The Sacred Connection: Exploring the Yoruba Religion and Primal Beliefs
Religion has become a broad term in society. It has become just simply the way in which one believes. But where did it originate? According to Jeffrey Brodd the answer is simple and straightforward; religion originated with the original or primary source. "Since prehistoric times, small groups of people throughout the world have practiced their own unique forms of religion. Some of these religions continue to be practiced, especially among the native inhabitants of Australia, Africa, and the Americas. We refer to these religions as 'primal' because they tended to come first..." (Brodd 21). Although they are different, the Primal religions tend to have similar aspects. They all participate in "...myth and ritual. Primal peoples have tended to preserve a mythic orientation toward life. Their myths, and ritual that re-enact them, remain essential sources of knowledge and power for all aspects of life" (Brodd 22).
In all three religions mentioned in our book, including the Aborigines, the Yoruba and the Lakota, there is a sense of humans as sacred creatures. We are not just people who dwell on this earth, but we are people who interact with the creator(s) of earth. For the Aborigines, we are sacred because we were animated, or brought to life, by the Ancestors (their name for gods). Similarly with the Yoruba of Africa, we connect with the orisa (gods) by worshiping, and maintaining a balance between heaven and earth. The Lakota so on a physical journey, called the vision quest, and search for something in nature that connects them to the heavenly realm. In all primal religions, the line between heaven and earth is very easily crossed.
Connection with the gods can be obtained through many different rituals, as long as they are preformed correctly. Our human condition, along with being sacred, includes that which we encounter on earth, evil. Because evil is among us and can be a great temptation, it is something we need and have to over come. We over come this in two ways, in life, and in death. While we are alive we must be sure to please the gods and we please the gods by doing rituals and giving. In death we over come the human condition by entering a new way of life. When we die our spirit lives on. Depending on how we acted when we were living determines whether we live with the gods, or remain on earth until we have done something for the community. For each, our destiny is in essence to please the gods and become like the gods.
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Pleasing the gods and not pleasing the gods are what defines right and wrong, these are their ethics. The way we please the gods is by participating in rituals. We must do the ritual correctly. For example, in the Aborigine religion, a woman giving birth is a ritual. She must be in the right place, and do and say the right things. Failing to do this could result in a still birth. Punishment for doing a ritual incorrectly could result in death. When a ritual is done right, we are given more and the gods are happy.
The gods are sacred, and that needs to be remembered by each individual. They reveal themselves in many different ways. In the Aborigines traditions, the Ancestors reveal themselves through the Dreaming. "In a very real sense, this period lives on, for the Aborigines believe that the spiritual essence of the Ancestors remains in the various symbols they left behind" (Brodd 23). The creator of the earth, Orisa-nla, in the Yoruba religion, revealed himself in the city of Ife, where he created the world. Made up of sixteen different deities, Wankantanka, the Lakota gods, is the "Great Mysterious." These deities are shown through one very specific god, Inktomi, the mediator between the supernatural and human worlds. In each of these religions the world was, in the beginning, formless. The gods created it for us.
While there are some minor differences in all religions, there are also many similarities. Learning about the Primal religions is just the beginning. In some way, shape or form, all religions share some common goal or idea. It just takes time and patience to see through the differences.
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The Sacred Connection: Exploring the Yoruba Religion and Primal Beliefs. (2023, Jun 17). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/the-sacred-connection-exploring-the-yoruba-religion-and-primal-beliefs/
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