Sopona
Encyclopedia
Sopona is the god of smallpox
in the Yoruba religion.
The Yoruba people of Nigeria believed that smallpox was a disease foisted upon humans due to Shapona’s “divine displeasure”, and formal worship of the God of Smallpox was highly controlled by specific priests in charge of shrines to the God. People believed that if the priests were angered they were capable of causing smallpox outbreaks through their intimate relationship with Shapona.
Dr. Oguntola Sapara
suspected that the priests were deliberately spreading the disease, and surreptitiously joined the cult. He discovered that the priests were causing the disease through applying scrapings of the skin rash of smallpox cases.
Based on this information, the British colonial rulers banned the worship of Shapona in 1907.
Worship continued, however, with the faithful paying homage to the God even after such activities were prohibited.
Shapona was exported to the New World in the slave trade, where he became known as Omolu
or Babalu Aye in the Orisha
religion. Shakpana
is an equivalent in Dahomey mythology
.
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
in the Yoruba religion.
The Yoruba people of Nigeria believed that smallpox was a disease foisted upon humans due to Shapona’s “divine displeasure”, and formal worship of the God of Smallpox was highly controlled by specific priests in charge of shrines to the God. People believed that if the priests were angered they were capable of causing smallpox outbreaks through their intimate relationship with Shapona.
Dr. Oguntola Sapara
Oguntola Sapara
Oguntola Odunbaku Sapara was a doctor, originally from Sierra Leone, who spent most of his career in Nigeria. He was best known for his campaign against secret societies that were spreading smallpox.-Birth and education:...
suspected that the priests were deliberately spreading the disease, and surreptitiously joined the cult. He discovered that the priests were causing the disease through applying scrapings of the skin rash of smallpox cases.
Based on this information, the British colonial rulers banned the worship of Shapona in 1907.
Worship continued, however, with the faithful paying homage to the God even after such activities were prohibited.
Shapona was exported to the New World in the slave trade, where he became known as Omolu
Babalu Aye
In the religious system of Orisha worship, Babalú-Ayé is the praise name of the spirit of the Earth and strongly associated with infectious disease, and healing. He is an Orisha, representing the deity Olorun on Earth...
or Babalu Aye in the Orisha
Orisha
An Orisha is a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of Olodumare in the Yoruba spiritual or religious system....
religion. Shakpana
Shakpana
In Dahomey mythology, Shakpana is the divinity of smallpox. He inflicted insanity and disease on humans.The equivalent in Yoruba mythology is Sopona, and in Orisha, Babalu Aye....
is an equivalent in Dahomey mythology
Dahomey mythology
The Dahomey are a nation located in Benin, Africa. The mythology of the Dahomey includes an entire pantheon of thunder gods; for example,*Xevioso is the god of thunder in the So region....
.
Literature
- Bader, Richard-Ernst: Sopono, Pocken und Pockengottkult der Yoruba. Erster Teil. Medizinhistorisches Journal 20 (1985) 363-390 (German)
- Bader, Richard-Ernst: Sopono, Pocken und Pockengottkult der Yoruba. Zweiter Teil. Medizinhistorisches Journal 21 (1986) 31-91 (German)