accepted as influential in the cosmic order. On
specialoccasionsamongsomeAfricangroups,the
sacrifice of a cow or bull represents the greatest
possible offering to the ancestors and God.
Clearly, a sacrifice, although a blood offering,
isakindofofferingbecauseitisapresentationto
the divine. In the traditional African religion, it is
thought that the Supreme God is a creator and
not one who is concerned with the daily activities
of the community. Ancestors handle the ordinary
concerns of birth, death, health, marriage, and
wealth. Almighty God is the source of all life, but
the order that has been created must be main-
tained by the ritual acts of humans working
through the ancestral spirits. Rain, agricultural
abundance, and society harmony are all the
responsibility of ancestral spirits. Thus, one does
not ordinarily offer sacrifices to the Supreme God
because there are rarely any shrines or temples
that are large enough to hold such a force. One
offers, in contrast, gifts and sacrifices to those
spirits who represent the Supreme God’s power.
Once creation has occurred, the Supreme God is
transformed into an agent of continuing creation
in the process of birth, the productive power of
theEarthinagriculture,andtheproductivepower
ofthespokenwordinintellectualideas.Theseare
the representations of the creative energy of the
divine, although one does not see evidence of a
Supreme Deity as a personal god.
Neither offerings nor the specialized sacrifices
canbegivenwithoutsomesacredprotocolinvolv-
ing the proper officials, the special site or altar to
receive the gifts,and the participation of the com-
munity. One does not give an offering to establish
individual advantage with the ancestors, but to
represent the collective response of thanksgiving
from the community. When offerings of food,
eggs, wine, meat, fish, fowl, and fruit are pre-
sented to the ancestral spirits, they are often done
in an effort at community purification and propi-
tiation as a way to maintain reciprocity between
the community of the ancestors and the commu-
nityoftheliving.Therefore,thepriestessorpriest
is present to monitor the correct protocols for the
gift, offering, or sacrifice. In some cases, the indi-
vidual or individuals who are giving the offering
may leave it at a special place knowing that the
deity will receive it as a sacrifice or offering. This
knowledge is also common to the priests and
priestesses who must make note of the offering
and perform the necessary rituals that accompany
such presentations.Molefi Kete AsanteSee alsoRitualsFurther Readings
Awolalu, J. O. (1979).Yoruba Beliefs and Sacrificial
Rites. London: Longman.
David, A. R. (1981).A Guide to Religious Ritual at
Abydos. Warminster, UK: Aris & Phillips.
Idowu, E. B. (1975).Olodumare:God in Yoruba Belief.
London: Longman.
Mbiti, J. (1969).African Religions and Philosophy.
London: Heinemann.
Naydler, J. (1996).Temple of the Cosmos:The Ancient
Egyptian Experience of the Sacred. Rochester, VT:
Inner Traditions.OGBONISOCIETY
The Ogboni society is an institution indigenous
tosouthwesternNigeria,whereitemergedamong
the Yoruba-speaking people. It is also found
within the Yoruba community of the eastern part
of the Republic of Benin. It is a society of secrets
(often referred to as a “secret society”). Many
similar organizations have sprung up throughout
Africa,suchasthePorrosocietyamongtheTemne
people of Sierra Leone or the Okonko society
among the Igbo people.
TheObgonisocietyfulfillsmanyfunctionsofa
religious, political, and judicial nature. Members
ofthesocietyaredistinguishedandboundbytheir
veneration of the Earth goddess, Ilè (also known
as Odudua), the mother of all life. As such, they
commonly present Ilè with offerings of food and
drinks. Thought of as privileged intermediaries
between the living and the ancestors, whose pri-
mary abode is the Earth, priests of the Obgoni
society are often called on to consult the oracle
to determine a number of sensitive issues, such as
ancestral support for the King. In fact, members
of the Obgoni society are guardians and protec-
tors of the divine oracle and laws. All OgboniOgboni Society 479