Yoruba
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 Nigeria 35 million (2012)[1] |
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The Yoruba share borders with the
Borgu (variously called "Baruba" and "Borgawa") in the northwest; the
Nupe (whom they often call "Tapa") and
Ebira in the north; and the
Edo, the
Ẹsan, and the
Afemai to the southeast. The
Igala and other related groups are found in the northeast, and the Egun,
Fon, and others in the southwest. The Itsekiri, who live in the north-west Niger delta, are closely related to the Yoruba but maintain a distinct cultural identity. While the majority of the Yoruba live in western Nigeria, there are also substantial indigenous Yoruba communities in the
Republic of Benin. Comparatively numerous
Yoruba diaspora communities are found in the
United States and the
United Kingdom. Also, more than one-third of Afro-Brazilians claim Yoruba ancestry. Yoruba culture is famously visible in Bahia, Brazil, manifesting in everything from its religion to its music.
As an ethnic description, the word 'Yoruba' was first recorded in reference to the
Oyo Empire in a treatise written by the 16th-century
Songhai scholar
Ahmed Baba. It was popularized by Hausa usage and ethnography written in
Arabic and
Ajami during the 19th century, in origin referring to the Oyo exclusively.
The extension of the term to all speakers of dialects related to the language of the Oyo (in modern terminology North-West Yoruba) dates to the second half of the 19th century. It is due to the influence of
Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Crowther was himself a Yoruba and compiled the first Yoruba dictionary as well as introducing a standard for Yoruba orthography.
The alternative name
Akú, apparently an
exonym derived from the first words of Yoruba greetings (such as
Ẹ kú àárọ? "good morning",
Ẹ kú alẹ? "good evening") has survived in certain parts of their diaspora as a self-descriptive.
[citation needed]
Language[edit]
The majority of Yoruba people are native speakers of the Yoruba language. The number of speakers is roughly estimated at about 30 million in 2010.
[6]
Yoruba is classified within the
Edekiri languages, which together with the isolate
Igala form the
Yoruboid group of languages within the
Volta-Niger branch of the
Niger-Congo phylum. Igala and Yoruba have important historical and cultural relationships. The languages of the two ethnic groups bear such a close resemblance that researchers such as Forde (1951) and Westermann and Bryan (1952) regarded Igala as a dialect of Yoruba.
The Yoruboid languages are assumed to have developed out of undifferentiated Volta-Niger group by the 1st millennium BC. There are three major dialect areas: Northwest, Central, and Southeast.
[7] As the North-West Yoruba dialects show more linguistic innovation, combined with the fact that Southeast and Central Yoruba areas generally have older settlements, suggests a later date of immigration for Northwest Yoruba.
[8]
The area where North-West Yoruba (NWY) is spoken corresponds to the historical
Oyo Empire. South-East Yoruba (SEY) was probably associated with the expansion of the
Benin Empire after c. 1450.
[9] Central Yoruba forms a transitional area in that the lexicon has much in common with NWY, whereas it shares many ethnographical features with SEY.
Literary Yoruba, the standard variety learnt at school and that spoken by newsreaders on the radio, has its origin in the Crowther's Yoruba grammar compiled in the 1850s. Though for a large part based on the Oyo and Ibadan dialects, it incorporates several features from other dialects.
[10]
History[edit]
The African peoples who lived in Yorubaland, at least by the seventh century
B.C.E, were not initially known as the Yoruba, although they shared a common ethnicity and language group. The historical Yoruba develop
in situ, out of earlier (Mesolithic)
Volta-Niger populations, by the 1st millennium B.C.E.
Oral history recorded under the
Oyo Empire derives the Yoruba as an ethnic group from the population of the older kingdom of
Ile-Ife (see also
Yoruba mythology). Archaeologically, the settlement at Ife can be dated to the 4th century B.C.E, with urban structures appearing in the 12th century (the urban phase of Ife before the rise of Oyo, ca. 1100-1600, is sometimes described as a "golden age" of Ife).
Oyo and Ile-Ife
The settlement at Ife appears to have entered a "golden age" with the appearance of urban structures by the 12th century. This seems to be the formative period of the Yoruba people as reflected in
oral tradition and continues to be seen as the "spiritual homeland" of the Yoruba. Ife was surpassed by the
Oyo Empire as the dominant Yoruba military and political power in the 17th century.
[11] The
oba or ruler of Ife is referred to as the Ooni of Ife.
[12]
The Oyo Empire was active in the
African slave trade during the 18th century. The Yoruba often demanded slaves as a form of tribute of subject populations, who in turn sometimes made war on other peoples to capture the required slaves. Part of the slaves sold by the Oyo Empire entered the
Atlantic slave trade.
[13][14] The
obaor ruler of Oyo is referred to as the Alaafin of Oyo.
Most of the city states were controlled by
Obas (or royal sovereigns with various individual titles) and councils made up of
Oloyes, recognised leaders of royal, noble and, often, even common descent, who joined them in ruling over the kingdoms through a series of guilds and cults. Different states saw differing ratios of power between the kingships and the chiefs' councils. Some such as Oyo had powerful, autocratic monarchs with almost total control, while in others such as the Ijebu city-states, the senatorial councils held more influence and the power of the ruler or
Ọba, referred to as the Awujale of Ijebuland, was more limited.
Yoruba settlements are often described
[by whom?] as primarily one or more of the main social groupings called "generations":
[citation needed]
- The "first generation" includes towns and cities known as original capitals of founding Yoruba states/kingdoms.
- The "second generation" consists of settlements created by conquest.
- The "third generation" consists of villages and municipalities that emerged following the internecine wars of the 19th century.
Pre-colonial government of Yoruba society[edit]
Government[edit]
Monarchies were a common form of government in
Yorubaland, but they were not the only approach to government and social organization. The numerous
Ijebu city-states to the west of Oyo and the
Ẹgba communities, found in the forests below Ọyọ's savanna region, were notable exceptions. These independent polities often elected an
Ọba, though real political, legislative, and judicial powers resided with the
Ogboni, a council of notable elders. The notion of the
divine king was so important to the Yoruba, that it has been part of their organization in its various forms from their antiquity to the contemporary era.
During the internecine wars of the 19th century, the Ijebu forced citizens of more than 150 Ẹgba and Owu communities to migrate to the fortified city of
Abeokuta. Each quarter retained its own
Ogboni council of civilian leaders, along with an
Olorogun, or council of military leaders, and in some cases its own elected
Obas or
Baales. These independent councils elected their most capable members to join a federal civilian and military council that represented the city as a whole.Commander Frederick Forbes, a representative of the British Crown writing an account of his visit to the city in the
Church Military Intelligencer (1853),
[15] described Abẹokuta as having "four presidents", and the system of government as having "840 principal rulers or 'House of Lords,' 2800 secondary chiefs or 'House of Commons,' 140 principal military ones and 280 secondary ones."
[citation needed] He described Abẹokuta and its system of government as "the most extraordinary
republic in the world."
[citation needed]
Leadership[edit]
Gerontocratic leadership councils that guarded against the monopolization of power by a monarch were a trait of the Ẹgba, according to the eminent Ọyọ historian Reverend
Samuel Johnson. Such councils were also well-developed among the northern Okun groups, the eastern
Ekiti, and other groups falling under the Yoruba ethnic umbrella. In Ọyọ, the most centralized of the precolonial kingdoms, the
Alaafin consulted on all political decisions with the chief/prime elector or president of the House of Lords (the
Basọrun) and the council of leading nobles known as the
Ọyọ Mesi.
City-states[edit]
A Yoruba trader, 1890-1893
The monarchy of any
city-state was usually limited to a number of royal lineages. A family could be excluded from
kingship and chieftaincy if any family member, servant, or
slave belonging to the family committed a crime, such as theft, fraud, murder or rape. In other city-states, the monarchy was open to the election of any free-born male citizen. In Ilesa, Ondo, and other Yoruba communities, there were several, but comparatively rare, traditions of female
Ọbas. The kings were traditionally almost always
polygamous and often married royal family members from other domains.
[16] Ibadan, a city-state and proto-empire founded in the 18th century by a
polyglot group of
refugees, soldiers, and
itinerant traders from Ọyọ and the other Yoruba sub-groups largely dispensed with the concept of monarchism, preferring to elect both military and civil councils from a pool of eminent citizens. The city became a military republic, with distinguished soldiers wielding political powers through their election by popular acclaim and the respect of their peers. Similar practices were adopted by the
jẹsa and other groups, which saw a corresponding rise in the social influence of military adventurers and successful entrepreneurs.
Groups, organizations and leagues in Yorubaland[edit]
Occupational guilds, social clubs, secret or initiatory societies, and religious units, commonly known as Ẹgbẹ in Yoruba, included the
Parakoyi (or league of traders) and
Ẹgbẹ Ọdẹ (hunter's guild), and maintained an important role in commerce, social control, and vocational education in Yoruba polities.There are also examples of other peer organizations in the region. When the Ẹgba resisted the imperial domination of the
Ọyọ Empire, a figure named Lisabi is credited with either creating or reviving a covert traditional organization named
Ẹgbẹ Aro. This group, originally a farmers' union, was converted to a network of secret militias throughout the Ẹgba forests, and each lodge plotted to overthrow Ọyọ's
Ajeles (appointed administrators) in the late 18th century.
Similarly, covert military resistance leagues like the
Ekiti Parapọ and the
Ogidi alliance were organized during the 19th century wars by often-decentralized communities of the Ekiti, Ijẹsa, Ìgbómìnà and Okun Yoruba in order to resist various imperial expansionist plans of
Ibadan,
Nupe, and the
Sokoto Caliphate.
Society and culture[edit]
Main article:
Yoruba culture
In the city-states and many of their neighbors, a reserved way of life remains, with the school of thought of their people serving as a major influence in
West Africa and elsewhere.
Today, most contemporary Yoruba are
Christians and
Muslims. Be that as it may, many of the principles of the traditional faith of their ancestors are either knowingly or unknowingly upheld by a significant proportion of the populations of
Nigeria,
Benin and
Togo[citation needed].
Traditional religion and mythology[edit]
The Yoruba faith, variously known as Aborisha, Orisha-Ifa or simply (and erroneously) Ifa, is commonly seen as one of the principal components of the syncretic pool known as the
African traditional religions. It largely survived the so-called middle passage, and is seen in a variety of forms in the
New World as a result.
Orisa'nla (The great divinity) also known as
Ọbatala was the arch-divinity chosen by
Olodumare, the Supreme, to create solid land out of the primordial water that constituted the earth and populating the land with human beings.
[18] Ọbatala descended from heaven on a chain, carrying a small snail shell full of earth, palm kernels and a five-toed chicken. He was to empty the content of the snail shell on the water after placing some pieces of iron on it, and then to place the chicken on the earth to spread it over the primordial water.
Philosophy[edit]
Yoruba culture consists of folk/cultural philosophy, religion and folktales. They are embodied in Ifa-Ife Divination, known as the tripartite Book of Enlightenment in Yorubaland and in Diaspora.
Yoruba philosophy is a witness of two epochs. The first epoch is an epoch-making history in cosmogony and cosmology. This is also an epoch-making history in oral philosophy in oral culture during which time Oduduwa was the philosopher, the head, the Bringer of Light, and a prominent diviner. He theorized about the visible and invisible worlds, reminiscing about cosmogony, cosmology, and the mythological creatures in the visible and invisible worlds.
The second epoch is the epoch of metaphysical philosophy. This commenced in the 19th century in terms of the academic prowess of Dr. Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the first African Anglican Bishop.
Although religion is often considered first in Yoruba culture, nonetheless, it is philosophy, the thought of man and the reasoning of the mind that actually leads the faculty (ori) to the creation and the practice of religion. Thus philosophy is antecedent to religion.
Today, the academic and the nonacademic community are becoming more and more interested in Yoruba philosophy. Thus more and more researches are being carried out on Yoruba philosophy, as more and more books are being written on it—embossing its mark and advancing its research amongst non-African thinkers and political scientists who are beginning to open their doors to other cultures, widening their views.
One thing to remember is that Yoruba philosophy is mainly a narrative philosophy, explicating and pointing to the knowledge of the causes and the nature of things, affecting the corporeal and the spiritual universe and its wellness. Yoruba people regale in hundreds of philosophical aphorisms and lore, and they believe that any lore that widens people's horizons and presents pabulum for thought is the beginning of philosophy.
Mythology[edit]
Oral history of the
Oyo-Yoruba recounts
Odùduwà to be the Progenitor of the Yoruba and the reigning ancestor of their crowned kings.
His coming from the east, sometimes understood by some sources as the "vicinity" true East on the Cardinal points, but more likely signifying the region of
Ekiti and Okun sub-communities in northeastern Yorubaland/central Nigeria.
Ekiti is near the confluence of the Niger and Benue rivers, and is where the
Yoruba language is presumed to have separated from related ethno-linguistic groups like
Igala,
Igbo, and
Edo.
[19]
Upon the disappearance of Oduduwa, there was a dispersal of his children from Ife to found other kingdoms. Each making their mark in the subsequent urbanization and consolidation of Yoruba confederacy of kingdoms, with each kingdom tracing its origin to Ile-Ife.
After the dispersal, the aborigines became difficult, and constituted a serious threat to the survival of Ife. Thought to be survivors of the old occupants of the land before the arrival of Oduduwa, these people now turned themselves into marauders. They would come to town in costumes made of raffia with terrible and fearsome appearances, and burn down houses and loot the markets. Then came Moremi on the scene; she was said to have played a significant role in the quelling of the marauders advancements. But this was at a great price; having to give up her only son Oluorogbo. The reward for her patriotism and selflessness was not to be reaped in one life time as she later passed on and was thereafter
immortalized. The Edi festival celebrates this feat till date.
[20]
Christianity and Islam[edit]
The Yoruba are traditionally a very religious people and can be found in many types of
Christian denominations. There are also a large number of them engaged in
Islam and the traditional
Yoruba religion. Yoruba religious practices such as the Eyo and Osun Oshogbo festivals are witnessing a resurgence in popularity in contemporary Yorubaland. They are largely seen by the adherents of the modern faiths, especially the
Christians and
Muslims, as cultural rather than religious events. They participate in them as a means to boost tourist industries in their local economies. There are a number of Yoruba Pastors with large congregations, e.g. Pastor
Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor
David Oyedepo of Living Faith Church World Wide also known as Winners Chapel.
Traditional Yoruba religion[edit]
The Yorùbá religion comprises the traditional religious and spiritual concepts and practices of the Yoruba people. Its homeland is in Southwestern
Nigeria and the adjoining parts of
Benin and
Togo, a region that has come to be known as
Yorubaland. Yorùbá religion is formed of diverse traditions and has no single founder. It has influenced or given birth to thriving ways of life such as
Lucumí,
Umbanda and
Candomblé.
[21] Yoruba religious beliefs are part of itan, the total complex of songs, histories, stories and other cultural concepts which make up the Yorùbá society.
[21]
One of the most common Yoruba traditional religious concepts has been the concept of
Orisha. An
Orisha (also spelled
Orisa or
Orixa) is a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of
God in the
Yoruba spiritual or
religious system. This religion has found its way throughout the world and is now expressed in practices as varied as
Candomblé,
Lucumí/Santería, Shango in Trinidad (
Trinidad Orisha), Anago and
Oyotunji, as well as in some aspects of
Umbanda,
Winti,
Obeah,
Vodun and a host of others. These varieties or spiritual lineages as they are called are practiced throughout areas of
Nigeria, the
Republic of Benin,
Togo,
Brazil,
Cuba,
Dominican Republic,
Guyana,
Haiti,
Jamaica,
Puerto Rico,
Suriname,
Trinidad and Tobago, the
United States,
Uruguay,
Argentina and
Venezuela among others. As interest in African indigenous religions (spiritual systems) grows, Orisha communities and lineages can be found in parts of
Europe and
Asiaas well. While estimates may vary, some scholars believe that there could be more than 100 million adherents of this spiritual tradition worldwide.
[22]
Twins in Yoruba society[edit]
The Yoruba present the highest
dizygotic twinning rate in the world (4.4% of all maternities).
[23] The Yoruba have the highest rate of twinning in the world, at 45-50
twin sets (or 90-100 twins) per 1,000 live births, possibly because of high consumption of a specific type of yam containing a natural phytoestrogen which may stimulate the ovaries to release an egg from each side. Twins are very important for the Yoruba and they usually tend to give special names to each twin.
[24] The first of the twins to be born is traditionally named
Taiyewo or
Tayewo, which means 'the first to taste the world', this is often shortened to
Taiwo,
Taiye or
Taye.
Kehinde, or
Kehin for short, is the name of the last born twin. Kehinde is sometimes also referred to as
Kehindegbegbon which is short for Omokehindegbegbon and means, 'the child that came last gets the rights of the eldest'.
Calendar[edit]
Time is measured in
isheju or
iseju (minutes),
wakati (hours),
ojo (days),
ose (weeks),
oshu or
osu (months) and
odun (years). There are 60 isheju in 1 wakati; 24 wakati in 1 ojo; 7 ojo in 1 ose; 4 ose in 1 oshu and 52 ose in 1 odun. There are 12 oshu in 1 odun.
[25]
| Months in Yoruba calendar: | Months in Gregorian calendar:[26] |
|---|
| Sere | January |
| Erele | February |
| Erena | March |
| Igbe | April |
| Obibi | May |
| Okudu | June |
| Agemo | July |
| Ogun | August |
| Owere (Owewe) | September |
| Owara (Owawa) | October |
| Belu | November |
| Ope | December |
The Yoruba calendar (Kojoda) year starts from 3 June to 2 June of the following year.
[27] According to this calendar, the Gregorian year 2008 A. D. is the 10050th year of Yoruba culture.
[28] To reconcile with the
Gregorian calendar, Yoruba people also often measure time in seven days a week and four weeks a month:
Demographics[edit]
Nigeria[edit]
The Yoruba are the main ethnic group in the Nigerian federal states of
Ekiti,
Lagos,
Ogun,
Ondo,
Osun,
Kwara and
Oyo; they also constitute a sizable proportion of
Kogi and
Edo south west states.
There are immigrant Yoruba settlers from Nigeria who live in
Togo. Tottenham Hotspur player, Emmanuel Adebayor is an example. They can be found in the Togo department of
Plateau Region, Ogou and Est-Mono prefectures;
Centrale Region and
Tchamba Prefecture.
The chief Yoruba cities/towns are
Ilesa,
Ibadan, Fiditi, Orile Igbon, Eko (Lagos), Oto-Awori,
Ejigbo,
Ijẹbu Ode,
Abẹokuta,
Akurẹ,
Ilọrin,
Ijẹbu-Igbo, Ijebu-Oru, Ijebu-Awa, Ijebu-ife,
Odogbolu,
Ogbomọṣọ,
Ondo,
Ọta,
Ado-Ekiti,
Ikare, Ayere, Kabba,
Omuo, Omu-Aran, Egbe, Isanlu, Mopa, Aiyetoro - Gbedde,
Sagamu,
Iperu, Ikẹnnẹ, Ogere, Ilisan,
Osogbo,
Offa,
Iwo,
Ilesa,
Esa-Oke,
Ọyọ,
Ilé-Ifẹ, Iree,
Owo, Ede, Badagry, (Owu, Oyo), (Owu, Egba) (ife-olukotun),
Ilaro, Oko,
Esie, Ago-Iwoye, Iragbiji, Aagba, Ororuwo, Aada, Akungba and Akoko.
Traditionally kingship and chieftainship were not determined by simple
primogeniture, as in most monarchic systems of government. An electoral college of lineage heads was and still is usually charged with selecting a member of one of the royal families from any given realm, and the selection is then confirmed by an Ifá oracular request. The Ọbas live in palaces that are usually in the center of the town. Opposite the king's palace is the
Ọja Ọba, or the king's market. These markets form an inherent part of Yoruba life. Traditionally their traders are well organized, have various guilds, officers, and an elected speaker. They also often have at least one
Iyaloja, or Lady of the Market, who is expected to represent their interests in the aristocratic council of oloyes at the palace.
Cuisine[edit]
 |  |
| Amala served in London. | Pounded Yam (Iyan) and Egusi Soup. |
Cut
Moin Moin;"Ewe eran" leaves (Thaumatococcus daniellii) are traditionally used to improve flavoring.
Yams are said to be one of the important food for the Yoruba. Plantain, corn, beans, meat, and fish are also chief choices.
[30]
Some common Yoruba foods are iyan (pounded yam),
Amala, eba, semo, fufu,
Moin moin (bean cake) and
akara. Soups include egusi, ewedu,
okra, vegetables are also very common as part of diet. Items like
rice and
beans (locally called ewa) are part of the regular diet. Some dishes are also prepared for festivities and ceremonies such as Jollof rice and fried rice. Other popular dishes are Ekuru, stews, corn, cassava and flours - e.g. maize, yam, plantain and bean, eggs, chicken, beef and assorted forms of meat (pumo is made from cow skin). Some less well known meals and many miscellaneous staples are arrowroot gruel, sweetmeats, fritters and coconut concoctions; and some breads - yeast bread, rock buns, and palm wine bread to name a few. Yoruba cuisine is quite vast.
[30]
Yoruba Attire[edit]
Yoruba people are well known for their attire. Clothing materials traditionally come from processed cotton by traditional weavers.
The Yoruba have a very wide range of clothing. The basic being the Aṣo-Oke, which comes in very many different colors and patterns.
Some now common styles are:
- Alaari – a rich red Aṣọ-Oke,
- Sanyan- a brown and usual light brown Aṣọ-Oke, and
- Ẹtu- a dark blue Aṣọ-Oke.
Other clothing materials include:
- Ofi- pure white yarned cloths, used as cover cloth, it can be sewn and worn.
- Aran- a velvet clothing material sewn into Danṣiki and Kẹmbẹ, worn by the rich.
- Adirẹ- cloth with various patterns and designs, dye in indigo ink (Ẹlu).
Yoruba wares are gender sensitive. Men wear Kẹmbẹ, Dandogo, Danṣiki, Agbada, Buba, Ṣokoto and matching caps such as (Eleti-Aja), dog-shaped cap, fila-ẹtu e.t.c.
Women wear Iro (wrapper) and Buba (the top) with a matching head-gear (gele). For important outings, a Yoruba woman will add a Shawl (Ipele/Iborun) on the shoulder and can add different forms of accessories.
The Yoruba believe that development of a nation is akin to the development of a man or woman. Therefore the personality of an individual has to be developed in other to fulfill his or her responsibilities. Clothing among the Yoruba people is a crucial factor upon which the personality of an individual is anchored. This philosophy is anchored in Yoruba
proverbs. Different occasions also require different outfits among the Yoruba.
[31]
Yoruba diaspora[edit]
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