Iyami Aje

Iyami Osoronga

Iyami-Aje - (Iya Mi Aje = My Mother Sorceress) also known as Iyami Osoronga, Awon Iya Wa (our mother), Eleye Aje ( bird of power) refers to the primordial mothers and divine feminine among the Yoruba people in West Africa and adherents of the Ifa Orisha tradition in the diaspora. Iyami Osoronga is sometimes differentiated from Iyami Aje in that Osoronga refers to a supreme mother divinity (Iya Nla). Iya Nla is also referred to as Odu, Odudua, Gbadu, Igba Odu, Igba Iwa. .[1] Aje is the concentration of female vital force and the ability to make things happen. It refers not only to the power but the females that are connected to it.[2] Aje has been translated to be similar to the word, witch (a wise woman) although the term witch is not fully embraced by all because of its culturally derogatory association. Women are said to yield great power because they hold the secret of creation given to them by Olodumare, the divinity as expressed in the Ifa literary corpus. Traditional lore also states that Iyami are the only ones Olodumare trusts when bathing. Iyami used as a common name refer to Orisha, female ancestors, or human. All Birds especially Owls, Vultures, Parrots particularly African Grey are associated with Iyami.[3] The name Eleye means bird in Yoruba and women who possess birds. The male counterpart to Iyami are called Oso meaning Wizard. .

History

Gelede Mask
Iya Nla Gelede

According to the Ifa Literary Corpus in Ose Otura, the history of Iyami goes back to the founding of the world when male immortals tried to form the world without the female immortal, Ọṣun.[4] Ọṣun is identified as the head of the Iyami of women as she gathered the women to protest the formation of the world by the male primordials. The males failed and it was only when they included Ọṣun that the world could be formed.[5] This story is also shared in Osa Meji as Odu or Odudua being the only female among 3 other males imoles and being given the power of motherhood and Aje by Olodumare which carries inherent power of motherhood that must be respected.[6] Other lineages suggest that Yemoja is the leader of Iyami by being the owner of Gelede, a society devoted to Iyami.[7] Ondo state lineages point to the first Iyami when a Vulture visited 2 women who was looking for a form of currency and the Vulture vomited up cowries. As these stories come from ancient Oral traditions, the details and specific Orisha may vary from lineage to individual towns.

The actual societies can be traced to secret women's societies in each town. The literary Ọdus suggest the town Ota is where Iyami was founded.[8] There are Iyami secret societies all over Yorubaland and in the diaspora now. Each is loosely autonomous and has its own governing order and procedures. Iyami women were once openly prominent directing law and order and affiliated with Ogboni, a confraternity organization located in Nigeria. They were also prominent in the marketplace yielding great power and wealth. They went underground upon a change in government as the Oyo Kingdom came into power.[9] They were further suppressed and disbanded as colonial royalty replaced traditionally appointed rulers of the towns. Iyami became demonized as more patriarchal regimes came into power under Abrahamic faiths causing them to go into complete secrecy to avoid persecution and possible death. The influx of Abrahamic faiths and the European Witch hunts of Europe during the 1700s coincided with the influx of Islamic and Christian colonialism and the slave trade in West Africa. Traditional ceremonies once performed by women were then replaced by being performed by men only under masks. Many Kings issued prohibitions for women to ensure they would not participate. As schools were developed under those faiths and made primarily for males, the perception of women as inherently evil followed suit creating an atmosphere of distrust and disdain.[10]

The Gelede festivals ceremonies are where the ancestral mothers are venerated to secure protection and support for the community.[11] The Gelede revered Iyami not as individuals, but collectively as ancestral mothers represented by Iyami Osoronga during their festivals. Iyami Osoronga is also identified as Mother Earth or Mother Nature. Another name used for the great mother is Iya Nla represented by a white mask during the Gelede festival.[12] All of the elements and forces of nature (Orisha) come from the earth and therefore all must honor her. According to Babatunde Lewal in the Gelede Spectacle, she is Yewajobi, Iyami Iya (Mother of all! Mother of all mothers). The power of the great mother is expressed in all female Orisha but also the Aje power can manifest in any woman who has inherited it from her mother. These women are both identified as menstruating women with the most powerful ones being menopausal elder women.

Function and Role

Iyami are assigned the task of guiding Olodumare and enforcing natural laws established by Olodumare.[13][14] Like other mother goddesses in other cultures, they have a triune function as creators, sustainers, and destroyers of life. As such, Iyami are identified as three types. Aje Fun Fun are identified as benevolent, cool, peaceful and charitable but will fight and protect when necessary. They are associated with the color white birth, and children. Aje Pupa are identified as governing the material world and bring prosperity and wealth. They are associated with the color red and sustainability. Aje Dudu are identified with ancestral energy and death. They are the most misrepresented because of their association with the dead. Historically the role of resurrecting the dead to determine cause of death when it was in question was assigned to them.[15]

Because of the relationship to Mother Earth, Iyami Aje are also known for their extensive use of natural resources such as herbs and other animals for healing and empowerment. Iyami in society have played the role of judges through Ogboni Society, Iyalode (leader of women) in towns and marketplace, those who confirm kingship, herbalist, traditional healers, and midwives,[16][17] Iyami may have a dual role as Diviners and Priestesses of Orisha or Iyanifas. All priestesses or Iyanifas, however are not considered Iyami nor initiated as Iyami. Iyanifas in Ifa and Afasi (Afa Priestess) may work more closely with Iyami because of their relationship to Odu. Afasi work directly with Gbadu.[18]

Titles associated with Iyami that hold roles in society are: Iyalaje - woman of essences and Aje Priestess, Iyalode: Chieftaincy title associated with the leadership of Women in a town, Iyaloja- Head of the marketplace. Erelu- Head of the Gelede Festival

Iyami Initiation and Acquisition of Aje

All female Orisha are considered Iyami. There is debate as to if all women are connected to the full power of Aje. There are specific qualities and abilities that accompany it, according adherents. Traditionally, this is an inherited power inherited overwhelmingly by women but in a few cases, men can inherit it from their mothers. Others contend that according to Yoruba cosmology, all women, by virtue of their biology are considered Aje because the womb acts as a portal between Orun and Aye.[19]

Aside from and in addition to inheritance, some women are called to initiate through Iyami Secret Societies. Because of its secrecy and its exclusivity, it has been suggested that there is no initiation. It is more likely an initiation that occurs on a need to know basis rather than non existent. Ironically, some male priests have written that no one can choose to initiate as Iyami and only Iyami can choose who they will initiate as Iyami. The emphasis may be placed on the ability to choose, rather than no initiation existing. The book, Iyanifa: Women of Wisdom notes that the contradiction of suggesting no one can initiate or claim to have been initiated while simultaneously saying only Iyami can initiate demonstrates the fallacy of the statement itself.[20] Araba Yemi Elebuibon explains that initiation as Iyami is a fact in his book, Invisible Powers of the Metaphysical World. Some initiatory processes are also explained in the Ifa Literary Corpus under the odu Osa Meji where the Iyalode initiates women of the town.[21]

The Ogboni is another Iyami sect that initiates Iyami. They choose members who uphold high character and integrity as they traditionally have a role in resolving disputes and maintaining tradition. Men and Women in Ogboni are attuned to the energy of Iyami.[22] Some males have received it from their mothers. Those males are called Oso. Some Ifa priests (Iyanifas and Babalawos) have also been trained to offer an Iyami vessel to women as identified by specific Odu verses.[23] Males who have access to Iyami and females who carry Aje naturally are not considered as an Iyalaje. According to Ileana Alcamo in Iya Nla: Primordial Mother, an Iyalaja is bestowed with wisdom authority, and the right tools that make the full manifestation possible.[24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alcamo, Ileana (2006). The Source Iya Nla Primordial Yoruba Mother. Althea Henrietta Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-1-890157-41-8.
  2. ↑ Mathews, Sarah Janise. "Aje and Aje: Gender and Female Power in Yorubaland" (PDF). Escholarship.org. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  3. ↑ Fasola, Fategbe. "Iyami_Osoronga" (PDF). Awofategbe.com.
  4. ↑ Fatumise, Fagbamileke. Iyami Osoronga Divine Femininity. p. 40.
  5. ↑ Elibuibon, Yemi (2013). Invisible Powers of the Metaphysical World: A Peep into the world of Witches. Ancient Philosophy Institute. p. 110. LCCN 2009351910.
  6. ↑ Fawesagu, Agelo (2011). Iwe Fun Odu Ifa Ancient Afrikan Sacred Text. Kilombo Productions. pp. 445–452.
  7. ↑ Lawal, Babatunde (1996). The Gelede Spectacle. University of Washington Press. ISBN 0-295-97599-7.
  8. ↑ Verger, Pierre. Rise and Fall of Iyami. Black Madonna Press.
  9. ↑ Kumari, Ayele. "Demystifying Iyami". Www.Ayelekumari.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ Kumari, Ayele. "Demystifying Iyami Beyond Patriarchy" (PDF). Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  11. ↑ Drewal, John and Margaret (1990). Gelede: Art and Female Power among the Yoruba. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-20565-4.
  12. ↑ Lewal, Babatunde (1996). The Gelede Spectacle. Washington university Press. ISBN 0-295-97599-7.
  13. ↑ Fatunmise, Fagbamileke (2013). Iyami Osoronga Divine Femininity. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4797-9115-6.
  14. ↑ Fategbe, Fasola. "Iyami Osoronga My Mother the Sorcerous" (PDF). Awofategbe.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  15. ↑ Acholonu, Catherine (2013). Eden in Sumer on the Niger: archeological, Linguistic Evidence over 450,000 years in West Africa. Nigeria: A Carc Publications.
  16. ↑ Kumari, Ayele. "Demystifying Iyami". AyeleKumari.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  17. ↑ Washington, Teresa N. (2014). The Architects of Existence: Aje in Yoruba Cosmology, Ontology, and Orature. USA: Oya's Tornado. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-9910730-1-6.
  18. ↑ Alcamo, ileana (2006). Iya Nla: Primordial Yoruba Mother. USA: Althelia Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-890157-41-8.
  19. ↑ Adepoju, Olawotoyin. "Female Biology and Spiritual Power: the Iyami Concept in Classical Yoruba". Facebook Notes. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  20. ↑ Kumari, Ayele. "Iyami: Human, Ancestor, Cosmic". Ayelekumari.com/Ifayele. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  21. ↑ Verger, Pierre (2011). Rise and Fall of Iyami. Black Madonna Enterprises.
  22. ↑ Fatunmise, Fagbamileke (2013). Iyami Osoronga: Divine Femininity. Xlibris. ISBN 9781479791163.
  23. ↑ Obanifa, Babalawo. "Facts about Iyami". Obanifa.com. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  24. ↑ Alcamo, Ileana (2006). Iya Nla : Primodial Yoruba Mother. USA: Altheia Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-890157-41-8.
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