
ba or bau
( s o u l or
souls)
17. I-ka
(a s u b - t r i b e
i n Iboland)
ka
18. Oru
(a sub-tribe
i n Iboland)
Horu
19. N-gbo
(a s u b - t r i b e
i n Iboland)
bau
(souls)
20. Nwon-gbo
(cat)
bau
(souls)
21. Okuta
(stone)
Khu &
- 1425 -
Ibo.
Ancient Egyptian.
22:. I-gu-e
or Igwe
(iron)
Khu
23. Elu-igu-e
or
Elu-igwe
or
Eru-igwe
(heaven)
Oru
& Khu
E l u or e r u i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n o f the
Egyptian word hor o r horu = t h a t
which i s h i g h , t o p . Eru i n Ibo =
h i g h . Igu-e or Igwe;See No.22?
above,
24. a-bu
bu.
= place.
25. O-ba
(king)
Yoruba,oba
= king.
ba
26. e-kwu
khu
27. Ogu
or
Oru
(twenty)
Khu
28. zo
(heal)
29. N.-nu
(fourhundred)
U-za-i
or u-zo-i
N i n or Nu
= h e a l t h . Zo, i n Ibo = t o h e a l ;
ozi-zo = h e a l i n g .
N-nu ( f o u r hundred i s an important
number; i t i s the square o f twenty
(o-gu) the important u n i t and i s
the same word as the Yoruba i r i n wo (four hundred). I t has been
shown in. Chapter V I p.121 above t h a t
the Yoruba word i r i n i s d e r i v e d
from- the name o f N i n - i p the Egypt i a n god o f i r o n .
- U26 Ibo.
Ancient Egyptian.
30. o-kpa-ra
(son)
ba & r a
31. u-rrii
or
o-mi
(water)
I-oma
or
I-orai
32. I-gwe
or
I-gu-e
(a form o f
salutation)
Khu
33. sua
(wash)
sua-u
(wash)
3U. ozo
so
(a t i t u l a r
or sa.
chief,
whose person
i s sacrosanct)
35. Ekwe-n-su
(Devil)
KhU). &:
36. 0-ge-ne
(a chief's
title)_
Hen
= k i n g , p r i n c e , c h i e f . cp.O-ghe-ne
(Isoko) = God; o-he-ne ( ? c h i ) =
k i n g , paramount c h i e f .
37. O-du
(a chief's
title) ,
Du or OdL
38. A l u s i ,
Alose
A-ro-se
(idol,god).
Horus or
Horus-se-t
- U27 Ibo,
Ancient
Egyptian.
39. u-mu(n)
' a-raon
or omu(n)
(children, child)
2+0. Egwu-gwu
Khu
(Masquerades,
incarnate forms
of s p i r i t s )
U1. D i - b i a
( j u j u priest})
ba
U2. Oru
(slave)
i-ru
(slaves)
Horu
U-3- 0-su
(a person
consecrated
to the d e i t y ,
a priest, a
slave o f the
deity).
0-no-wu
( t i t l e of
a chief)
k5 E-wu
(goat)
k& A l a Mo
or
Ala Maw
(land of the
s p i r i ts)
su-aui
= consecrated t o the d e i t y ; a p r i e s t .
See Tiele., H i s t o r y o f Egyptian
Religion-p. 107. Egyptian ideas.
A good pers:on becomes an O s i - r i
a f t e r death. I t i s q u i t e possible
to regard one who submits to perpetua l service t o a d e i t y as having
already become an O s i - r i c.p. the
t i t l e o f a p r i e s t i n Thebes "consecrated of O s i r i s " . See T i e l e
H i s t o r y of Egyptian R e l i g i o n , p.171.
Khu.
Khu
Ala and
Ma or Mo
A l a = boundary, land.
Ma = s p i r i t . The same expression
'land o f Shades or S p i r i t s * was'
used by the Ancient Egyptians; see.
Maspero, Dawn o f C i v i l i z a t i o n , p . 1 9 .
- U28 Ibo.
Ancient
1*7 Ogbunike
(a minor
d e v i l , the
servant o f
Ekwensu)
Egyptian.
U8. E-ze
(king,
paramount
chief)
Se-ten or
Su-ten
= k i n g o f the South.
U9. O-bi
(paramount
chief)
bi
= s o u l , o b i = c h i e f or r u l e r ,
the leading man i n town or
v i l l a g e being regarded as the
incarnate soul o f the n a t i o n o r
tribe.
- k29 I J A W.
Ancient Egyptian
I i aw.
1. A-yi-ba
(Supreme D e i t y )
Ba
2. O-wu
(Water
Khu
3. O-ru
(land s p i r i t )
Horu
an Egyptian god.
k* E-le-chu
(Earth, goddess)
Khu or
Ohu
E-le-chu = possessor o f s p i r i t s .
5. O-gu-gu
(female d e i t y
worshipped by
women)
Khu
6. Adumu
(pythomic d e i t y )
Atumu o r
Adumu
= an Egyptian god.
7. O-ra-u
(sun)
Ra
= sun-god.
8. O-wu-la
Khu & l a
9. A-ka-lu
or
A-ka-ru
(moon)
ka &
Horu
spirit)
10. A-ka-ka-i
(star)
ka
11. A-gu-la
(star)
Khu, La
12. O-wu
(masquerade)
Khu
as S O U l
13. U-gu
or0-gu
1- gu-ye
(iron)
Khu
1^. Egbere
Khu & Re
- k30 I j a w,
Ancient Egyptian.
15. Oiogbo o r
Ologbosi
(cat)
bau
= s o u l . Compare, Yoruba,Oiogbo,
cat; I b o , Nwon-gbo, c a t .
16. Oru-kan
(duju p r i e s t )
Horn &
Kari
17. O-la
(chief)
La
18. Kala-oru
Ka, l a ,
( f a i r y o r e l f ) Horn
19. I - b i
(holy).
b i , ba
= soul.
20. 6-go-no
(heaven)
go,ga,qp,<ia
& Ra.
go = go or ga = t h a t which i s
high t h a t i s , the high place;
no i s a modified form o f Re o r
Ra; 0-go-no = the high place OF
p o s i t i o n o f Ra o r M& the suogod i . e . heaven.
21. A-ka-lu
A-KA-RU
(moon)
Ka and Ho-ru
22. A-G8-N0-WE
(moon)
go o r go and
Khu
23. B i - n i or
Beni
(water)
Ni or Nu;.
Bi
Bi = s o u l . N i o r Nu = water- o r
water-god. B i - n i = the soul o f
the water-god, t h a t i s , water.
2h 0-kpo
(earth)
per o r po
25. Ta-mu-na
(SUPREME
DEITY)
Ta Araun
26. I-ka-ka-i
(star)
Ka-ka-u
or
Ka-ka-i.
= g e n i i , images, luminous
spirits.
Ancient Egyptian.
1 Oghene
(God, Supreme
Deity)
hene
- k i n g , majesty, cp.ohene(Tchi)
= k i n g , paramount chief.
2. 01-ori
(Lord,chief)
hor
= high.
3. oru-e-aro
(prophet)
horu &
I-aro
k* A-hu-o
or
a a-hv/-o
(people)
Khu
= s o u l . A-hu-o = souls o r
people. The word Khu i s used i n
the same sense in.other West
A f r i c a n languages. Cp.TehiAku-aku = people, crowd.
5. wu
(die)
Khu
6. Uwu
(death)
Khu
7. e-hru
(sky,heaven)
horu
heaven.
8. e-hru
(sun)
Horu
~ sun-god.
9. a-me
(water)
i-oma or
i-ama or
i-ami
10. u-ru
(voice)
ICher-ou
= voice.
11. a-ba-de
(sea)
ba
= s o u l . De i s only an emphatic
s u f f i x cp. A-wu-ra-de (Tehi) =
Lord; wu-ra = Khu o r soul o f Ha
A-ba-de = t h a t which produces
ba o r s o u l - l i k e things;
The name i s given owing t o
watery vapour corresponding t o
the native idea o f a soul o f
s p i r i t and seen geneEally above,
the sea.
Ancient Egyptian.
12. o-si-\vi
(saviour)
Osiris
13. o-lo-gbo
(great)
ba or bau
11+. a-kpo
(earth)
per o r por
= d i s t r i c t , o r i g i n a l l y regarded
by the unsophisticated as the
earth.
15 omo-eru-e
(calf,bull)
Amon &
alu or
aru.
16. e-ra-o
(beast)
Ra
17 i-we
or
i-ue
(sacrifice)
ue-b
18. Ologbo
Oride
(Most high)
ba o r bau
Hor
19. E-ma-mo
(holy)
A-mon
20. uzua-zo
(life,health)
usai
= health.
21. o-vie
(king)
Nefer
= p a r t o f the t i t l e o f King
Osiris.0-vi-e is a corruption o f .
ne-fer;cp. ovia (Edo)= Ifa(Yoruba)
= n e f e r . Cp.also N i f a ( T c h i ) =
queen.
'
U33
Igabo Isotno.
Ancient Egyptian.
22. u-vie
(kingdom)
Ne-fer
23. oru-aro
(glory)
Horu &
I-aro
2k.
ba
Khu
= s p i r i t , soul.
26. Ovata-Ore
(east)
Ptah and re
27.
a r u , and hor
and Khu
aru = Egyptian E l y s i a n f i e l d ;
hor = h i g h , c h i e f ; khu = soul.
Aru-ori-wo probably means the
blessedness of the chief s o u l ;
hence 'grace , 'favour'
'splendour'
o-ba
(governor^
25.
E-we
or
B-h.UT?e
(soul)
Aru-oriwo
(grace,
favour)
28. I - b i
(serpent,
viper)
b i and ba
29. O-go-do
(pond,pit)
og-do-ad
30. 0-tu-ru
0-tru
= an Ancient Egyptian D e i t y ,
probably worshipped by the
Shepherd Kings. See The Book
o f the Dead ( E d i t i o n E.Wallis
Budge) p. c l x x x i , i n t r o d u c t i o n ,
second l i s t o f Aats
No.XIII.
(shepherd)
- k3U E G U N.
E g u n.
(ALADA),
Ancient Egyptian*
1 Egun
(name o f
the t r i b e )
Khu.
2. A-LA-DA.
(alternat i v e o f the
. name o f the
tribe)
LA & DA.
3. JimVE-YEHWE
(Supreme D e i t y )
Khu
i+. Jihwe
(sky)
Khu
5. Legba
(evil spirit,
devil).
Khepera
6. OHU
(sea)
Khu
7. ku
(die)
Khu
8. o-ku
(death)
Khu
9. o - s i ( n )
(water)
su
o-si i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n o f the
Ancient Egyptian word su. derived,
from Am-sua r i v e r god,
10. osi-o
(corpse)
Osi-ri
11. o-whe
(sun)
Khu
o-whe =: o-hu-e.
form o f Khu.
hu i s a modified
- U35 E g u n.
Ancient Egyptian.
12. o-su(n)
(moon;
Kh-onsu
13. o-ro(n)
(heaven)
h-oru
sky, heaven.
1I+. a-yi-gba
(earth)
ba
15. Othan
- (snake)
ka
I n Egun k. i s o f t e n replaced by
th> otha(n) = o-ka. Othan i s
a minor d e i t y i n i Egunland.
16. ama-than
or
amo-than
(serpent)
amon & ka
17. o-ga(n)
(iron)
Khu
O-ga(n) i
i s the same word as
o-gu(n) - god o f i r o n - i n
Yoruba.
18. wi-*whe_
(holy)
ue-h
19. ogbo-agbo
(ram)
ba
agbo i n Yoruba
ram, and i s
derived from bau, the ram being
regarded as an i n c a r n a t i o n o f
the d e i t y which i t represented
i n Ancient Egypt, o-gbo-a-gbo
i s a d u p l i c a t i o n o f the same
word. Ba (Ancient Egyptian)= ram
2<D. a-wo or
e-vo
(sacrifice)
u-eb
= wash, v i s o f t e n s u b s t i t u t e d
f o r b in. Egun. A-vo or e-bo =
a-bo or e-bo = Yoruba e-bo =
s a c r i f i c e . See 'ebo' i n . the
Yoruba l i s t above.
21. a-holu
(king)
Horu
= k i n g o f southern Egypt,chief
d e i t y f o r many centuries i n
Ancient Egypt, a-holu = a-horu.
22. o-ga(n)
(chief)
q.a
= h i g h . O-ga = an exalted
person i . e . a c h i e f .
23. o-ku(n)
(seed)
Khu
o-ku = the s p i r i t o f a t h i n g ,
t h a t i s , the innermost p a r t j
hence i t means a "seed".
- k36 E g u n.
Ancient Egyptian.
21+. O-du-dua
(Supreme
D e i t y ident i f i e d with
jiwhe-yewhe)
du & dua-t
25. Mau or
Mawu
(Supreme
D e i t y ident i f i e d with
Jiwhe-yewhe)
Mau-t
9 an Egyptian d e i t y . Odudua i s
borrowed from the neighbouring
Yorubas on the West o f Egunland;
Mawu i s borrowed from the neighbouring Ewe speaking peoples on
the East o f the same country.
26. O-fa
(sea or
r i v e r god)
Ne-fer
27. vo-thu(n)
(idol)
Ba & shu
vo = bo = bau. Thu(n) i s a
modified form o f shu; vo-thu(n) =the soul o f shu.
28. Hevi-osu
(god o f
lightning)
Su or' S i t
Su o r S i t = Egyptian w a r r i o r god.
Heviosu = the Yoruba Sa.ngo or
Jakuta, the stone thrower.
29. Ita-gbe
(important
minor d e i t y )
Neter and
ba
- k31 -
E W E.
E v/ e.
Ancient Egyptian.
1 Mawu
Mau-t
(Supreme D e i t y )
= an Egyptian d e i t y .
2.
Ku
(death)
Khu
=s luminous s p i r i t . Ku i s the
process of becoming a luminous
s p i r i t i . e . death.
3.
Ku
(die)
Khu
same as above.
k. V i
b i , ba
(child)
5.
Vo
(bad)
ba or
6.
Wu
(kill)
Khu
7 Dsu-nu
(moon)
8. Tsi
(water)
bau
Kh-on-su
Nil-it
(district,
name)
Su or Amsu
9. Dsu
su-au
(purification)
10.
Agbo
(ram)
ba or
bau
11.
Egbo
(goat)
ba or
bau
= soul.
12.
Vo-sa
(sacrifice)
ue-b & sa
b becomes v; ue i s e l i d e d ; o i s
added t o v. Sa = holy.
Ho-ru
= sun-god.
ba
= s o u l . An-yi-ba = maker o f s o u l .
Gp. Ayiba ( I J aw) = Maker of s o u l ,
Supreme D e i t y .
13.
E-rhu-e
(sun)
14. An-yi-gba
- U3& E W E (continued)*
En w e.
15. S - r i
(chief,
high)
Ancient Egyptian.
O-si-ri
= Egyptian D e i t y o f great
or h i g h rank,
Ancient Egyptian.
1.
T-SHI or T-CHI
(name o f a West
A f r i c a n language)
Khu.
2.
Panti
(a t r i b e speaking the Tchi
language) .
Panti or
Penti
F a n t i or F e n t i i s an Ancient
Egyptian god. See the Book of
the Dead, Prof.S.Wallis Budge,
P.367.
3.
A-santi
or A-shanti
(same as No.2)
Santi
4 . Yankupon
(Supreme Deity)
Ku & Suanit
5. o-hen-e
(king)
hen
6.
bo-fo
(angel)
ba or bau
7.
ba
(son;
ba
8.
o-ba
(woman)
ba
9.
o-ba-bea
(daughter)'
ba
= soul or s p i r i t .
= s o u l . A son i s regarded as the
reproduction, or continuation, i n
some sense, of the soul o f the
father.
= soul,
s soul.
10. Oni-pa
(man,mankind)
11.
ba
= soul.
12. a-hen-ni
(kingdom)
hen
= k i n g or p r i n c e , A-hen-ni = t h a t
which belongs t o a Icing i . e .
kingdom.
13. wu>
(die)
Khu.
wu ( d i e ) i s e x a c t l y the same
word as the Ibo word "wu" which
means t o d i e .
14. N i f a
(queen)
Nefer
0-ba-rima
(man,male person)
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN,
was
a
= good, r i g h t ; nefer^/used i n / n o r a l
sense, but i t i s used by t h e T c h i
speaking peoples im a physical
sense.
15.'Nifa
(right)
nefer
16. mma o r
rnmo
(child)
A-mon
17. O-vm
(death)
Khu.
18. a-wu-fo
(a dead person)
Khu
19. nkurofo
eku-aku
(multitudes)
khu
nkuro = c i t y . Aku-aku =- p l u r a l i t y
of souls. Nkuroso aku-aku =
many souls.from the c i t i e s i . e .
multitudes.
20. bo-ne
(wicked)
ba; un
21 ota-mf o
(enemy)
P-tah
22. wu-ra
(lord)
Khu & Ra
23. a-su
(river)
Am-su
= Egyptian god of a r i v e r .
24. 0-man or
0-mon
(people)
A-mon
Tchi (continued)
Tchi.
Ancient Egyptian.
25. Ku-nu
(husband)
Kh-nu-mu
The l a s t s y l l a b l e i s e l i d e d . The
f i r s t consonant receives a vowel t o
form a new s y l l a b l e ; hence Ku-nu.
The yoruba word derived from Kh-numu i s O-ko-ni(n) or O-ku-ri(n) or
0 k u ( n ) - r i ( n ) , a male person.
Khnumu. was, a male d e i t y .
26.
su & ka
27. O-dua
(thanks,
praisa)
dua-t or
tua-t
28. se
(guilty)
se-t;
29. Ko-ma
(heart)
30. nkurofo-ku
(people)
Khu
31. Osoro
(heaven,
sky)
Osi-ri &
Horu
32. Nsoro-ma
or
Nsoro-mo
(star)
Osi-ri
33. O-so-fo
or
O-sa-fo
(priest)
Sa or so
34. h-onho-m
(spirit)
onkhu
O-su-ko(n)
(thirsty)
Ui
Ancient Egyptian.
I t w i l l be remembered t h a t Khro
(khrou = voiced i s an emblem of
sacredness or d i v i n i t y . By means
o f i t gods wer.e created (See
Maspero Dawn o f C i v i l i z a t i o n * p.
146.
See also Etudes de
M y t h o l i g i c et de Archeologie
egyptiennes Vol.1 pp.93-114.
Ma Khrou or Kherou = true v o i c e ,
genuine voice. Kro(n)-kro(n)
i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n of krou.
35.
Kro(n)
kro(n)
(holy)
krou
(voice.)
36.
o-sa
(heal)
u-za-i
or
o-za-i
=t h e a l t h
37 okara
or
Kara
(soul)
ka & Ra
38.
awu
(to k i l l )
khu
awu = t o k i l l , i . e . t o cause t o
become a khu, a luminous or
disembodied s p i r i t .
39.
su-m
(darkness)
su or
shu
4.0. Ku-au
( f u l l of
darkness)
ku & su
41 o-sra-f.o
(chief)
o-si-ri
42.
Ba-un-sam
Obonsam
(devil)
43. bohsum
or
bonsum
(deity,idol)
ba and
su
ba = soul; un = being, l i v i n g
sa(m) = the l i v i n g soul of the pond
i . e . the d e v i l . Note t h a t bon
(a c o n t r a c t i o n of ba and un) means
wieked.
bohsu(m) or bonsu(m) = the soul of
su or shu., an Ancient Egyptian
d e i t y . The word i s applied as a
generic term f o r gods or i d o l s .
- hk3 G A.
G a,
Ancient Egyptian
1. Nyon-mo(n)
(God,Supreme
Deity)
A-mon
2. Nu-mo
(spirit)
Mo or Ma
= s p i r i t .
3. N-BO
so or sa
= pond, l a k e , a c o l l e c t i o n of water.
ba
(die)
5. Gbo-le
(death)
ba
6.
Nu or mu
7. B i
(child)
B i , ba
8. Huru(n)
(sun)
Horu
= sun-god.
ba
Krou
=s voice. I t w i l l be remembered t h a t
krou(voice) an emblem o f sacrednes;s
or v i c i n i t y . By means o f i t gods,
were created. See Masp. Dawn of
C i v i l i z a t i o n , p. 12*6. Ma krou or
ma kherou true v o i c e , genuine
voice. Kro(n)-Krou(n) i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n and a d u p l i c a t i o n of krou.
11. Ba
(Crocodile)
ba
12. T'o-agbo
(ram)
ba or bau
13. To-gu-anten
(sheep)
ku & aten
gu i s a m o d i f i c a t i o n o f ku. Gu-anten
= the soul o f Aten i . e . a sacred,
animal to Aten, a sheep,
(sea)
Zj.. Gbo
Nu
(water)
9. Gbo-yo
(corpse)
10. Kro(n)
(holy)
See
- hkh GA.
Ga.
(cont inued).
Ancient Egyptian,
11+. Olowo
or Olu-wo
(leopard)
15.
ba
16. Ba-lu
(locust)
Ba & La
Ba = s o u l ; La = an Ancient
Egyptian.
17.
Dl-du
18. ITU
( d r i n k water)
nu or mu
= v/ater.
19.
Dsu
(wash)
su-au
= wash.
20.
sra
(v/atch)
sa
21.
Go(n)
(mountain)
qa or ga
= t h a t which i s high
Obla
(young
person)
D i or Tu'
(To be b l a c k ,
black)
APPENDIX 11. -
YORUBA HIEROGLYPHICS.
445.
APPENDIX
11 .
obviate
1.
446
447.
448
No. 4 -
449.
No. 5 - A Message of Peace and Good News from his Majesty, the King
of Jebu, to his Majesty the King of Lagos, after his restoration
to the throne on the 28th of December, 1851.
Of a l l the people by which the four corners of the world
are inhabited, the Lagos and Jebu people are the nearest. As
"warre" i s the common play of the country, so the Jebus and. Lagos
should always play, and be friendly with each other. Mutual
pleasantness + i s my desire; as i t i s pleasant with me, so may
i t be pleasant with you. DECEIVE ME NOT:- Because the Spice would
yield nothing else but a sweet and genuine odour unto God. I shall
never deal doubly with you.
+
450
No. 6. -
451.
No. 8. -
No. 9. -
A P P E N D I X
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
III.
- 452 -
APPENDIX
III.-
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
The f o r e - g o i n g t h e s i s i s an independent
original
- 453 GENERAL
A.
Cambridge Ancient H i s t o r y .
Carpenter, J .
Frazer,
Estlin,
Four
Vols:
Comparative R e l i g i o n .
The Golden Bough, Third E d i t i o n .
The Golden Bough, Popular EHition.
J.G.,
Galloway, F . ,
Philosophy of R e l i g i o n .
Jevons, F . B . ,
I n t r o d u c t i o n t o the H i s t o r y of R e l i g i o n .
Lang, Andrew,
The Making of R e l i g i o n .
MacDougall, W.,
Social Psychology.
Marett,
Anthropology.
R.R.,
The Threshold of R e l i g i o n .
Menzies,. A l l a n ,
The H i s t o r y of R e l i g i o n .
Moore, G.F.,
H i s t o r y of R e l i g i o n , Two Vols:
M u l l e r , Max,
T i s d a l l , W.St.
I n t r o d u c t i o n t o the Science of R e l i g i o n .
Clair,
Thouless, R.,
Tiele,
CP.,
Comparative R e l i g i o n .
Psychology of R e l i g i o n .
Outlines of the H i s t o r y of R e l i g i o n
t o the Spread of t h e Universal R e l i g i o n s.
(Translation).
Encyclopaedia B r i t a n n i c a
10th E f l i t i o n .
Ethics.
- 454 B.
WORKS ON ANCIENT
EGYPT.
Bonn,
EHition of Athaeneus.
E d i t i o n of Herodotus.
EHition of Strabo.
Breasted,
Ancient Records.
Development of R e l i g i o n .
H i s t o r y of Egypt.
E d i t i o n of Diodorus.
N. de G. Davies, El Armana.
Erman,
Egyptian R e l i g i o n .
L i r e i n Ancient Egypt.
Griffith, F.L.,
Holland,
T r a n s l a t i o n of P l i n y ' s Natural H i s t o r y .
Kluzinger,
Upper Egypt.
Lanzone,
Dizionario d i Mitologia.
Littlebury,
T r a n s l a t i o n of Herodotus.
Maspero,
Dawn of C i v i l i z a t i o n .
Etudes de Mythologie et d'Areheologie
Egypt iennes.
Massey, G.
Murray,
Osireion.
Mead,
T r a n s l a t i o n of P l u t a r c h , I s i s and O s i r i s .
Naville,
Petrie,
F.,
455 -
Sayce, A . H . ,
R e l i g i o n of Ancient Egypt.
Tiele,
H i s t o r y of Egyptian R e l i g i o n .
CP.,
Wiedemann,
Doctrine of I m m o r t a l i t y .
Religion.
Wilkinson,
Egyptians.
Egyptian Language.
Cardiner, A . H . ,
Budge, a A . W a l l i s ,
An Egyptian Hieroglyphic D i c t i o n a r y ,
Two Vols: (1920).
C.
Dennett, R. EL ,
Delano,
The Soul of N i g e r i a .
1.0,
Ellis, A.B.,
Farrow,
S.S.,
Froebenius, Leo,
Johnson, J . ,
J ohnson, 0 . ,
Yoruba-Speaking
Peoples.
D.
456
YORUBALAND).
Adams,
Basden, G.T.
Burton, R . F . ,
Tshi-speaking Peoples.
Ewe-speaking Peoples.
K i n g s l e y , Miss Mary, Travels i n West A f r i c a ,
West A f r i c a n Studies.
Johnston, H . H . ,
The Opening Up of A f r i c a .
Mockler-Ferryman, A . F . , B r i t i s h N i g e r i a .
M o l l i s o n , A.W.,
Nassau, R . H . ,
Fetichism i n West A f r i c a .
Rattray,
Schweitzer, A . ,
The Golden S t o o l .
The Peoples of Southern N i g e r i a . Four Vols:
In the Shadow of the Bush.
Wilson, John Leighton, Western A f r i c a .
Williams, J . J . ,
E.
Hebrewisms i n West A f r i c a .
WORKS IN THE YORUBA LANGUAGE.
I f a , .Imole Re
Orunmila.
F.
457
PERIODICALS.
"Africa",
Journal of the I n t e r n a t i o n a l I n s t i t u t e of A f r i c a n
Languages and Cultures (London). Several Numbers.
G.
OTHER WORKS.