Module 8: How to Read the Sources of Ifá

The study method: weighing sources, dissecting a Tratado entry, verifying before believing, and knowing what not to republish. Five lessons.

1. 1.The problem: an oral tradition in the marketplace of textsWhy studying Ifá in writing demands a method — and the three questions that save any reader.
2. 2.The hierarchy: weigh the source before believing itFour layers — fieldwork, academia, priesthood, compilation — and each one’s blind spot.
3. 3.Anatomy of a Tratado entryRezo, description, refranes, patakines, obras — what each section is, what it is for, and how to read without getting lost.
4. 4.Verification in practice: the method in five stepsFrom the name to the published text — the full flow, demonstrated with a real case from this site.
5. 5.What is not republished — and whyPrayers, ẹbọ, remedies, period prejudice and copyright: the ethical boundary of studying in writing.

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