Babalawo
The Yoruba priest of Ifa, whose name means father of secrets, trained for years to read and recite the odu.
Also: babalawo, babalao, iyanifa, awo
Babalawo (babaláwo), father of secrets, is the title of an initiated priest of Ifá, also called awo. Training includes memorising verses from each of the 256 odu, learning the casting of the divination tools, and understanding the offerings and herbs connected with them. A client consults for a naming, a wedding, a move, an illness or a dispute. In many lineages women may be initiated as iyanifa, mother of Ifá, though the question of women's roles is debated. In Cuba, the babalao leads the Ifá branch of Regla de Ocha, and the same practice exists in the United States, Brazil and Venezuela. Because the work involves private confidences, a priest's counsel is held in confidence.