Iyanle: An act of making sacrifice to #MotherEarth

You probably must have noticed an Ifa/Orisa practitioner offering a piece of food to ile before eating, and then you wonder why they indulge in such act.. Yes, your mind is right... it has spiritual attachment.

 

This practice is called “iyanle”, an act of pouring or offering a particle of food or some liquid before consumption. As Ifa/Orisa devotees, we believe is a form of sacrifice. Sacrifice to who right? sacrifice to Ile, mother earth.

 

Then you ask yourself, why is it important to do this?

 

Well, Orunmila, the witness of destiny, mandated it for all his followers to indulge in this practice. This is evident in the sacred verse of Ika di when it says:

 

Kalankadii

Agagaiga

Ojo nla ni takiti leyin abuke

Adifafun Ile

Tii seru akora Barapetu

Adifafun Orunmila

Baba ji, baba n fomi Oju sogbere Ire

Gbogbo aworo ope,

E jeka ma yanle ka to jeun

Gbogbo aworo ope,

E jeka ma yanle ka to mu

 

Translation:

Kalankadii

Agagaiga

It is the heavy rain that stumbles at the back of the hunchback

Cast Ifa for Ile, mother earth

Who was the first aid of Barapetu (Orunmila)

Cast Ifa for Orunmila

When lamenting the inabilty to acquire goodness.

Followers of Ope (Orunmila)

Lets us pour a piece on the ground before eating

Followers of Ope (Orunmila)

Lets us pour a small quantity on the ground before drinking

 

 

When Orunmila, once affluent, had fallen on hard times and was deeply unhappy. Seeking guidance, he consulted Olodumare. Olodumare revealed that Orunmila's misfortune stemmed from his failure to acknowledge and show gratitude to Ile, the Mother Earth, who provides all things.

 

To restore balance and prosperity, Olodumare instructed Orunmila to always offer a portion of his harvest to Ile before taking anything for himself. From then on, whenever Orunmila took something, he would pour a small portion on the ground, saying:

"Ile, tire re e o"

Aje kolounje o to je

"Ile, tire re e o"

Amu kolomi o to mu

 

Meaning "

Mother Earth, here is your portion

You who eat before the owner of the food eats

Mother Earth, here is your portion

You who drink before the owner of the water drinks

 

Iyanle is performed because it is Ile, mother earth, that produces most of what we eat. Hence, we have to give due credit and reverence to her. Therefore, Iyanle is one of the ways of doing that.

 

In conclusion, Iyanle is a very compulsory act of sacrifice that we must comply with each and every time we are about to eat or drink. There are cases where the environment does not permit you to pour anything on the ground. In this scenario, you can put the small piece of iyanle inside the bowl meant for washing hands or somewhere else, where it will be later disposed.