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209 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
often used, "A ti pa obi si oran na." "We have split Cola over the matter," which is equal
to saying, "We have settled the matter."
It, or the god it represents, is often spoken of as one whose entreaty or intercession is
on no account to be refused; hence the saying, "Ebora," or " Ebo-ara ki ko ebe fun obi."
"The gods are not in the habit of refusing to listen and accept entreaty or intercession
from the Cola nut;" and it is this that has suggested the presentation of Cola nuts
amongst other things by a suitor for the hand of a young woman in marriage to the
parents, urging with them his suit, his desire and request for a betrothal, and his prayer
for their acceptance of it.
There are among the heathens those in our country who profess to exercise the office of
speaking with the dead, and of being mediums of communications from them to the
living, and who are known as "Awon Abokusoro"-speakers with the dead-and whose
deliverances have generally been found to be true. But the system does not appear to be
so elaborate with them as it is with their fellow-professors in Europe and America.
There is a great variety of sacrifice, and each prescribed sacrifice or each set of such a
sacrifice takes its name generally from the object for which it is offered. Among them
may be mentioned the following:-The Redemption sacrifice; the exchange sacrifice; the
wealth and the longevity sacrifice; the sacrifice for recovery from illness and for
preventing death - those for the possession of strength, and for the avoiding of losses of any
kind; those for protection against being a cause of trouble to one's own self; those against
being successfully plotted against; those against a fire accident, and for the removal of
drought or the prevention or the cessation of a flood of rain; that for attaining to some
title and office of dignity, and that for securing a long enjoyment of the office, especially if
he who seeks it had been told beforehand through Ifa divination that his enjoyment of it
would not be long; that for securing the sign or mark on one's forehead that would assure
him of his safety from the approach and touch of the angel of Death, and of victory and
triumph over difficully and trouble - and that for acquiring superiority to others, &c.
These various sacrifices mentioned, being atonement sacrifices, suggest the existence
originally in the mind of the Pagan Yoruban that sin and the anger of an offended god
are the cause of the various ills incidental to human life: that blessings are to be had
only from him and according to his will, and that for this he is to be propitiated by
means of sacrifice and offering, since he who desires them is a sinner.
Animals for sacrifice range from reptiles to man. Meat-offering includes all variety of
food and drink; but for every particular sacrifice a certain victim is prescribed, and
sometimes the same animal may be prescribed for more than one sacrifice; and so it is
with meat and drink offerings, eg., against death in sickness, a sheep, and for longevity,
a dog; for strength to the body, aram sheep and a cock; against losses, a basket of eggs,
most of which are usually employed with leaves sacred to Ifa; against being lied
upon, domestic pigeons and palm nut shells; against trouble and misfortune, rats; against
drought, small crabs from which water drops each time each makes a leap; against a
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