User:Outlaw10
this is my new Wikipedia page :-) In the City of Ibadan, Nigeria, the capitol of Nigeria, there is a shrine dedicated to Shango. Shango is the god of thunder and lightning. The Shrine is located on Agbeni Street amongst small shops and market stalls. The shrine was built its spot after the Oyo Yoruba established Ibadan as a war camp around 1829 (Warren & Wolff, p.2). Nigeria is located in Africa on the Gulf of Guinea. Surrounding countries are Benin, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. Between Chad and Nigeria is Lake Chad. “Shango worship is largely practiced in northern and central regions of Yorubaland which use to be part of the Oyo Empire (Warren & Wolff, p.2).” According to Norma H. Wolff and D. Michael Warren, “Shango was the fourth king of the Oyo kingdom, but even though he only served for seven years, he was so powerful as a war leader that he is still greatly remembered as a god.” “According to the oral history recited by Olaniyan Omigbike, the Shango Shrine was brought to its place of resting from Old Oyo before 1830 by a priest by the name of Akinrinat the request of Oluyole, who was about to become prime minister of Ibadan (Warren & Wolff, p.3).” Shango was not the longest living god in human form, but he was so powerful and such a great leader that the Yoruba people admired him and still do today. He was greatly feared since he could control the lighting. He had a greater weapon than any other war lord at this time. The soon to be prime minister wanted the most powerful and famous god in his city. “The replacement of original carvings due to decay is a typical Yoruba practice, and according to Olaniyan Omigbike (personal communication, 1974) is at all times followed in the Agbeni shrine. Up until sometime in the 1960’s, new carvings and accessories had appeared and the old faded away at the shrine in a natural process of wearing away and addition though the screen of carved posts remained mostly unchanged. Everything that had happened between the years of 1963 and 1971 though was not part of the slow process (Warren & Wolff, 1998, p. 6).” The people of Ibadan are very proud of this shrine. They have such good upkeep on the shrine that people will come from all over the world just to see the shrine. It is not just important to the people of Ibadan; it is a way of life. They spend so much time on the shrine that it is practically a job for them. “It was believed that Shango was the first to have made his own decorations. Shango was a fantastic warrior and so were his servants. Whenever he went to battle, he would always take his personal carver with him. Whenever he would see one of his soldiers that proved they were brave enough, Shango would have his carver carve a piece in their image, mainly after their deaths. This is how many images were obtained. After Shango’s death, there were tons of (Warren)Figure 1 > “Images of male and female soldiers that were found in his home were put into this shrine in his memory. As the images would get damaged or spoiled, they would be replaced by his followers (Warren & Wolff, 1998, p. 8).” Shango was so proud of his warriors for being brave that the people decided to put the warriors with him. Being surrounded by his warriors he will be more protected since they were so brave. It also is gives the family of the people that were in the carvings honor and makes them proud. “The Shango shrine at Agbeni is perhaps the most awe-inspiring of all the current Yoruba god’s shrines. While most of the architectural appliances noted by Frobenius faded away by the mid-twentieth century, Shango is still protected by his court and devotees. The screen of warriors, priests, mothers, and worshipers decorates the shrine and amplifies Shango’s reputation of a powerful war leader. Even though the replacement carvings are less successful and less pleasing than the originals, they still are sending the same message about the god. While trying to project a sense of protection and respect, the iconography communicates at several levels with specific references to the aspects of Shango worship and the breadth of his influence in the community and beyond. There are two related important themes that are pervasive: the complex and contradictory aspects of Shango’s personality and the potential powers he controls (Warren & Wolff, 1998, p. 12).” There has been a lot of time and effort that has been put into the Shango shrine to make Shango proud. As long as shango is happy they believe they are serving him correctly. It puts more meaning to their lives to make their god proud and have a full happy life. Bibliography Warren, Norma H. Wolff & D. Michael. "The Agbeni Shango Shrine in Abidab a Century of Continuity." Ebsco (1998): p36 .
