The Ajã African Vodun Cosmological View of Character – Jijɔ
In the Ajã language of southern Benin Republic, the word used for “character” is jijɔ. Of particular interest is the reference to birth in this word – ji. In the Vodún way of life, jijɔ is related to one’s destiny and in many cases related to the type of character you bring back from a previous life or accumulated previous lives. However, though born with a certain type of jijɔ, one is usually able to improve upon it. Vodún teaches that jijɔ dagbe (good character) is requisite in building strong families and communities.
In the Odù Ifá of the Yorùbá Iṣẹṣẹ tradition, it is said that Ọrúnmìlà married Ìwà (character). Ọrúnmìlà represents wisdom. Wisdom was wise enough (😂) to marry character. Thus, our ancient Vodún and Iṣẹṣẹ traditions teach us that wisdom and character are intricately intertwined. Profoundly, when referencing a person’s destiny, the Yorùbá will often use the word ìwà. Similar in concept to the Ajã people, the Yorùbá word for reincarnation is atunwà, meaning “return of character”.
As I’ve stated before, our culture has everything and more of what we need to be a whole people. There is no need to think you have to turn to foreign traditions to fill in the blanks of what you think we don’t have in our traditions. That usually not only reveals a lack of study, but being a bit lazy about getting deeper into your own traditions. Of course, this statement applies more to people already in the tradition. Additionally, for those not in the tradition, this is just a bit of an example of how deep your ancestors thought – an invitation to answer to the Ancestral Call.