Is Yoruba practiced in America?
In the suburbs of Seattle, an ancient West-African religion is gaining followers. Yoruba, from the Yoruba people of Nigeria, has been spreading across the U.S. for the last 50 years. The religion is particularly popular with African-Americans who find it offers a spiritual path and a deep sense of cultural belonging.
What does Ifa believe in?
Like Christianity, Judaism and Islam, Ifa is monotheistic, but its supreme creative figure, Olodumare, shares power with dozens of subsidiary deities. Each represents particular elements of life or nature – fire, rebirth, agriculture, the arts – and serves as an intercessor between humans and the creator.
How old is the Ifa religion?
Carried to the Americas by slaves, the 8,000-year-old philosophy of Ifa originated with the Yoruba peoples of West Africa.
Is Ifa a God?
Ifa (Orunmila), god of divination, fate, and wisdom, informs mortals of the wishes of Olorun, the sky god, the god of destiny; he was appointed by the supreme god to protect and rule the people.
How many Yorubas are in USA?
The number of Nigerian immigrants residing in the United States is rapidly growing, expanding from a small 1980 population of 25,000. The 2019 American Community Survey (ACS) estimated that 461,695 U.S. residents were of Nigerian ancestry.
Where did Yoruba slaves go?
With the onset of the Atlantic slave trade, Yoruba people from Nigeria and Benin were forcibly transported to America as slaves. Their religion expanded across many borders — to Trinidad, Cuba, Saint Lucia, Benin, Togo, Brazil, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, to name a few.
Who started Ifa?
Ifa divination is practiced by the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria and West Africa. The exact origin of Ifa divination is unknown, but it appears to pre-date Christianity and Islam in West Africa and it continues to be an important part of Yoruba culture in Nigeria and for Africans in America.
Does Ifa predate Christianity?
Where did Ifa come from?
What U.S. city has the most Nigerians?
New York City
By metropolitan area, New York City has the largest Nigerian immigrant popu- lation, followed by Houston and Washington, DC. In no major metropolitan area do Nigerian immigrants make up more than 0.3 percent of the population.