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An in Depth Look into the World of the Yoruba Religion
An in Depth Look into the World of the Yoruba Religion
Kassandra Grullon
Introduction to African Indigenous Religion and Culture
Dr. Burdette Lowe
March 9, 2022
Table of Contents
Introduction
Scared Way of Life
Culture
Women’s Role Prior and After Colonization
Yoruba Religion influence
Conclusion
Introduction
Throughout the world there are over four thousand active religions that have had tremendous impact on society as we know it today. Although, these religions have proven to be impactful none can be more significant than the ones that have come from West Africa. Those religions that have stemmed from the great lands of Africa have paved the way for new world religions to come and have even influenced their beginnings. The Yoruba religion is perhaps one of the largest religions to stem from Africa and shape other world cultures.
The Yoruba culture and religion dates back five thousand years and begins with Ile- Ife in the southwestern parts of Nigeria. The kingdom was founded by the deity Oduduwa (creator of the world). Yourbaland was initially apar of the Oyo empire before British forces came into Africa and colonized them. Currently, Yoruba people speak the Niger-Congo language, depite there being multiple dialects. Over the years the people of Yourbaland have be known for their craftsmanship and creativity.
Sacred Way of Life
Bond together by their common language, history, and culture; the Yorba people of the western portion of Africa developed their own religion that consist of indigenous beliefs, myths, legends, proverbs, and songs. To understand the Yorba religion, one must understand its beliefs. The religious beliefs of the Yorba people are complex but, rooted on the notion that before one is born, they determine their destiny. They decide long before their arrival on earth what they will be doing in the world, where they will live, who they will love, and even how they will die. Therefore, individuals try to remember and claim the future they mapped out before they came into this world.
In the Yoruba religion, there are beings known as “Ajogun” which represent the negative forces that may cause accidents, illnesses, depression, or any other form of calamity in society. Yoruba practioners believe that the “Ajogun” should be avoided at all costs, and those affected by it must visit a priest to perform divination rituals and prescribe a way of getting rid of the troubling spirit. Reincarnation in the Yoruba religion focuses on living a good life. Children are believed to be the reincarnation of their ancestors and are given names to emphasize the concept of reincarnation within their community. It is believed that those who are defiant, commit suicide, and are cruel will not reincarnate onto the next life. The Yoruba religion largely believes in the “Ashe” concept which is a powerful force that can cause good or bad into the world. In the Yoruba religion everything in nature contains the “Ashe” including the forces of lightening, hurricanes, blood, and even people’s names.
To further understand the Yoruba religion, one must understand the “Orishas” and their one major god. The Orishas are numerous sub-gods that function as intercessors between the world of humanity and the divine world. There are over four hundred known Orishas that are worshiped, including Sango (the God of thunder and lightning), Ogun (god of iron), and Iya-Nla (the Great Mother – “guardian of life”). The many different types of Orishas are believed to either have been part of the world’s creation or actual human beings that later transcended into a semi-divine state to act for those who believe in the Yoruba religion. The supreme deity of the Yoruba is “Olorun”, who is the ruler of the heavens, creator of the world, and Orishas. Humans who practice Yoruba do not worship Olorun directly he is a distant god that does not partake in rituals. There are no shires or sacrifices that are made directly to him, those who want to worship can send prayers in his direction but must worship one or more Orisha.
The traditions of the Yoruba people and the stories of their gods have been passed down to generations through a mixture of oral tradition and written text. The origins of Yoruba culture like most African religions is embedded in the art of storytelling and an oral tradition which transfers information pertaining to the moral codes of their community, and to the genealogy of members of their community. This ‘edutainment’ ensured that an otherwise ‘illiterate’ people could be taught the communities values and learn about their ancestry and history. As technology advanced and people became more educated, The Yoruba world view and stories about their origins have been preserved in what is called the Yoruba Odu which are written sacred verses that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Culture
Followers of the Yoruba religion practice the traditional religious rituals of their ancestors which often includes elaborate celebrations honoring the Orishas and animal sacrifices that will be offered to the ones that control the rain, sunshine, and harvest. During the Yoruba religious festivals and rituals, those who participate are intensely involved in ritualistic re-enactment of folktales, myths, and other events that help celebrate their ancestors or worship their desired deities. Religious rituals are a time in which family life, dress, language, music, and dances are celebrated and expressed. Rituals are a time of building community amongst one another with the social purpose of preserving the rich heritage of their ancestors.
Some of the most common rituals and ceremonies of the Yoruba religion include the celebration that marks birth, marriages, death, incitation, and other rites of passage. The Naming and Death Ceremonies are the two most important rituals in Yoruba culture. The Naming Ceremony is taken seriously in this religion because it is believed that children play a very important role in this culture. Children are esteemed and appreciated, and it is believed that they will eventually live out the meanings of their names. Thoughtful research and family traditions are considered before a name is picked for a new baby in Yoruba culture. A child’s name is commonly derived from the family circumstances before the child is born, the birth process, ancestors names, and religious names. The naming ceremony is one of the most elaborate In Yorba culture, it entails several rituals including prayer, songs of praise, presenting the child with symbolic items, food, and dancing. The naming of newborn children is a means of keeping Yoruba traditions alive for generation to come and fulfilling the wishes of the ancestors.
Family is one of most important things to the Yoruba religion. Each ritual is to be passed down to future generations to keep the family name and traditions alive. The death ritual is a way of preserving the family as well as granting the wishes of the ancestors and must happen even if the family accumulates debt. The death ritual consists of the burial rites for deceased family members. Burial rites is an event that goes on for days to praise, celebrate, and remember the life of the deceased family member. In this event music is played, family members dance, and sacrifice rituals are performed.
The use of song and dance are important to all Yoruba religious rituals. Song and dance are a way of reenacting spirituality and acknowledging the power of Olorun and the Orishas. Each orisha is identified with the different and elaborate drum ensembles, songs, and dance styles and can be seen in each Yoruba ceremony. Song and dance evoke the spiritual world to enter the bodies of those who are celebrating and draws them closer to their ditties. Those who perform acts of singing and dancing during traditional ceremonies are welcoming the entrance of the Orishas into their bodies and families to keep their energy and blessings alive. Even rituals for family members who have passed away include the incorporation of song and dance as a means of waking up the spirit of the departed loved one and Orishas. There are no ceremonies without the incorporation of song and dance they are vital to the culture, religion, and beliefs of those who came before them.
Those who practice the Yoruba religion exercise personal prayer and sacrifice to their desired Orisha. Ceremonies, rituals, and prayers are usually led by Yorubian priest who can be either female or male and claim to be direct decedents of the human Orishas. The religious items and practices vary from individual devotees. Most devotees of the Yoruba religion wear necklaces representing the colors pleasing their Orisha and for protection against evil. Other items include small altars with small statues of orishas, cigars, and colorful ornaments.
Prior to British connotation, women in the Yoruba religion were treated drastically different. Years before colonization women were seen as equal counter parts to males. In many instances women were treated with greater respect and authority and their gender was not a factor for ill treatment. After colonization Yoruba women contained their high respect and become highly independent. As years went on Yoruba women became very skilled worker and contributed to much of the wealth and success of Yorubaland. It is safe to say that unlike Western Civilizations and religions women of Yoruba are treated with a lot more respect and included into the everyday functions of society.
Yoruba Religion Influence
While the Yoruba religion originated in the country of Nigeria, its influence and growth has been felt throughout different parts of the world. During the era of slavery, an estimated one million slaves were forcefully taken from parts of Nigeria and brought into the “New World”. This forceful migration aided in the spread of African Indigenous Religions and Yoruba throughout the areas of the Caribbean, North America, South America, and Europe. Although these religions were banned from being practiced by the slaves brought to these areas, they found a way to preserve their religion and identity by worshiping in secret. The work of those enslaved has kept the traditions of their ancestors alive and has caused their religion to continue to spread for generations to come. This is evident through the spread of the Yoruba religion throughout modern day. Up to this point, the Yoruba religion continues to grow and has over one hundred million worshipers from numerous countries around the world. The different worshipers of the religion are responsible for the Yoruba religion being one of the world’s largest ten religions. As the ancient African religion grows, more people are exposed to the cultural traditions of Africa and their religious beliefs. The Yoruba religion will only continue to grow as the years continue to go by.
As one of the leading religions around the world, the Yoruba religion has laid the foundation for several new world religions. Traces of the Yoruba religion can be found in other belief systems that are considered to be part of the African Diaspora. African traditional religions like Santeria, Candomblé, Haitian Vodoo, and Trinidadian Orisha all can trace their roots back to the practices and beliefs of the people of Yorubaland. In Brazil, enslaved Yoruba brought their traditions with them, syncretized them with the Catholicism of their owners, and formed the Umbanda religion, which blends African orishas and beings with Catholic saints and indigenous concepts of ancestral spirits. The traditional religion of Santeria has the most similarities to the Yoruba religion. In Santeria those who practice it also have high priest who can be male or female, have dances in which the spirits of their “santos” enter their body, can pray to their desired santo, and the santos also work in favor or against those who worship.
Conclusion
Today, The Yoruba religion continues to worship their ancestors by including ceremonies, rituals, and song and dance into their daily lives. It continues to keep the vibrant traditions of those who came before through the worship of the Orishas. The Yoruba religion is still practiced in many African countries but is prominent in Nigeria. There will be more growth seen in this religion.
Bibliography
Gbh. “Yoruba Religion of Southwestern Nigeria.” PBS LearningMedia. GBH, December 20, 2020. https://pba.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/sj14-soc-yorubarel/yoruba-religion-of-southwestern-nigeria/.
“Traditional African Religions: Yoruba.” LibGuides. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://research.auctr.edu/c.php?g=404402&p=2752855.
“The Yoruba from Prehistory to the Present – Youtube.” Accessed January 31, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRy92OJCtcY.
“Yoruba.” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yoruba.
HEALTH REFORMS IN THE ANTEBELLUM AMERICA
HEALTH REFORMS IN THE ANTEBELLUM AMERICA
Student’s name
Instructor
Department of affiliation
Course
Date
Health Reforms in ‘Antebellum America’
Temperance is the abstinence from alcohol and this was one of the major reforms which had a lot of influence during antebellum America as most people saw it as a negative way to behave in the community. It is considered to be one of the largest social reforms of that era of antebellum America which influenced the modern era temperance movements and therefore it was an important part of antebellum America. The groups were formed by the different leaders and reformers who believed that it is possible for people who are united to form a group and have an influence on society and generally on the entire United States. Therefore these leaders made sure that these groups were fully formed and were made into strong groups to make sure there was enough influence overall Americans to make sure that alcoholism was taken out from the American society (Warder, 2000).
Phrenology, on the other hand, was widely practiced and it claimed that a person’s behavior, character, and talents could be arrived at by determining the size and shape of their head. This, therefore, was an important part of the US health reforms and history as it made a very great effect on the people. Even though it is no longer influential it has borne a lot of reflections and practices in the medical field especially when it comes to mental health and the science of deriving a person’s behavior and their character from the mind impulses and what they have learned over time. Therefore it was an important part of antebellum America as it projected the new inventions and developments currently made in the mental health sector (Branson, 2017).
Other types of health reforms that existed during antebellum America were physical wellness, restoration of vigor, and trying to understand human behavior. All of these movements and activities were aimed at making sure that everything was formed as one in the community and that people who had different problems were not left out by being told there was no one to solve such kinds of problems or they were outcasts. Therefore all of these activities made sure that their efforts were for accommodating everyone in the society and making the lives of Americans better (Riddle, 2019).
References
Branson, S. (2017). Phrenology and the science of race in antebellum America. Early American Studies, 15(1), 164-193.
Riddle, J. D. (2019). Prospering Body and Soul: Health Reform, Religion, and Capitalism in Antebellum America. The University of Notre Dame.
Warder, G. (2000). Selling sobriety: how temperance reshaped culture in antebellum America.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
Name
Institution
The patient is by all accounts an extremely persevering woman who encounters headaches. She likewise has kids that she needs to deal with all alone. She carries on with an exceptionally distressing life and came to see a wellbeing clinician under the heading of her specialist. She likewise does not like to take pharmaceutical because of the symptoms that they have on her body. She has some major snags overseeing migraine triggers which for this situation is stress. Stress is the most widely recognized cerebral pain trigger CITATION Cot02 l 1033 (Cottrell, 2002). Anxiety can result in change in the cerebrum that makes it more probable you will have a migraine. Anxiety can likewise make a migraine last more and make it feel more difficult. Individuals who feel over-focused on likewise don’t work out quite as well with whatever remains of their lives when they have a migraine. This implies that if one has a cerebral pain and is focused on, it is likely that the migraine will have a greater amount of an effect on their life. This effect influences time with family/companions, things they accomplish for entertainment only, and work. Stress can’t be totally kept away from. Figuring out how to better manage anxiety can help one have less cerebral pains. This prompts less of an effect on their life.
Individuals who have migraines and melancholy or uneasiness feel like they are in an endless loop. Cerebral pains may make an individual vibe more pitiful, stressed, or restless. At the point when one is tragic, stressed, on edge, or baffled, your shots of getting a migraine are higher. Truth be told, examination demonstrates that individuals with headache are somewhere around 2 and 4 times more inclined to have despondency and tension. It is imperative as far as possible behavioral treatment of migraine to just those patients who experience issues overseeing stretch or experience sorrow, nervousness, or other emotional well-being concerns CITATION Hol011 l 1033 (Holroyd K. A., 2001). This patient experiences difficulty adhering to the therapeutic treatment prescribed. This prompts insufficient administration of their cerebral pains or headaches. There are numerous reasons why individuals don’t take cerebral pain or headache drugs:
•Concerns about unfriendly symptoms prompts a postponement in taking drug in more than one in three. Feeling tired/tired was the most widely recognized and most annoying symptom.
•Nearly 7 out of 10 need to hold up to check whether it truly is a headache.
•Nearly half need to take solutions just in the event that it is an extreme assault.
•High expense is a reason in one in three for not refilling a migraine medicine.
•Patients waver to utilize a triptan when agony is gentle because of confinements on pill amount and repayments forced by insurance agencies.
•Weight gain or its probability from preventive medicines impact adherence.
•Safety attentiveness toward pregnant ladies.
There are likewise different issues throughout her life that appear to impact the migraines, for example, absence of enough rest and a lot of commotion. A few patients find that utilizing behavioral medicines make this procedure simpler and more fruitful. For this situation, I would utilize the cognitive behavioral hypothesis to help her arrangement with the anxiety in her life. Headache sufferers with continuous, extreme torment, vicinity of psychiatric comorbidity, and raised levels of passionate pain regularly experience moderate to elevated amounts of inability. The absence of compelling administer to a considerable lot of these cerebral pain sufferers is getting to be perceived as a general wellbeing issue CITATION Hol01 l 1033 (Holroyd K. A., 2001). The World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease Study positioned extreme headache in the most noteworthy handicap class. The trouble of these migraine conditions falls on individual sufferers, as well as on the national economy in work misfortune and expanded medicinal services utilization.
Superintendents bear the trouble of the roundabout expenses of migraine, with an expected loss of what might as well be called 12 work days yearly from the normal headache sufferer. The most incapacitated headache sufferers represent the greater part of lost work profit and experience unemployment rates as high as four times the national normal rate CITATION Hol011 l 1033 (Holroyd K. A., 2001). Headache that is crippling makes an extensive empty on the social insurance framework; seriously handicapped headache sufferers represent four times the medicinal services costs with respect to those without movement restrictions. Focusing on treatment to the most impaired section of migraine sufferers may be the most savvy technique for giving the best advantage to both the individual sufferer (by decreasing agony and inability) and society.
Numerous who are handicapped by cerebral pain experience constrained profit from pharmacotherapy regimens that consolidate first-line prophylactic operators with triptans. Furthermore, while standard behavioral intercessions are entrenched in giving a 40–60% migraine decrease in the normal individual with cerebral pain, those with impairing levels of migraine don’t react well to behavioral mediations when conveyed alone, particularly those conveyed in home-based treatment designs CITATION Hol01 l 1033 (Holroyd K. A., 2001). Treatment adequacy for these people may be improved if treatment specifically addresses the mental and behavioral elements, and also the organic variables, that add to the condition. These variables normally incorporate comorbid psychiatric conditions and the utilization of poor adapting aptitudes. Insufficient adapting can likewise add to unregulated way of life practices (e.g., deferring or skipping dinners, keeping a variable slumber timetable, abusing juice, and devouring liquor) that can serve as triggers for cerebral pain assaults.
The treatment incorporated three segments or modules: persistent instruction, unwinding preparing, push and torment adapting preparing. The modules, conveyed from institutionalized manuals, were directed simultaneously and not in successive manner; shares of every module were secured in every treatment session. Upon finish of 10 sessions, patient got a testament praising them for their endeavors in learning cerebral pain organization toward oneself abilities. I trained the patient about migraine sorts, causes, triggers, and administration methodologies (counting utilization of drug and behavioral techniques). Specific accentuation was set on approaches to distinguish and change way of life practices that could serve as cerebral pain triggers (e.g., issue sustenances, consuming timetable, slumber propensities, stimulant utilization). To help with this methodology, patient rounded out journals that included every day recordings of her feast calendars, slumber plans, juice utilization, liquor and issue sustenance utilization, and activity plans CITATION Cot02 l 1033 (Cottrell, 2002). These journals were utilized to distinguish particular way of life practices that were unregulated and could be changed. Patient was likewise given instructive materials including a book and a progression of certainty sheets.
Cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) is a type of talk treatment that helps individuals distinguish and create abilities to change negative considerations and practices. CBT says that people – not outside circumstances and occasions – make their own particular encounters, agony included. What’s more by changing their pessimistic musings and practices, individuals can change their attention to torment and grow better adapting abilities, regardless of the fact that the real level of agony continues through to the end. Cognitive behavioral treatment helps give torment help in a couple of ways. To start with, it changes the way individuals see their agony. “CBT can change the contemplations, feelings, and practices identified with torment, enhance adapting methods, and put the distress in a superior setting. CBT can likewise change the physical reaction in the cerebrum that aggravates torment. Pain causing stress, and anxiety influences agony control chemicals in the cerebrum, for example, norepinephrine and serotonin. CBT lessens the arousal that effects these chemicals. This, essentially, may make the body’s common agony help reaction all the more effective.
A few patients’ reactions to repeating crippling headaches may be seen as scholarly vulnerability, a condition wherein an individual accepts that regardless of how hard they attempt, disappointment will come about, which can lower saw adequacy and treatment fulfillment. This may thusly prompt intense pharmaceutical abuse, further compounding the event of headache assaults and related fear and misery. The trouble of headache likewise reaches out to patients’ families. A Research on people with headache found that 44% of accomplices of headache sufferers agonized over their accomplice and had contrary emotions to them, 22% of accomplices neglected to comprehend, and 3% showed inconvenience. People with 6 or more headache assaults every year, 85% reported significant decreases in their capacity to do family work and errands. Of 389 individuals with headache living with a family unit accomplice, 45% missed family social and relaxation exercises, and 32% abstained from making arrangements inspired by a paranoid fear of retraction as a result of migraines. 50% of these headache sufferers accepted that they were more inclined to contend with their accomplices and/or kids in light of their headaches, and 36% accepted they would be better accomplices on the off chance that they didn’t have migraines. Among the 100 participants without headache, 29% felt that contentions were more normal as a result of cerebral pains, and 20% to 60% reported other negative consequences for relationships at home.
References
BIBLIOGRAPHY Cottrell, C. K. (2002). Perceptions and needs of patients with migraine. Journal of Family Practice, 142-147.
Holroyd, K. A. (2001). Learning from our treatment failures. Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback, 319-323.
Holroyd, K. A. (2001). Management of chronic tension-type headache with tricyclic antidepressant medication, stress management therapy, and their combination: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2208-2215.