by Àwòtunde Yáò Sovi Fáşęyίn © 2004
"Orunmila said: Human beings become Orisa-I responded: Human beings become Orisa.
He said: Oduduwa, that you hear so much of; He was a human being. Because He did good while on Earth as a man and was remembered after his death and
worshipped. Orunmila said: Human beings become Orisa.I responded: Human beings become Orisa.He said: Orisanla, for example, was a human
being, but He was wiser than His fellows and did good while on earth Therefore, he was remembered and worshipped.
HUMAN BEINGS BECOME ORISA." Eji Ogbe
Though this may not serve necessarily as a
national Odu (that would be Oturupon Meji and Ose Irete) of sorts for New Afrikans (African Americans, Blacks, etc.) this is
a very important Odu in relation to us taking control of our spiritual destiny.
The New Afrikan philosophy rests upon the sure notion that our history as
Afrikan Americans is just as sacred and important as the history in Afrika and
elsewhere before our Ancestors were forced to the shores of South and North
America. Therefore, as Medahochi says, we must indigenize the ancient
spirituality. We must make it unique to us.
What does this mean? Many shy away from the
suggestion that just maybe some of our Ancestors that lived, fought, and died in
Americas should be elevated beyond Ancestralhood into the realm of Deity. My
question is why not? According to the above verse taken from the first chapter
of our sacred scriptures, to deify our Ancestors is in line with the
ancient teachings.
The scripture is clear on how these beings
became deities. But Odu Ifa is not unique in this. Guatama Siddhartha is
worshipped because of those descendents of his that saw fit. In ancient
Kemet (Egypt), one of the oldest deities of the Kemetic pantheon, Ra, was often
referred to as the "Eldest Ancestor". The Dogon of Mali which hold on to some of
the most profound Afrikan wisdom known to Man, say that the Nommo were Ancestors
from the star system Sirius/Orion. The aboriginal Australians speak of the gods
as originally being human beings. The list increases and the point remains the
same.
Using Eji Ogbe as a catalyst, this type of
philosophy will release us from the yoke of cultural servitude. Yes, we are
Afrikan people but we are also an Afrikan people with new experiences and
realities that have added to the sacred pages of our history. Odu
continues within us and in our experiences as individuals and as a collective
people. It is our destiny to reclaim that which has been lost. It is not
healthy to reclaim that which has been lost only to be cultural children all
over again.
