Ruvang (Ru-vahng)
Ruvang is the indigenous term for the religion of the Hikiri peoples, which also refers to the traditions and rituals that encompass Hikiri culture. The term comes from a contraction of the words Ru, meaning "source or root or origin," and vang, meaning "practice, or tradition," coming together to mean "The source of our tradition," as many of the practices, beliefs, traditions, and observances of the Hikiri originate from the religious worship of the Orisa.
Mythology & Lore
The Hikiri as a people regard Olodumare as the principal agent of creation, and all powerful gods were simply pieces of him.
According to one of the Hikiri accounts of creation, at a certain stage in the process, the "truth" was sent to confirm the habitability of the planets that were newly formed by Olorun. Aralla, being one of these, was visited but considered too wet for conventional living.
After a successful period of time, a number of divinities led by Obatalá were sent to accomplish the task of helping earth develop its crust. On one of their visits to the realm, the arch-divinity Obatalá took to the stage equipped with a mollusk that concealed some form of soil; winged beasts and some cloth like material. The contents were emptied onto what soon became a large mound on the surface of the water and soon after, the winged-beasts began to scatter this around until the point where it gradually made into a large patch of dry land; the various indentations they created eventually becoming hills and valleys.
Obatala leaped onto a high-ground and named the place Malanya. The land became fertile and plant life began to flourish. From handfuls of earth he began to mold figurines. Meanwhile, as this was happening on Aralla, Olorun gathered the gases from the far reaches of space and sparked an explosion that shaped into a fireball that was the sun. He then let the world take it's course as he retreated from the universe, leaving his Orisa to care and guide for humanity. During the Calamity, when his creations were threatened, he empowered the Orisa to defend the world, even coming down in his avatar form to fight. However, the forces of the Enemy were too great, and Olorun crafted a great shield to hold the world and keep evil away forever. Sadly, many legends say that the world outside did not survive, and sunk deep into the bottomless sea of Ọya.
Cosmological Views
The Hikiri people have a robust cosmology. In brief, it holds that all human beings possess what is known as "Aṣhẹ", which is regarded as destiny or fate. The Hikiri use their "Aṣhẹ", through which they conceive the power to make things happen and produce change. It is given by Olodumare to everything — gods, ancestors, spirits, humans, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, and voiced words such as songs, prayers, praises, curses, or even everyday conversation. Existence, according to Hikiri thought, is dependent upon it. In addition to its sacred characteristics, "Aṣhẹ" also has important social ramifications, reflected in its translation as "power, authority, command." A person who, through training, experience, and initiation, learns how to use the essential life force of things to willfully effect change is called an alaase.
Every person is expected to become eventually one in spirit with Olodumare (also known as Olorun, the divine creator and source of all energy). Furthermore, the thoughts and actions of each person in Ayé (the physical realm) interact with all other living things, including the planet itself.
Each person living in the world attempts to achieve perfection and find their destiny in Orun-Reree (the spiritual realm of those who do good and beneficial things).
Ori, literally meaning "head," refers to one's spiritual intuition and destiny. It is the reflective spark of human consciousness embedded into the human essence, and therefore is often personified as an Orisa in its own right. It is believed by the Hikiri that human beings are able to heal themselves both spiritually and physically by working with the Orisas to achieve a balanced character, or iwapele. When one has a balanced character, one obtains an alignment with one's Ori or divine self. It is also believed that Ori be worshiped like Orisa. When things are not going right, Ori should be consulted. And to make things right Ori should be appeased. This is because whatever one becomes or whatever happens in one's life is as destined by Ori.
Iwapẹlẹ (or well-balanced) meditative recitation and sincere veneration is sufficient to strengthen the ori-inu of most people. Well-balanced people, it is believed, are able to make positive use of the simplest form of connection between their Orisa and the omnipotent Olorun: an adura (petition or prayer) for divine support.
Tenets of Faith
The Hikiri believe in Atunwa, reincarnation within the family. The names Babatunde (father returns), Yetunde (Mother returns), Babatunji (Father wakes once again) and Sotunde (The wise man returns) all offer vivid evidence of the concept of familial or lineal rebirth. There is no simple guarantee that your grandfather or great uncle will "come back" in the birth of a child, however.
Whenever the time arrives for a spirit to return to Aralla (otherwise known as The Marketplace) through the conception of a new life in the direct bloodline of the family, one of the component entities of a person's being returns, while the other remains in Heaven (Orun-Reree). The spirit that returns does so in the form of a Guardian Ori. One's Guardian Ori, which is represented and contained in the crown of the head, represents not only the spirit and energy of one's previous blood relative, but the accumulated wisdom he or she has acquired through myriad lifetimes. This is not to be confused with one’s spiritual Ori, which contains personal destiny, but instead refers to the coming back to The Marketplace of one's personal blood Ori through one's new life and experiences. The Primary Ancestor becomes – if you are aware and work with that specific energy – a "guide" for the individual throughout their lifetime. At the end of that life they return to their identical spirit self and merge into one, taking the additional knowledge gained from their experience with the individual as a form of payment.
Priesthood
Babalawo - literally means 'father of the mysteries' in the Hikiri language. It is a spiritual title that denotes a high priest or oracle. The serve the many Orisa and use a divination system that represents the teachings of Orúla, the Òrìṣà of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of Olorun.
