The two major focuses of this research are the interpretation of the verbal and the visual arts of Òşun to mirror the cult of Òşun Òşogbo in order to broaden our understanding of the cult. Three literary theories hermeneutics, semiotics and feminism were employed in our analysis, with brief explanation of their relevance to our analysis. The first chapter of this work deals with introduction-our research methodology, the scope and objectives and the expected contribution to knowledge.
The second chapter focuses on the origin of Òşogbo community, the deities in the community, the origin of Òşun and Òşun festival in Òşogbo. It was established in this chapter that Òşogbo started as a Ìjéşà community but now a mixture of Òyó and Ìjèşà Yorùbá with greater population and influence of the Òyó people. This cannot but be traced to the effect of political domination of the old Òyó Empire over other Yoruba groups. It is revealed that, Ìgèdè-Èkìtì is the source of Òşun River, which flows through Ìjèşà land to Òşogbo where it is popularized. The various shrines and deeps (Ibú Òşun) were mentioned together with the baseline data of Òşun festival in Òşogbo.
The third chapter focuses on the structure or organisation of Òşun cult in Òşogbo. This begins with the Àtàójá, the Ìyá Òşun, Àwòrò Òşun and other cultic functionaries - male and female. Aworo Òşun is a modern event created by the king as his representative in the cult when he has many things to attend to and because of his new religious orientation. He cannot abandon the worship of Òşun because of its importance in the legitimacy of his office as the king hinges upon this deity. So, Àwòrò has to be chosen as his representative in the cult. This chapter was concluded with the children of Òşun at various levels.
The fourth chapter deals with the analysis of the content of Òşun Verbal Art - songs, chants and recitation. Many hidden things about the cult of Òşun in Òşogbo became known in the analysis. Our analysis in this chapter has shown the position the impact and the place of Òşun as a goddess in Yorùbá pantheon. Apart from this, the faith and the fate of Òşun devotees in her have been shown. It is under this chapter that we examine Òşun as the personification of Yorùbá womanhood; as a model mother; a paediatrician;
as a deity of fertility, vitality and productivity. We also examine the beauty
and the elegance of Òşun, and it has been shown that Òşun combines beauty with good character as a complement, which is concomitant to the Yorùbá saying that, character is beauty (ìwà lẹwà). The analysis of Òşun verbal art has shown the invaluable role of Òşun in the politics of Òşogbo community.
It is evident that she is the one ruling Òşogbo community for the king, because she owns the town. It has been shown that Òşun is a river/water. A thorough analysis of her verbal art has shown how the attributes of water reveal the virtues embedded in Òşun as a goddess.
In this same fourth chapter we examined the relationship of Òşun with other deities in Yorùbá pantheon. It is evident that most of them are interrelated with Òşun. This fourth chapter was concluded with examination of Òşun as a witch, which is the source of her mystical power the one of which make her to be powerful and popular among the deities in the Yorùbá pantheon of Òrìşà. Also, this chapter shows that the Òşun oral literature is a repertoire of the local history, legends and myths through which the community is orderized and governed. These orature serves as tools through which the forgotten or hidden truths and practices are illuminated.
The fifth chapter centres on the examination of the visual art of Òşun.
Various visual art representing and reflecting the attributes of Òşun were examined. The visual art like the verbal art reveals many things about Òşun.
She is seen as a model mother. We examined pictures that show her relationship with other deities in Yorùbá pantheon and those that show the fate and the faith of Òşun devotees in her as a changer of bad destiny, repairer of lives and as the one who blesses those that trust in her. Also, this chapter reveals that the artists use their inner eyes (ojú inú) to arrive at various appropriate and appealing images of various orisa; which is a quality that they must possess before they can make the essential identity, character, attributes, appearance or better put, right representations of the deities. In the case of Òşogbo religious artist, they use their innovative ideas to make right representations and presentations of myths, legends and oríkì delivered to them by the word of mouths in their artistic expression. Hence, this chapter shows the interplay between the verbal and the visual metaphors of Òşun both in the worship of this deity and also in espousing the tenets and the religious beliefs of the cult. This shows the Yorùbá notion of aesthetic that the verbal, visual and ontological elements are interrelated, interconnected and interdependent.
The sixth chapter focuses on the transformation of Òşun cult in Òşogbo.
The factors that are responsible for the transformation of Òşun cult in Òşogbo were discussed. They include: the effect of eighteenth and nineteenth century slave trade; the impact of foreign religions, the effect of modernism which introduces modern healing method and new political structure; and the impact of the New Sacred Art Group which Susanne
Wenger, and Austrian woman spearheaded. In this chapter various ways in which the above-mentioned factors have contributed to the transformation of Òşun cult in Òşogbo were discussed.
In conclusion, Òşun is not the only traditional religious cult in Òşogbo but it is the most popularised cult in that community. Òşogbo is not the source of Òşun but it is in Òşogbo that she is given a global attention. It has been shown in this work that, apart from her attributes as a generous and a caring goddess, and slave trade of eighteenth and nineteenth century, the most invaluable factor responsible for her globalisation is the effort of Susanne Wenger and her New Sacred Art Group. Therefore, Òşun verbal art can be regarded as the traditional aspect of Òşun cult in Òşogbo while the visual art of Òşun in Òşogbo community could be regarded as the foreign influence or aspect. There are dissensions about the visual arts of Òşun and other deities in Òşogbo. Many people hold the belief that the art works or images representing these deities are not ritualised and that they are into sacred. They even see it as a form of religious and cultural syncretism, and deviation from the tradition. But, another group of people see these art works as a means of vitalisation of the cult. It is important to know that the people’s perception of these religious images is that their location in the grove of Òşun makes them sacred. Also, they are already performing the expected function of provision of space and place with the divine contacts.
Effects of Islam and Christianity on the cult of Òşun in Òşogbo can be easily noticed in the verbal art in which it has changed the content of various literature of Òşun to reflect the presence of these foreign religions in Òşogbo and their effects on the cult of Òşun. Even though Òşun religion is receiving verbal persecution from these two prominent demesticated (foreign) religions on the daily basis; many Muslims and Christians still take passive and active roles in the festival. This is evidential in their large turnout at the annual Òşun festival in Òşogbo.
Finally, I hope that in exploring the social, cultural and anthropological nexus of communication, the verbal and the visual arts and domains should be taken into cognisance for better understanding and knowledge. This means, that, the combination of the verbal and the visual art of Òşun Òşogbo will broaden our understanding and knowledge of the cult. The orature is highly efficient means of studying cultural institutions and means of retrieving history and past experiences, and enactment and re-enactment of artistic values.
I want to suggest that; there should be a comparative study on Òşun festival in the various locations that she is worshipped in Yorùbá land. Also, Òşun is dying because of Western Colonisation. Òşun is being reborn due to Western concept of what it should be. Hence, the whole event is no longer a real traditional event but a mixture of traditional and Western. It is a form of
neo-colonisation and at the same time a form of revitalisation of religious identity in the era of globalisation. The source of the new manifestations is more often than not of local nature even though they cannot be attributed wholly to a particular original culture. It is the adaptation of the global influence that is the foreign experience that resulted in the mixture of local and global experiences.