This research monograph discusses the understudied and often misunderstood aspects of West African culture and religion especially that of the Yoruba people and their ""Book of Enlightenment"" (Ife-Ifa) together with its metaphysical importance to the Yoruba as a source of philosophy, religion and literature. Coverage includes chapters on Yoruba origins and ancestry as described in the ""Ile-Ife"", the cultural and trading centers, the advent of Sacred Literature, referring to the importance of the oral literature. Next, ethical values are discussed and contemporary African anthropological and social science research is analyzed as a tool to describe Yoruba ethical values. ""The Royal Scrolls"" are discussed and their role in developing a written language and a school of philosophy is investigated. Material on naming [Olodumare and other divinities], family life, and the dispersal of the oral tradition to other neighboring regions conclude the work.

Foreword by: Biodun Jeyifo