Remembering as Return: Teaching Ancestral Memory in Yorùbá Culture

Alaje Fadesiye
Apr 11, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Aug 2

Introduction: Why We Must Remember

In Yorùbá thought, remembering the ancestors (ìrántí àtàwọn Ègún) is not an optional cultural practice — it is a moral and spiritual obligation. It affirms that life is not singular. Each person is part of a continuum that stretches backward into the ancestral realm (òrun) and forward into the unborn.

To forget is to fracture the chain of being. To remember is to preserve identity, direction (àkúnlẹ̀yàn), and divine alignment. For this reason, the family, spiritual community, and lineage house (ilé àṣẹ) serve as schools of remembrance.

The goal is not only to honor the ancestors but to prepare the child to carry their àṣẹ into the world. In this expanded article, we explore the layered, spiritual, cultural, and ritual ways ancestral memory is taught—especially by parents, elders, Òrìṣà priests/priestesses, and Ifá diviners—and how that teaching continues across generations and geographies.

Names as Portals: Encoding Lineage into the Child’s Identity

Naming in Yorùbá culture is a sacred ritual (ìkọ̀sílẹ̀ orúkọ), often guided by:

divination, performed by Babaláwo, Ìyánífá, Babalórìṣà, Ìyálórìṣà, or other initiated elders using Ifá, cowries, or kola nut,
ancestral dreams or visitations,
or family elders who carry the lineage memory.

Why it matters:

Names reveal origin, reincarnation, ancestral agreements, or spiritual contracts. A name like Tàlábà or Yétúndé implies ancestral return (àtúnwá). A name like Adéyẹmí may evoke a royal bloodline.

Priests, especially Òrìṣà priests (Babalórìṣà, Ìyálórìṣà), use names to tie a child to a temple lineage. A child born into a house of Òṣun may receive the name Ọmọyẹwùnmí, linking their body to the river’s spirit.

Naming is not identity—it is invocation.

Teaching children the stories behind their names deepens their sense of continuity and spiritual location. This practice is especially vital for diasporic families reclaiming lost naming traditions.

Òríkì and Storytelling: Ancestral Wisdom in the Spoken Word

Òríkì (lineage praise poetry) and ìtàn (narratives) function as oral archives.

Òríkì names the past while summoning its power into the present.
Ìtàn Ìdílé (family history) transmits real ancestral experiences: migration, survival, sacrifice, taboos, blessings.

These are shared:

During rituals,
At twilight when children gather near elders,
Or through public performances at festivals.

In Òrìṣà lineages:

Priests teach sacred narratives (ìtàn oríṣà) that connect ancestral heroes to spiritual archetypes:

A family of herbalists may trace its origin to Òsanyìn.
A lineage of midwives may preserve oral accounts of Ọ̀ṣun’s role in birthing and fertility rites.

Ifá priests (Babaláwo/Ìyánífá) may recite verses from Odu Ifá, connecting children to timeless patterns through metaphor and coded guidance.

To teach ìtàn is to say: “You are not alone. Your story was once told before you lived it.”

Shrines as Classrooms: Learning from the Ancestors Through Ritual Space

The Ilé Ègún (ancestral shrine) is both altar and teacher.

Children are taught to:

Greet the ancestors each morning: “Mo jí, mo yọ̀, mo ki Ègún mi.”
Sweep the floor before ritual offerings.
Speak clearly and truthfully at the altar.

In Òrìṣà temples, these teachings are formalized. Priests train children in how to:

Dress properly in white when greeting ancestors,
Call the ancestral line in order of seniority,
Feed the shrine with cooked offerings (ọbẹ, yams, eggs, palm oil).

The shrine teaches:

Reverence.
Responsibility.
Reciprocity.

What you give to the ancestors teaches you what you will receive from them.

In the diaspora, where shrines were hidden or criminalized, teaching children to rebuild or tend their altar is an act of cultural resurrection.

Ritual Time: Teaching through Daily, Seasonal, and Lifecycle Ceremonies

Yorùbá ritual life is cyclical, rooted in cosmic timing and agricultural rhythm.

Children are taught memory not by lecture but by participating in ritual cycles:

Daily: Pouring water for Ègún, saying prayers before meals.
Monthly: Marking the new moon (òsù tuntun) or offering to household Òrìṣà.
Annually: Observing Egúngún festivals where ancestors return through masked dance and possession.

In temple settings, Òrìṣà priests structure the year around initiations, festivals (ọ̀dún), and ancestral celebrations (Òdún Ègúngún, Òdún Ọbalúayé). Children learn by:

Carrying items for rituals,
Watching spiritual possession,
Participating in call-and-response songs.

Each rite deepens their understanding of:

Lineage taboos (èèwọ̀),
Offerings (ẹbọ),
Sacred speech (ọ̀rọ̀ àṣẹ).

Ritual does not just preserve memory—it installs it into the body.

Ìwà Pẹ̀lẹ́: Teaching Ancestral Memory Through Character

Ifá teaches that good character (ìwà rere) is the foundation of all spiritual success. To live with ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ (gentle, balanced character) is to reflect the ancestral mirror with honor.

Parents, priests, and elders model ancestral values:

Respect (ìbáṣepọ̀) – greeting elders, honoring spiritual hierarchy.
Truthfulness (otító) – speaking without deceit.
Compassion (àánú) – treating others with kindness, especially the vulnerable.
Discipline – knowing when to act, speak, or remain still.

Òrìṣà priests emphasize that:

Every deity has its character. To follow Ọ̀ṣun is to cultivate joy and diplomacy. To serve Ṣàngó is to embrace truth and justice.
Children are guided not only through punishment but through stories and divination about their Orí (inner head/spiritual consciousness).

When a child dishonors themselves, the elders may say: “Ṣé ó gbàgbọ́ pé Ègún ń wò ọ?” — “Do you believe the ancestors are watching you?”

Priests as Teachers of the Invisible: Divination, Taboos, and Dream Transmission

Whether initiated into Ifá or not, all children in traditional Yorùbá society are shaped by divination.

Ifá priests (Babaláwo/Ìyánífá) and Òrìṣà priests (Babalórìṣà/Ìyálórìṣà) each perform divination using distinct but spiritually aligned methods—such as opón Ifá, ikin, ọ̀pẹ̀lẹ̀, èrìndílógún (cowries), and obì (kola nut or coconut). While the tools and techniques may vary, the purpose is shared: to diagnose spiritual conditions, receive ancestral guidance, uphold lineage protocols, and align individuals with their destiny (ayànmọ̀).

Both priesthoods:

Offer spiritual diagnosis,
Identify lineage taboos,
Interpret ancestral dreams,
And guide children toward their destiny (ayànmọ̀).

These instructions are not arbitrary. They preserve the child’s alignment with ancestral agreements.

The ancestors speak through signs. Teaching children to recognize those signs prepares them to carry their spiritual inheritance without confusion.

Ancestral Memory in the Diaspora: Resistance, Rebuilding, and Return

In the Americas, forced migration, slavery, and colonial violence disrupted ancestral lines—but did not destroy them.

Across Cuba, Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad, and Black America:

Òrìṣà priesthoods kept ancestral shrines alive in hidden rooms and sacred forests.
Families maintained bóvedas, quartinhos, or ancestral tables, using Christian symbols as covers.
Songs, dances, and rituals encoded ancestral praise in drums, choirs, and feasts.

Today, diasporic families and spiritual houses are:

Relearning the language of their ancestors.
Rebuilding shrines through dreams, DNA, and divination.
Teaching children that ancestral pride is an act of liberation.

In this context, remembering is not just devotion—it is defiance.

Conclusion: Teaching as Transmission, Memory as Motion

To teach ancestral memory in Yorùbá culture is to prepare a child to carry the weight and wisdom of time. It is to remind them that they are not starting from scratch, but walking a path already cleared.