Constructing Infinity : The Ifè Synthesis of Òrìṣà Cosmology and Ifá as Described by Akinwumi Ogundiran: A Newtwork of Quotations Compiled by Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju
Oluwatoyin Adepoju
Constructing Infinity
The Ifè Synthesis of Òrìṣà Cosmology and Ifá
as Described by Akinwumi Ogundiran
A Newtwork of Quotations
A philosopher reflects on being and becoming within the context of infinity through
the binary symbolism of Odu Ifá from the Yorùbá origin Ifá system of knowledge
Artist unknown
Compiled by Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju
Comparative Cognitive Processes and Systems
"Exploring Every Corner of the Cosmos in Search of Knowledge"
I am particularly fascinated by Ogundiran’s descriptions of these systems of knowledge in terms of the dynamism of human creativity, transformations of reality through thought and action, recreations he encapsulates in majestic images. Òrìṣà cosmology as mirrors generating an infinity of reflections facilitating the interpretation of human experience, a hill at the top of a geological bowl on which is sited a school of Ifá study to which aspirants converge from across Yorùbáland, these are pictures resonating with associative magic, calling up the drama of quests for knowledge Ogundiran evokes.
The Ifè Synthesis of Òrìṣà Cosmology and Ifá Hermeneutics as Described by Ogundiran
Òrìṣà Cosmology as an Infinity of Reflections
Ilé-Ifè attained referential status through translating those deities that had regional appeal into a system of filial relationships and using them as parallel mirrors for viewing and reflecting on everyday social lives.
The light bouncing from these everyday lives, to borrow the lingo of optical physics, created the infinity effect on these parallel mirrors—the òrìṣà pantheon. The òrìṣà offered multiple angles to view everyday lives in a series of reflections that receded into an infinite distance.
It would take deep learning, knowledge, and expertise to observe, read, and interpret these reflections. And, inasmuch as everyday life is not static, the pantheon could not be static. New deities (new parallel mirrors) were therefore created from time to time to capture and account for these new everyday experiences.
This system became an epistemology and a compass for navigating life’s journey and memory, managing both social order and turbulence, exploring the relationships between the earthly and the spiritual worlds, and seeking meanings.
Ifá Divination as Exploratory Template
At the very core of the Classical Yorùbá world was the metaphysics of ifá, a systematic divination method and hermeneutical science for seeking solutions and explaining meaning. Ifá is distinguished by its thousands of elaborate verses (ẹsẹ̀ ifá), which are divided into sixteen principal odu—“books,” or branches of knowledge. Each book is, in turn, subdivided into 16 chapters (minor odu). In total, then, there are 256 chapters in ifá.
[ The] primary instruments of [ifá] divination [are] ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀, eight flat seed pods joined together by a chain or cord, and ikin, sixteen palm nuts with four indentations (eyes) produced by a rare mutated form of oil palm tree. The arrangement of the ikin/ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀ on each casting dictates what texts the diviner will use to identify, analyze, and explain the problems facing the client in order to prescribe the appropriate solutions. In other words, there are 256 possible signs the divination instrument can produce, and each has a unique body of texts (a chapter
[ of odu ifá] ) dealing with specific aspects of human situations. [ The goal of the ifá divination system] is to bridge the ontological gap between reality and the limits of human cognition through the probability algorithms provided by the divination wand (ikin or ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀).
Taken altogether, the ifá divination techniques and the signs and texts of odu provide the procedural rules, schemata, precedents, and metaphysical concepts for solving existential problems dealing with experience and sense impressions. There is virtually no aspect of the human condition that the ifá corpus does not cover or for which it does not provide an opening for further exploration and inquiry.
The Babaláwo, the Ifá Adept
The master ifá diviner, the babaláwo, was the fountain of knowledge in the Yorùbá community of practice. The babaláwo was (and still is) a learned man who sought to solve material, social, spiritual, and ailing problems through processes of diagnosis and prescription that came out of learning and knowledge.
An authority on metaphysics, everyday riddles, and religion, he was required to have an in-depth understanding of the history, sociology, and philosophy associated with each of the deities and the other forces that inhabited the Yorùbá world.
Through his divination, he prescribed the sacrifices that were appropriate for the òrìṣà, the ajogun (malevolent forces), and the ancestors in order to solve his clients’ problems.
His position required many years of training and a lifelong search for knowledge. He transacted exclusively in the life of the mind, not only to seek causal relationships but also to understand the deep meanings of those relationships. The babaláwo was the focal point of civic and religious life and was accessible to everyone in private or public spaces for consultation “on every undertaking” or whenever there was any doubt about the future. Hence, the babaláwo helped his clients to navigate the maze of life, in their search for healing, self-realization, knowledge, and meaning.
Ilé-Ifè as Centre of Ifá Study
Ilé-Ifè gained fame as the prime center for ifá study. The prestigious school of ifá, reportedly headquartered at Òkè Ìtasẹ̀, atop the highest hill in the Ifè Bowl, attracted students, apprentices, master diviners, and pilgrims from far and near in search of knowledge and prestige. Ilé-Ifè became the reference point for the cosmogonic and intellectual resources that sustained the Yorùbá community of practice in part because it was a coalescence of multiple theogonic traditions that originated elsewhere.
Source: Akinwumi Ogundiran, The Yorùbá : A New History. Indiana: Indiana UP, 2020. From Chapter 3 : “Knowledge Capital and Referentiality: Òrìṣà: Theogonic and Intellectual Basis of the Yorùbá Community of Practice”. 129,130,131, 135.
My ongoing engagement with Ogundiran's book can be followed through this link Yoruba and African History as a Quest for Meaning : An Exploratory Journey with Akinwumi Ogundiran's The Yoruba : A New History.