Orishatukeh Faduma was born in 1855 in the then British Guyana, his parents were yoruba recaptives, who were rescued from a portuguese slave ship by British navy. His family moved to sierra leone when he was seven years old and was baptised thereafter as "Williams James Davis" until 1887 when he changed it to his yoruba name Orishatukeh.

Orishatukeh Faduma was born in 1855 in the then British Guyana, his parents were yoruba recaptives, who were rescued from a portuguese slave ship by British navy. His family moved to sierra leone when he was seven years old and was baptised thereafter as "Williams James Davis" until 1887 when he changed it to his yoruba name Orishatukeh. 

He attended Wesleyan boys high school and later Methodist Boys high school, in 1884 he earned a B.A from the University of London and another degree in Philosophy and religion from Yale Divinity School in 1891, becoming the first African student at both institution. He later completed a postgraduate program at Yale Divinity School in 1895. 

He stayed back in the United States and became a naturalized U.S Citizen in 1902. He served as the Advisory council on African Ethnology at the world's Exposition in Chicago, 1892. He attended a missionary congress in Atlanta where he presented two papers on yoruba religion. Soon after, he returned to sierra leone and was appointed as principal of the United Methodist Collegiate School from 1916 - 1918, he was also the principal in charge of Peabody Academy, North Carolina between 1895 - 1914. He was assistant principal and instructor in Latin, ancient and modern history at the Lincoln Academy where he made it compulsory for women to acquire sewing and culinary skills prior to graduation. He was also a visiting teacher at the Virginia Theological seminary and college. 

He married one of the teachers at Peabody Academy, Henrietta Adams in 1895, they had two sons namely: Omojowu and Du bois ( named after American scholar and activist W.E.B Du Bois). Faduma died in 1946 at the age of 91 and was buried in High Point, North Carolina.