Surveys previous works on Yoruba religion and outlines a typology of beliefs, as well as offers an interpretation of religious rites as elements of sacrificial system. This serious study gives valuable material for other approaches to religion-comparative, scientific and theological in addition to providing a point to reference for further studies of socio-religious change and a glimpse into the potential future of the Yoruba religion.

A literary analysis of the Yorba oral tradition known as Ifa. The first part of the book deals with the cultural background, and explores the divining process. The second part of the book is an analysis of the form of Ifa texts, including the stylistic features of the poetic language. Also discusses the concept of predestination in Yoruba belief as well as in the Yoruba cosmos.

The term sacrifice needs to be further explained in the Yoruba religion cultural perspectives. Its connotation transcends the mere offer of gifts to the poor. Sacrifice is propitiatory. This is why it is otherwise known as Etutu (that which propitiates). In another vain, sacrifice can be seen as an atonement -- a carrier of bad fortunes and mishaps. Through the practice of sacrifice, all forms of adversities are rubbed off the path of man and nation and thus usher in positive fortunes of various magnitudes and complexions. The place of sacrifice therefore should not be undermined especially when one remembers that evil and good fortunes are like twin sisters, almost always, each other's concomitant.

Despite the enormous work on diasporas relating to Africa, the majority of this work focuses on trade diasporas located in West African groups, only mentioning the pre-colonial period in passing. Therefore, there is a need to redirect research on diasporas from within Africa to include non-economic diasporas during this time period. Diasporas and Ethnic Identity in Africa: The Edo ne Ekue among the Northeast Yoruba, 1485–1995 fills a gap by discussing the existence of diasporas in pre-colonial Africa that have been neglected by African scholars. Using the Edo ne Ekue as a case study, Uyilawa Usuanlele examines Edo people by shedding light on their political institutions, trading networks, and associations as autonomous and distinct within the Benin Kingdom. This book also discusses how the Edo ne Ekue simultaneously linked their institutions with the royal court of the Benin Kingdom at the expense of the local rulers of their host communities. Throughout this study, Usuanlele provides a better understanding of ethnic identity, state by state relations and their members outside their territorial boundaries to discover the dynamics of political, economic, and social changes within and between communities during and after pre-colonial times.

Divided into three parts, Introduction to Yoruba Philosophy, Religion and Literature is a pyramid of Yoruba past and the present. In his search for the imprints of his antecedents, Ogunyemi has assembled a number of papers in which the entire universe seemed to have been lle-Ife's backyard. This is a useful book for anyone who has been touched by the winds of dispersal and multi-cultural folk memory, especially faculty members teaching African/African American Studies.