Ancestral Veneration

Egúngún is Ancestral Veneration

Over thousands of years throughout all ancient indigenous cultures, the importance of honouring our ancestors of blood, lineage, and community has been our collective pillar of strength and guidance, empowering the lives of the living. Remembering, acknowledging and honouring the dead has innumerable benefits for the living. We live in a multidimensional universe in which the unseen realm interacts with and influences our daily lives. It is the collective wisdom, power, and spiritual strength embedded in our ancestors' experiences that aids us in achieving our individual and collective goals.

Our departed ancestors are known as Egúngún in West African Òrìṣà traditions; the existence of and interaction with our departed loved ones forms the foundation for Egúngún worship in a traditional society. The communal process of ancestral veneration known as Egúngún masquerade is a means by which members of society summon various lineages of our collective human consciousness to aid the community by dispersing undesirable and antagonistic forces seeking to limit human expression. While also assisting the living in connecting with the forces of creativity, growth, and expansion. In this way, the dead can express their love and support while guiding and guarding the living.

As living and breathing souls, we must always be reminded that death is not the end, but rather a process of transformation that we will all go through. Our souls are unbreakable, while our bodies serve to replenish the earth. Egúngún are our ancestors' spirits, who, like the living, still require acknowledgement and nourishment. Among Òrìṣà devotees, the use of song, food, dancing, prayer and other spiritual mechanisms are used to enhance and nourish their connections between the living and the dead to create a more integrated, healed and collective society.

Who are OJE?

Ọjẹ are a collective group of people dedicated to upholding and honouring the mysteries of the ancestors. An Ọjẹ is someone given the spiritual authority to assist in the caring of the dead through various mundane and esoteric means. Everyone can and should worship Egúngún, however it is only those who are initiated into the society of Egúngún who are known as Ọjẹ. The purpose of initiation into the society of Egúngún worshippers is to increase ones felt and experienced sense of connection and relationship to the ancestors. Ọjẹ are introduced to the inner workings of ancestral veneration and taught how to harness the power of the ancestors to improve their lives and enhance the collective wellness of their communities. Within the society of Ọjẹ, they also given various duties and responsibilities depending upon their role, experience and expertise. Among initiated Ọjẹ, it is understood that the practices which are taught and passed down through mentorship and discipline are to be kept secret and not shared broadly with those outside of the group, so as to protect the esoteric and mystical aspects of Egúngún worship. Ọjẹ are charged with the responsibilities for caring for the lineages of ancestors of the community by organizing both public and private gatherings dedicated to honouring the spirit of Egúngún in the spirit of communal responsibility.

Written by Ọpẹ́ifá