Abstracts Category : Other

Spiritual Journeys: A Study of If /r Practitioners inthe United States Initiated by Nigeria

by Der Meer Van

The purpose of this study is to understand the cultureof one of the newest branches of traditional Yorb If /rpractice in the United States from practitioners born in the UnitedStates that were initiated in Nigeria, West Africa. Theepistemology of the If /r belief system in the United Stateshas been based on the history and influence of Regla de Ocha orSanteria that developed out of Cuban innovation and practice. Thisis an ethnographic and auto-ethnographic study that pulls fromparticipant observation, field notes, interviews, and photos asdata. The central question of this dissertation is what are thechallenges and opportunities for this branch of practitioners inthe United States who were initiated in the If /r practice inNigeria? Some of the main findings indicate that the opportunitiesinclude: opening doors intellectually and spiritually about Africanphilosophical thought and ethics were that: it instills a sense ofspiritual discipline; it lays the foundation, giving confidencethat one can achieve what they set their minds to; and, it offersspiritual technologies and systems that are liberating and relevantin the Unites States in terms of identity, direction, and purpose.Some of the challenges included: a rugged Nigerian experience, andcultural change; a transformative experience from the initiationrituals; understanding and learning the Yorb language; and, thecontradiction of Africa being the idea of utopia. The challenges inthe United States also included: understanding and learning theYorb language; understanding the different systems of practice inthe If /r belief system; the role of women as Ifa priests;ecological concerns in disposing ritual sacrifices; accessibilityto traditional (African) ritual items; issues of acceptance,inclusion, and exclusion on the basis of race, gender, and sexualidentities from other systems of If /r practice; and,developing new communities of practice base on the experiences ofthis newest branch of practitioners.This dissertation is availablein open-access at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd andAURA:Antioch University Repository and Archive,http://aura.antioch.edu/Advisors/Committee Members: Essed, Philomena (Committee Chair).