Orisha

Orisha
Òrìṣà (original spelling in the Yoruba language), known as orichá or orixá in Latin
America, are the human form of the spirits (Irunmọlẹ) sent by Olodumare, Olorun, Olofi in
Yoruba traditional identity. The Irunmọlẹ are meant to guide creation and particularly
humanity on how to live and succeed on Earth (Ayé). Most Òrìṣà are said to be deities
previously existing in the spirit world (Òrun) as Irunmọlẹ, while others are said to be
humans who are recognized as deities upon their deaths due to extraordinary feats.[1]
Many Òrìṣà have found their way to most of the New World as a result of the Atlantic slave
trade and are now expressed in practices as varied as Santería, Candomblé, Trinidad
Orisha, Umbanda, and Oyotunji, among others. The concept of orisha is similar to those of
deities in the traditional religions of the Bini people of Edo State in southern Nigeria,
the Ewe people of Benin, Ghana, and Togo, and the Fon people of Benin
Number[edit]
Yoruba tradition often says that there are 400 + 1 Òrìṣà, which is associated with a sacred
number. Other sources suggest that the number is "as many as you can think of, plus one
more – an innumerable number." Different oral traditions refer to 400, 700, or 1,440
orisha.[3][4][5]
Beliefs[edit]
Practitioners traditionally believe that daily life depends on proper alignment and knowledge
of one's ori. Ori literally means the head, but in spiritual matters, it is taken to mean a
portion of the soul that determines personal destiny.[2]
Some òrìṣà are rooted in ancestor worship; warriors, kings, and founders of cities were
celebrated after death and joined the pantheon of Yoruba deities. The ancestors did not
die, but were seen to have "disappeared" and become òrìṣà. Some orishas based on
historical figures are confined to worship in their families or towns of origin; others are
venerated across wider geographic areas.[2]
Ashe[edit]
Ashe is the life-force that runs through all things, living and inanimate. It is described as the
power to make things happen. It is an affirmation that is used in greetings and prayers, as
well as a concept of spiritual growth. òrìṣà devotees strive to obtain Ashe through iwa-pele,
gentle and good character, and in turn they experience alignment with the ori, what others
might call inner peace and satisfaction with life. Ashe is divine energy that comes from
Olodumare, the creator deity, and is manifested through Olorun, who rules the heavens
and is associated with the sun. Without the sun, no life could exist, just as life cannot exist
without some degree of ashe. Ashe is sometimes associated with Eshu, the
messenger òrìṣà.[6] For practitioners, ashe represents a link to the eternal presence of the
supreme deity, the Orishas, and the ancestors.[7]
The concept is regularly referenced in Brazilian capoeira. "Axé" in this context is used as a
greeting or farewell, in songs and as a form of praise. Saying that someone 'has axé' in
capoeira is complimenting their energy, fighting spirit, and attitude.[5]
Pantheon[edit]
The òrìṣà are grouped as those represented by the color white, who are characterized
as tutu "cool, calm, gentle, and temperate"; and those represented by the colors red or
black, who are characterized as gbigbona "harsh, aggressive, demanding, and quick
tempered". As humans do, orisha may have a preferred color, foods, and objects. The traits
of the orisha are documented through oral tradition.[4]
 Aganju
 Ajaka
 Ayra (Ara in the Yoruba language)
 Babalu Aye (Obaluaye in the Yoruba language)
 Egungun
 Erinle
 Eshu
 Ibeji
 Iroco (Iroko in the Yoruba language)
 Iya Nla
 Logun Ode (Logunede in the Yoruba language)
 Moremi
 Nana
 Oba
 Obatala
 Oduduwa
 Ogun
 Oke
 Oko
 Olokun
 Olumo (The patron deity of Abeokuta)
 Oranyan
 Oronsen (The patron deity of Owo).
 Orunmila
 Ori
 Osanyin
 Oshosi
 Oshun
 Oshunmare (Osumare in the Yoruba language)
 Otin
 Oyansa (Iyansan or Oya in Yoruba language)
 Shango
 Yemoja
 Yewa
Aṣẹ
Ase or ashe (from Yoruba àṣẹ)[1] is a West African philosophical concept through which
the Yoruba of Nigeria conceive the power to make things happen and produce change. It is
given by Olodumare to everything — gods, ancestors, spirits, humans, animals, plants,
rocks, rivers, and voiced words such as songs, prayers, praises, curses, or even everyday
conversation. Existence, according to Yoruba thought, is dependent upon it.[2]
In addition to its sacred characteristics, ase also has important social ramifications,
reflected in its translation as "power, authority, command." A person who, through training,
experience, and initiation, learns how to use the essential life force of things to willfully
effect change is called an alaase.
Rituals to invoke divine forces reflect this same concern for the autonomous ase of
particular entities. The recognition of the uniqueness and autonomy of the ase of persons
and gods is what structures society and its relationship with the other-world.[2]
Ase and Yoruba Art[edit]

The concept of ase influences how many of the Yoruba arts are composed. In the visual
arts, a design may be segmented or seriate - a "discontinuous aggregate in which the units
of the whole are discrete and share equal value with the other units."[3] Such elements can
be seen in Ifá trays and bowls, veranda posts, carved doors, and ancestral masks.
Regarding composition in Yoruba art as a reflection of the concept of ase, Drewal writes:
Units often have no prescribed order and are interchangeable. Attention to the discrete
units of the whole produces a form which is multifocal, with shifts in perspective and
proportion... Such compositions (whether representational or not) mirror a world order of
structurally different yet autonomous elements. It is a formal means of organizing diverse
powers, not only to acknowledge their autonomy but, more importantly, to evoke, invoke,
and activate diverse forces, to marshal and bring them in to the phenomenal world. The
significance of segmented composition in Yoruba art can be appreciated if one understands
that art and ritual are integral to each other.[2]
The head as the site of ase[edit]

The head, or ori, is vested with great importance in Yoruba art and thought. When
portrayed in sculpture, the size of the head is often represented as four or five times its
normal size in relation to the body in order to convey that it is the site of a person's ase as
well as his or her essential nature, or iwa.[2] The Yoruba distinguish between the exterior
(ode) and inner (inu) head. Ode is the physical appearance of a person, which may either
mask or reveal one's inner (inu) aspects. Inner qualities, such as patience and self-control,
should dominate outer ones.
The head also links the person with the other-world. The imori ceremony (which translates
to knowing-the-head) is the first rite that is performed after a Yoruba child is born.
During imori, a diviner determines whether the child comes from his or her mother's or
father's lineages or from a particular orisa. If the latter is the case, then the child will
undergo an orisa initiation during adulthood, during which the person's ori inu becomes the
spiritual vessel for that orisa's ase. To prepare for these ceremonies, the person's head is
shaved, bathed and anointed.[2]

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What are Orishas?

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Orisha

Ase and Yoruba Art[edit]

The head as the site of ase[edit]

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