The Orisa is an enigma; what it is, is not entirely clear. AB Ellis wrote in his 1894 book that the Yoruba reserved the word ‘Orisa’ not only for the superhuman being or god, but also for sacred images and objects, and whatever else they deemed deserving. Reverend Stone quoted the Yoruba in his 1899 book as saying that Olorun, unconcerned with the creatures on earth, left everything in the hands of Orisa, who in turn unwilling to be bothered by the trifling affairs of men, left it all to inferior deities. On the other hand, a third version says Orisa was generic name for innumerable numbers of deities, and that these acted as intermediaries between man and Olorun, who was too distant to be approachable.
Proverbs (Owe), as a more direct source of Yoruba thoughts, was potential source for clarification. Richard Burton in his 1865 book translated over 600 Yoruba proverbs into English, 5 of which contained the word ‘Orisa’.
The first reads: ‘Alla funfun otta Orisa’, which translates to ‘’white dream’ is the enemy of the Orisa’. This proverb indicates that the ancient Yoruba had knowledge of the psychology and science of dreams; specifically knowing that a ‘white dream’ meant a thing devoid of content. According to this proverb, by ‘Orisa’ the ancient Yoruba meant something full of content.
The second reads: ‘Aro ni idena Orisa’, which translates to ‘the lame is the bane of the Orisa’. This proverb was acknowledgement that the Orisa had no answer for lameness (presumably the result of the polio infection).
The third reads: ‘Ikun ni babba Orisa’, which translates to ‘grumbling is the father of the Orisa’, This proverb implied that the Orisa was a state of muttered discontent or quiet dissatisfaction about the state of things.
The fourth reads: ‘Ire ki li Orisa se fun abuke ti abi omo ti o so o li Orisagbemi’, which translates to ‘what favour had the Orisa done the hunchback that would make him name his child Orisa-favoured-me’. In other words, the Orisa was something that could be criticised.
The fifth reads: ‘Orisa ti akeke ti ko gb’ ike, orisa ti atete ti ko gbite, oju popo ni gibe’, which transalates to ‘Orisa that rejects whatever it was given risks living on the streets’. According to this proverb, the Orisa was not in the position of dictating what it was given.
The only conclusion apparent from these proverbs is that the Orisa was something that man controlled, not something that controlled man. These proverbs tell us that the ancient Yoruba did not contemplate the Orisa as deity or god.
Baasegun (Dr) Olusola Oni, Leader of the Yoruba Party in the UK (YPUK, www.yorubapartyuk.org