Importance of Taboos in African Culture
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Èèwọ̀/Sù - Taboo According to the Afrikan Spiritual Life
On a simple level, Èèwọ̀/Sù (taboo in Yọrùbá and Ajã respectively) is an implicit prohibition on something (usually against an utterance or behavior) based on a cultural sense that it is excessively repulsive or, perhaps, too sacred for the ordinary. Such prohibitions are present in virtually all societies. Taboo can be broken down to two different types; general and personal. General taboos are the ones that cover all the society, a village/compound or family. While personal taboos are the ones for individual being. Èèwọ̀ (taboo) is a very powerful concept which has no favor for anyone. It spares no one. For example, some people are not as prosperous as they should be, because they are not observing their personal taboos; whether they know them or not. Many are eating food they should avoid. They are wearing clothing they not only should not wear in addition to the fact that some of their clothing should also disposed of. They are associating with people and environments they should avoid and on and on. Some taboo are temporary, some are from birth and may last a certain time, some are lifetime, some will only come up at a certain stage of life, kwk.
Doing the things we should avoid is a major factor that hinders our progress and development in life. In the Ifá oracle Ògúndá Òkànràn, Ifá explains to us that we should be observant of taboos and their parameters.
Babaláwo ní má ń se bí ojo-bí-ojoItunmọ (Translation )
This Ifá verse reminds us of the consequences of us violating our taboos. But then, as many have grown up without culture, many if us don't know our taboos. Unfortunately, this does not exempt us from accountability. So, how can you know your taboos? You can know your taboos during Ifá consultation. Various taboos can be revealed at anytime. However, some will only be revealed by receiving Ifá and/or initiation to a specific òrìṣà. Aìwáyé kíá má ní èèwọ̀ t'ẹni!
Èèwọ̀ is not something to joke with. Èèwọ̀ are there to guide people’s conduct. They provide a set of rules that serve as a moral guidance or law in the community to ensure peace and security were in the community. By preventing people from doing wrong things, they are helping them to focus on what is encouraged in the society. Èèwọ performs the role of education in the sense that it regulates individuals’ conduct, it guilds our thinking and tells us what is proper and what is not proper. Let's look at it from the perspective of a person having allergies in relation to certain foods. The consequences of eating those foods can be grave for those that eat what they should not be eating. Some find out their allergies the hard way, but this is usually when they are very young. This is the same with Èèwọ̀. It is interesting that the Yọrùbá word for violating Èèwọ̀ is jẹ Èèwọ̀ - to eat taboo. Yet, it must be reminded that not all Èèwọ̀ are food related. It can be clothing related, color related, association related, profession related, locale related, environment related, use of words related, travel related, relationship related, and the list goes on.
Òsá Òfún says:
A yago fun ejo ki ejo le ma bu wa. A yago fun erin ki erin ma ba mu wa.
We avoid the snake so that the snake may not bite us. We avoid the elephant so that the elephant may not seize us.
A yago fun efọn ki efọn ma baa ba wa ja. A yago fun ina ki ina ma ba jo wa. A yẹra fún gbèsè kí àwọn èèyàn má bàa fi wá ṣe yẹ̀yẹ́.
We avoid the buffalo so that the buffalo may not fight with us. We avoid the fire so that the fire may not burn us. We avoid debt so that people may not ridicule us.
A yẹra fun ohun-ini awọn eniyan miiran ki a le ma fi ẹsun pe o jẹ ole. Ati pe ni ọjọ kan awọn eniyan laisi ikilọ ko ni pariwo si wa. A yago fun awọn ẹwa ki awọn ọrọ buburu ti awọn ẹwa le ma ni ipa lori wa.
We avoid other people’s property so that we may not accused of being thieves. And so that one day people without warning will not yell out at us. We avoid charms so that the evil words of charms might not affect us.
Wọ́n ní àwọn tí kò yẹra fún ohunkóhun lórí ilẹ̀ ayé; adùn kì yóò sí fún wọn. Wọn kii yoo pẹ ni aye.
They said that those who do not avoid anything whatsoever on earth; there will be no pleasantness for them. They will not live long on earth.
Difá fún àwọn ènìyàn Wọ́n ní kí ènìyàn rúbọ kí wọ́n lè mọ ohun tí wọ́n yẹra fún èyí tí wọ́n ń pè ní èèwọ̀. Ifá
Ifá divination was done for humans. They said that humans should sacrifice so that they might know what to avoid which is called èèwọ̀.
They said “those of you who sacrifice will live long on earth”.
Ìrosùn Atẹ́ẹ́rẹ́ (Ìrosùn Òtúrá) says:
Olódùmarè fi Èèwọ̀ ọba aye
Olódùmarè made taboo king of the world
One final analysis is how Èèwọ̀ can make for a smoother society. Imagine properly observing people's taboos and being tuned into what they came here today based on respecting their taboos. The African concept of observing taboos also promoted respect for the individual in that everyone is not going to have the same taboos all the time. The Yọrùbá concept of Èèwọ̀ recognizes that there is no one size fits all. Ifá may say one person must abstain from meat. Another Ifá may say they cannot have a diet completely void of meat. Additionally, we can produce more moral and respectful communities. But we must first get there. This means that we must set our mind-dials on Re-Afrikanization. It is through that vein that we would even think about coming to such a profound conclusion. Think about it.