Old Wine in the New Wine Skins: A Comparative Semiotic Investigation of <i>Orí-Òkè</i> Symbolism in Yorùbá and Christian Beliefs
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Abstract
Prayer Mountain as a product of Yoruba Christian regime is characterized by the belief that God dwells on mountain top. Within the ambit of Yoruba Christianity, Prayer Mountain describes various prayer regimes, rituals, religious beliefs and practices which evolved largely to alleviate the existential problems of attendees through the help of the Divine. Ori oke, in recent times has become a source of refuge and succor to the troubled and a haven from the billows of life. Studies have revealed that Mountain top is believed by the Yoruba to be the abode of Olodumare—God, which has been brought by Yoruba Christians into its fold, in order to retain its relevance and spirituality. Therefore, this paper adopted historical, comparative and semiotic methods of ethnographic research. The study discovered that Ori oke is a rendezvous between humankind and the Divine, and these two trajectories are full of codes and symbols as tenor of discourse. They demonstrate the fact that the old wine is in the new wine skins as explained.
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