Orishas - correct spelling: singular - òrìṣà, plural - òrìṣàs - are divine spirits that play a key role in the Yoruba religion of West Africa and several religions of the African diaspora that derive from it, such as Haitian Vaudou, Cuban, Dominican and Puerto Rican Santería and Brazilian Candomblé. The preferred spelling varies depending on the language in question: òrìṣà is the spelling in the Yoruba language, orixá in Portuguese, and orisha, oricha, orichá or orixá in Spanish-speaking countries.
Statues of Orishas in the water at Dique do Tororó Park, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
The Yoruba religion, West African Orisa (Òrìṣà), or Isese (Ìṣẹ̀ṣe), comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practice of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in present-day Southwestern Nigeria, which comprises the majority of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Kwara and Lagos States, as well as parts of Kogi state and the adjoining parts of Benin and Togo, commonly known as Yorubaland.
A Yemoja priestess in Ọ̀yọ́, Nigeria
Yoruba divination board Opon Ifá
An Egungun masquerade dance garment in the permanent collection of The Children's Museum of Indianapolis
Image: Symbol of the inner head (ibori) Africa Nigeria Yoruba people 19th 20th century leather glass beads cowrie shells Dallas Museum of Art
