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Photo Credits: www.oyotunji.org/
Monday, 24 February 2014
Follow the historical timeline of the Oyotunji African Village located near Sheldon, Beaufort County, South Carolina, USA
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| His Roya Highness Oba (King) Ofuntola Oseijeman Adelabu Adefunmi I was born Walter Eugene King on October 5, 1928 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He graduated from Cass Technical High School. |
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| He was originally baptized into Christianity at Hartford Avenue Baptist Church at age 12. |
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| He began the serious persuit of art and dance at Cass Tech. and at the Detroit Urban League. He began African studies at age 16 to begin his great quest for the gods of Africa. |
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| His Exposure to African religion with the association with the Katherine Dunham Dance Troupe at the age of 20. |
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| He traveled to Haiti the same year. |
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| He founded the order of Damballah Whedo, Ancestor Priest in Harlem the following year. |
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| On Aguat 26, 1959, he became the first African American to become fully initiated into the Orisa-Vodun African priesthood, by African Cubans in Matanzas, Cuba. This marked the beginning of the spread of Yoruba religion and culture among the African Americans. |
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| With a few followers, and after dissolution of the Order of Damballah Whedo, he founded the Sango temple in New York city. He incorporated the African Theological Archministry in 1960. |
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| The Sango Temple was relocated and remnamed the Yoruba Temple the same year |
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| He introduced the Danshiki and began small scale manufacture of African attire in the summer of 1960. |
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| He founded the Yoruba Academy for the academic study of Yoruba history, religion and language in 1961. |
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| He opened the Ujamaa Market in 1961 beginning tword African boutiques which, like the Danshiki, spread throughout African American communities. Photo courtesy of jakukonbit.com |
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| He published pamthlets ; The Yoruba Religion, The Yoruba state and the tribal origins of The African American. He participated in the Black Nationalist rallies of the 1960's |
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| during that time he formed the African Nationalist Independence Partition Party aimed at establishing "an African state in America by 1972! :Actual photo of RNA Baba Oseijeman in rear. |
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| He designed A flag with red, gold and green bars; the gold emblazoned with a black ancient Egyptian ankh. The Yoruba temple would march thru the streets with flag and drums headed to the 67 Worlds Fair. |
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| In the fall of 1970, he founded the Yoruba Village of Oyotunji in Beaufort County South Carolina, and began the careful reorganization of the Orisa vodu priesthood along the traditional Nigerian lines. |
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| Add captHe was initiated to the Ifa priesthood by Oluwa of Ijeun at Abeokuta, Nigeria, in Agust of 1972.ion |
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| He opened the first official Ogboni Parliament of Oyotunji Chiefs and land owners in 1973, and later that year founded the Igbimolosa ( Priest Council) to organize laws and rules and to adjudicate disputes among Orisa-Vodun priest. |
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| Later in 1973 Oba Oseijeman commenced the construction of the Osagiyan Palace at Oyotunji. |
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| HRM. Oba Oseijeman Adefunmi I has been called The Father of the Cultural Restoration Movement in N.America. |
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| In 1981 Oba Efuntola was sponsored by the Caribbean Visual Arts and Research Center to present a paper at a conference of Orisa-Vodu priests at the Univeristy of Ile-Ife,Nigeria. |
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| Oba ofuntola was presented to His Divine Royal Majesty King Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II the "Ooni" of the ancient city of Ife, who ordered the Ife chiefs to perform coronation rights on him. |
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| Thus Oba Ofuntola Oseijeman Adefunmi became the first of the line of Yoruba Kings consecrated by the Ooni of Ife. |
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| In the summer of 1993 Oba Ofuntola was recognized as the oldest living Babalawo in the USA and became the Araba of Ijo Orunmila Igbo Mimo. |
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| Later in 1993 Oba Ofuntola became the only Official representative of traditional African religion to address the Parliament of World Religions in the 100 yrs of the organization. African delagation pictured in rear right corner. |
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| Oba Adefunmi's Oyotunji Village has fostered the establishment of Yoruba temples in New York, Connecticut,Philadelphia, Indiana,Florida,Los Angeles, North Carolina ,Texas,Georgia,Milwaukee. |
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| Oba Ofuntola and the Oyotunji village have initiated over 300 priest into the ministries of Orisa-Vodu. |
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| In doing so, he has restored to the African American the ancient sacred priesthood of Orunmila,Esu,Ogun,Oya,Obatala,,Sango and Olokun. |
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| Oyotunji has restored to the African American the anciet right of Gelede ( recognized by UNESCO) and Egungun Ancestor worship. |
Photo Credits: www.oyotunji.org/
