In The Spirit Of Sharing - Odu-Ejiogbe Ori Chant
Yeye Olomitutu
Odu Eji Ogbe - Ori Chant Ori create me right Orisa do not let me loose my wealth Divinated for 201 Ancestors Ori first created Orunmila in Igeti-Hills Ori create me right Orisa do not le me loose my wealth Ori created Osun in igede town Ori create me right Orisa ma jee n sowo asenu Orisa do not let me loose my wealth Ori created Obatala in Ifon town Ori create me well Orisa do not let me loose my wealth Ori created the Great Mothers in Ota town Ori create mi me well Orisa do not let me loose my wealth Ori lo da Sango in Koso town Ori create me well Orisa do not le me loose my wealth Ori create Oya in Ira town Ori create me right Orisa ma jee n sowo asenu Orisa do not let me loose my wealth Ori create Ogun in Ire town Ori create me right Orisa do not let me loose my wealth Ori create Esu in Ketu Ori create me right Orisa do not let mo loose my wealth Ori created Orisa Oko in Irawo-Agba Orisa ma jee n sowo asenu Orisa do not let me loose my wealth Ori created Eegun in Oje town Ori create me right Orisa ma jee n sowo asenu Orisa do not let me loose my wealth Ire o !
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Adeniran Adeboye
Adifa fun okankan lenirunwo Irunmole
Divinated for 201 Ancestors
Femi Kolapo
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thanks./ F. Kolapo.
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Femi J. Kolapo
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University of Guelph
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Abimbola, Dr K.
Alagba Adeniran Adeboye
There are two related points to note about your questions on the ese Ifa from Eji Ogbe. The first point is about translation from Yoruba into English, and the other is a conceptual (philosophical/logical) point.
1. The Translation Issue:
The Yoruba word "Irunmole" does not mean "ancestor". Irunmole applies to both "Orisa" (Gods; i.e., benevolent supernatural powers) and "Ajogun" (Anti-Gods; i.e., malevolent supernatural powers.)
2. The Conceptual (philosophical/logical) Issue:
The total number of benevolent Irunmole (i.e., Orisa or Gods) in the Yoruba Cosmos is 400+1. (Note that this is NOT 401; but 400+1, which is not equal to 401.) The total number of malevolent Irunmole (i.e., Ajogun or Anti-Gods) in the Yoruba Cosmos is 200+1. (Note that this is NOT 201; but 200+1, which is not equal to 201.) So, there are 400+1 Orisa and 200+1 Anti-Gods, and this gives us a total of 600+1 (not 601) Irunmole in the Yoruba Cosmos!
This is because there is a distinction between the primordial supernatural powers (i.e., 400 Orisa and 200 Ajogun) that had been in existence before the creation of the natural world, and supernatural entities created after the creation of Aye (the natural world). All newly created supernatural powers are grouped together in the logical/mathematical set of "+1"). The total number of newly deified entities differs from denomination to denomination in Yoruba Religion. In the more orthodox denominations of Yoruba Religion (e.g., Orisa Religion in Nigeria), there are just a handful of newly created entities such as: Ibeji, and Sango the Alaafin of Oyo who was a re-incarnation of SANGO the Orisa. (SANGO and Sango raise a theological question: should we say there is just one "Sango", such that it is the same primordial Orisa called SANGO who later became Sango the Alaafin of Oyo? Or, should we count the primordial SANGO differently from Sango the Alaafin?). Denominations of Yoruba Religion such as Candomble in Brazil, Santeria in Cuba, or Batuque in Brazil have lots of newly created entities in their "+1" set.
Details of how best to conceptualize the Yoruba conception of the cosmos can be found in: Kola Abimbola (2006). Yoruba Culture: A Philosophical Account (Birmingham: Iroko Academic Publishers). Below is an excerpt for the book:
Gods and Anti-Gods (Excerpt from: Kola Abimbola (2006). Yoruba Culture: A Philosophical Account (Birmingham: Iroko Academic Publishers, pp.49-51.)
"According to Ifá, the Sacred Text of Yorùbá religion, the Religion has a pantheon of 600+1 (not 601) supernatural powers. Ifá identifies two main categories of these powers:
Irinwó o môlê ojùkötún,
Igba môlê ojùkòsì òwúrö.
Four hundred primordial supernatural powers of the right,
Two hundred primordial supernatural powers of the left.
In the excerpt from an Ifá poem above, the cosmos is divided into two halves; the right-hand and the left-hand. We have 400 primordial powers on the right, and 200 primordial powers on the left. The powers on the right hand side are the Òrì«à (i.e., divinities). They are benevolent, but they sometimes punish humans who corrupt society. The Yorùbá pray and offer sacrifices to the Òrì«à in order to achieve their desires.
Inhabitants of the left-hand side are the Ajogun (the “Anti-gods”) and they are irredeemably malevolent. The word Ajogun literally means “warrior”; hence the Ajogun wage war against both humans and the Òrì«à. The eight warlords of the Ajogun are: Ikú (Death), Àrùn (Disease), Òfò (Loss), Ëgbà (Paralysis), Öràn (Big Trouble), Èpè (Curse), Ëwön (Imprisonment), È«e (Affliction).
There are, however, two supernatural forces that straddle both sides of the left-right divide. These are the Àjê (who are usually improperly translated as witches) and È«ù (the universal policeman). È«ù is a neutral element in the sense that he is neither good nor bad. He is simply the mediator between all the entities and forces on both sides of the right/left divide.
Although the Àjë (“witches”) also straddle the two sides of the divide, they, unlike È«ù, are not neutral. They are allies of the Ajogun. They suck human blood, eat human flesh, and they can afflict humans with various types of diseases. The Àjë are, however, sometimes benevolent. They can bless particular individuals by making them rich and successful. But often, their blessings come at a high price. For instance, it is believed that one of their favourite prices is to ask for the child of whomever is seeking their favour.
Because of È«ù’s neutrality and the fact that he is neither benevolent nor malevolent, he is regarded as an Òrì«à. He has his own iconography, his own liturgy, and priesthood. So, he is counted as one of the 400 divinities of the right. Human beings are also on the right hand side of the universe. Although humans are not regarded as supernatural powers, the belief is that every individual has the potential to become a divinity.
The “plus 1” referred to above does not refer to any particular divinity. Rather it is a principle of elasticity by which the Yorùbá account for any newly deified Òrì«à. So any human deified after death is encompassed by this principle of elasticity. The 400 Òrì«à of the right include those and only those primordial divinities that descended onto Ilé-Ifë from Örun during the creation of Ayé. All other additional Òrì«à are encompassed by the principle of expansion or elasticity, the “plus 1” category of Òrì«à. This “plus 1” principle allows new beliefs, new thought systems, and new deities to be brought into the fold of Yorùbá culture.
One example of this principle of elasticity is the manner in which Catholicism has been incorporated into Yorùbá religion in Brazil and Cuba. In Brazil, Yorùbá religion goes by various names. Sometimes the generic term Candomblé or Orixa (also spelt Òrìshà or Oricha) is used. Other denominations of the religion in Brazil include Umbanda, Macumba and Batuque. Although there are slight variations in the practice of these denominations of Yorùbá religion, the central trend is that Yorùbá divinities are associated with Catholic saints. This is because, instead of calling the Orixa by their Yorùbá names, they refer to them as “Saints”. “Saint Lazarus” for instance is the Òrì«à called »ànpànná in Africa. (»ànpànná, which is also spelt »önpönná and »önpönnô, is also called Æbalúayé, or Babalu.) “Virgin Mary” is the Òrì«à called Ö«un and “Saint Barbara” is the Òrì«à called »àngö. These associations were made by Yorùbá slaves in an effort to conceal their religions from the slave masters. So, when people in Brazil or Cuba claim to be offering sacrifices to “Virgin Mary” or “Saint Lazarus”, their beliefs and practices have more to do with Yorùbá beliefs than Catholicism. It is also because of the principle of elasticity that native Amerindian Spirits such as the Caboclo have a prominent role to play in Umbanda."
(Excerpt from: Kola Abimbola (2006). Yoruba Culture: A Philosophical Account (Birmingham: Iroko Academic Publishers, pp.49-51.)
Ire o!
Kólá Abímbólá
LL.B, PhD (Law); BA, PhD (Philosophy)
President, International Society for African Philosophy & Studies (ISAPS)
Lecturer in Law
University of Leicester
Leicester LE1 7RH
United Kingdom
Tel: + 44 (0)116 223 1255
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Sent: 27 April 2008 03:34
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Subject: Yoruba Affairs - Re: In The Spirit Of Sharing - Odu-Ejiogbe Ori Chant
Adeniran Adeboye
Thank you for the attention to detail here...Since we're talking numbers, would you mind also sharing how do you say 256?Thanks,FemiObafemi Origunwa, MA: President, IFE inc: "Character is Beauty"
Phone: 510-485-2336Email: Yoruba...@yahoo.comWebsite: http://www.ifeincsfo.com/
Ayotunde Bewaji
Thanks for the clarifications you made. It is good to pay attention to these little matters, as little errors have ways of self perpetuating, in the same way Mbiti's book and others have become classics on African intellectual tradition regardless of what others have said subsequently. And many who read Mbiti do not bother to read discussion of his work. Could this be selective deliberate scholarship? Maybe!
So, thanks for taking time to attend to it. Now, with regard to the translation of the Ifa Chant below, I consider this in need of corrections also. My suggestion in parenthesis in all instances:
Odu Eji Ogbe - Ori Chant
Ori koo da mi re
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