Home Page of Ile Orunmila

YORUBA WORLD

This site is constructed by Chief Adedayo Ologundudu, Atayese of Ile Ife and Araba Aworeni Adisa Mokoranwale of Ile Ife.  Their focus is to share the ethics and values of Ifa worldwide.  Their goal is to bring a deeper knowledge and understanding to Ifa, Orisa and Ancestor worship.

There will be articles discussing Odus, Ifa, Orisa, Egungun, initiations, ceremonies, spiritual items, oriki and a variety of topics covering this ancient and valuable tradition.

Araba Aworeni Adisa Mokoranwale is the Supreme Head of the Yoruba Tradition.  In other words, he is considered the Pope of Ifa and Orisa worshippers.  He was born in Ile Ife.  In order to become Araba you must be born in Okeitase and a direct descendant of Orunmila.  He is the overseer of all practitioners of the Yoruba religion.  His duties and sole purpose is to enforce the teachings and ethics of Ifa and maintain the tradition as it was passed down for generations.  He is the instructor and guide of all Ifa and Orisa priests and priestesses worldwide.  All priest and priestesses in the Yoruba tradition honor him.  In this site, the Araba will share his wisdom and understanding of Ifa and Orisa periodically.  His objective is unity of Ifa, Olorisas and Egungun priest and priestesses to come together for the sole purpose of upholding the Yoruba tradition.  He is determined to spread the wisdom of Ifa in order to save the world from the confusion and chaos that exist. 

Chief Adedayo Ologundudu (Chief Dayo) is a Babalawo and Ogun priest.  He was born in lle Ife, the legendary city of the origin of the Yoruba people.  Born into a family of blacksmiths, carvers and drummers, Chief Dayo was initiated as a youth into the sacred worship of Ogun.  He is founder and Director of the Institute of Yoruba Cultural Studies and Herbal Clinical Research.  In 1977, Chief Dayo founded the Obatala Cultural Center in Ile Ife which furthered the development of cultural music, art and dance.   Also in 1977 he coordinated the Conference of the Sons of Ifa.

Since his presence in the Diaspora, Chief Dayo has shared and spread his wisdom and knowledge with many Iles practicing the Yoruba tradition.  He has taught in the Latin communities in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands.  He conducted workshops in various institutions across the country and his group, "Children of Oduduwa" performed traditional music and dance in major institutions such as, the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., the Museum of Natural History, Great Barrington in Massachusetts, Columbia University, Hunters College and Baruch College in New York City.  Articles of his group were written in the New York Times and Latin New York.  In 1988,  he organized the First Annual Ifa Festival at the Paul Robeson theater in Brooklyn, New York and in 1999 he began the First Annual Ogun Festival at his igbo'du in Brooklyn, New York.  Chief Dayo sums up his dream of this site and his Institute by stating, "apart from being a sanctuary for studying and gathering information about Ifa, Orisa and the African Yoruba people, we also serve as a bridge that connect the Africans of the Americas and the world with their ancestral heritage and their source in Africa by making several group tours to Africa each year with the descendants of Africans in the Diaspora.  This means that a long buried part of their heritage will be revitalized."  Chief Dayo credits his success and his religious training to his family, he states, "My grandmother lived with us and was my foundation and a constant source of encouragement and information.  My uncle taught me the sacred worship of Ifa and Orisa.  My father, who was a doctor and herbalist, founded the West African Herbal Clinic in Ibadan in the 1960s.  He trained me in natural medicine and herbal clinical studies".