You may be wondering what this logo is all about, let me explain the history of our symbol.

I received the title of the Yeye Araba of Ile Ife on May 20, 2006. His Royal Highness, the late Ooni of Ife, the traditional ruler of approximately 43 million Yoruba, conferred the title. I gave a great deal of thought to the meaning of the title and the leadership role it entails. Indeed, in preparation for assuming this new mantle or persona as Yeye Araba, I developed a crest. The process represents my ongoing attempts to provide a powerful symbolic expression of my evolving leadership philosophy and praxis.

The term Yeye Araba is both powerful and auspicious; Yeye is a Yoruba word for woman or mother. When I queried several educated native Yoruba speakers about the meaning, they told me that Araba is the baobab, the mightiest tree in the forest; it provides shelter and sustenance to the community. I corresponded with Dr. Toyin Falola, a prolific scholar and History Professor at the University of Texas about the title. The following is an excerpt of his response:The holder of the title will be expected to serve as the “official mother” of the Araba, who is the chief diviner and domestic chaplain of the Ooni. Therefore, the Yeye Araba should be knowledgeable and experienced enough to discharge her maternal responsibilities to her son, the Araba, who consults the Ifa oracle for the Ooni every day. (Falola, personal communication, March 2006)

Also implicit in the title Yeye Araba is the notion of a leader of women. These are profound concepts that reminded me of the words attributed to Beloved Jesus, ‘to whom much is given, much is required’ (Luke 12:48). The tree enclosed in a circle, draws upon the chthonic* Mother Earth, a symbol of equity and sustenance. Within the center of the circle, we find a substantial tree, robust and potentially productive. Symbolically, the tree embodies several important properties. I particularly appreciated Crews’ (accessed April 7, 2006) statement about the folklore symbolism of trees:

utilized for food, fuel, shelter, clothing, fences and barriers, lances and spears; and burned, cut or transformed into numerous objects. Their shadows provided cover, camouflage and hiding places for persons on either side of the law. Over time, forests and individual species of trees have come to represent different conceptsin the imaginations of populations living in various geographical locations. Whether trees were numerous or scarce in a given locality influenced how theywere perceived and dealt with in legends, mythologies and cultures.

Returning to the crest, the tree represents the central form, the Araba, an ancient being. While unseen, the subterranean roots are deep and grounded. They are an important reminder of the value of accessing ancestral wisdom and the energy and insight of the collective unconscious. The tree can represent both the individual and the community  Just as the pattern of the mighty oak resides in the acorn, the quality of the life we lead resides within us.

Like the medicine wheel, the symbols surrounding the tree are intentionally positioned at cardinal points – north, east, south and west. Beginning in the east, I placed the ankh, known in ancient Egypt as the key of life. I selected the ankh because it symbolizes complementarity or what I call the mystical marriage made in heaven and lived out on earth. The upper portion of the ankh represents the womb, feminine or feeling principle. The ankh’s lower section represents the phallus, masculine or thinking principle. We need both male and female, thinking and feeling to bring into manifestation our hearts’ desires or our life’s goals. The male and female elements are in dynamic balance.

In the south, I placed the gye nyame, another ancient African symbol from Ghana which instructs us to acknowledge the Divine. This symbol, resurgent in the West, is popular among critically conscious members of the African Diaspora. Universal in its application, the gye nyame reminds us of the value of acknowledging and connecting with our spiritual source, the Divine. The location in the south and at the base is intentional, recognizing Spirit as foundational to my understanding of leadership. Spirit, in my view, is central to all of life’s meaning.

As we circumnavigate the circle, we encounter the cowrie in the west. In ancient times, the cowrie was used as legal tender or currency in the Americas, South Pacific and Africa. Drawn from the wealth of the sea, the cowrie represents the vast unknown or that part of us waiting to be explored, tapped and expressed. To me, this symbol speaks directly to the importance of lifelong learning, an intrinsic wealth that pays dividends both individually and collectively. As quiet as it is kept, the cowrie is also the quintessential feminine symbol. Take another look and you may be able to see a representation of the vulva. The resurgence of the divine feminine is potentially one of the most vital resources we have to address the social ills and injustice that have devalued life for so many of our fellow human beings.

As we continue our journey around the circle, lodged in the north we find the spiral. The spiral’s message is both simple and powerful. The spiral, as with any coil, facilitates the transfer of energy. There is power in this present moment. Just as Sinclair (2007) emphasizes the importance of the breath, the present moment is a true possession of value. I deliberately shaped this spiral in the form of a question mark drawing upon insights from Ed Rabel, my Canadian metaphysics instructor, who taught me to always have an inventory of unanswered questions, thus emphasizing the importance of lifelong learning. This completes the first round, both literally and figuratively, inherent in the spiral is the concept of the progressive realization of our dreams and aspirations. That is Paul Meyer’s definition of success, the progressive realization of a worthwhile goal.

Notes: Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade CFR (1 January 1930 – 28 July 2015) was the fiftieth traditional ruler or Ooni of Ife from 1980 to his death in 2015, taking the regal name Olubuse II.

Paul Meyer (May 21, 1928-October 26, 2009) founded Success Motivation Institute, Inc. in 1960 and dedicated it to “motivating people to their full potential.”

Chthonic means of or pertaining to the deities, spirits, and other beings dwelling under the earth. (Pronounced thaa·nuhk) 

Reference

Sinclair, A. (2007). Leadership for the disillusioned: Moving beyond myths and heroes to leading that liberates. Crows Nest, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin. ISBN-10: 174175100