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Yoruba Children

100 things a Yorùbá child should know before adulthood

Identity, Lineage & Clan Heritage

Know your Orúkọ àbísọ (birth name) and its meaning.
Know your family lineage, including your oríkì (praise poetry).
Understand your compound (ilé) and clan (ídílè).
Know your ancestral hometown or village in Yorùbáland.
Be able to trace your ancestry back through generations.
Know your Orúkọ amútọ̀runwá (destiny name from heaven).
Understand your Orí — the divine inner head and personal destiny.
Know the importance of twins (ìbejì) and their sacred place in Yorùbá culture.
Learn the role of elders (àgbà) and how to respect them.
Understand the meaning and spiritual role of ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ (gentle character).
Know the names and stories of important ancestors in your family.
Learn the Yorùbá greetings for different times of day and situations.
Know how to show respect — by kneeling (for women) and prostrating (for men).
Understand the concept of ìbá — ancestral veneration and spiritual acknowledgment.
Learn how to pray in Yorùbá, honoring ancestors and Orí.
Know your family’s spiritual background — traditional, Muslim, Christian, or blended.
Understand that you belong to a collective identity, not just an individual one.
Know your lineage's profession or legacy (e.g., blacksmiths, hunters, priests).
Know that your name carries the blessings and expectations of your ancestors.
Always honor where you come from — in dress, speech, and action.

History & Ancient Civilization

Know that the Yorùbá civilization is one of Africa’s oldest and most advanced.
Learn the story of Odùduwà, the legendary progenitor of the Yorùbá people.
Understand the significance of Ilé-Ifẹ̀ as the spiritual cradle of Yorùbá culture.
Know about ancient Yorùbá city-states: Ọ̀yọ́, Ifẹ̀, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ẹ̀kìtì, Sàbé, Ẹpẹ̀ and more.
Study the Ọ̀yọ́ Empire, its structure, military, and political power.
Learn about the Alaafin, Ọọ̀ni, Oba, and other royal titles.
Understand the Ogboni Society and its role in governance and law.
Know how Yorùbá cities were organized: palaces, markets, compounds, shrines.
Learn how Yorùbá peoples resisted colonization through strategy and diplomacy.
Study Queen Moremi Ajasoro — a symbol of bravery and sacrifice.
Learn about Basorun Gaa, Shango, and other political and mythical figures.
Understand that Yorùbá history is both oral and written.
Know that Yorùbá people had advanced metallurgy, art, architecture, and law.
Study Ife Bronze and Terracotta heads — examples of classical African sculpture.
Learn about the significance of Yorùbá masks, beads, and crowns.
Understand the centrality of markets (ọjà) and women's roles in trade.
Know about slave resistance and resilience by Yorùbá people in the diaspora.
Study how British colonization and Christian missions disrupted traditional systems.
Learn how Yorùbá traditional leaders maintain their role today.
Understand that your history did not begin with slavery or colonization — it began with greatness.

Yorùbá Spirituality & Ifá Philosophy

Know that Olódùmarè is the Supreme Creator in Yorùbá cosmology.
Learn about Òrìṣà — divine forces that guide and protect humanity.
Know the difference between Orí, Ẹ̀lẹ́dàá, Olódùmarè, and Òrìṣà.
Study the major Òrìṣà: Èṣù, Ọbàtálá, Yemoja, Shango, Ọ̀ṣun, Ọ̀rúnmìlà, Ogun, Oya, etc.
Understand that Ifá is the sacred system of wisdom and divination.
Know that Bàbáláwo and Ìyánífá are spiritual scholars and healers.
Learn about the Odù Ifá — 256 sacred verses that contain all Yorùbá wisdom.
Understand the significance of Ẹbọ (sacrifice or offering) for spiritual balance.
Know that Èṣù is not the devil — but a divine messenger and trickster.
Understand the role of ritual, song, and dance in spiritual life.
Know that Orí is your inner divine compass — it must be honored and aligned.
Learn how to greet and honor ancestors (Ẹbọ àwọn bàbá ńlá).
Understand that Yoruba spirituality is Earth-honoring, justice-centered, and practical.
Study the link between destiny (ayànmọ́) and free will.
Learn about initiation and rites of passage in traditional practice.
Know the sacredness of water, iron, wind, fire, and earth in ritual.
Understand how traditional healing, herbalism, and spiritual diagnosis are used.
Know the importance of dreams, divination, and ancestral messages.
Recognize that Yorùbá spirituality is practiced worldwide — from Brazil to Trinidad.
Honor the power of your bloodline and Orí — you are a spiritual being first.

Diaspora & Global Legacy

Know that millions of enslaved Yorùbá were taken to the Americas.
Study the survival of Yorùbá culture in Cuba (Lucumí/Santería), Brazil (Candomblé), Trinidad (Shango), Haiti (Vodou), and the U.S. (Ifá).
Learn how enslaved Yorùbá people preserved their language, Òrìṣà worship, and music under oppression.
Study Yorùbá influence on Carnival, samba, rumba, blues, jazz, and hip-hop.
Learn about diaspora heroes like Zumbi dos Palmares and leaders of Maroon communities.
Know how Yorùbá divination and healing shaped Black liberation in the diaspora.
Understand the Pan-African importance of Ifá and Oríṣà worship today.
Know that you are spiritually related to Black people across the world.
Learn about contemporary leaders and teachers in Ifá and Òrìṣà traditions globally.
See yourself as part of a global Yorùbá cultural revival.
Understand how African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latinx people honor Òrìṣà.
Know that Yorùbá practices were often hidden under Catholic saints or Christian names.
Learn how to respectfully connect with diaspora communities practicing your culture.
Know that culture adapts — but truth and alignment must remain.
Understand that Maat, Ifá, and other African systems reflect shared values.
Learn about Afro-Brazilian and Afro-Cuban art, dance, and rituals rooted in Yorùbá belief.
Recognize Yorùbá wisdom in global Black activism, art, and philosophy.
Be proud of your ancestral endurance, creativity, and resistance.
Know that your culture is not “primitive” — it is divine technology.
See the entire world as your stage — and your ancestors as your foundation.

Values, Wisdom & Future Responsibility

Learn and live by ìwà pẹ̀lẹ́ (gentle, noble character).
Know that humility, truth, patience, and respect are foundational values.
Practice proverbs and storytelling — they carry coded ancestral wisdom.
Know how to greet, honor, and speak with elders.
Understand the power of your words — they are sacred tools.
Keep your promises and protect your name — it is your legacy.
Learn to work with others — community is the backbone of Yorùbá culture.
Treat others with fairness, generosity, and love — even when it's hard.
Seek education — but do not let it erase your culture.
Be proud to wear traditional attire and speak your language anywhere.
Use your talents to uplift your family and people.
Respect women, children, and the Earth as sacred.
Know that you carry the prayers of generations before you.
Speak out against injustice, but with honor and wisdom.
Create — sing, write, farm, invent, build — your ancestors did all of it.
Heal your traumas — and protect your peace.
Be the bridge between tradition and innovation.
Raise future generations in the truth of who they are.
Remember that you are not ordinary — you are the living presence of ancient royalty.
Know that to know yourself as Yorùbá is to know that you are sacred, responsible, and infinite.

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