Beier, U. 1956. Nigeria magazine: Obatala festival, 10-28.

I found this article in the EBSCOhost Anthropology Plus database by searching Obatala AND Rites AND Ceremonies. These keywords gave me a source that was full of information on practices associated with Obatala, not just his background and meaning. Throughout the article, Obatala is referenced as the Great one and the supreme God. He is known to be the father of mankind and of all other gods. He is the figure of seniority and of a higher power. His worshipers are seen to have a great measure of kindness and tolerance in them which symbolizes Obatala as the father of all kinds.

The author of this article references the fluidity of the belief of Obatala. They say how the idea of Obatala creating mankind out of clay is a very widespread idea. The folk tails behind each Orisha can vary among perspectives. The author does a good job examining various perspectives and traditions associated with Obatala.

ROCA, ROGER SANSI. “Catholic Saints, African Gods, Black Masks and White Heads: Tracing the History of Some Religious Festivals in Bahia.” Portuguese Studies 21 (2005): 182-200.

I found this source in JSTOR by searching ‘Obatala OR Oxala’ AND Candomble. These keywords brought together sources that related the religion of Candomble with the Orishas and their meaning to certain festivals or rituals. The article goes into explaining ritual ceremonies for the Orishas and how certain colors and objects represent different Orishas. White and water are significant to Oxala and it is emphasized ceremonies in his name are commonly private. It also emphasizes the role of the higher power leaders and their association with Oxala. The high rank and royal power associated with a king/lord is believed to be correlated with Oxala.

Thompson, Robert Farris. “Face of the Gods: The Artists and Their Altars.” African Arts 28, no. 1 (1995): 50-61.

To find this source I searched JSTOR with the keywords Obatala OR Oxala AND Altars. These keywords brought me to this source that anaylzes altars of certain gods. This article captures a picture of an altar with four objects in it. Each object symbolizes Obatala in a certain way. I chose this as a source because in the description of the altar it analyzes the objects by who they symbolize. Even though a staff symbolizes Obatala in the way that a staff means power and authority. Specifically, in this altar which is meant to protect Obatalas honor eternally, the staff is dedicated to Osanyin, the doctor.

The creator of this altar is a priest of Obatalainitiated in 1970. He has done a variety of studies on the Yoruba culture across the world. The writer of the article is a different person than the creator of the altar itself. His goal is to break down the altar and bring meaning to each of the objects that make it up as a whole. This is done by extensive knowledge of the Yoruba religion. Thompson breaks the objects down into who they represent but he leaves what makes up the objects themselves up for grabs. He even includes a picture of the objects zoomed in but neglects to identify the significance of the materials they are made out of.