The Idea of Orisha (Divine Being) in Traditional Yoruba Religion

Abstract

The subject of the article is the idea of Orisha in the traditional Yoruba reli-gion. In this study, Orisha identity which is discussed as god or divine being in academic field is examined. The Orishas are handled in terms of their charac-teristics, duties and the place they hold in practice. They are related to the two realms, the divine realm and the human realm, that is, the Supreme God Olodumare and the human. Their identity also finds expression with them. They are neither god nor human. They are an entity between the two and per-form the assigned task. Oriyas are centrally located in Yoruba religious practic-es. The Yorubas hold one or a few Orishas, which they need the most in their daily religious lives, and perform their ritual life by turning to it. But they are not equivalent and common to the Supreme God Olodumare, and they are not fundamental worship. They were active in creation with the appointment of Olodumare. The position of the Orishas in the divine realm is to prostrate to Olodumare and to glorify Him. At the same time, the Orishas serve as interme-diaries between the divine realm and the human realm in shopping-style ritu-als. They are not gods, but divine and sacred beings. The Orishas took part in a sacred and divine plan in mythology and practice, creation and human life. Orishas, which are effective in mythology and common in the religious life of Yorubas; Obatala, Eshu, Orunmila, Oduduwa, Shango, Ogun and Oshun. 

Keywords

• Tribe Religion,Traditional Yoruba Religion,Orishas,Olodumare,Ritual

GELENEKSEL YORUBA DİNİNDE ORİŞA (TANRISAL VARLIK) FİKRİ

Öz

Makalenin konusu, geleneksel Yoruba dininde Orişa fikridir. Çalışmada, akade-mik alanda tanrı ya da tanrısal varlık olarak tartışılan Orişa kimliği irdelenmiştir. Orişalar özellikleri, görevleri ve uygulamalardaki tuttukları yer bakımından ele alınmıştır. Onların iki âlemle, tanrısal âlem ve insan âlemiyle, yani Yüce Tanrı Olodumare ve insanlarla ilişkisi vardır. Orişaların kimliği de bunlarla ifadesini bulur. Ne tanrı ne de insan değildir. İkisi arasında bir varlıktır ve verilen görevi icra ederler. Orişalar, Yoruba dini uygulamalarında merkezi bir konumda yer alırlar. Yorubalar, gündelik dini yaşamlarını sürdürmede en fazla ihtiyaç duy-dukları bir, nadir de olsa birkaç Orişayı tutarlar ve ritüel yaşamlarını ona yönel-erek icra ederler. Ancak onlar Yüce Tanrı Olodumare’ye denk ve ortak olmayıp temel tapınma yönü de değillerdir. Yaratılışta Olodumare’nin görevlendirme-siyle etkin olmuşlardır. Orişaların tanrısal âlemdeki konumları Olodumare’ye secde etmek ve O’nu yüceltmektir. Aynı zamanda, alış-veriş tarzındaki ritüel-lerde Orişalar tanrısal âlemle insan âlemi arasında aracı vazifesi görürler. Birer tanrı değil, tanrısal ve kutsal varlıklardır. Orişalar mitoloji ve uygulamada, yaratılışta ve insan hayatında kutsal ve tanrısal bir plan dahilinde yer almışlardır. Mitolojide etkili ve Yoruba yaşam alanında yaygın olan Orişalar; Obatala, Eşu, Orunmila, Oduduva, Şango, Ogun ve Oşun’dur. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kabile Dini,Geleneksel Yoruba Dini,Orişalar,Olodumare,Ritüel

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