Yoruba Rites of Passage

Over the years, I cannot count the number of people who have asked me about Yoruba rites of passage. They are always surprised when I respond that the Yoruba do not have a rites of passage program in the same sense that other Africans do. The Kru people - who live in the area of Liberia - have an elaborate rites of passage through which all young boys are taken from their homes at about age 5 to live in the men's village. They don't return until they're about 13. To my knowledge, no such thing exists in Yorubaland. 

Instead, a child is initiated into the mysteries of his family. Generally speaking, this process is punctuated by three major rituals; birth, marriage and death. Of these, marriage is the only one performed with consent. Maybe that's why folks do it so many times... LOL!!! :) Anyway, above and beyond the particulars of a specific lineage, the child will also be inducted into the professional societies associated with the family's vocation (i.e., carving, weaving, bead making, etc). 

Through the training and orientation they receive in the professional societies - egbe - the youth come to understand themselves as heirs to the ancestral legacy. And so, there is a common thread of consciousness amongst all youth that, since the ancestors and their craft were never disgraced the youth themselves will also escape disgrace. To ensure continuity of excellence from one generation to the next, the youth typically learn to supplicate their ancestors and professionally-related deities before performing their duties.

And so, as a youth progresses from apprentice to journeyman to master craftsman, he will learn to recite the IJUBA, which invokes the members of his bloodline who have passed down skills, distinguished themselves in the industry and contributed to the family name. Likewise, they will learn to invoke the particular aspects of the orisa associated with their family craft. That is, a carver and a hunter will both invoke Orisa Ogun, but whereas the carver is more apt to recite those oriki that emphasize Ogun's creativity, the hunter will focus more upon his knowledge of plants and animals. Both would learn how to perform basic obi divination and appeasement. 

Together, this kind of lineage and vocational specific orientation highlights the fact that there are no insignificant members of the community. Even if the individual has not distinguished himself, he knows that his cultural inheritance is not to be played with. Any insult to his work is an insult to his family, his lineage and the deity they serve. 

And so it is, the traditional family unit, whose professional training program infuses the child with a special self awareness. Above and beyond technical proficiency, the youth is infused with a perception of his work as an instrument that contains a VITAL FORCE that animates and drives the process. We call that force ase. Without there being a formalized rites of passage, the traditional youth understands that his family craft is a living entity that is activated through working by the traditional rules. 

Here in the USA, however, where the culture does not naturally support the West African family structure, it is necessary to borrow principles and apply them to the formalization of rites of passage programs. The OLA16 Rites of Passage Program is an intensive, Yoruba-based approach to teaching Bay Area boys the skills necessary to transition successfully from childhood to adolescence then, into adulthood. Young men completing the 16 challenges of the program will be equipped with the social, cultural, economic and spiritual tools necessary to effect positive change in their lives and communities. Upon completion of the OLA16 Rites of Passage Program, your son will be formally recognized as Omoluwabi. In the Yoruba tradition of West Africa, the person who is responsible, honest, patient, loyal and of good nature is considered Omoluwabi.  In the Holy Odu, IreteOgbe, teaches this way:

To jump into the stream
And move awkwardly to the bank of the stream
To drain out water from the sponge
These were the declarations of Ifa to Orunmila
The one who abandoned his own concerns
And was taking care of other people's concerns
He was advised to offer sacrifice
He complied
Please tell King Alara
That I am taking care of my concerns first
One's personal concerns are important
One's personal concerns are necessary
Please tell King Ajero
That I am taking care of my concerns first
One's personal concerns are important
One's personal concerns are necessary
Please tell King Owarangun
That I am taking care of my concerns first
One's personal concerns are important
One's personal concerns are necessary
- Holy Odu IreteOgbe*

Through the OLA16 Rites of Passage Program, youth learn to master their natural gifts and talents so that they can make a more meaningful contribution to their lives, and the lives of the people they are destined to serve. This program teaches, teamwork, leadership, values, responsibility and practical life skills, as defined by the 16 Agreements of Orisa Lifestyle.

* Popoola, Solagbade. Omoluwabi. Pg 82