Clergy and religious life
Priests of Ifá and the orisa in Yoruba religion
Yoruba religion, practised by the Yoruba people of south-western Nigeria and neighbouring Benin and Togo, centres on Olodumare, the supreme being, and on the orisa, divinities who govern different aspects of the world, such as Osun of rivers and fertility, Sango of thunder and Ogun of iron. It has no single hierarchy. Each orisa has its own priests and devotees, its own shrines, songs, colours and taboos, and its own initiations. A person is drawn to a particular orisa through family tradition, divination or personal experience, and an initiated priest serves that orisa on behalf of the community. Alongside the orisa cults stands Ifá, a system of divination and sacred knowledge associated with the orisa Orunmila and practised by trained diviners. Yoruba religion travelled with enslaved Africans to the Americas, where it gave rise to traditions such as Lucumí, often called Santería, in Cuba and Candomblé in Brazil, and today it has practitioners on several continents. In Nigeria it coexists with Christianity and Islam, often within the same families.
- Ifá diviners
- Priests of the orisa
Orders and states of life
Ifá diviners
The babalawo, father of secrets, is a priest of Ifá. His training is long: he must memorise a vast body of verses (ese) belonging to the 256 figures of the divination system, the odu. Senior babalawo in a town hold titles such as Araba, the chief diviner, and Oluwo, a master who has initiated others.
Priests of the orisa
An olorisa is a person initiated into the worship of an orisa. Senior initiates who lead a shrine and initiate others are called iyalorisa, mother of the orisa, or babalorisa, father of the orisa. Some devotees are also mediums, through whom the orisa is believed to manifest during festivals in dance and possession.
Ifá diviners
Ifá priest (Babalawo)
babaláwo (Yoruba)
Addressed as Baba, or Awo, followed by the name; Araba and Oluwo for senior titles
The babalawo is consulted when people face illness, misfortune, important decisions or the naming of a child. He casts sixteen sacred palm nuts (ikin) or, for quicker consultations, a divining chain (opele) of eight half-seeds, and marks the resulting figure in powder on a wooden tray. Each of the 256 odu is linked to verses telling of past cases, which the babalawo recites and interprets with the client, often recommending a sacrifice or offering. UNESCO has recognised the Ifá divination system as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
What the figure wears
- Robe agbada, or buba and sokoto
A wide, flowing white robe worn over a tunic and trousers; white is associated with Orunmila and with the coolness and calm valued in Ifá.
- Cap fila
A soft white cloth cap, worn on the head as part of formal Yoruba men’s dress.
- Ifá beads ileke Ifá; idè (wrist beads)
Strands of alternating green and yellow beads worn around the neck and wrist, the colours of Orunmila, marking the wearer as an initiate of Ifá.
- Fly-whisk irukere
A whisk of long animal-tail hair, here horsetail, on a short handle, carried by babalawo, chiefs and elders as a sign of authority.
- Divination tray opon Ifá
A round, flat wooden tray with a carved border, on which the diviner spreads powder (iyerosun) and marks the figures of the odu.
- Outside services
- Babalawo often wear white or ordinary Yoruba dress, with Ifá beads on the wrist. Many combine divination with other work, and consultations take place at home or in a shrine room.
- Insignia
- The green and yellow beads, the irukere and the opon Ifá identify the diviner; titles such as Araba are conferred by the community of babalawo.
Priests of the orisa
Priestess (Iyalorisa)
ìyálórìṣà (Yoruba); ialorixá (Portuguese, Brazil)
Addressed as Iya (mother), followed by the name or the orisa
The iyalorisa is a senior priestess who leads the worship of an orisa, cares for its shrine and initiates new devotees. She directs offerings and festivals, keeps the songs and praise poetry (oriki) of the orisa, and is consulted for advice and healing. Women have long held leading religious roles in Yoruba society, and many orisa shrines are headed by priestesses. At Osogbo the annual Osun festival, centred on the sacred grove listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, draws thousands of devotees and visitors.
What the figure wears
- Wrapper and blouse iro and buba
A white cloth wrapper tied around the waist and a loose white blouse; white dress is common among orisa priests on ritual occasions.
- Head tie gele
A white head tie, folded and wrapped around the head, worn by women at festivals and formal occasions.
- Orisa beads ileke
Many strands of beads in the colours of her orisa, for Osun yellow, amber and brass tones, worn around the neck as a sign of initiation.
- Brass fan abebe
A round fan of brass, an emblem of Osun associated with her beauty, coolness and wealth, held in the hand at ceremonies.
- Outside services
- Outside ritual, priestesses wear ordinary Yoruba or contemporary dress, often keeping a strand of their orisa's beads. Many also work as traders, healers or in other professions.
- Insignia
- The beads of her orisa and the emblems of that orisa, such as Osun's brass fan; seniority is recognised by the community she serves.
Priests of the orisa
Priest of Sango
olórìṣà Ṣàngó; elégùn Ṣàngó for a medium (Yoruba)
Addressed as Baba, followed by the name or the orisa
Sango, orisa of thunder and lightning, is linked in tradition with an early king of the Oyo empire, and his worship was closely tied to Oyo royal power. His priests lead his festivals, care for his shrines and the thunderstones said to fall with lightning, and perform rites when lightning strikes. Some initiates serve as elegun, devotees through whom Sango is believed to manifest during festival dance, moving with energy to the music of bata drums. Sango is also widely honoured as Changó in Cuba and Xangô in Brazil.
What the figure wears
- Red and white beads ileke Ṣàngó
Strands of alternating red and white beads, the colours of Sango, worn crossed over the chest from each shoulder.
- Red and white cloth aṣọ
Garments of red and white cloth, a tunic or wrapper in the colours of the orisa, worn for his rituals and festivals.
- Dance wand oṣe Ṣàngó
A carved wooden staff topped with a double-headed axe form, symbol of Sango’s thunderbolt, held aloft during dance and ritual.
- White cap fila
A soft white cloth cap worn on the head, completing the dress of the priest at ceremonies.
- Outside services
- In daily life priests of Sango dress as others in their community, keeping a red and white bead on the wrist or neck, and observe the taboos of the orisa.
- Insignia
- The oṣe Ṣàngó and the red and white beads are the recognised emblems of Sango and his priests.
Questions people ask
What is Ifá divination?
Ifá is a system of divination and a body of sacred knowledge associated with the orisa Orunmila. By casting palm nuts or a divining chain, the babalawo obtains one of 256 figures called *odu*, each linked to a large body of poetic verses. These verses recount the experiences of mythical clients, and the diviner selects those relevant to the person's question. Ifá is consulted on matters from health and marriage to the choice of a ruler.
What are the orisa?
The orisa are divinities of Yoruba religion, understood as intermediaries between human beings and the supreme being Olodumare. Each has its own domain, colours, foods, songs and taboos: Osun is associated with rivers, love and fertility, Sango with thunder and justice, Ogun with iron and roads, and Yemoja with motherhood and waters. Tradition speaks of hundreds of orisa, many of them local, with particular towns devoted to particular divinities.
What happens when an orisa possesses a devotee?
In many orisa traditions some initiates serve as mediums. During festivals, to the sound of drums and songs, the orisa is believed to come upon the medium, who then dances, speaks or blesses those present in the character of that orisa. For practitioners this is a central moment of communion with the divine. It takes place within a structured ritual, guided by senior priests who know the songs, rhythms and proper conduct for each orisa.
How is Yoruba religion practised in the Americas?
Enslaved Yoruba brought their religion to the Americas, where it developed into new traditions. In Cuba, Lucumí, often called Santería or Regla de Ocha, preserves Yoruba songs, initiations and Ifá divination, and its priests are called *santeros* and *santeras*. In Brazil, Candomblé is organised in communities (*terreiros*) led by an *ialorixá* or *babalorixá*. Related traditions exist in Trinidad and elsewhere, and both have spread to the United States.
Can women be babalawo?
In most Yoruba communities the title babalawo is held by men, while women take central roles as priestesses of the orisa. Some lineages initiate women into Ifá with the title *iyanifa*, but the extent of their role, and whether they may handle the sacred palm nuts, is debated between different houses in Nigeria and the diaspora. In Cuban Lucumí, women generally do not become babalawo but may hold other Ifá-related roles.
Sources and further reading
- Ifa Divination: Communication between Gods and Men in West Africa – William Bascom (Indiana University Press, 1969)
- Sixteen Cowries: Yoruba Divination from Africa to the New World – William Bascom (Indiana University Press, 1980)
- Orisa Devotion as World Religion: The Globalization of Yoruba Religious Culture – Jacob K. Olupona and Terry Rey (eds.) (University of Wisconsin Press, 2008)
- Yoruba Ritual: Performers, Play, Agency – Margaret Thompson Drewal (Indiana University Press, 1992)
- Flash of the Spirit: African and Afro-American Art and Philosophy – Robert Farris Thompson (Random House, 1983)