Orunmila

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In the Yoruba religion, Orunmila is the Orisha of wisdom, knowledge and divination worshiped
principally in West Africa, Cuba, Brazil and the United States. This source of knowledge is believed
to have a keen understanding of the human form and of purity, praised as being often more
effective than other remedies; his followers and priests are known as Babalawo.

Contents [hide]
1 Mythical Orunmila
2 Etymology
3 Priesthood and initiation
3.1 Female titles
4 See also
5 References
6 Resources
7 External links
Mythical Orunmila[edit]
Among West Africans, Orunmila is recognized as a primordial Irunmole that was present both at
the beginning of Creation and then again amongst them as a priest that taught an advanced form
of spiritual knowledge and ethics, during visits to earth in physical form or through his disciples.

In Yoruba mythology, Orunmila is the spirit of wisdom among the Irunmole and the divinity of
destiny and prophecy. He is "Ibikeji Olodumare" (second in command to Olodumare and "eleri
ipin" (witness of fate). Orunmila is also referred to as Agbonniregun, the embodiment of
knowledge and wisdom of If.

In the Santeria/Lukumi diaspora in present-day Cuba, Orunmila is known as Orula & Orunla which
are not as commonly used in Africa. Orunmila is also known as If and is referred to by that name
in a number of If verses, though some claim If only refers to the method of divination. It was

also Orunmila who carried If (the wisdom of Olodumare) to Earth. Priests of If are called
babalawo (elder of the confraternity) or Iyanifa (female If priest).

Orunmila is considered a sage, recognizing that Olodumare placed Ori (intuitive knowledge) as
prime Orisha. It is Ori who can intercede and affect the reality of a person much closer than any
Orisa. For this reason it is important to consult with the Babalawo to know one's direction and the
wish of one's Ori.

Etymology[edit]
Orunmila prononced runmila. It is generally accepted that this is a derivative of sort. Also known
as Ela or Elasoode (Ela ties Ide on), one angle suggests that the ancient scholars interpreted as
based on the verb "la". Explaining the meaning as "lrn-m- la" (God knows la). Another,
suggests that the name is derived from the phrase "Orun-ni-o mo eni-ma-la" (only heaven can
identify the saved).

Priesthood and initiation[edit]

Awo in every tradition study the 256 Od; each Od is an extraordinarily vast collection of
knowledge, including stories and prayers that have been passed down from the time that
Orunmila walked the Earth as a prophet, usually said to be about 5,000 years ago.

Some initiatory lineages have only male priests of Orunmila, while others include both genders.
The term "Awo" is a gender-neutral title for an initiated priest of Orunmila. The debate
surrounding gender is a result of diversity in the many layers of history in various locations. In
some areas of Yorubaland and in Cuba, only men become full priests of Orunmila (sometimes
nicknamed "Orula" in Cuban lineages), other places in Africa the priesthood has always been open
to women (although female awo Ifa are relatively uncommon). In many non-Cuban lineages
female Awo Ifa are becoming common. On the other hand, in Cuba and parts of Nigeria such as
Ode Remo, Ijebuland and Ibadan, the position of the Iyanifa as a divining priestess of Ifa is hotly
contested on the grounds that in the Ifa Odus Ogunda Ka and Oshe Yekun, no one can become a
full Awo Ifa without the presence of Odun, and in the Odu Ifa Irete Ntelu (Irete Ogbe), Odun
herself says that she would only marry Orunmila if he promised not to permit women to be in the
same room as her. These views appear to be confirmed by books published in Nigeria as far back
as the 19th century. For instance, the eminent Yoruba author James Johnson wrote in one of the
most detailed early descriptions of Ifa that "Whenever this should be the case, a woman would
receive from a Babalawo only one Ikin or Consecrated Palm nut called Eko, which she would carry

about her body for her protection, and whenever divination should recommend and prescribe to
her sacrifice to Ifa, she would, for the time being, hand over her Eko either to her husband or to
her brother, or any other male relative according to prescription, who would include it in his own
Ikins for the purpose of the worship and sacrifice in which she would participate." [1] William
Bascom, the foremost academic authority on If among the Yoruba up until the time of his death,
conducted extensive field work Yorubaland in 1937-38, 195051, and as late as 1960 and 1965.
This field work was conducted in a large number of areas of Yorubaland including the cities of Ife,
Igana, Meko, Oyo, Ilesa, Abeokuta, Osogbo, Sagamu, Ilara, Ondo, Ijebu Ode or Ekiti in Yorubaland.
At no time during this prolonged series of studies did Dr. Bascom encounter a female If priest or
an informant who had heard of such a thing leading him to state unequivocally that only men can
babalawos."[2] Sources from Yorubaland going back to the mid-19th century clearly state that only
men can become Ifa diviners.[3] It has been argued that women do not need to receive Od
because all women already have Od which is represented by the womb of women, but this is the
theological equivalent to saying men already have If because they have male parts. Several Od
If mandate that women do not see nor receive Od (Calabash of Existence), and any claims that it
can be given are easily dispelled; If stanzas cite several reasons and occasions why. Od is
associated mainly with the force of creation as a gateway between the physical world and
metaphysical world for the transfer of divine knowledge and messages. Throughout Cuba and
some of the broader Santeria diaspora, Orula can be received by individuals regardless of gender.
For men, the procedure is known as receiving "Awofaca" or "Mano de Orula" and for women, it is
"Kofa." The same procedure exists in Yoruba land, with "ese n'taye" (birthing rites), "Ise'fa"
(adolescent initiation rites) and "Ite'fa" (consecration of the paraphernalia of If practice).
Worshipers of the traditional religious philosophy of the Yoruba people all receive one hand of If
(called Isefa) regardless of which Orisa they may worship or be an Orisa priest. It is that same Isefa
that will direct all followers to the right path and their individual destinies in life.

Iwa (Character) is one of the most important human endeavor taught within Ifa literary corpus and
every Ifa stanza (ancient poetic verse) has one portion dedicated to the issue of teaching the Iwa
(Character/Behaviour) that Ifa supports. This Iwa, which Ifa teaches transcend religious doctrine is
central to every human being, and imparts communal, social & civic responsibility that the Creator
(Olodumare) supports. Central to this is the theme of righteousness[4] and practicing good moral
behaviour, not seeking for it in the community but becoming the Ambassador of Iwa (Character).

The Yoruba believe in the 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. The
traditional religious point of view includes similar privileges accorded to women as priestesses of
If and women's societies. A woman priestess is known as Iyanifa, Iyalaja, Iya Agba and Iyalase.

Female titles[edit]
Iyanifa - A woman Awo If; also a titled woman within an If community. She can also be the
Iyanifa present at the Itefa ceremony of any person, as the inclusion of women is mandatory at
every male's Itefa rites.
Ayafa - a woman who is married to a Babalawo and functions within rites & ritual of Ifa within
family
Apetebi - a woman who is married to a Babalawo and functions within rites & ritual of Ifa within a
community & also her family
Iyalaja - A spiritual mother working with Iya Nla.
Iyanla - the Great Mother, also called Awon Iya mi (Our Mothers) and sometimes referred to as
Gelede, the female masquerade commonly found in the Egba areas of Yoruba land and somewhat
well preserved in Bahia, Brazil.
Iya Agba - An old and wise woman.
Iyalase - High Priestess and head of female society.
Iyale - Depending on inflection or spelling, the term could either refer to the senior wife in a
polygamous household (Iy Il, or iyl, when contracted) meaning "mother of the household"; or
to a communal female personage who is a custodian of secrets and is therefore wise (Iy Il, iyl
when contracted), meaning "Earth Mother".