Following the categories developed by the Nigerian scholar Peju Yemaje, Orunmila is recognized as a primordial Orisha, an ara orun, one that existed before the creation of humanity and resides in Heaven, as opposed to irun-male or irunmole, sacred beings living on Earth.[2]
He is praise named "Igbákejì Olódùmarè" (second in command to Olodumare) and "Ẹlẹ́rìí ìpín" (witness of fate). Priests of Ifá are known as babalawos and Priestesses of Ifá are known as iyanifas.[3]
Orunmila is considered a sage, recognizing that Olodumare placed Ori (intuitive knowledge) in him as a primeOrisha. It is Ori who can intercede and affect the reality of a person much more than any other Orisha.[4]
Priesthood and initiation
Awo in every tradition study the 256 Odu; each Odu is traditionally considered to include stories and prayers that have been passed down from the time that Orunmila walked the Earth as a prophet.[4][5][6]
Some initiatory lineages have only male priests of Orunmila, while other lineages include female priestesses. The term "Awo", meaning "secret" is a gender-neutral title for an initiated priest of Orunmila. The debate surrounding gender is a result of diversity in the history of Ifá in various locations. In Latin America and some areas of West Africa, only men may become full priests of Orunmila, while in other regions of West Africa the priesthood is open to women. Ifá practitioners believe in duality in life: males exist because of the female essence and females exist because of the male essence, so every major rite or ceremony includes both genders.[7]
Every Ifá stanza has one portion dedicated to the issue of teaching the Iwa that Ifá supports. This Iwa, which Ifá teaches transcends religious doctrine, is central to every human being, and imparts communal, social and civic responsibility that Olodumare supports. Of great importance to this is the theme of righteousness and practicing good moral behavior.[8]
^Asante, Molefi Kete; Mazama, Ama (26 November 2008). "Entry on Orisha". Encyclopedia of African Religion. SAGE Publications. ISBN978-1-5063-1786-1. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
^Chief FAMA Practitioners' Handbook for the Ifa Professional ISBN0-9714949-3-2
^ abWilliam R. Bascom: Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West Africa ISBN0-253-20638-3
^Adeoye, C. L. (1989). Ìgbàgbọ́ àti ẹ̀sìn Yorùba (in Yoruba). Ibadan: Evans Bros. Nigeria Publishers. pp. 285–302. ISBN9781675098
^Bàbálàwó Ifatunwase Tratados Enciclopédicos de Ifá (Colección Alafundé), ISBN978-0-9810387-04
^Abimbola, Kola (2005). Yoruba Culture: A Philosophical Account (Paperback ed.). Iroko Academics Publishers. ISBN1-905388-00-4.
