babalawo

E280527

A babalawo is a highly trained priest and diviner in the Yoruba Ifá religious tradition, responsible for interpreting the oracle and guiding followers through ritual and spiritual counsel.

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All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
babalawo canonical 3

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Ifá priest
Yoruba priest
diviner
religious role
associatedDeity Orunmila
Elegguá
surface form: Èṣù (Eshu)
conducts cleansing rituals
initiation rituals
sacrifice rituals
consultedFor business decisions
health issues
marriage decisions
protection and destiny matters
cosmologyKnowledge Yoruba cosmology
divinationMethod casting and interpreting patterns of odu
ethnicContext Yoruba people
genderTradition primarily male role
geographicOrigin Western Nigeria
surface form: Southwestern Nigeria

Western Nigeria
surface form: Yorubaland
hasFemaleCounterpart iyanifa
interprets Ifa
surface form: Ifá oracle
languageOfPractice Yoruba
moralCode Ifá ethical teachings
performs Ifá divination
presentInDiasporaTraditions Afro‑Brazilian religions
Candomblé
surface form: Candomblé (some lineages)

Santería
surface form: Cuban Santería / Regla de Ocha
primaryFunction divination
ritual leadership
spiritual guidance
provides healing rituals
moral guidance
protective rituals
spiritual counseling
religiousText Odu Ifá corpus
religiousTradition Ifa
surface form: Ifá

Yoruba religion
requiresInitiation yes
requiresTraining long apprenticeship
memorization of Odu Ifá verses
ritual discipline
roleInCommunity advisor on personal problems
custodian of sacred knowledge
mediator between humans and deities
status respected religious authority
transmissionOfKnowledge oral tradition
usesDivinationInstruments ikin (palm nuts)
opelé (divination chain)
usesDivinationSystem Ifa
surface form: Odu Ifá

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.