User talk:Akomolede

Chief efuwape akomolede ifa of Africa lecture ... Hair, Religion, and Spirituality Yoruba religion is organized into a number of cults, each with distinct artistic symbols, shrines, and priests dedicated to a particular òrìsà. Membership of a given cult is determined by a number of factors, such as being born intopublic ceremonies, or because of the high reputation enjoyed by an òrìsà for solving personal problems ranging from impotence, infertility, and chronic illness to recurrent misfortunes. The initiation of a priest involves the shaving and treatment of the head with herbal preparations that sensitize it to the signals from the òrìsà. Henceforth, the individual must not carry a load on the head except objects sacred to the òrìsà. Frequently, a round patch of hair (osu) is allowed to grow in the center or front part of the head (fig. 18). But more often the head is left unshaved and then braided, regardless of sex. Èsù priests wear their osu like a pigtail, called Erè, which characterizes many Èsù staff figu res (figs. 17 and 21). A special category of male and female priests serves as spirit mediums for certain òrìsà such as Sàngó (thunder) and Soponna (smallpox). The female body is said to be ideal for this phenomenon, primarily because of the resilience that allows it to bear children without serious injury. Thus the initiation process metaphorically converts a male priest's body into a female's to facilitate the manifestation of the òrìsà in it during possession. In this context both male and female priests are called iyawo. Although this term means "wife" in ordinary usage, here it has no sexual implication but merely identifies the priest as a special confidant who ensures a regular offering fig. 15 of sacrifices to an òrìsà in much the same way that a beloved wife caters to her husband. This is one of the reasons why such priests wear patently female hairstyles such as the agògo, sùkú, koroba, and kolese (see figs. 10 and 9a). To reinforce the "prie st/wife" metaphor, male Sàngó priests often wear a bante (long skirt) that is essentially an elaborate form of a female tobi (underwear). The priest's female hairstyle has a symbolic significance as well. The Yoruba word for possession is gùn, meaning "to ascend," indicatingthat an òrìsà is figuratively "enthroned" on a priest's head, transforming it into a crown (ade). This imagery is evident in the beaded fringes attached to an Osun priestess's suku hairstyle, which recalls a royal crown (for illustratio ns see Apter 1992: plates 5 and 7). Also crownlike is a special cowrie embroidered headgear with veil called báyànni (fig. 22) (sometimes replaced by a beaded hat with fringes) worn by Sàngó priests, which identifies them when possessed as Sàngó incarnate illustration, see Drewal and Mason 1998: plate 55). It should be emphasized that the female hairstyle does not always t 11(for ransform a male priest into a "wife." Neither is it entirely confined to possession priests. From the different interpretations that I collected apparent that crossin the field, it is dressing in Yoruba religion has multiple, although related, layers of meaning. According to some informants, crossdressing attempts to harness the spiritual dynamics that abide in male phenfemale complementarity, a omenon also apparent in the pairing of malefemale figures in Èsù, Ifá, Ògbóni, and Orò ritual symbols (see Lawal 1995). fig. 16 Although not subject to possession as a professional priest is, the Oba is viewed as a living embodiment of Oduduwa, who is widely rega founder of divine kingship at Ilerded as the progenitor of the Yoruba and the Ife. During the installation rites, the head of a new king is shaved and washed with spiritual ingredients. Thereafter the king must not place anything onhis head except the cr own, whose conical form recalls both the ibori (see fig. 3) and the suku hairstyle worn by some òrìsà priests, emphasizing the king's dual role as ruler and the nominal head of all the òrìsà cults in his domain. Some kings wore a patch of hair on the head, like an ordinary priest (Euba 1985:8). A female presence is suggested by the bird motif on the crown. This motif is commonly associated with àse in Yoruba iconography, and identifies the king as the wielder of a special àse. It also alludes to the mystica l powers of women, which the king is expected to harness for the public good (see Thompson 1972: 253 54 and Babayemi 1986:13). In the past, a king seldom appeared in public, and when he did, his face was partly concealed by the crown. However, there are so me exceptions to this convention. At Òwò, for example, the king (Olówò) appears in public with his face uncovered during the annual Igogo festival in memory of an ancient queen, Oronse, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, leaving her head tie behind. The wearing of hat or head tie is forbidden in the town during this festival and here the king appears in public with his hair braided and adorned with red parrot tail feathers (fig. 23) (for other illustrations, see Drewal, Pemberton, and Abiodun 1 989:17, plate 4, and Poynor 1995:34). Since masks and altar sculptures mediate between the human and the spirit worlds, they are usually adorned with priestly hairstyles favored by a given òrìsà cult. However, the hairstyle on a figure or mask is normally determined by the carver, who has disc retion over bodily details unless given specific instructions by a client. Statuettes dedicated to deceased twins (ere ibeji) also display priestly hairstyles, partly to honor the departed soul and partly to reflect the popular belief that the souls of twi ns run errands for the òrìsà, particularly for Sàngó, the thunder deity

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About ifa and other Akomolede (talk) 12:46, 24 April 2015 (UTC)