Babaaláwo or Babalawo in West Africa (Babalao in Caribbean and South American Spanish and Babalaô in Brazilian Portuguese) literally means "father of secrets"[1] in the Yoruba language. It is a spiritual title that denotes a high priest of the Ifáoracle. Ifá is a divination system that represents the teachings of the ÒrìṣàỌrunmila, the Òrìṣà of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of Olodumare.
The Babalawos are believed to ascertain the future of their clients through communication with Ifá. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm nuts called Ikin, on the traditionally wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.
In addition to this, some of them also perform divination services on behalf of the kings and paramount chiefs of the Yoruba people. These figures, holders of chieftaincy titles like Araba and Oluwo Ifa in their own right, are members of the recognised aristocracies of the various Yoruba traditional states.
"Calle Luna, Calle Sol", a salsa song by Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe about Crime in Puerto Rico, mentions Babalawo saying "you may have a saint watching over you but you're not a Babalawo" (Tu tienes un santo pero no eres babalao).[2]
^"Sanjuaneros recuerdan la trama de "Calle Luna, calle Sol", cantada por Lavoe". San Diego Union-Tribune en Español (in Spanish). October 27, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
babalawo, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, february, 2023, l. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Babalawo news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Babaalawo or Babalawo in West Africa Babalao in Caribbean and South American Spanish and Babalao in Brazilian Portuguese literally means father of secrets 1 in the Yoruba language It is a spiritual title that denotes a high priest of the Ifa oracle Ifa is a divination system that represents the teachings of the Oriṣa Ọrunmila the Oriṣa of Wisdom who in turn serves as the oracular representative of Olodumare Contents 1 Functions in society 2 In popular culture 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksFunctions in society EditThe Babalawos are believed to ascertain the future of their clients through communication with Ifa This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele or the sacred palm nuts called Ikin on the traditionally wooden divination tray called Opon Ifa In addition to this some of them also perform divination services on behalf of the kings and paramount chiefs of the Yoruba people These figures holders of chieftaincy titles like Araba and Oluwo Ifa in their own right are members of the recognised aristocracies of the various Yoruba traditional states People can visit Babalawos for spiritual consultations which is known as Dafa The religious system as a whole has been recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity In popular culture Edit Calle Luna Calle Sol a salsa song by Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe about Crime in Puerto Rico mentions Babalawo saying you may have a saint watching over you but you re not a Babalawo Tu tienes un santo pero no eres babalao 2 See also EditIfa Iyalawo Babalu nbsp Traditional African religion portalReferences Edit Olupona Jacob K 2014 African Religions A Very Short Introduction Oxford Oxford University Press p 45 ISBN 978 0 19 979058 6 OCLC 839396781 Sanjuaneros recuerdan la trama de Calle Luna calle Sol cantada por Lavoe San Diego Union Tribune en Espanol in Spanish October 27 2014 Retrieved August 15 2023 External links Edithttp ifa houseofwisdom com babalawo html https web archive org web 20180102013424 http www ifafoundation org does the babalawo tell all Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Babalawo amp oldid 1174784120, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
