schism party
Persons involved in the schism. Range: foaf:Person. Sensitive.
Initiated member of the Ekpe leopard society (Cross River / Calabari tradition).
Ekpe Member
House Types
Tipos de casa religiosa
Types de maison religieuse
Àwọn iru ilé ẹ̀sìn
tradition practiced
Tradition(s) practiced in this house. Range: iroko:TraditionScheme in core.
transmission method
How the authority or knowledge was transmitted. Range: iroko:TransmissionTypeScheme.
holds office
A religious office currently or historically held by this person. Inverse of iroko:authorityHolder. Multiple offices may be held simultaneously or sequentially; each is a separate ReligiousOffice instance with its own iroko:conferralDate. This property does not distinguish current from historical — that distinction is carried by the office record. Access: community-only — office holding within a house is internal governance information not appropriate for public disclosure.
initiator
The authority figure who performed the initiation. Range: iroko:ReligiousOffice.
Priest initiated into the Olofin mysteries. Among the highest initiatory grades in Lucumí.
Olofista
membership estimate
Approximate number of initiated members. Text to allow ranges or qualitative descriptions.
initiation witness
Witnesses present at the initiation. Range: foaf:Person. Sensitive; access no-access by default.
Initiation Types
Babalorishaisha
Padrino
Senior male Orisha priest with the authority to initiate others.
Babalosha
Association or society organized around a specific orisha or shared ritual purpose.
Egbé
Lineage
A rama, branch, or transmission line descending from a founding house or practitioner. Represents what makes a specific lineage distinct from others within the same tradition: liturgical variations, oriki, priestly protocols, or founding relationships.
Authority structured by seniority within initiation grade rather than individual title.
Age-Grade
Religious Office Titles
Títulos de autoridad religiosa
lineage child
A house that descends from this house through initiation. Inverse of iroko:lineageParent.
founding house
The house from which this lineage (rama/branch) originates.
authority title
The formal title held. Range: iroko:AuthorityTitleScheme.
Governance Models
initiated person
The person who received initiation. Range: foaf:Person. Highly sensitive — access no-access by default except to the individual and their house.
location
Geographic location of the house. May be city/country only for active houses; full address behind access control.
lineage parent
The house from which this house descends through initiation. Equivalent to godparent-house in common practice.
house governance model
How authority and decision-making are structured within the house. Range: iroko:GovernanceModelScheme.
Other
Domain module. Vocabulary for documenting Afro-Atlantic religious houses, lineage structures, initiation genealogy, authority transmission, and schism events. Extends schema:Organization and FOAF with tradition-specific governance and lineage modeling. Covers ilé, terreiro, hounfò, cabildo, and analogous institutions. Use with iroko-authority to model the authority titles and governance structures held by specific individuals; iroko-epistemic to constrain disclosure of initiation details and membership records.
Iroko Framework: Ilé Module (Lineage, Houses, and Religious Office)
Female head of a Brazilian terreiro.
Mãe de Santo
Male head of a Brazilian terreiro.
Pai de Santo
Consecration to the Iroko tree spirit. Rare; received through specific lineage authorization.
Olu-Iroko
Olu-Iròkò
Transmission involves both embodied/oral and written components.
Combined
schism parent house
Centre for Kardecist or Afro-influenced Espiritismo practice.
Espiritismo Centre
Centro de Espiritismo
granted by
The authority figure who conferred this title. Range: iroko:ReligiousOffice.
lineage characteristics
Description of what distinguishes this rama: liturgical variations, oriki, priestly protocols, founding relationships, regional practices.
entity crowned
For head initiations: the orisha/entity seated on the initiate's head. Range: nkisi:SpiritualEntity.
Initiated child of an orisha. General term for those who have completed kariosha/asiento.
Omo Orisha
The specific form of transmission was determined by divination rather than fixed protocol.
Divination-Prescribed
One recognized head (Iyalosha, Babalosha, Mambo, etc.) with primary authority.
Single Elder Authority
Initiation Event
A specific ceremony creating a formal genealogical link between initiator and initiate. The primary mechanism by which lineage is transmitted and authority is conferred. Access to records is typically initiated-only; existence of the event may be public.
An informal group organized for learning, not yet constituted as a full house.
Study / Learning Group
affiliated house
A house with recognized but non-hierarchical affiliation: alliance, shared lineage recognition, or ongoing ceremonial cooperation.
multi-tradition
True if the house actively practices more than one distinct tradition.
recognized office
A religious office recognized and active within this house. Inverse of iroko:authorityHouse. A house may recognize multiple offices; each office is a separate ReligiousOffice instance. Active vs. historical status determined by iroko:conferralDate on the office record. Access: community-only — office structure of a house is internal governance information.
Religious Office
A religious title or position held by a practitioner, authorizing specific ritual functions within a tradition. Linked to the person (foaf:Person), the house, and the authority figure who conferred it. Distinct from iroko:ContestedAuthority in core, which models disputed titles at the category level — iroko:ReligiousOffice models specific individual instances.
Male and female authorities govern separate domains within the same institution.
Gender-Divided Authority
conferral date
Chief Babaláwo in a Yoruba community or lineage. Highest recognized Ifá authority.
Araba
Ogboni
Member of the Osugbo/Ogboni earth society, holding judicial and spiritual authority.
Osugbo Member
Transmitted through notebooks, libreta, manuscripts, or printed texts.
Written
Female initiated priest in Palo Monte with authority over an nganga.
Yaya Nkisi
House organized around Palo Monte/Mayombe practice and nganga custody.
Palo House
Casa de Palo
House
A religious house, temple, or community organized around a lineage and founding elder. Encompasses ilé (Lucumí/Candomblé), terreiro (Candomblé/Umbanda), hounfò (Vodou), ile orisha, and analogous institutions. Subclass of schema:Organization for interoperability with external directories.
Haitian Vodou temple and its associated community.
Hounfò
Cuban colonial mutual aid and religious society organized by African ethnic identity. Use iroko:Cabildo subclass for records of this type.
Cabildo
Elekes
Collares
Reception of the five sacred beaded necklaces. Often the first formal initiation in Lucumí.
Necklaces
Initiated Orisha priest of any gender. General term covering Iyalosha and Babalosha.
Olorisha
authority scope
What ritual functions this title authorizes.
Brazilian ritual space for Candomblé, Umbanda, or Quimbanda practice.
Terreiro
successor house
For historical cabildos: the contemporary house that descends from or claims continuity with this institution.
Leadership passes through biological or ritual family succession.
Hereditary
Initiation into an Abakuá potencia.
Abakuá Initiation
Iniciación Abakuá
Awofakan / Ikofa
Reception of Orula's hand. First level of Ifá initiation, open to non-Babaláwo.
Mano de Orula
itá performed
True if a life reading (itá) was conducted as part of this initiation.
Federated structure of affiliated houses under loose shared authority.
Lineage Federation
authority house
The house within which this authority is recognized.
has lineage
Links a house to a formal Lineage record documenting its rama characteristics.
public presence
True if the house maintains a publicly known identity (website, social media, public events). False does not imply the house is secret — many houses simply operate privately.
authority tradition
schism child house
Itefa
Full initiation into the Ifá corpus, conferring the title of Babaláwo.
Ifá Initiation
Male Haitian Vodou priest.
Houngan
Oungan
event house
The house in which the initiation took place.
Schism Event
A documented lineage split creating a new house from an existing one. Records the parent house, child house, date, cause, and parties involved. Often sensitive; access level is typically community-restricted or initiated-only.
initiation type
Type of initiation ceremony. Range: iroko:InitiationTypeScheme.
schism date
founder
The founding practitioner of the house. Range: foaf:Person.
lineage tradition
An Abakuá lodge (potencia). Abakuá is a Cuban secret society of Calabari/Cross River origin.
Abakuá Potencia
Potencia Abakuá
Haitian Vodou society, often with named lineage and territorial identity.
Sosyete
Knowledge Transmission Types
Knowledge transmitted through physical ceremony, practice, and direct experiential transmission. Cannot be fully conveyed through text.
Embodied
schism cause
Documented reason for the lineage split. Often contested; use iroko:contestedNotes alongside.
Making Ocha
Asiento
Full head initiation in Lucumí/Candomblé Ketu. An orisha is seated on the initiate's head.
Kariosha
Lucumí/Candomblé Ketu house organized around Orisha worship.
Ilé Orisha
Female Ifá priest. Recognition is contested across lineages; use iroko:contestedStatus when applicable.
Iyanifa
The recognition of Iyanifa is a live dispute in Lucumí communities. iroko:ReligiousOffice records for this title should carry iroko:contestedStatus and iroko:contestedNotes.
House organized primarily around Ifá divination practice and Babaláwo lineage.
Ilé Ifá
A Cuban colonial-era mutual aid and religious society organized by African ethnic identity. Cabildos were the institutional vessels for Lucumí, Arará, Kongo, and other traditions in Cuba. Distinct from contemporary houses in legal form and historical structure. May have successor houses linked via iroko:successorHouse.
Palo Initiation
Palo Monte/Mayombe initiation ceremony marking entry into a munanso.
Rayamiento
authority holder
The person holding this title. Range: foaf:Person.
Male initiated priest in Palo Monte with authority over an nganga.
Tata Nkisi
Female Haitian Vodou priest.
Mambo
Manbo
house type
Institutional form of the house. Range: iroko:HouseTypeScheme.
Decisions made by member consensus or elected leadership.
Democratic / Consensus
Haitian Vodou ceremony of recognition and elevation within a sosyete.
Rayisman
Reception of the Olofin mysteries. Among the highest grades in Lucumí practice.
Olofin Initiation
Initiated member of an Abakuá potencia.
Abakuá Member
Abakuá
Initiated Ifá priest. Authorized to perform Ifá divination and related ceremonies.
Babaláwo
Transmitted through speech, song, proverb, and oral recitation.
Oral
Iyalorisha
Madrina
Senior female Orisha priest with the authority to initiate others.
Iyalosha
Senior elder in a Yoruba-derived tradition, often with lineage-wide ceremonial authority.
Alagba
Collective of recognized elders sharing governance authority.
Elder Council
The lying-in period component of Vodou kanzo initiation.
Couche
Kouche
Los Guerreros
Reception of the warrior orishas: Elegua, Ogun, Ochosi, and Osun.
Warriors
Haitian Vodou initiation ceremony. Levels include Sur Pwen, Hounsi Kanzo, Si Pwen, and Asogwe.
Kanzo
Initiation into an Egbé society or association.
Egbé Initiation
Inisiación de Egbé