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Ifá or Fá is a geomantic system originating from
Yorubaland Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of . Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Niger ...
in
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
. It originates within the traditional religion of the
Yoruba people The Yoruba people ( ; , , ) are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, which are collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, are over a million outsid ...
. It is also practiced by followers of West African Vodun and certain African diasporic religions such as Cuban
Santería Santería (), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diaspora religions, Afro-Caribbean religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose amid a process of syncretism between the traditional ...
. According to Ifá teaching, the divinatory system is overseen by an ''
orisha Orishas (singular: orisha) are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Haitian Vaudou, Cuban Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. The p ...
'' spirit, Orunmila, who is believed to have given it to humanity. Ifá is organised as an initiatory tradition, with an initiate called a '' babaláwo'' or ''bokɔnɔ''. Traditionally, these are all-male, although women have been initiated in Cuba and Mexico. Its oracular literary body is made up of 256 volumes (signs) that are divided into two categories, the first called Ojú Odù or main Odù that consists of 16 chapters. The second category is composed of 240 chapters called Amúlù Odù (omoluos), these are composed through the combination of the main Odù. They use either the divining chain known as '' Ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀'', or the sacred palm (''
Elaeis guineensis ''Elaeis guineensis'' is a species of Arecaceae, palm commonly just called oil palm but also sometimes African oil palm or macaw-fat. The first Western world, Western person to describe it and bring back seeds was the French naturalist Michel Ad ...
'') or
kola nut The kola nut ( Yoruba: ''obi'', Dagbani: ''guli'', Hausa: goro, Igbo: ''ọjị'', Sängö: ''gôro,'' Swahili: ''mukezu'') is the seed of certain species of plant of the genus ''Cola'', placed formerly in the cocoa family Sterculiaceae and ...
s called ''Ikin'', on the wooden divination tray called '' Ọpọ́n Ifá'' to mathematically calculate which Odu to use for what problem. Ifá is first recorded among the Yoruba people of West Africa. The expansion of Yoruba influence over neighbouring peoples resulted in the spread of Ifá, for instance to
Fon people The Fon people, also called Dahomeans, Fon nu, Agadja and historically called Jeji (Djedji) by the Yoruba in the South American diaspora and in colonial French literature are a Gbe ethnic group.
practising West African Vodun. As a result of the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...
, enslaved initiates of Ifá were transported to the Americas. There, Ifá survived in Cuba, where it developed an overlap with Afro-Cuban religious traditions such as Santería and
Abakuá Abakuá, also sometimes known as Ñañiguismo, is a Cuban initiatory religious fraternity founded in 1836. The society is open only to men and those initiated take oaths to not reveal the secret teachings and practices of the order. Members are ...
. Growing transnational links between Africa and the Americas during the 1970s also saw attempts by West African ''babalawos'' to train and initiate people in countries like Brazil and the United States.


Definitions

According to traditional lore, Ifâ began in the city of Ile-Ife in
Yorubaland Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of . Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Niger ...
. Since that point, its practice has spread throughout lower Nigeria and westward into coastal Benin and Togo and then in Ghana. It has also been taken to the Americas, where it is practiced within some African diasporic religions. The term ''Ifá'' is the Yoruba language name for the practice. In the
Fon language Fon (, ) also known as Dahomean is the language of the Fon people. It belongs to the Gbe group within the larger Atlantic–Congo family. It is primarily spoken in Benin Republic, as well as in Nigeria and Togo by approximately 2.3 million sp ...
it is called Fá, and among the Ewe and Mina languages it is Afa. The Yoruba system of Ifá is deemed more time consuming, and requires more sacrifices, than the Fá system among the Fon. In the Fon-dominated
Ouidah Ouidah (English: ; French: ) or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch), and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on t ...
, therefore, some people think of Yoruba Ifá as being more potent than their own local system. Some people who have been initiated into Fon-style Fá thus later go through additional ceremonies to be initiated into Yoruba-style Ifá.


Belief


Theology

In
Yorubaland Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of . Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Niger ...
, divination gives priests unreserved access to the teachings of Ọ̀rúnmìlà. Among the Fon, Ọ̀rúnmìlà is known as Fá. In the Fon language, ''fa'' literally means "coolness" and evokes the concepts of mildness, softness, peacefulness, and equilibrium. This is deemed appropriate because the tutelary practice of the divination system, Fá, is thought to promote coolness and to dislike hot things. Among the Yoruba, this concept of coolness is also important, but is referred to as ''tutu'', a term bearing no linguistic associations with Ifá. In the West African religions that incorporate Ifá divination, the spirit-deity known among Yoruba people as Eshu-Elegba, Eshu, or Elegbara, is deemed the intermediate communicator relaying Ifá's will both to humanity and to other spirit-deities. Among the Fon, Eshu is termed Legba, and among the Ewe and Mina, he is Elegy. Ifá divination rites provide an avenue of communication to the spiritual realm and the intent of one's
destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...
. Among the Fon, it is the female spirit Gbădu who is regarded as the source of Fá's power. She is deemed to be the wife of Fá. Her presence is required for new initiations. She is believed to offer significant protection for people but her veneration is thought dangerous unless a person is initiated. It is for instance believed that women must be kept apart from her presence, for if they get near her they may be struck barren or die.


System


Odù Ifá

Ifá consists of 256 binary signs. The Yoruba term ''odù'' instead appears in Fon as a ''dù''. In Fon, the sacred palm nuts are called ''fádékwín''. A "divining chain" is referred to in Yoruba as a ''òpèlè'' and in Fon as an ''akplɛ''. It may comprise eight halves of a nut, tied together. The way in which it falls then reveals one of 256 possible signs. To perform the divination, the ''babalawo'' will often be seated on a mat. Before casting the divining chain the diviner may sing to call forth Fá. In Fon, the divining tray is called a ''fátɛ''. In West Africa, the quality of the ''fátɛ'' may indicate the ''babalawo's'' financial success; some who have a small client base may use only a plastic or cardboard tray, while those with access to greater funds may pay for an elaborate, purpose built wooden ''fátɛ''. Another ritual object is known to the Yoruba as ''Ǫpá Ǫșun'' and to the Fon as a ''fásɛn''. This consists of a metal staff, four to five feet tall, that is capped at the top with a metal disk and sometimes a metal rooster. When a ''fásɛn'' is created, it is washed in specific leaves and the blood of 16 giant snails; this task is performed by women, secluded from the view of men. Any chickens sacrificed to the ''fásɛn'' are only eaten by women. There are sixteen major books in the Odu Ifá literary corpus. When combined, there are a total of 256 Odu (a collection of sixteen, each of which has sixteen alternatives ⇔ 162, or 44) that are believed to reference all situations, circumstances, actions and consequences in life based on the uncountable ''ese'' (or "poetic tutorials") relative to the 256 Odu coding. These form the basis of traditional Yoruba spiritual knowledge and are the foundation of all Yoruba divination systems. Ifá proverbs, stories, and poetry are not written down. Rather, they are passed down orally from one ''babalawo'' to another. Yoruba people consult Ifá for divine intervention and spiritual guidance. Among the Yoruba, divination trays are usually circular although can be quadrangular; conversely, this latter shape is most common among those trays used by Fon speakers.


The Messenger sign of Ifá

In addition to the sixteen fundamental signs, Ifá divination includes a major sign, which is the combination of Ọse and Otura, from right to left (Ọse-Tura). That sign must be written each time a ritual is performed: Ọse-Tura is the messenger and the carrier of the sacrifice. It is closely associated with the god Èṣù in the system of Ifá. That Messenger sign was known in Arab and Latin medieval
geomancy Geomancy, a compound of Greek roots denoting "earth divination", was originally used to mean methods of divination that interpret geographic features, markings on the ground, or the patterns formed by soil, rock (geology), rocks, or sand. Its d ...
as the Morning Star.


''Babalawos''

An initiate of Ifá is called a ''babaláwo'' in Yoruba and a ''bokɔnɔ'' in Fon. Traditionally only heterosexual men are allowed to become ''babalawos'', with women and homosexual males being excluded. Some gay men have nevertheless been initiated; in both Cuba and the United States, for example, several ''babalawos'' have initiated their openly gay sons. Moreover, despite the traditional prohibition on women taking on this role, the scholar of religion Mary Ann Clark noted that by the early 21st century, female practitioners were "becoming institutionalized in some religious communities" in the United States, where they were known as either ''iyalawo'' (mother of secrets) or ''iyanifá'' (mother of Ifá). Female practitioners have also been reported in Mexico. The restriction on female initiation is explained through the story that the òrìṣà Orula was furious that Yemayá, his wife, had used his ''tabla'' divining board and subsequently decided to ban women from ever touching it again. Among the Fon, one tradition maintains that women do not need to be initiated into the traditions of the female spirit Gbădu—who is Fá's wife—because they already have the power of creation within them. According to Fon diviners, keeping women and Gbădu apart ensures a conceptual state of coolness. This extends to a taboo on women eating any of the meat from animals sacrificed to Gbădu. Once an individual is initiated as a babalawo they are given a pot containing various items, including palm nuts, which is believed to be the literal embodiment of Orula. Babalawos provide offerings to Orula, including animal sacrifices and gifts of money. In Cuba, Ifá typically involves the casting of consecrated palm nuts to answer a question. The babalawo then interprets the message of the nuts depending on how they have fallen; there are 256 possible configurations in the Ifá system, which the babalawo is expected to have memorised. Individuals approach the babalawo seeking guidance, often on financial matters, at which the diviner will consult Orula through the established divinatory method. In turn, those visiting the babalawos pay them for their services.


Initiation

Initiation as a ''babalawo'' requires a payment to the initiator and is typically regarded as highly expensive. In Benin, Fá initiation usually takes less than a week, whereas initiations into the cults of other ''vodún'' may take several weeks or months. A distinction is made between an initiation that called ''yǐ Fá'' ("to receive Fá"), which is often seen as a "first initiation" into Fá's veneration, which offers his protection, and the priestly initiation, at which a person is said to ''Fázùnyí'' ("receive Fá's forest"). Among the Fon, the sacred forest of Fá is called ''fázùn''; this is differentiated from ordinary forest by shredded palm fronds, known in Fon as ''asàn'' and in Yoruba as ''màrìwò''. It will be here that new initiates are led; they will be accompanied with animals for sacrifice, by existing initiates singing praise songs, and by a person leading the way carrying a ''fásɛn''. A figurine of the spirit Lɛgbá may be brought along for the ritual, invoking this deity to guard the initiates' passage into the forest. Offerings will be given to him, and divination employed to check that he accepts them. In the forest, the new initiate will be given a kola nut to eat, to bring him in communion with Fá. All present may then place their hands together on the ''fásɛn'', to which a rooster may then be sacrificed. The newcomer's eyes will be washed in a herbal mixture called Gbădùsin. The neophyte will then be blindfolded and then into the sacred grove of the ''fázùn'', where the secret teachings of Fá are revealed to them. Divination will be used to determine under which of the 256 signs their priesthood will be born. The selected sign indicates to which spirits they should pay particular attention and to which taboos they must observe. This may involve avoiding eating certain foods, wearing certain colors, or engaging in specific actions. The initiate's head will then be shaved as a symbol of their initiation and they will be ritually bathed and wrapped in white cloth. A celebration follows, in which a goat may be sacrificed to Fá and the participants eat its meat. The initiate may receive a small bundle, the ''kpɔli'', containing secret ingredients corresponding to their personal ''du''. They may also receive a small vessel to house their palm nuts and a small stone, the ''ken'', to protect them from witchcraft.


History


West African origins

The 16-principle system has its earliest history in
West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
. Each Niger–Congo-speaking ethnic group which practices it has their own myth of origin;
Yoruba religion The Yorùbá religion (Yoruba language, Yoruba: Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), West African Orisa (Òrìṣà), or Isese (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in pres ...
suggests that it was founded by Orunmila in Ilé-Ifẹ̀ when he initiated himself and then he initiated his students, ''Akoda'' and ''Aseda''. According to the book ''The History of the Yorubas from the Earliest of Times to the British Protectorate'' (1921) by Nigerian historian
Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...
and Obadiah Johnson, it was Arugba, the mother of Onibogi, the 8th Alaafin of Oyo, who introduced Oyo to Ifá in the late 1400s. She initiated the Alado of Ado and conferred on him the right to initiate others. The Alado, in turn, initiated the priests of Oyo and that was how Ifá came to be in the Oyo empire. Ifá originated among the Yoruba peoples. The linguist Wande Abimbola argued that Ifá probably derived from a simpler divinatory system, ''diloggun''; this contrasts with the belief of some ''babalawos'' that ''diloggun'' was based on Ifá. Between ''circa'' 1727 and 1823, the kingdom of Dahomey was a
vassal state A vassal state is any state that has a mutual obligation to a superior state or empire, in a status similar to that of a vassal in the feudal system in medieval Europe. Vassal states were common among the empires of the Near East, dating back to ...
of the Yoruba-dominated
Oyo Empire The Oyo Empire was a Yoruba people, Yoruba empire in West Africa. It was located in present-day western Nigeria (including the South West (Nigeria), South West zone, Benin Republic, and the western half of the North Central (Nigeria), North Cent ...
to the east, thus resulting in much religious interchange. In this period, the Fon people of Dahomey adopted Ifá as well as the Orò and Egungun cults from the Yoruba. Ifá was present in Dahomey by the reign of its fifth ruler, Tegbesú, who ruled from c.1732 to 1774, and was well established at the royal palace by the reign of Gezò, which lasted from 1818 to 1858. According to William Bascom, "an indication of the importance of Ifá to the orubareligious system as a whole is the fact that the most striking religious syncretisms resulting from European contact are to be found in a church established in
Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
in 1934, the Ijọ Ọ̀rúnmila Adulawọ, which was founded on the premise that the teachings of Ifa constitute the Yoruba Bible." It was also set up in
Porto-Novo , , ; ; ; also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Benin, second-largest city of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. In 1863, following Bri ...
(Benin) the same year. According to Erwan Dianteill, the Church of Ifá is still active in 2024, in Nigeria and Benin, with around 2000 followers in Lagos, Porto-Novo and Cotonou. Of the foreigners coming to West Africa for initiation into Vodún, the largest group sought initiation into Fá.


Ifá in Cuba

In Cuba, Ifá came to be used in the Afro-Cuban religion of
Santería Santería (), also known as Regla de Ocha, Regla Lucumí, or Lucumí, is an African diaspora religions, Afro-Caribbean religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th century. It arose amid a process of syncretism between the traditional ...
. There, it is the most complex and prestigious divinatory system used in the religion. The two are closely linked, sharing the same mythology and conception of the universe, with Orula or Ọ̀rúnmila having a prominent place within Santería. In Cuba, Ifá nevertheless also retains a separate existence from Santería. Many Cuban ''babalawos'' are also ''santeros'', or male initiates of Santería, although it is not uncommon for ''babalawos'' to perceive themselves as being superior to ''santeros''. Although the presence of ''babalawos'' is not required for Santería ceremonies, they often attend in their capacity as diviners. Other Cuban ''babalawos'' have been initiates of the
Abakuá Abakuá, also sometimes known as Ñañiguismo, is a Cuban initiatory religious fraternity founded in 1836. The society is open only to men and those initiated take oaths to not reveal the secret teachings and practices of the order. Members are ...
society. At the time of the
Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...
in 1959, there were an estimated 200 ''babalawos'' active on Cuba; by the 1990s, Cuban ''babalawos'' were claiming that they numbered tens of thousands on the island. In the 1980s, Cuban ''babalawos'' created the organisation Ifá Yesterday, Ifá Today, Ifá Tomorrow, the first Cuban institution to represent the priesthood of an Afro-Cuban religion. Following the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
's collapse in the 1990s, Cuba's government declared that the island was entering a "
Special Period The Special Period (), officially the Special Period in the Time of Peace (), was an extended period of economic crisis in Cuba that began in 1991 primarily due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Comecon. The economic depression o ...
" in which new economic measures would be necessary. As part of this, it selectively supported Afro-Cuban and Santería traditions, partly out of a desire to boost tourism; priests of Santería, Ifá, and
Palo Palo may refer to: Places * Palo, Estonia, village in Meremäe Parish, Võru County, Estonia * Palo, Huesca, municipality in the province of Huesca, Spain * Palo, Iowa, United States, a town located within Linn County * Palo Laziale, a location ...
all took part in government-sponsored tours for foreigners desiring initiation into such traditions.


Ifá in the United States

Cuban migrants took Ifá to the United States. There, during the 1960s, a small group of ''babalawos'' dominated the Santería scene in New York. Their dominance was challenged by new Cuban migrants who arrived between 1965 and 1973 and who, although initiated ''santeros'' and ''santeras'', were not ''babalawos''. The ethnomusicologist María Teresa Vélez noted that "two types of ocha house arose: those that still relied on the babalaos and did not question any of their prerogatives, and those that became independent of the babalaos for most of their ritual activities," with these latter houses often being run by women. In 1978, Ifá ceremonies took place in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, overseen by the Nigerian ''babalawo'' Ifayẹmi Elébùìbọn Awise of
Osogbo Osogbo (also known as ''Oṣogbo'', and seldomly as ''Oshogbo'') is a city in Nigeria. It became the capital city of Osun State in 1991. Osogbo city seats the Headquarters of both Osogbo Local Government Area (situated at Oke-Baale Area of th ...
. He was assisted in this by two Cuban ''babalawos'', Luis Fernández-Pelón and José-Miguel Gómez, both of whom were Abakuá members. In the 1980s, the
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
-based Philip and Vassa Newmarket established their Ifa Foundation of North and Latin America. Departing from established tradition, they offered "bloodless" initiations that welcomed those who were unwilling to engage in animal sacrifice. Claims have been made that the first woman initiated into Ifá was the
Jewish American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of American Jews identify as Ashkenazi, 3% id ...
Dr. D'Haifa Odufora Ifatogun Ina Arara Agbaye.


Ifá in Brazil

Although surviving in Cuban Santería, Ifá did not remain part of a Brazilian religion that owed much to Yoruba traditions,
Candomblé Candomblé () is an African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West and Central Africa, especi ...
. In Candomblé, ''dilogun'' instead forms the primary method of divination employed by its initiates. One of the earliest practitioners of Ifá in Brazil was the French ethnographer Pierre Verger, who had become a ''babalawo'' in West Africa and who was also involved in Candomblé. As a result of growing links between Brazil and Nigeria, in the 1970s various educational efforts to promote understandings of Yoruba culture were established in Brazilian cities. This included the Yoruba Culture Research and Study Centre, founded in 1977 by Fernandes Portugal, and which brought in Nigerian teachers to run a course teaching Ifá. The closing ceremony took place in January 1978, attended by 14 students who were granted the status of ''omo'' (son of) Ifá. One of these pupils, a Candomblé initiate named José Nilton Vianna Reis (Torodê de Ogun), later went on to become a ''babalawo'' nine years later, before setting out his own Ifá teaching course in 1984.


Reception

In 2008,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
added Ifá to its list of the "
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and ...
".


References


Citations


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

*Abimbola, ’Wande. 1976. Ifá: An Exposition of Ifá Literary Corpus. Ibadan: Oxford University Press Nigeria. Repr., Brooklyn, N.Y.: Athelia Henrietta Press, 1997. *Abimbola, ’Wande. 1997. Ifá Will Mend Our Broken World: Thoughts on Yoruba Religion and Culture in Africa and the Diaspora. Roxbury, Mass.: Aim. *Abimbola, ’Wande. 2001. The Bag of Wisdom: Òsun and the Origins of the Ifá Divination. InMurphy and Sanford, 2001. Òsun Across the Waters: A Yoruba Goddess in Africa and the Americas. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2001, 141–54 * Chief FAMA ''Fundamentals of the Yoruba Religion (Orisa Worship)'' (works self-published through her company) * Chief FAMA ''Practitioners' Handbook for the Ifa Professional'' * Chief FAMA ''Fundamentos de la Religion Yoruba (Adorando Orisa)'' * * Chief FAMA ''FAMA'S EDE AWO (Orisa Yoruba Dictionary)'' * Chief FAMA ''The Rituals (novela)'' * Awo Fasina Falade ''Ifa: The Key to Its Understanding'' * Chief Adedoja Aluko ''The Sixteen (16) Major Odu Ifa from Ile-Ife'' * Chief S. Solagbade Popoola library, INC ''Ifa Dida: Vol 1'
(EjiOgbe - Orangun Meji)
* Chief S. Solagbade Popoola library, IN

* Chief S. Solagbade Popoola & Fakunle Oyesany

* C. Osamaro Ibie ''Ifism the Complete Works of Orunmila'' * William R. Bascom: ''Ifa Divination: Communication Between Gods and Men in West Africa'' * William R. Bascom: ''Sixteen Cowries: Yoruba Divination from Africa to the New World'' *Rosenthal, J. ''‘Possession Ecstasy & Law in Ewe Voodoo"'' *Maupoil, Bernard. ''"La Geomancie L'ancienne Côte des Esclaves'' * Alapini, Julien. ''Les noix sacrées. Etude complète de Fa-Ahidégoun génie de la sagesse et de la divination au Dahomey'' * Dr. Ron Eglash (1997
American Anthropologist
''Recursion in ethnomathematics'',
Chaos Theory Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary area of Scientific method, scientific study and branch of mathematics. It focuses on underlying patterns and Deterministic system, deterministic Scientific law, laws of dynamical systems that are highly sens ...
in West African divination. * Bàbálàwó Ifatunwas
Enciclopédicos de Ifá'' (Colección Alafundé)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ifa Traditional African religions Afro-American religion Yoruba culture Yoruba deities Divination Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Santería