Orunmila

Orunmila is the Yoruba deity of wisdom, knowledge, and omniscience who is also known by several cognomens that further highlight his nature and role in the Yoruba pantheon. Thus, Orunmia is known as Eleri Ipin, that is, the “witness to creation and destiny,” and as Ibikeji Olodumare, “second to the Creator, Olodumare.” From this position, Orunmila speaks to the complexities of life. Renowned for his wisdom and understanding of humanity and divinity, he is also called Agbonniregun, “a wise man without bones (in his body),” thus emphasizing his omniscience and compassion. Consequently, he is knowledgeable of all human and divine matters, the ways of the world, and all related phenomena. Orunmila is one of the major orisa or IrunMole in the Yoruba pantheon, and indeed he is considered the spokesperson for all orisa. Most significant, Orunmila is the patron and guardian of Ifa, the extensive oral tradition of Yoruba knowledge and thought, a responsibility given to him by Olodumare. As the master diviner, he is patron of all babalawo (male Ifa priests) and iyanifa (female Ifa priestesses). The philosophical complexity and meaning of Orunmila is revealed through many Odu Ifa (Ifa chapters) and through Orunmila's interactions with other orisa, including his several wives, especially Odu Iwapele, Apetibi, and Osun. Orunmila also consults Ifa as well as guards its integrity; hence, he is the avatar of Yoruba ways of knowing and being.

Ilé-Ifè, the cradle of Yoruba civilization, is known in the oral tradition as the original site of human habitation. In Yoruba itan or narratives, the IrunMole or the 17 premier deities, Orunmila among them, are charged with the preliminary [Page 507]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 originally from the Igeti Oke section of Ifè and lived in 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. In fact, Ifa or Fa is known among the Bini, Ewe, Fon, and other ethnic cultures along the coastal Atlantic and forest regions between Ghana 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.