IFA DIVINATION SACRIFICE

To every complete divination process there is always a prescribed sacrifice. Whether the prediction of Ifá is good or evil, the client must always offer sacrifice.

It is the belief of the Yoruba that if the prediction of Ifá is good, a sacrifice will help further to make it come to pass, and that, if the prediction is evil, a sacrifice will help the client to dispel the evil.

Therefore, after the completion of the long process of divination, the Ifá priest will tell his client the sacrifice that goes with the prediction. The client then goes home to buy the articles required for the sacrifice and he brings them to the Ifá priest.

It is part of the training of Ifá priest to learn by heart the sacrifice that goes with every ÷s÷. The sacrifice does not form part of the literary corpus although there are a number of instances where Ifá divination sacrifice known as ÷bæ Ifá included in the literary corpus. Although each cannot be put in watertight compartment, it is quite accurate to say that Ifá divination sacrifice forms a separate corpus.

It is not unusual for the client to be unable to supply all the materials stipulated for the sacrifice. The Ifá priest must accept whatever fraction of the sacrifice his client brings to him. Neglect of due sacrifice is, sternly condemned by Ifá.

Different kinds of materials are usually required for sacrifice by Ifá priests. These materials include cooked food and raw foodstuffs, cloths, live animals including goats, rams and rats, fishes, birds, plants, leaves and roots of plants, sand and stones etc. Below are two different lists of materials required for two distinct sacrifices. These sacrifices are mentioned in connection with two ÷s÷ if taken from Ökànràn Méjì.

(a) ¿bæ ni ò«ùnwön àgbàdo, àkúfô igbá àti öwá. A ó ke öwá náà kéékèèkéé, a ó ko òròmædì÷ méjì lé e lórí, a ó ko ÷gbökànlá lé e lórí pëlú ëkæ mêrin, obì gidi mês•n àti epo pupa. Wæn ó læ rèé gbé ÷bæ náà sí ojútò.

(This client's sacrifice is one measuring container for maize, broken calabash and a palm branch. The palm branch will be cut into two parts and a chick wiII be placed on each one together with eleven times two hundred cowries, four lumps of maize gruel, nine real kola-nuts and some palm-oil. The sacrifice should be placed in an open place in this person's compound.)

(b) ¿bæ ni gægæwú kan àti àkàrà mëfà. A ó j÷ ökan lode, a ó fi ökan lérí odi. A ó j÷ ökan ní ìdí È«ù, a ó fi ökan lérí È«ù náà. A ó j÷ ökan ní ìdí È«ù kejì, a ó fi ökan lérí È«ù náà.

(This client's sacrifice is one big white wrapper and six bean cakes. The client will eat one of the cakes outside the town wall and place one on the town wall. He will eat one of the cakes at the shrine of È«ù and place one on that shrine. He will eat another cake at the second shrine of È«ù and place another one on that shrine of È«ù)

A good part of any sacrifice made by Ifá priests usually goes to È«ù whose mythical wife is known as Agbèrù (the receiver of sacrifices). As mentioned in the previous chapter, Ifá priests usually have a shrine of È«ù near their homes.

The mysterious relationship between Ifá and È«ù has also been discussed in the same chapter. As negotiator between the other gods and Örúnmìlà, È«ù carries the sacrifice offered through Örúnmìlà to the particular gods for whom the sacrifices are meant.

Most of the sacrifices that Ifá priests ask their clients to offer are usually offered to particular gods. A man may be asked to offer sacrifice to »àngó so that he may have victory over his enemies. Another person may be asked to offer sacrifice to Òò«anla so that his wife may have children. In this way Ifá helps to immortalize the other gods.

Ifá priests rate the psychological function of sacrifice in the community very high. They maintain that sacrifice helps to unite all the forces both natural and supernatural that operate in Yoruba society. Broadly speaking, these forces are four in number namely, the gods, the ancestors, witches and other supernatural powers, and human beings.

The function of sacrifice is to enlist the support of these four forces for whatever one may want to do so that none of them may work against one's purpose. The part played by human beings in making sacrifices successful is not underrated in Ifá texts.

That is why during the offering of any sacrifice, people are invited to the shrine of the god to whom sacrifice is being made to watch the offering of the sacrifice and to eat part of the food used for the sacrifice.

The ÷s÷ Ifá given in full below emphasizes the importance of the human factor in the success of a sacrifice.

The story is that of a farmer who wanted to go and take possession of a piece of farmland. He was warned to make sacrifice to Orí (Head), Earth, Eégún (Ancestor god) and Òò«àñlá (Creation god).

He offered the sacrifice but he did not call his neighbours to take part in the sacrifice. He discovered later on that things were not all right for him on his farm. He then went back to his Ifá priests and told them his plight. His Ifá priests asked him whether he offered all the required sacrifice and he answered in the affirmative.

But when they asked him whether he made sacrifice to Olúböbötiribö, baba ÷bæ, he said that he did not know what was so called. Then, his Ifá priests told him that people's mouths are meant by the term Olúböbötiribö, baba ÷bæ.

The Ifá priests then said:
What is it that we worship at Ifë?
Their mouths.
It is their mouths that we worship at Ifë.
Their mouths.

Agbôngbön, awoo wæn l’óde Ìlorèé;
Àgbàyàngìdì, awo òde Ìjë«à;
Ækùnrin yàngìdì yangidi
Ni wôn-ôn dì ní àtípá.
A díá fún Olóòyìmëfún,
Yóó bu’lë Olówu roko.
Wôn ní ó bæôgún ilé,
Ó bæögun ilé,
¿bææ rë ò fín
Wôn ní ó böö«à æjà,
Ó böö«à æjà,
¿bæ rë ò dà.
Òò«à æjà ò gbà.
Wôn ní ó bærí,
Ó bærí,
Orí pá.
Wôn ní ó bælë,
Ó bælë,
Ilë lu.
Wôn ní ó bæ Olúböbötiribö, baba ÷bæ.
Ó ní òun ò mö pé baba ÷ni leégún ilé.
Òun mö pé iyá ÷ni lòò«à æjà.
Ó ní òun m’orí lórí o,
Òun mæ’lë nílë.
Ó ní òun ò mæ ohun tí í jê
Olúböbötiribö, baba ÷bæ.
Wôn ní ÷nu,
¿nu ní í jë Olúböbötiribö, baba ÷bæ.
Õjê kín là mbæ n’Ifë?
¿nuu wæn.
¿nuu wæn là mbæ n’Ifë.
¿nuu wæn.
Mo fún ‘gbá,
Mo f’áwo.
¿nuu wæn,
¿nuu wæn kò mö lè rí mi bá jà.
¿nuu wæn.
Mo wale,
Mo wánà.
¿nuu wæn kò mö lè rí mi bá jà.
¿nuu wæn.

Agbôngbôn, their Ifá priest at Ìlorèé
Àgbàyàngìdì, Ifá priest of Ìjë«à;
The hefty man
Who was always tied hands and feet.
Ifá divination was performed for Olóòyìmëfún
When he would take the land of Olówu to farm upon.
He was asked to make sacrifice to the Egúngún of his household,
He made sacrifice to the Egúngún of his household,
But his sacrifice was not accepted.
He was asked to make sacrifice to the god of the market.
He made sacrifice to the god of the market,
But his sacrifice was not accepted.
The market god refused his sacrifice.
He was asked to make sacrifice to his Orí,
He made sacrifice to his ad repeatedly
Until his head became bald.
He was asked to make sacrifice to Earth.
He made sacrifice to Earth repeatedly
Until he created a hole in the earth.
He was asked to make sacrifice
To Olúböbötiribö, the father of sacrifices.
He said that he knew that one's father
Is the Egúngún of one's household.
He said that he knew that one's mother
Is the goddess of the market.
He said that he knew Orí to be one's head,
And he knew Ilë to be the earth.
But he said that he did not know
What was called Olúböbötiribö, the father of sacrifices.
They told him that people's mouths,
People's mouths were referred to as Olúböbötiribö,
The father of sacrifices.
What is it that we worship at Ifë?
People's mouths.
It is their mouths that we worship at Ifë.
Their mouths.
I have given to those over here,
I have given to those over there.
Their mouths.
Their mouths can no longer fight against me.
Their mouths cannot.
I have given to those in my household,
I have given to passers-by.
Their mouths cannot.
Their mouths can no longer fight against me.
Their mouths cannot.

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