The Vodun Root
Vodun theology pictures the Universe as a closed calabash with the sky forming one half and the Earth the other. The Sky is considered symbolically as male because it inundates the Earth with life-giving substances such as rain, the Sun, etc. The Earth is feminine as it "receives" these things of substance and turns them into life. Below the Earth is Fetume, or the "place of origins". It is quite interesting that the Fon place Ife below the Earth. It is a reflection of the aboriginal Australian Dream Time concept; simply meaning Ife existed at a time when time was not.
Vodun Concept of Deity
From the Vodunist perspective, all spiritual entities called Vodu (like Orisa) emerge or are birthed from Nana Buruku. Nana Buruku is considered a feminine energy representing the primordial substance of the universe. Nana Buruku is said to love Her children very much and wishes them the best in the tasks that She has set forth for them in creation.
The Emergence of the the Vodu/Deities
Before the Birth of the world a set of twins were born from Nana Buruku. The first born are Mawu and Lisa. In fact, representing the duality of the universe expressed in all Afrikan traditions, Mawu and Lisa are actually two entities sharing the same "body" space. This one body is said to have "two faces". One is Mawu which is a feminine energy represented by the Moon. The other is Lisa which is a male energy represented by the Sun. The usual Vodun concept is to not mention one without the other because they embody a total concept which cannot be separated. So, New Afrikans should not get so fascinated with other people's culture when they find the duality of the universe expressed in that culture (namely the Tao), because this concept has been and still is expressed in Afrika for thousands of years.
Mawu-Lisa, wishing to further the processes of the universe, went within Itself and birthed another set of twins. These were Da Zodji (masculine energy) and Nyohwe Ananu (feminine energy). The second birth was another set of twins this time having the collective name of So, who was androgynous like Its parent - having the balance of the universe within It. The third birth were the twins Agbe (masculine energy) and Naete (feminine energy). The fourth birth was Age and the fifth was Gu both embodying masculine energy. The sixth birth was to Djo, which is the manifestation of Air, or the atmosphere. The seventh to be born were the Sagbata twins. The eighth was Legba, who was the spoiled child of Mawu-Lisa.
Mawu-Lisa, governors of the Universe, assigned these deities to the important tasks of maintaining the worlds. To So, Mawu-Lisa ordered the reigning in the sky. From So comes the lightening and thunder. Another name for So is Heviosso. Agbe and Naete were given the sea and all other waters. Age was to command all animals and was to live in the bush as a hunter. Gu was given the task of teaching civilization to the soon to come humans. Djo was to live in the space between the Earth and the Sky. It is Djo that is the portal between heaven and earth - the divine and humans. The Sagbata twins were given the language to be used on Earth. In fact, all the deities were given the languages of their perspective domains.
There are other deities in this process, but I only attempted to outline things from the standpoint of "origins".
Fa/Ifa
Both the Yoruba of Nigeria and the Ewe-Fon practice divination. The Yoruba call it Ifa and the Ewe-Fon say Fa and Afa. The Fon have a version of the story of how Fa came into being. The story was first revealed to a Westerner when Melville and Frances Herskovits sat with the Dahomeans and learned of their profound lore.
It is said that Gbadu is both male and female. Fon sacred science says that Gbadu holds the keys to knowing the past, present, and future. In this Gbadu is called Fa. Legba was charged by Mawu-Lisa to be the one that "opens" Gbadu's/Fa's eyes according to which ones she wanted open. This is in reference to the Bokonon's manipulation of the sacred ikin of Orunmila of which the Yoruba Babalawo extensively uses.
In time, the people of the Earth had run amuck of Mawu-Lisa's creations. The Earth was "off it's pivot" and even the seasons were not in order. Natural phenomenon was not natural anymore. Legba reported this to the courts of heaven and suggested that the world will come to ruins if Gbadu is not sent to the Earth to re-teach humans how to behave. Mawu-Lisa rejected the idea of Gbadu going to the Earth. Gbadu had birthed Minona, a daughter, and another daughter. Next were Aovi, Abi, Duwo, Kiti, Agbanukwe, and Zose all being male.Mawu resolved that the language of heaven, the holy language of the deities, would have to be sent by three of Gbadu's children.
Before the three children could go to Earth Mawu-Lisa made sure to turn over the keys to the future to Gbadu/Fa. Mawu instructed the children, Gbadu, and Legba on what was to be taught. Mawu said that there was a house of sixteen doors each corresponding to one of Gbadu's eyes. Mawu further instructed that the key to opening these "doors" was the manipulation of the sacred Ikin. Fa was actually the palm tree that Gbadu sat upon to watch the actions of the universe and of humans. On this palm tree are found the sacred ikin. According to how the ikin were to fall, this would tell which of the doors of Gbadu contained the future and spiritual instructions for whomever a divination was being done. The knowledge of all 16 doors was taught to the three Vodu that would teach humans.
Duwo, Kiti, and Zose descended to the Earth to teach Men how to use the 16 ikin (palm kernals) to live in harmony with the universe. They told the humans that it was important to know which of Gbadu's eyes had been opened for them before birth. this would help them to know their sekpoli, or their divine destiny in life. They even taught the humans that the human being itself is a sacred shrine and that this sekpoli was within them; that this was their God-consciousness.
The teaching was successful and all the
children of Gbadu were sent to Earth to take on various domains.
The Emergence of New Afrikan Vodun
When you look at world phenomenon, all theologies have been indigenized to the cultural surroundings of a people. Through the advent of the Maafa various Afrikan ethnics merged to form one Afrikan people - a New Afrikan people. Thus, not only was there the coming together of blood ties, but also the medling of their various indigenous theologies. Protestantism in this country did not allow for the full expression of Afrikan traditions so there was a problem later on during slavery. But what is now emerging is a new theology based upon our experiences.
What is Distinct about New Afrikan Vodun?
With the indigenizing of a tradition emerges new traditions; and yes, new deities. New Afrikan Vodun acknowledges and WORSHIPS all of our West Afrikan deities in conjunction with the Orisa and Vodu of the Ifa/Vodun system of the Yoruba and Fon. In addition, we are set to DEIFY our own freedom fighters. The Yoruba deified Moremi because she helped them defeat the Ibo. Well, we are set to DEIFY HARRIET TUBMAN for freeing some 1000 Afrikans right here in Amerikkka during slavery. On top of that should not there be an Odu that expresses the events in her life? If one can acknowledge Odu that detail the adventures of deified Ancestors in a far away land then shouldn't it naturally follow that we acknowledge an Odu CREATED BY US about an Ancestor that did something related to OUR experiences right here on the land that we now live?
What about Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Fannie Lou Hammer, John Henrik Clarke, Betty Shabazz, etc.? Weren't their lives sacred history? The lives and works of these holy beings were Odu manifest! The sacred Odu Ifa Eji Ogbe says that human beings become Orisa because they did good while on earth. This shows that the Odu is not stagnant. Are we going to let others dictate to us how to practice our spirituality? Or are we going to draw upon that collective ase of the over 100 Afrikan ethnicities that comprise the blood of the New Afrikan in North America? What Odu will be written for Afrikans in North America?
