NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Egungun

Egungun is a part of the Yoruba Pantheon of divinities. The Yoruba religious system is sometimes referred to as the 'Yoruba Religion' or simply 'Orisa Worship'. In the tradition of Orisa and ancestor worship, the Egungun represents the "collective spirit" of the ancestors. The Yoruba (YorÃ¹bÃ¡ in Yoruba orthography) are a large ethno-linguistic group or ethnic nation in West Africa. ... The mythology of the Yorùbá is sometimes claimed by its supporters to be one of the worlds oldest widely practised religions. ... This article is about a type of spirit. ... Ancestor worship, also ancestor veneration, is a religious practice based on the belief that ones ancestors possess supernatural powers. ...

Ancestor worship is present in some form in most cultures (whether recognized as such or not), but is most evident in the indigenous cultures of the world. For almost 95% of the world's population, prayers and ceremonialized offerings to deceased ancestors is a natural part of everyday life. To provide a place for ancestors at one's dinner table; to celebrate the remembrance of ancestors at one's gatherings; to seek the guidance and intercession of ancestors in times of decision, striving, or struggle, is natural to indigenous peoples around the world. Ancestor worship or reverence is everywhere in traditional Africa. Egungun is a part of this worship.

Ancestors assure a place for the dead among the living. It is their responsibility to compel the living to uphold the ethical standards of past generations. Egungun is celebrated in festivals (Odun Egungun) and family ritual through the masquerade or custom. In family situations a family elder or Alagba presides over ancestral rites and may or may not be initiated into the local Egungun society. But in community settings, Egungun priests and initiates that are trained in ancestral communication, ancestral elevation work and funeral rites are placed in charge of invoking and bringing out the ancestors. Elaborate costumes adorn the Egungun masqueraders (dancers), and through drumming and dance, these dancers become possessed with the spirits of the ancestors. The Egungun then spiritually clean the community and through exaggerated acting/miming demonstrate both ethical and amoral behavior that occurred since their last visit, exposing the strengths and weaknesses of a community with hopes of encouraging behavior more befitting of their descendants. Once this occurs messages, warnings and blessings are doled out to spectators. Some important Egungun include the Elewe of the Ìgbómìnà Yoruba sub-ethnics, which is common in the towns of Òkè-Ìlá Òràngún, Ìlá Òràngún, and Arandun. The ÃŒgbÃ³mÃ¬nÃ (also colloquially Igbonna or Ogbonna) are a sub-ethnic people of the Yoruba occupying the north-central portion of the Yoruba region of southwestern Nigeria. ... Ã’kÃ¨-ÃŒlÃ¡ Ã’rÃ ngÃºn (or Ã’kÃ¨-ÃŒlÃ¡) is an ancient city in Nigeria that was capital of an ancient Igbomina-Yoruba city-state of the same name in southwestern Nigeria. ...

Ancestor worship reminds us that we are not individuals, alone in the world; but part of a comprehensive and coherent legacy that ties billions of souls together, here in the marketplace, and in the realm of ancestors which we call Home. Although the grief of loss still accompanies the arrival of Orisa Iku, ancestor worship provides us with the essential understanding to arrest the pain and celebrate the beauty of the life process.

In Brazil, the main cult to the Egungun is practised in the Island of Itaparica in the State of Bahia but houses in other States exist. Itaparica is an island off the coast of Brazil in the state of Bahia. ... Flag of Bahia See other Brazilian States Capital Salvador Largest City Salvador Area 564 273 kmÂ² Population - Total - Density 13 070 250 23. ...

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Afro-American Religions Image File history File links AnimismSymbol. ... The Afro-American religions are a number of related religions that developed in the Americas among African slaves and their descendants. ...

Religions: Candomblé • Hoodoo • Kumina • Obeah • Palo • Quimbanda • Santería (Lukumí) • Spiritual Baptist • Umbanda • Vodou Image File history File links Download high resolution version (171x700, 25 KB) Summary Statue of Eshu-Elegbara, the trickster god. ... IlÃª AxÃ© Iya NassÃ´ OkÃ¡ - Terreiro da Casa Branca CandomblÃ© is an Afro-American religion practiced chiefly in Brazil but also in adjacent countries. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Kumina is both the religion and the music practiced by the people of eastern Jamaica. ... Obeah is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic or sorcery. ... Palo Monte, or Regla de Palo is a religion of largely Bantu origin developed by slaves from Central Africa in Cuba. ... Quimbanda is an Afro-American traditional religion found in Brazil. ... LukumÃ or Regla de Ocha, is most widely known as Santeria, (SanterÃa in Spanish) is a set of related religious systems that fuse Catholic beliefs with traditional Yoruba beliefs. ... No one across the vast world, truly knows from where the Spiritual/Shouter Baptists of Trinidad and Tobago originated from. ... Originating in Brazil in the early 20th century, Umbanda is a religion that blends Catholicism, Kardecist Spiritualism and Afro-Brazilian traditions. ... A large sequined Voodoo drapo or flag by the artist George Valris Voodoo doll redirects here. ...

Deities: Babalu Aye • Eshu • Iansan • Obàtálá • Ogoun • Ọlọrun • Orunmila • Ọṣun • Shango • Yemaja In the cult of Orishas, Babalu Aye is the spirit of illness and disease. ... Eshu represented in concrete with his features made with cowrie shells. ... Painting of Iansan (or IansÃ£) Iansan or IansÃ£ in portuguese, is an entity of the Afro-Brazilian religious faith of candomblÃ©, identified with the Catholic Saint Barbara. ... In Yoruba mythology, Obàtálá (alternatively Obatala) was a creator god; he made human bodies, and his father, Olorun (husband of Olokun), breathed life into them. ... In Haitian Vodun, Ogoun (or Ogun) is a loa who presides over fire, iron, politics and war. ... In Yorùbá mythology, Olorun is the Sky Father (though occasionally androgynous or female), and a god of peace, purity and harmony. ... In Yoruba mythology, Orunmila is an Orisha (Orisa), and deity of prophecy. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Ochun. ... In YorÃ¹bÃ¡ mythology, Shango (Xango, Shango), or ChangÃ³ in Latin America, is perhaps the most popular Orisha; he is a Sky Father, god of thunder and the ancestor of the Yoruba. ... In Yorùbá mythology, Yemoja is a mother goddess; patron deity of women, especially pregnant women; and the Ogun river (the waters of which are said to cure infertility). ...

Roots: Ifá, Oriṣa (Yorùbá) • Lwa (Dahomey) • Nkisi (Kongo) • Catholicism (Spain, Portugal) IfÃ¡ is a system of divination that originated in West Africa among the Yoruba people. ... This article is about a type of spirit. ... The mythology of the Yorùbá is sometimes claimed by its supporters to be one of the worlds oldest widely practised religions. ... A loa is a powerful spirit or deity in the voodoo religion. ... The Dahomey (or Fon) are a nation located in Benin, Africa. ... An Nkisi (plural Minkisi, also Nkishi/Minkishi), literally translates as (sacred) medicine. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... As a Christian ecclesiastical term, Catholic - from the Greek adjective , meaning general or universal[2] - is described in the Oxford Dictionary as follows: ~Church, (originally) whole body of Christians; ~, belonging to or in accord with (a) this, (b) the church before separation into Greek or Eastern and Latin or Western...

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