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 Periodical article |
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| Title: | A literary and philosophical investigation of 'Orí' as an epistemology of African Yoruba theory of being |
| Author: | Fashina, Nelson O. |
| Year: | 2009 |
| Periodical: | Orita: Ibadan Journal of Religious Studies (ISSN 0030-5596) |
| Volume: | 41 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Pages: | 239-260 |
| Language: | English |
| Geographic term: | Nigeria |
| Subjects: | African religions epistemology Yoruba |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the concept of 'Orí' (inner head) as a branch of African Yoruba philosophy of religion, existence, ethics and cultural philosophy. 'Orí' is a primal deity of significance in Yoruba religious philosophy. It is the deity that cosmically defines the essence of a person's individuality. 'Orí' is the energy of 'presence' in the divine ordering of a person's life, which guides and conditions the acts, fate and life experiences of the individual upon this plane of existence. It is one's personal channel of divine communication with Olodumare, the most divine and supreme creator of the universe. The paper also pays attention to 'Orí''s collaterals in terms of religion, mythology, culture and ethics, viz. 'Ìpín', 'Àyànmó', 'Àkúnlèyàn' and 'Àdáyébá' as aspects of the Yoruba idea of destiny, predestination, fatality and the theory of natural selection. The paper argues that the concept of 'Orí' is relevant as a valid theory for reading modern problems on the level of individuals, society, or the nation. Furthermore, the philosophy of 'Orí' is a valid paradigm of anthropological psychology and of behavioural science as well as an instrument of social control. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract, edited] |