Ọbàtálá
Creation, purity, calm
Shaper of human bodies, honoured in white cloth and chalk.
Òrìṣà, Ifá and the ways of life
The Yorùbá spiritual world, the divination system of Ifá, and the rites that mark a person's journey from naming day to ancestor.
The Òrìṣà
Each Òrìṣà is honoured with its own colours, worn as beads and cloth. The swatches show the most widely recognised combinations; practice varies by town and lineage.
Èṣù
Crossroads, messages
Carries offerings between worlds; first to be greeted.
Ṣàngó
Thunder, justice
A king of Ọ̀yọ́ who became the Òrìṣà of thunder and fire.
Ọ̀ṣun
Rivers, love, fertility
Mother of the Ọ̀ṣun river, celebrated each year at Òṣogbo.
Yemọja
Motherhood, waters
Mother of many Òrìṣà, linked to the Ògùn river and the sea.
Ògún
Iron, work, the path
Clears the way with his cutlass; patron of smiths and drivers.
Ọya
Wind, storms, change
Wife of Ṣàngó, guardian of the marketplace and the cemetery.
Ọ̀sanyìn
Leaves, healing
Keeper of the knowledge of plants and medicine.
Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ · IFÁ
Ifá and the sixteen principal Odù
Ifá is the system of knowledge and divination associated with Ọ̀rúnmìlà, recognised by UNESCO as part of humanity's intangible cultural heritage. A babaláwo casts the ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀ chain or palm nuts to reveal one of 256 Odù, each holding verses of guidance.
- 1Èjì Ogbè
- 2Ọ̀yẹ̀kú Méjì
- 3Ìwòrì Méjì
- 4Òdí Méjì
- 5Ìrosùn Méjì
- 6Ọ̀wọ́nrín Méjì
- 7Ọ̀bàrà Méjì
- 8Ọ̀kànràn Méjì
- 9Ògúndá Méjì
- 10Ọ̀sá Méjì
- 11Ìká Méjì
- 12Òtúúrúpọ̀n Méjì
- 13Òtúrá Méjì
- 14Ìrẹtẹ̀ Méjì
- 15Ọ̀ṣẹ́ Méjì
- 16Òfún Méjì
Rites of passage
Birth
Ìsọmọlórúkọ
The naming ceremony, held days after birth. The child is given names that carry the family's story, and tastes honey, salt, kola and water, each with its own prayer.
Marriage
Ìdána & Ìgbéyàwó
The traditional engagement, where two families meet, present gifts and give their blessing, followed by the celebration of the marriage itself.
Ancestry
Ìsìnkú
Funeral rites. When an elder dies after a full life, the occasion is also a celebration, as they join the ancestors honoured in Ẹ̀gúngún.
Arts and craft
Adire
Indigo resist-dyed cloth, patterned with starch or ties.
Aṣọ òkè
Hand-woven strip cloth worn for weddings and ceremonies.
Ìlẹ̀kẹ̀
Beadwork, from crowns of kings to the ide of devotees.
Dùndún
The talking drum, which speaks by following the tones of Yorùbá.