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Syncretism

Syncretism is loosely defined as the act of combing and/or unifying different religions, cultures, and thoughts together. Most religions around the world have experienced the amalgamation or the attempted amalgamation of that practice. More specifically, the Yorùbá religion of West Africa has had two main syncretic influences throughout its history. The first to be exemplified is Aladura Christianity and the second is Islam.

Aladura Christianity

Aladura Christianity is a distinctive form of Christianity and bares many elements of the traditional Yoruba religion in Nigeria, Africa. Aladura is the Yoruba word for “praying people” and the claimed main goal of practitioners is to promote and emphasize prayer and healing.

The church is led by a prophet and there is strict hierarchy among the clergy. Despite the stern hierarchy, the laity is heavily involved and are not barred from joining higher ranks. The principal role of the prophet is derived from traditional Yoruba religion of being a babalawo or a Yoruba priest of Ifá (a popular deity in Yoruba religion). This prophet is skilled in divination, healing, and problem-solving.

Yorubaland in Nigeria, Africa

Founders of Aladura Christianity established two main ideals. The first foundational element is the belief in invisible spiritual forces, especially malicious spiritual powers. The second is the belief in the effectiveness of ritual action. This ideal that invisible spiritual forces exist, specifically malevolent spirits, is one that was obtained from traditional Yoruba religion due to the fact that Western Christianity does not believe in such forces apart from the concept of God and the Holy Spirit. Divination (Ifá) or the practice of gathering knowledge to understand the supernatural is a common and important practice in both the traditional Yoruba religion and in Aladura Christianity. This practice reveals to them the meaning and purpose of all things, the good and bad spiritual and human entities in ones life, and gives the practitioner the ritual means to control them.

Most rituals (Irubo) have an efficacious feature to them because of the credence that prayers and offerings not only say things, but are supposed to do actual things. The powerful ritual speech and action itself is supposed to rid the environment of the malevolent spirits present and attract the benevolent ones. This ritual practice requires sacred space where the invisible forces can be brought into this world and effectively controlled. Participants of this religion go to their shrines for answers to their questions, guidance in their lives, and cures for their ills physically, emotionally, and mentally.

For the practitioner, the goal of achieving human well-being in the world means intense and dedicated ritual effort. Achieving self-actualization means obtaining the good things or blessings (ire) in life. These 'good things' generally include health, prosperity, children, and long-life.

Islam

Its difficult to say when Islam truly began influencing Yoruba in the western parts of Africa, and more specifically Nigeria. It was estimated that Muslim scholars visited the Yorùbá country in the 15th century yet more dominant Islamic influence was not recorded until the Hausa- Fulani penetrated the region from the second half of the 18th century.

While some adopted the Islam way of life completely, others either assimilated parts of Islam into their already existing Yoruba ideals or rejected the whole practice all together. Those who kept Yoruba ideals and adopted new Islamic ones, also embraced a western lifestyle when Muslims brought in a western-style education system to the area. Cultural identity becomes a major issue when it becomes difficult to define a Yoruba Muslim. While one practitioner focuses on more Islamic beliefs, another is more focused on traditional Yoruba ideals.

Yorubaland was first influenced by Islam through traders and merchants traveling along the Niger River coming from the West. Throughout history we see a very slow and steady adoption of Islamic traditions among Yoruba followers. In fact, the cultural transitions of both Islamic and Yoruba traditions happened very smoothly without violence or a loss of free will. There isn't really a new religion founded from the mixture of Islamic and Yoruba ideals and traditions. Pieces of each were adopted to suite each individual practitioner. Basically the said "religion" is still Yoruba based, it just contains parts of Islamic traditions and values.

When a Yoruba Muslim chooses to declare a more Islamic status among their community, they use a sort of social status to do so by dressing a certain way and having a specific Islamic name. Women choosing to adopt a more Islamic lifestyle wear an all black dress that covers her head and touches the floor. The Islamic term for the garb is a purdah (eleha in Yoruba). The men wear white embroidered caps and often neglect to shave their beard as a status symbol as well.

References

Ray, Benjamin C. "Aladura Christianity: A Yoruba Religion." Journal of Religion in Africa 23, no. 1 (1993): 266-91. Accessed November 11, 2016. doi:10.1163/157006693x00148.

Oyeronke, Olajubu. "A Conceptual Analysis of Leadership Structures in Yoruba Religion and Christianity." AtlasReligion, September 1, 2004. Accessed November 11, 2016. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.humboldt.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=849a6ba6-345a-42b6-9181-d1137cd6fb59@sessionmgr1.

Opeloye, Muhib O. "The Yoruba Muslims’ Cultural Identity Question." Ilorin Journal of Religious Studies, 1, no. 2 (2011): 1-20. Accessed November 11, 2016. http://www.ajol.info/index.php/ijrs/article/viewFile/90919/80338.

Adelowo, Dada E. "Islam and Yoruba Religion in Contact: An Episode of Acculturation." Africa Theological Journal 13, no. 1 (1984): 48-61. Accessed November 11, 2016. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.humboldt.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=10&sid=849a6ba6-345a-42b6-9181-d1137cd6fb59@sessionmgr1&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#AN=ATLA0000942707&db=rfh.

Peel, John David Yeadon. Christianity, Islam and Oriṣa Religion Three Traditions in Comparison and Interaction. Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2016.

Lupona, Jacob K. The Study of Yoruba Religious Tradition in Historical Perspective. Brill. Accessed November 11, 2016. http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.humboldt.edu/stable/pdf/3270151.pdf.

Comstock, Gary Lynn. "The Yoruba and Religious Change." Journal of Religion in Africa 10, no. 1 (1979): 1-12. Accessed November 11, 2016. doi:10.1163/157006679x00018.