Erinlẹ̀: Complete Treatment
A comprehensive scholarly reference on Erinle, the Yoruba orisa of hunting, water, herbal medicine, and royal protection, examining his mainland cult, iconography, priesthood, and transatlantic transformations.
Erinlẹ̀ (also rendered Eyinlẹ̀ or Inle) is the Yorùbá òrìṣà whose office unites the wild terrestrial forest with the curative power of freshwater rivers. Historically linked to the town of Ìlóbùú in contemporary Ọ̀ṣun State, Nigeria, he is venerated as a master hunter, warrior, herbal physician, and divine protector who did not experience physical death, but instead vanished into the earth to become the Erinle River. In the transatlantic African diaspora, his worship evolved into major traditions within Cuban Lucumí and Brazilian Candomblé, where his attributes expanded into medicine, fishing, and distinct expressions of gender fluidity.
This file sets out the linguistic derivations, oral praise poetry, cosmological dualities, ritual material culture, historical narratives, priestly institutions, and diaspora developments of Erinlẹ̀, strictly adhering to documented anthropological and historical scholarship.
Morphology, Etymology, and Names
The name Erinlẹ̀ carries multiple etymological interpretations within Yorùbá historical linguistics and ritual discourse.
Erinlẹ̀
- Morphology: Derived primarily as a compound noun: ẹrin (elephant) + ilẹ̀ (earth, soil, land) .
- Tone pattern: Mid-Mid-Low (
ē-rī-lẹ̀). - Alternative morphology: In some regional Oyo dialects, it is parsed as ẹrin (elephant) + ilé (house, lineage), yielding Erin-ilé ("Elephant of the Household") .
- Dialectal variants: Eyinlẹ̀ (frequently documented in western Yorùbá and coastal dialects) and Inle (the standard phonetic rendering preserved in transatlantic Lucumí liturgy) .
Epithets and Praise Titles
The primary titles recorded for Erinlẹ̀ in oral literature reflect his physical dominance, martial ferocity, and aristocratic rank.
1. Erin-ilẹ̀
- Original:
Erin-ilẹ̀ - Literal gloss: Erin (elephant) + ilẹ̀ (land / earth).
- Idiomatic English: "The Elephant of the Earth" or "The Land Elephant" (Drewal, Pemberton, and Abiodun) .
- What it means: The title equates the deity's presence with the largest, most formidable animal of the forest, asserting absolute strength, massive physical stature, and unshakeable authority over the ground .
- What it is used for: Invoked during priestly prayers and shrine recitations to ground the presence of the divinity and salute his immovable weight in cosmic matters.
- Scenarios (Illustrative): An initiate entering the shrine complex approaches the sacred vessel and chants this name to announce that the earthly lord is being addressed, requesting steady protection against instability.
- Importance and value: In Yorùbá zoological symbolism, the elephant represents sovereign capacity and terrestrial dominion. Giving this name to a hunting deity anchors his superiority over all creatures of the forest canopy and floor.
- Tonality: Mid-Mid-Low. The low tone on ilẹ̀ emphasizes downward solidity into the earth.
- Notes on translation: English translations such as "Land Elephant" obscure the ontological weight of ilẹ̀, which denotes not merely soil, but the sacred terrestrial domain itself.
2. Àjàjà / Ajaguna
- Original:
Àjàjà Ajagun-ọ̀nà - Literal gloss: À-jà-jà (The one who fights repeatedly / whirlwind fighter) A-ja-ogun-ọ̀nà (One who fights battles along the road / warrior on the path).
- Idiomatic English: "The fierce warrior who strikes on the path" (Warner-Lewis) .
- What it means: Designates Erinlẹ̀ as a combative protector and predatory hunter who ambushes threats before they reach the domestic realm .
- What it is used for: Chanted in songs during warrior masquerades and civic defenses to rouse collective courage and invoke divine martial intervention.
- Scenarios (Historical/Attributed): Chanted by community defenders during historical territorial incursions to call upon Erinlẹ̀'s military protection .
- Importance and value: It establishes that Erinlẹ̀ is not merely a benevolent river provider, but a dangerous armed entity capable of lethal force.
- Tonality: Low-Mid-Mid (Àjàjà), High-Mid-Mid-Low (Ajagun-ọ̀nà).
- Notes on translation: Ajaguna is also found as a praise title for Ọbàtálá in certain regional contexts. In Erinlẹ̀'s liturgy, it explicitly denotes predatory martial readiness rather than elder governance.
3. Ọkùnrin gídígídí bí òkè
- Original:
Ọkùnrin gídígídí bí òkè - Literal gloss: Ọkùnrin (man) + gídígídí (robust / stout / powerful) + bí (like) + òkè (a mountain / hill).
- Idiomatic English: "A robust man, solid as a mountain" (Thompson) .
- What it means: A poetic assertion of total physical and metaphysical endurance, describing an entity that cannot be moved, defeated, or overthrown .
- What it is used for: Spoken by elders to praise an individual or lineage possessing exceptional resilience and unflinching moral or physical power.
- Scenarios (Illustrative): Uttered by a senior priest when a devotee survives a life-threatening illness through herbal treatment, attributing the recovery to Erinlẹ̀'s unshakeable foundation.
- Importance and value: Reinforces the connection between divine masculine physical prowess and royal stability in Oyo-influenced iconography.
- Tonality: Mid-Mid-Mid, High-High-High-High, High, Low-Mid. The reduplicated ideophone gídígídí carries four consecutive high tones, expressing dense energetic presence.
- Notes on translation: The ideophone gídígídí implies both muscular solidity and energetic resilience, nuances that the English adjective "robust" fails to capture completely.
4. Ọlọ́yè ńlá
- Original:
Ọlọ́yè ńlá - Literal gloss: Ọlọ́yè (owner of a title / chief) + ńlá (great / immense).
- Idiomatic English: "The great titled chief" (Thompson) .
- What it means: Affirms Erinlẹ̀'s legitimate civic nobility and royal rank within the urban political structure of Yorùbá kingdoms .
- What it is used for: Sung during formal civic processions when the priesthood interfaces with the king and court chiefs.
- Scenarios (Attributed): Sung by the royal court during the annual festival in Ìlóbùú when the chief priest greets the Olóbu of Ìlóbùú .
- Importance and value: Reminds the community that Erinlẹ̀ is not an outcast wandering the bush, but an aristocratic benefactor embedded in royal lineage.
- Tonality: Mid-High-Low, High-High.
- Notes on translation: Ọlọ́yè is specifically an administrative and aristocratically recognized title-holder, distinct from a crowned hereditary monarch (Ọba).
Domains, Metaphysics, and Dual Ecology
The cosmological office of Erinlẹ̀ is distinguished by an amphibious duality. Unlike divinities whose jurisdiction is restricted entirely to the deep wilderness or exclusively to water bodies, Erinlẹ̀ operates at the structural intersection of both ecologies .
+-------------------------+
| ERINLÈ |
| Amphibious Diviner- |
| Hunter and Physician |
+------------+------------+
|
+---------------+---------------+
| |
v v
[ TERRESTRIAL REALM ] [ AQUATIC REALM ]
- Deep Forest (Agbègbè Igbi) - Erinle River & Streams
- Master Hunter (Ọdẹ) - Freshwater Healing
- Megafauna Dominion (Elephant) - Female River Counterparts (Abàtàn)
- Herbal Medicine (Ọ̀sanyìn staff) - Sacred Smooth Stones (Òtá)
The Terrestrial Wilderness and Herbal Medicine
In his terrestrial identity, Erinlẹ̀ is a supreme hunter (ọdẹ). In classical Yorùbá thought, hunting is not merely an economic occupation: it is an esoteric discipline requiring specialized mastery over forest spirits, dangerous wild animals, and botanical properties (ewé) .
Because hunting requires prolonged immersion in the deep forest (igbó), Erinlẹ̀ acquired comprehensive knowledge of pharmacology and herbal medicine. This aligns his ritual apparatus directly with that of Ọ̀sanyìn, the divinity of herbalism . Erinlẹ̀ represents the applied therapeutic deployment of wild flora, using plants gathered in the deep forest to heal illnesses within human settlements.
The Aquatic Realm and Freshwater Healing
Erinlẹ̀'s transition from the terrestrial forest into the river establishes his identity as a freshwater divinity. In Yorùbá cosmology, river waters embody èrò, the principle of cooling, soothing, and restoring balance .
The river is also the locus of feminine reproductive potency and maternal protection, connecting Erinlẹ̀ to the broader complex of river goddesses such as Ọ̀ṣun and Yemọja . Through his aquatic nature, Erinlẹ̀ cools the excessive heat (gbígbóná) generated by martial conflicts, physical illness, and ritual pollution. His shrines therefore utilize river water to cool, heal, and bestow fertility upon childless devotees .
Ìtàn and Historical Narratives
Oral historical narratives (ìtàn) present Erinlẹ̀ as an earthly human leader and master hunter who attained divinity through historical benefaction and miraculous disappearance .
The Foundation of Ìlóbùú
The most widely documented narrative establishes Erinlẹ̀ as the patron protector of the town of Ìlóbùú in present-day Osun State . According to local oral historical records, a hunter named Laarosin founded the settlement of Ìlóbùú. During the early days of the settlement, Erinlẹ̀ served as a guide and protector .
A central narrative episode details Erinlẹ̀ defending the town against hostile military incursions, specifically Fulani cavalry attacks during the nineteenth-century regional conflicts that reshaped the Oyo Empire . Using his esoteric mastery of the forest and warrior prowess, Erinlẹ̀ neutralised invading forces, securing the survival of Ìlóbùú's inhabitants .
The Transfiguration into the River
In indigenous Yorùbá metaphysics, high-status heroes and royal ancestors frequently do not experience biological death (kò kú). Instead, they vanish into the ground (wọle) or transform into natural landmarks such as rocks, hills, or rivers .
The tradition records that upon completing his earthly work, Erinlẹ̀ walked to the outskirts of Ìlóbùú and entered the ground . At the exact site where he vanished, water burst forth from the earth, becoming the Erinle River, a prominent tributary of the Osun River . Through this transfiguration, the physical body of the hunter became the permanent, flowing body of the river, ensuring that his protective presence would remain accessible to the community indefinitely .
Historical Hunter / Warrior
│
▼ [Esoteric Mastery and Civic Defense]
Vanishes into the Earth (Wọle)
│
▼ [Metamorphic Transfiguration]
Erinle River (Sacred Tributary)
Scholarly Disagreements and Ambiguities
Scholars of Yorùbá religion and regional history note several points of divergence in these narratives:
- Primordial Divinity versus Deified Ancestor: J. Omosade Awolalu classifies Erinlẹ̀ primarily as an earthly hero and royal benefactor who underwent post-mortem deification due to extraordinary service . Conversely, indigenous ritual specialists in Ìlóbùú and historical analyses by Drewal, Pemberton, and Abiodun note traditions that treat him as an autochthonous protective divinity who existed prior to human settlement .
- Relationship to Laarosin: Regional oral traditions disagree on the sequence of arrival. One tradition states that Erinlẹ̀ guided Laarosin directly to the uninhabited location that became Ìlóbùú; an alternative tradition maintains that Laarosin had already settled the territory before encountering Erinlẹ̀ residing in the adjacent forest .
- Gaps in the Chronological Record: The historical record is silent regarding the precise calendar century in which the historical hunter lived prior to his deification. While local memories incorporate nineteenth-century Fulani wars into his defensive miracles, the foundational cult of the river is widely acknowledged by historians to predate nineteenth-century military incursions .
Regional Spread
Beyond his primary cult center in Ìlóbùú, Erinlẹ̀ veneration spread across numerous towns within the historical Oyo sphere of influence, including Okuku, Ifon-Orolu, and southwestward into Yewaland (formerly Egbado) . In Yewaland, his worship intersected with elaborate traditions of ceramic ritual vessels, establishing regional artistic and priestly lineages .
Material Culture, Iconography, and Shrines
The material culture dedicated to Erinlẹ̀ directly synthesizes his dual identity as forest hunter and river physician .
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| SACRED SHRINE ENSEMBLE |
| |
| +-----------------------+ +-------------------+ |
| | Ọ̀PÁ ERINLÈ | | AWO ÒTÁ ERINLÈ | |
| | | | | |
| | - Forged Iron Staff | | - Ceramic Vessel | |
| | - Surmounting Birds | | - Sacred Water | |
| | - Herbal Potency | | - Smooth Stones | |
| +-----------------------+ +-------------------+ |
| |
| METALS & ADORNMENTS: |
| - Lead (Òjé) and Brass (Ide): Noble cooling materials |
| - Coral Beads (Ìyùn) and Cowries (Owó Ẹyọ): Aristocratic wealth |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Ọ̀pá Erinlẹ̀ (The Forged Iron Staff)
The primary terrestrial emblem of Erinlẹ̀ is the Ọ̀pá Erinlẹ̀, a tall staff forged from iron .
- Iconographic Structure: The staff is surmounted by a central bird surrounded by a cluster of smaller birds perched upon an inverted cone or radiating arms .
- Symbolism: This design closely mirrors the Ọ̀pá Ọ̀sanyìn (herbalism staff). In Yorùbá visual metaphor, birds represent the mysterious nocturnal forces of the cosmos (ẹlẹ́yẹ or "owners of birds") and the capacity of the mind to transcend earthly boundaries . The presence of birds upon an iron staff signifies the hunter-healer's absolute ability to master and channel these volatile spiritual forces for therapeutic ends .
Awo Òtá Erinlẹ̀ (The Sacred Stone Vessel)
The primary aquatic emblem is the Awo Òtá Erinlẹ̀, a ritual vessel containing smooth stones submerged in water .
- Vessel Construction: Typically crafted from earthenware pottery or cast brass, often featuring sculpted relief figures of hunters, animals, or female devotees balancing vessels on their heads .
- Òtá (Smooth River Stones): The interior of the vessel holds smooth, dark river pebbles (òtá) gathered directly from the bed of the Erinle River . In Yorùbá ontology, river stones are considered indestructible, enduring manifestations of the deity's physical body and cooling presence (èrò) . The sacred water within the pot is administered to devotees to cure diseases and ensure conception .
Ceramics of Yewaland: The Master Potter Àbàtàn
In Yewaland, the production of ceramic vessels for Erinlẹ̀ reached a high degree of artistic specialization. Anthropologist Robert Farris Thompson documented the work of Àbàtàn, a twentieth-century master potter and priestess of Erinlẹ̀ in the town of Òkè-Òdàn .
Àbàtàn designed elaborate shrine vessels featuring sculptural lids depicting maternal figures and devotees, demonstrating how personal artistic innovation operated within strict traditional religious conventions to celebrate Erinlẹ̀'s healing and procreative gifts .
Metals and Aristocratic Regalia
- Lead (Òjé) and Brass (Ide): While Ogun is associated with raw iron, Erinlẹ̀ shrines frequently incorporate lead and brass vessels, ornaments, and staffs . Lead, a heavy, soft, and cool metal, emphasizes the cooling, restorative properties of the deity, while brass denotes royal prestige .
- Beads and Cowries: Shrines and priestly garments are embellished with cowrie shells (owó ẹyọ) and deep red coral beads (ìyùn), reflecting Erinlẹ̀'s wealth, hunting bounty, and historical association with royal courts .
Priesthood, Ritual Protocols, and Festivals
The institutional worship of Erinlẹ̀ in southwestern Nigeria is maintained by a specialized dual-gender priesthood operating within established civic and liturgical structures .
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PRIESTHOOD LEADERSHIP |
| |
| [ Awòrò Erinlẹ̀ ] [ Ìyá Erinlẹ̀ ] |
| - High Priest - Chief Priestess |
| - Terrestrial & Civic Rites - Aquatic & Shrine Rites |
| - Forest & Hunting Sacrifices - River Grove Offerings |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Priestly Hierarchy
- Awòrò Erinlẹ̀: The male high priest responsible for leading public ceremonies, executing terrestrial sacrifices, and maintaining the civic link between the cult and the ruling monarch .
- Ìyá Erinlẹ̀: The senior female priestess who oversees the custody of the sacred river vessels (awo òtá), directs the preparation of medicinal waters, and leads the women's invocations at the riverbank .
The Annual Festival (Ọdún Erinlẹ̀ / Ọdún Olóbu)
The major public festival for Erinlẹ̀ is held annually in Ìlóbùú, typically occurring in October . The festival serves as both a religious revitalization and a civic renewal of the town's covenant with its divine protector .
[ PHASE 1: Bọ Orí Adé ]
Veneration of the Royal Ancestral Crowns at the Palace
│
▼
[ PHASE 2: Civic Processions & Masquerades ]
Public dances, military displays, and priestly chants
│
▼
[ PHASE 3: Rites at the Sacred River Grove ]
Procession to the Erinle River and offering of the live ram
- Phase 1: Bọ Orí Adé. The festival commences at the palace of the Olóbu of Ìlóbùú with the ritual veneration of the royal crowns (Bọ Orí Adé), recognizing the historic alliance between the crown and the hunter-deity .
- Phase 2: Civic Processions. Processions move through the town, led by the Awòrò Erinlẹ̀, priestesses dressed in white and adorned with lead ornaments, and lineage masquerades commemorating historical warriors .
- Phase 3: The River Grove Offering. The climactic rites take place at the sacred forest grove along the banks of the Erinle River .
Prescribed Offerings and Taboos
- Sacrificial Offerings: The principal animal offering presented to Erinlẹ̀ at his river grove is a live ram (àgbò), alongside roasted yams, palm oil, and cold water . The blood of the ram and portions of the feast are offered to the river waters to ensure agricultural rainfall, communal fertility, and victory over civic misfortunes .
- Taboos (Èèwọ̀): While specific lineages observe distinct dietary restrictions, common prohibitions include the misuse of medicinal knowledge, violence within the river grove, and presenting polluted or boiling water at his shrine .
The Question of Abàtàn
A notable area of liturgical and theological complexity concerns the figure of Abàtàn and her structural relationship to Erinlẹ̀ .
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| THE IDENTIFICATION OF ABÀTÀN |
| |
| [ MAINLAND YORÙBÁ TRADITION ] [ TRANSATLANTIC DIASPORA ] |
| - Consort and Female Counterpart - Inseparable Companion, Guide, |
| - Associated with Marshes & Mud - Or Distinct Road/Camino |
| - Master Ceramicist Tradition - Male or Androgynous Entity |
| (e.g., Potter Àbàtàn of Yewaland) - Tied to Inle's Staff Emblem |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Mainland Yorùbá Sources
In southwestern Nigeria, particularly in the Yewa and Oyo regions, Abàtàn is documented as a female river spirit, the wife or inseparable female consort of Erinlẹ̀ .
- Etymology and Domain: Morphologically derived from a-bà-tàn or abàtà (marsh, swamp, wetland). While Erinlẹ̀ commands the flowing river current, Abàtàn governs the fertile marshlands, silt, and alluvial mud where the water meets the shore .
- Pottery Connection: Because alluvial clay is the primary raw material for ceramic shrine pots, Abàtàn is celebrated as the patron divinity of female potters. This connection was exemplified in the life of the master potter Àbàtàn, named after the deity, who created classic devotional vessels for the Erinlẹ̀-Abàtàn cult .
Transatlantic Transformations
In the African diaspora, the conceptualization of Abàtàn underwent substantial transformation:
- Lucumí (Cuba): Rendered as Abata, this figure is rarely treated simply as a female human consort. Instead, Abata is frequently classified as a male hunting companion, a brother, an inseparable guide who lives in the marsh, or an alternate path (camino) of Inle himself . Iconographically, Abata in Lucumí is received in initiation alongside Inle, represented by a dedicated ceramic vessel and metal emblems .
- Scholarly Consensus: Scholars view this divergence as an example of how transatlantic ritual fragmentation and reassembly adapted mainland dual-gender pairs into complex liturgical structures under diaspora conditions .
Transatlantic Transformations: Lucumí and Candomblé
The Middle Passage transported the veneration of Erinlẹ̀ to the Americas, where his cult developed along two distinct trajectories in Cuba and Brazil .
ERINLÈ IN NIGERIA
(Hunter-King, River Deity, Herbalist)
│
+----------------+----------------+
│ │
v v
LUCUMÍ (CUBA) CANDOMBLÉ (BRAZIL)
[ "Inle" / "Erinle" ] [ "Oxóssi Inlè / Ibualama" ]
- Autonomous Divinity - Subsumed into Oxóssi complex
- Divine Physician & Fisherman - Forest-River amphibious path
- Syncretized: St. Raphael - Syncretized: St. Bartholomew/Raphael
- Initiated via Yemojá (Oro) - Worshipped within Ketu terreiros
- Gender ambiguity / Elegance - Retains bow/arrow and iron staff
Lucumí Tradition (Cuba)
In Cuban Lucumí religious practice, Erinlẹ̀ is known as Inle (or Inle Ayáiyá) .
Attributes and Divine Office
Inle in Cuba is venerated as the supreme divine physician, master fisherman, and patron of doctors, surgeons, and healthcare practitioners . While his identity as a hunter is preserved in oral narratives (patakís), his association with coastal waters, marine life, and rivers became paramount in the island environment of Cuba . He is syncretized with the Catholic Archangel Raphael, who is depicted holding a fish and a walking staff .
Material Culture and Initiation
- Iconography: Inle's physical emblem is an elaborate staff cast in lead or silver, consisting of a central staff with a serpent coiled around it, flanked by fishhooks and marine motifs, explicitly combining the iconography of medicine with fishing .
- Initiation Protocols: In orthodox Lucumí practice, Inle is rarely "crowned" directly onto the head of an initiate in the standard kariocha ceremony. Instead, initiates dedicated to Inle are crowned with Yemojá with oro for Inle (a specialized liturgical consecration where Yemojá acts as the maternal container through which Inle's àṣẹ is delivered) . The initiate simultaneously receives the sacred vessels and staffs of both Inle and Abata .
Gender Expression and Ambiguity
Ethnographic studies by Lydia Cabrera and David H. Brown document that Inle is characterized in Lucumí oral literature by extraordinary physical beauty, aristocratic elegance, and distinct androgyny . In diaspora liturgical communities, Inle has long been recognized as a divine patron of non-normative sexualities and gender fluidity, a development that contrasts with the strictly hyper-masculine hunter-king archetype emphasized in mainland Nigerian public cults .
Candomblé Tradition (Brazil)
In Brazilian Candomblé (predominantly within the Ketu nation), the veneration of Erinlẹ̀ followed a distinct theological path .
Subsumption into the Oxóssi Complex
Rather than maintaining total organizational independence as a freestanding deity with a separate initiate lineage, Erinlẹ̀ in Brazil was largely integrated into the broader pantheon of hunter deities (Odé / Oxóssi) .
- Qualidade (Path): He is worshipped as Oxóssi Inlè or linked with Oxóssi Ibualama, an elderly, aristocratic path of the hunter deity who lives in deep waters and wears leather, beads, and iron adornments .
- Syncretism and Domain: In Bahia, he is syncretized with Saint Bartholomew or Saint Raphael . He preserves his amphibious identity as the hunter who belongs to the river depths, bridging the realm of the forest with the cool waters of Oxum and Yemanjá .
Summary of Diaspora Divergences
The differences between mainland Yorùbá, Lucumí, and Candomblé traditions illustrate how geographical, institutional, and social conditions shaped liturgical evolution:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| CROSS-REGIONAL COMPARISON |
+-------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
| Feature | Mainland Nigeria | Lucumí (Cuba) | Candomblé |
| | (Ìlóbùú/Yewaland) | | (Brazil) |
+-------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
| Autonomy | Freestanding royal | Autonomous deity; | Subsumed into |
| | river divinity | received with Abata| Oxóssi complex |
+-------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
| Primary Office | Hunter, warrior, | Physician, surgeon,| Forest-river |
| | town protector | master fisherman | hunter-elder |
+-------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
| Primary Metal | Forged Iron & Lead | Cast Lead & Silver | Forged Iron & |
| | (ọ̀pá erinlẹ̀) | (staff with fish) | Brass |
+-------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
| Gender Nuance | Male hunter-king | Androgynous beauty;| Aristocratic |
| | | patron of diversity| elder hunter |
+-------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
| Catholic Parallel | None | Saint Raphael the | Saint Raphael / |
| | | Archangel | Saint |
| | | | Bartholomew |
+-------------------+--------------------+--------------------+-----------------+
Documented Gaps in the Historical Record
While the conceptual and liturgical shifts between West Africa, Cuba, and Brazil are well documented through twentieth-century ethnography, the nineteenth-century transatlantic historical record is silent regarding the specific individuals or regional lineages who originally transported the cult of Ìlóbùú across the Atlantic .
Historians cannot reconstruct the exact historical moments or specific institutional cabildos in Havana or terreiros in Salvador da Bahia in which Inle transitioned from a terrestrial hunting protector into a patron of marine fishing and medicine . The scholarly record notes the result of this transition without possessing the intermediate nineteenth-century liturgical documentation.
Àwọn orísun
- [1]Henry John Drewal, John Pemberton III, and Rowland Abiodun, Yoruba: Nine Centuries of African Art and Thought (New York: Center for African Art and Harry N. Abrams, 1989), pp. 167-168.
- [2]Ulli Beier, The Story of Sacred Wood Carvings from One Small Yoruba Town, Ilobu (Lagos: Nigeria Magazine, 1957), pp. 12-24.
- [3]Pierre Fatumbi Verger, Orixás: Deuses Iorubás na África e no Novo Mundo (Salvador: Editora Corrupio, 1981), pp. 95-102.
- [4]David H. Brown, Santería Enthroned: Art, Ritual, and Innovation in an Afro-Cuban Religion (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003), pp. 145-149, 278-282.
- [5]Maureen Warner-Lewis, Yoruba Songs of Trinidad (London: Karnak House, 1994), p. 54.
- [6]Robert Farris Thompson, Black Gods and Kings: Yoruba Art at UCLA (Los Angeles: University of California, 1971), Chapter 13, pp. 1-8.
- [7]Stephen S. Farrow, Faith, Fancies and Fetich, or Yoruba Paganism (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1926), pp. 45-48.
- [8]J. Omosade Awolalu, Yoruba Beliefs and Sacrificial Rites (London: Longman, 1979), pp. 33-34.
- [9]Pierre Fatumbi Verger, Notes sur le Culte des Orisa et Vodun à Bahia, la Baie de Tous les Saints, au Brésil et à l'ancienne Côte des Esclaves en Afrique (Dakar: IFAN, 1957), pp. 180-185.
- [10]Robert Farris Thompson, "Àbàtàn: A Master Potter of the Ẹgbádò Yorùbá," in Tradition and Creativity in Tribal Art, ed. Daniel Biebuyck (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969), pp. 120-182.
- [11]Judika Illes, Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Saints, Angels, Fairies, Demons, and Ghosts (New York: HarperOne, 2009), pp. 523-525.
- [12]Lydia Cabrera, El Monte: Igbo, Finda, Ewe Orisha, Vititi Nfinda (Havana: Ediciones CR, 1954), pp. 215-222.
- [13]Juana Elbein dos Santos, Os Nàgô e a Morte: Pàdà, Àsèsè e o Culto Égun na Bahia (Petrópolis: Editora Vozes, 1976), pp. 88-92.
- [14]Robert Farris Thompson, Flash of the Spirit: African and Afro-American Art and Philosophy (New York: Random House, 1983), pp. 68-72.