Journal of Student Research 2019

Journal of Student Research

Orisha, Divination, and Death in the Yoruba Culture of West Africa Orisha, Divination, and Death in the Yoruba Culture of West Africa

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Ebonee Rainwater 1 Senior, Entertainment Design: Animation

Advisor: Dr. Cynthia Bland

Abstract Each culture of the world has developed its own explanation for the phenomenon of death. In West Africa, the Yoruba people have developed a perspective of the afterlife largely informed by the gods and demi-gods they worship, known as orisha . Orisha are the intermediaries between humankind and the supernatural, and are said to have descended from Olorun. Olorun is regarded as the high god of Yoruba religion to whom all are believed to return in the afterlife. This project seeks to provide a cultural overview of the Yoruba people, investigating the central figures of their religion as well as the ways in which religion influences their views towards life, death, and the afterlife that awaits. Introduction Death is a force all living things will inevitably face during their lifetime— whether it be one’s own death, or the death of a loved one. Death traverses the bounds of race, class, religion, and culture, which explains its deeply rooted universality and presence in art and literature around the world. Early humans developed their own explanations for the phenomenon, many of which are much clearly expressed in early folklore and mythology. The Yoruba people of West Africa in particular have attributed death, as well as much of the world’s phenomena, to deities and semi-gods known as orisha . This study will provide a lens through which one can view a universal phenomenon while highlighting a culture that is not often the focus of academic or entertainment media. This research combines three areas of cultural study that are not often examined in relation to each other and will investigate the ways in which they interact with one another to create the Yoruba culture as we know it. This review intends to investigate Yoruba religion, how it influences the views of the Yoruba Keywords: Afterlife, death, divination, orisha, Yoruba

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Ebonee Rainwater is a McNair Scholar; she is also in the Honors College of UW-Stout (Ed.)..

Table of Contents

Table of Contents