Professional Bio

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Chief Dr. Ayele Kumari 

A Spiritual Revolutionary and Cultural Trailblazer in the Ifa Orisa tradition

Oloye Dr. Ayele Kumari, also known as Chief Yele, is a pioneering force in African spiritual traditions, breaking barriers for women and advancing Isese Ifa Orisa devotion worldwide. A fully initiated and licensed Iyanifa, professor, Onisegun (traditional healer), and artist, she has dedicated over 30 years to mastering her craft and reclaiming ancestral wisdom for future generations.

Dr Kumari began as naturopath, lay healer. and bone diviner studying with numerous teachers and healers beginning with her grandmother.  She expanded those natural skills in western education to become a professor and college director. Her world was shattered after a mysterious illness left her unable to walk. This disability moved her to become initiated to Ifa which led to  her healing and walking again. She began to study under elder priests to become a priestess herself.   Her rise to prominence came with her groundbreaking book, Iyanifa: Women of Wisdom, which shattered stereotypes that only recognized men Babalawo as Ifa priests. While she did not create the term “Iyanifa,” her book made it more widely known and respected, empowering women to embrace their spiritual inheritance. In her plight for African Womens Mysteries, she discovered that many women actually feared honoring their mothers’ traditions, even hesitating to say “Iyami” aloud due to deep-rooted stigmas. Recognizing the lack of accessible African spiritual teachings, she founded Ori Institute, an online school dedicated to preserving and teaching ancestral wisdom. Through her transformative 40-hour course on African Women’s Mysteries, she demystified the divine feminine in African spirituality, offering clarity and empowerment to countless seekers.

In 2018, after the passing of her mother, Chief Yele stepped into a new role as a spiritual matriarch, co founding Ashe Soul Global Village, a full-service Ifa Orisa temple and spiritual community. 

Understanding the challenges faced by those new to African spirituality, she authored Isese Spirituality Workbook for beginners. She followed by Hand of Ifa for dedicated Ifa practitioners. To further support the community, she published Book of Odu, providing an affordable compilation of sacred verses for deeper study.

The widespread popularity of her book, her dedication to the teaching of Isese along with her support of schools in Nigeria earned her recognition and she was conferred chieftaincy titles in Ibadan as Iya Mode United States, Otun Amunifawuni, Iya Abiye Ogboni, and Oba Olokun Omilere. 

A proud African American woman, Dr. Kumari grew up immersed in the soul-stirring sounds of gospel, R&B, and classic soul. Struggling to connect with practitioners Ayele Ifa music, she sought to bridge the gap by blending African spiritual chants with the music of her roots. This creative fusion led to the birth of Ashe Soul Music, a genre of Afrospiritual music that blends ancestral wisdom with contemporary soul, offering a transformative sound that heals the heart and soothes the ancestral soul.

Through her scholarship, spiritual leadership, and musical innovation, Dr. Ayele Kumari continues to inspire, educate, and uplift those on the path of ancestral reclamation and spiritual enlightenment.