A Selection of Yorùbá Orò Sacred Texts from Nigeria

Abstract

Orò, popularly revered as “Lásọgbà” amongst the Yorùbá cultural group in Igbó Ọrà, Ìbàràpá area of Ọ̀yọ́ State, Nigeria, is an òrìṣhà whose spirituality, tenets, and secret practices have strong ties with the indigenous ritual festival tradition in honor of the ancestors. In line with the beliefs of the Yorùbá tradition and cosmological narratives of all the òrìṣhàs, Orò consciousness is particularly concerned with communal cleansing, reunification of the com-munities, and political correctness. Central to Orò is the system of curfew, a set period when women and strangers are directed to stay indoors. Only the initiates, all of whom are men, constitute the music performers in the company of the masked performer who bears the carved image of the òrìṣhà in a procession dance round the community. The carved image is invested with the òrìṣhà metaphysical presence and the procession dance is to visit and bless each household.