IWAPELE
Iwa means character among the Yoruba of
Nigeria. Iwa refers to a person’s essential nature
and psychic self, as well as the origin and totality
of what a person is as an individual. Among the
Yoruba, good character is referred to asIwa Rere,
which could also mean good nature, and a person
with good character must haveIwa Pele, gentle-
ness, whereas bad character is referred to asIwa
Buruku. A person with Iwa pele or gentle charac-
ter is referred to asOmoluwabi: a gentle person, a
person who embodies all the qualities appreciated
by Yoruba people. Such a person shows respect to
elders, works well in a team, and is respected by
the community.
TheIwaConceptIwa, or character, is personified in theIfaliteracy
corpus as the wife ofOrunmilain Ogbe Alara.
Iwa was the daughter ofSuuru, patience, who is
the son ofOlodumare, the traditional name given
to the Supreme Being.Thus, Iwa is the grandchild
of Olodumare, which means that Olodumare is
the embodiment and source of good character.
The concept of Iwa redeems human beings
from the authoritarian and hierarchical structure
of the universe and provides them with a set of
principles they can use to regulate their lives to
avoid collision with the supernatural powers and
their fellow people. Iwa, which is the essence of
being, is what can be used to characterize a per-
son’s life especially in ethical terms. The wordIwa
can be used to refer to either good or bad charac-
ter, for example:
Omo t’ o dara ti ko n’ iwa If a child is beautiful but
has no character
Omo langidi ni i He is no more than a
wooden doll
Iwa rere l’eso enia Good character is the
beauty of a person
B’ obirin dara bi Egbara A woman can be as
beautiful as a little mouse
Bi ko ni iwa If she has no good
character
Omo langidi ni i She is no more than a
wooden doll
B’ okunrin suwon A man may be very
handsome
Bi eja inu omi Like a fish in the water
Bi ko n’ iwa rere If he has no good
character
Omo langidi ni i He is no more than a
wooden dollIwa pele (gentle character) in the Yoruba
society is essential to live a good life. It is for
this reason thatIwaPele is regarded as the most
important of all moral values and the greatest
attribute of any person. The symbol of a good
character in Ifa corpus—Ogbe Alara—is a
woman. This is believed to be so because
women are seen as the symbol of love, care,
devotion, tenderness, and beauty. They are also
seen as the symbol of weakness, callousness,
deceit, and disloyalty. In Yoruba thought, by
using a woman as a symbol of good character,
it should be understood that every individual
must take care of his character as he takes care
of his wife. Just as a wife can sometimes be a
burden to her husband, Iwa pele (gentle charac-
ter) can also be a burden to the just and the
upright, but they must never shirk away from
the responsibility. Good character may be diffi-
cult to have as an attribute, but without people
who have it, the world will be a difficult place
in which to live.Characteristics of Iwa
Iwais what is used to characterize an individual’s
life in ethical terms. InIwa Le Wa, character is
beauty, although not beauty in the physical
sense. Character is seen as one of the symbols
that affects destiny and hence an individual’s
achievements.Iwacould affect a person’s des-
tiny either for good or bad depending on the
type of character the person has. People with
good character, whom the Yoruba callIwa Rere
or Iwa pele, have great achievements in life.
People with bad character, calledIwa Buruku,
do not achieve anything even if they have a good
destiny because, through bad character, they
would lose whatever they gain.
Iwa pele can be seen as part of what a person is
supposed to fulfill while on Earth. The Yoruba348 Iwa Pele