task of preparing the site at Ilé-Ifè for human life.
Ilé-Ifè is also considered the home of Orunmila
and the center of Yoruba spiritual and political
power. The Odu Ifa notes that Orunmila is origi-
nallyfromtheIgetiOkesectionofIfèandlivedin
many towns such as Ilesa, Ado, Owo, and Ijumu.
His many travels reflect the itinerant lifestyle of
the babalawo, the mobility of the Yoruba people,
and the spread of the Ifa oracle throughout the
region.Infact,IfaorFaisknownamongtheBini,
Ewe, Fon, and other ethnic cultures along the
coastalAtlanticandforestregionsbetweenGhana
and Nigeria. Since the 18th century, it has been
transmitted across the Atlantic and can be found
in Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad, and the United
States. In places where African religious practices
were prohibited in the diaspora, adherents
masked the deities, including Orunmila and Ifa,
under the guise of foreign religious practices.
Patron of the Ifa Divination CorpusOrunmila is primarily known as the master care-
taker of Ifa divination and its corpus of knowl-
edge. In this role, he is often referred to as Ifa.
Because he is witness to creation, he knows its
secrets(awo);hence,heepitomizeswisdom,knowl-
edge, and understanding of all destinies great and
small. He is the master babalawo, father of the
secrets of all things, and patron of all babalawo
and iyanile who must know Orunmila through
extensive study before they can access Ifa through
the practice of divination. The training of an Ifa
priestcantake20ormoreyearsbeforemasteryis
achieved and confirmed. Ifa trainees are required
to master 16 major odu before they are permitted
to practice. Many also specialize in various
aspects of Ifa’s vast cornucopia of knowledge and
information, becoming historians, herbalists,
musicians, and counselors to Yoruba rulership, as
well as Ifa priests. Orunmila owns the special Ifa
paraphernalia that includes the opon Ifa (divina-
tiontray),ikin(palmnuts),opele(diviningchain),
and ebo (object of sacrifice). These are carried in
anoponIfa(diviningboard)bywhichdivinersare
wellknown.Hisacolytesaretrainedtocommuni-
cate with Ifa and, thusly, with Orunmila through
theartofcasting16sacredpalmnuts(ikin)orthe
divining chain (opele). The Ifa adapts and then
writes and interprets the odu signatures or
chapters on the divination tray (opon Ifa). In
consultationwithclients,Orunmilaspeakstothe
issues presented, offering insights and requiring
offerings or ebo (sacrifices) that are meant to
mitigate the problem.
As the chief exponent of Ifa and guardian of its
practice, Orunmila connotes intelligence, insight,
worldview, cultural norms, and value system.
Orunmila is a master linguist who is capable of
speaking all world languages, an indication of
his universal wisdom. The Odu Ifa over which
Orunmila presides are admittedly a cornucopia of
Yorubahistory,culture,spirituality,andphilosophy
organized in 256 chapters, each of which includes
more than 600 poems (awon ese). As a wise man,
Orunmila represents the ideal model of Yoruba
intellectualism,criticalanalysis,understanding,and
engagementintheworld.Orunmila’sEarthlyman-
ifestationemulatesthejoysandchallengesofbeing
human and unites humanity and divinity in a syn-
ergistic struggle for cosmic harmony, prosperity,
balance, and immortality. Often Orunmila and Ifa
are used interchangeably to refer to both the deity
andtheoracle.
In the Ifa corpus, Orunmila plays both active
and passive roles. As an active figure in several
narratives, Orunmila consults Ifa for guidance
and resolution to his own challenges. His earliest
babalawo are often mentioned as performing div-
ination for him and prescribing the ebo or sacri-
ficethathemustperformtosolvehisproblem.As
apassivefigure,heisthevoiceofIfawhocitesthe
precedence for the client at hand. In this mode,
Orunmila as the voice of Ifa relays to the diviner
and client the one who previously consulted Ifa
with a similar matter, regardless of whether they
performed the required sacrifice, and the out-
come. As sacred texts, Ifa represents Yoruba
spirituality, whereas Orunmila represents the
manifestation of spiritual creative wisdom and
power on Earth.
Diedre L.BadejoSee alsoObeahFurther Readings
Abimbola, K. (2006).Yoruba Culture:A Philosophical
Account. Birmingham, UK: Iroko Academic
Publishers.508 Orunmila