articles & resources.
Note: If you can't readily find these articles online, contact your local librarian for guidance on accessing these materials.
Abimbola, Wande. 2010. Religion, world order, and peace: An indigenous African perspective. CrossCurrents 60(3), 307-309.
- Abstract: The article, part of a special section marking a decade since the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held at the United Nations in 2000, discusses the theme of "Religion, World Order, and Peace" from the perspective of indigenous African religion. Concern is expressed regarding aggressive efforts on the part of both Christianity and Islam to convert indigenous peoples away from their traditional religions, a practice seen as a kind of cultural genocide. Also discussed are environmental problems, a source of concern for religions of Africa that often center around nature.
Alamu, F. O., Aworinde, H. O., & Isharufe, W. I. (2013). A comparative study of IFA Divination and Computer Science. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Research, 1(6), 524-528. http://www.academia.edu/5315636/A_Comparative_Study_of_Ifa_Divination_and_Computer_Science
- Abstract: The Ifa divination system is a set of divination acts done by a professional that has been granted authority (a babalawo) to create and make use of set of rules to communicate with the gods so as to solve people’s problems. It is mostly carried out in the Yoruba community.Most people doubt the authenticity of this system and are not even aware of its similarities with Computer Science. Further to this there are a few literature in this area of study. In this work effort was made to bring out salient similarities between the field of computer science and the act of Ifa divination. An extensive explanation of the divination system was made, what it means and its origin and why people seek after it.We have presented an extensive explanation of the Ifa divination system, proved its existence and authenticity, given and explained its similarities with Computer Science and presented a reference data for future work in this study.
Beliso-De Jesús, Aisha. 2014. Santería Copresence and the Making of African Diaspora Bodies. Cultural Anthropology 29(3), 503-526. https://culanth.org/articles/748-santeria-copresence-and-the-making-of-african
- Abstract: In Santería priesthoods, practitioners are “made” into African diaspora bodies in what is called “making santo.” These embodied epistemologies reveal not only the complex historical practices that have emerged through processes of racialization and enslavement but also how a body logic (re)situates the formations of diasporic feeling and sensing. I argue that practitioners’ everyday acts redefine the capacities of and for action as part of a spiritual habitus. The various rituals, works, and spiritual acts in Santería thus culminate in a different form of bodily engagement with the world, operating in racial space. This article examines Santería body logics, showing how what I call "copresences" are activated in somatic racial ontologies. I suggest that these diasporic sensings resituate anthropological universalisms, arguing for a disruption in the debate between mediation and practice in the anthropology of religion. Rather than assuming notions of presence, copresence allows for an intervention that hails Santería’s embodied epistemology as a form of diasporic sensing.
Charles, Eden. 2007. Cosmological, Ontological, Epistemological Assumptions and Methodological Perspectives. In How Can I Bring Ubuntu As A Living Standard of Judgement Into The Academy? Moving Beyond Decolonisation Through Societal Reidentification And Guiltless Recognition. Dissertation. (pp. 38-73). UK: University of Bath.
- A thorough exploration of the synthesis between cosmology, ontology, and epistemology as a framework for the African identity and worldview. Very important read that clearly delineates African thought from Westernized ways of being.
- This article explores the multi-generational legacy of an Ifa priestly family in Ijebu, Nigeria. A classic piece.
- From the abstract: "This paper ... examines the Yoruba socio-ethics’ perspective on punishment and forgiveness as exemplified in folklores, folktales and Ifa literary corpus in the bid to ensuring an enduring social order. The paper employs the critical and prescriptive methods of philosophy. It argues that the rationale for punishment provides justification for its application without undermining humanistic ethics of the people."
- This paper discusses why the head (orí) is the most prominent part of Yoruba sculpture. An analysis of Yoruba ontology of the person reveals that the Yoruba regard the head as the locus of the àse (divine power) of the Supreme Being (Olódùmarè) in the individual, constituting the person's life-source and controlling personality and destiny.
Pemberton, John. 1975. Eshu-Elegba: The Yoruba trickster god. African Arts 9(1), 20-27.
- Overview of the Orisha Eshu-Elegbara.
Sawandi, Tariq. (n. d.). Yorubic Medicine: The Art of Divine Herbology. https://www.planetherbs.com/theory/yorubic-medicine-the-art-of-divine-herbology.html
- Very thorough article on the energy of Orisa in nature, and how herbs contribute to natural healing in Orisa/Ifa culture.
- Orisa correlation to herbs and elements in nature, provided.
Teleroko, Araba. 2013. Obi Divination Format. WeReadIfa.com. http://bit.ly/1rdxoWi
- Good step by step instructions for divining with Obi (coconut), Lucumi style.
Thompson, Robert Farris. 1971. Sons of thunder: Twin images among the Oyo and other Yoruba groups. African Arts 4(3), 8-80.
- This article discusses the Ibeji, orisha of the twins.
Toyin Falola, Toyin, and Akintunde Akinyemi (editors). 2016. Encyclopedia of the Yoruba. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
- Book Description: "The Yoruba people today number more than 30 million strong, with significant numbers in the United States, Nigeria, Europe, and Brazil. This landmark reference work emphasizes Yoruba history, geography and demography, language and linguistics, literature, philosophy, religion, and art. The 285 entries include biographies of prominent Yoruba figures, artists, and authors; the histories of political institutions; and the impact of technology and media, urban living, and contemporary culture on Yoruba people worldwide. Written by Yoruba experts on all continents, this encyclopedia provides comprehensive background to the global Yoruba and their distinctive and vibrant history and culture."