nok-ind:Martiniano Eliseu do Bomfim Yoruba name was Òjélàdé, (1859-194
nok-ind: Martiniano Eliseu do Bomfim Yoruba name was Òjélàdé, (1859-1943), was born in Bahia, Brazil. His father was a member of the Egba, one of the Yoruba sub-groups, had been brought to Brazil as a slave in 1820 and liberated there in 1842. A 16-year-old Martiniano accompanied his father, Eliseu do Bomfim, who was an import/export trader of Yoruba goods, on a trip from Salvador, Bahia to Lagos, Yorubaland in 1875 for the purpose of attending school and learning a trade. In Lagos he attended the Church Missionary Society Alápákó Fàájì School for almost 11 years. He arrived back in Salvador on January 30, 1886. During his time in Lagos Martiniano became fluent not only in English but also in Yoruba. He also acquired knowledge of Ifá, the Yoruba system of divination and became a Babalawo, as well as being trained as a bricklayer and house painter. Back in Bahia he worked as an English teacher for well to do Afro-Brazilians. Martiniano died on November 1, 1943 in Salvador, Bahia. Photo: 1937 -- source link