The country is made up of three major ethnic groups namely. This kingdom was founded by the deities oduduwa and obatala, who are believed to have created the world. The yoruba numbered more than 20 million at the turn of the 21st century. Some of them include amala and ewedu soup, gbegiri soup, ewa aganyin, among others. Their traditions have developed and matured for thousands of years, leaving a rich cultural history in its path. This work explores the concept of taboos in yoruba land. History and culture conference, held at the university of texas at austin in march. In part i, the author examines, with refreshing insights, the philosophical concepts of the person, individuality, community and morality, religiosity and causality, focusing on the yoruba of nigeria. The museum was the first to be established in nigeria when it opened in 1945. Those are just a few of the components of yoruba culture, the genesis of which is the holy city of ileife, nigeria. There is a lot to say about the rich culture of the country, every nation and tribe has its own features. This paper is an attempt to discuss the concept of time in yoruba african thoughts.
The dialect of the edo people also bears a few similarities to yoruba, and in some parts of edo state, indigenes even bear yoruba names. The yoruba of southwestern nigeria have been described. A softdeterministic interpretation oladele abiodun balogun olabisi onabanjo university, nigeria abstract the debate on the philosophical nature of the beliefs in ori and human destiny in traditional yoruba thought has for sometimes now, been controversial. Yoruba introduction, location, language, folklore, religion, major holidays, rites of passage mauritania to nigeria. Practitioners of the yoruba religion, which was developed among the yoruba people of nigeria and benin, believe that before we are born we stand before god and choose our own destiny.
A lot of thought, research, family traditions and history are considered before a name is picked for a new baby in yoruba culture. Yoruba people are a large ethnolinguistic group or ethnic nation in africa, and the majority of them speak the yoruba language. It denotes a process of cultural growth whereby new cultural elements or traits are added by invention. An introduction to nigerias yoruba people culture trip. The yoruba originated from a people known as the oyo who arose and became quite popular by their trading with the portugues which gave them a large supply of guns. Department of religious studies,university of ibadan. It was discovered that taboo in the concept of yoruba belief. Parents, teachers and government should encourage the use of yoruba languages in our schools.
The naming ceremony in yoruba culture is taken seriously because the yorubas believe that a child eventually lives out the meaning of his or her names. To the east and north the yoruba culture reaches adepeju oti, oyebola ayeni 20. The problem of time has assumed an acrimonious debate in african philosophy. We would attempt to examine the influences on the language, dressing, food and cultural practices and norm of the yoruba people, in an attempt to reach a befitting conclusion as to the history of the yoruba, we would also include some folk lore and stories, to enable you the readers reach a strong conclusion. Yoruba copper mask for king obalufon, ife, nigeria c. Influence of yoruba culture in christian religious worship by odejobi cecilia omobola institute of education, faculty of education, obafemi awolowo university, ileife, osun state, nigeria. They serve to remind the yoruba of a past that has survived through oral tradition. A great article is pointing the yoruba way by olanike ola orie, which includes dozens of photos.
Culture is simply everything that embraces our mode of live. Oduduwa was the first divine king of the yoruba people, and obatala fashioned the first human beings out of clay. This article aims to shed more light on the origin and history of the yoruba people. Her research interests include yoruba language, culture and history, yoruba women and creole studies. Conclusion according to lawal 2007, the contact of nigerian culture with that of foreign culture has made it. Many claim that they are part of the diaspora of the yoruba as slaves. Dating back to as far as the transatlantic slave trade, which existed between the 15th to the 19th century, the yoruba people were said to have migrated to other countries as well, including cuba, dominican republic. Yoruba people are popular for a number of dishes eaten in nigeria. The museum once housed over a thousand tombstone figures or images. Culture of nigeria history, people, clothing, traditions. The yoruba constitute approximately 35 percent of nigeria s total population, and around 40 million individuals throughout the region of west africa.
A sociocultural analysis of yoruba discourse patterns in selected. The yoruba culture was originally an oral tradition, and the majority of yoruba people are native speakers of the yoruba language. Another continue reading traditional marriage system in yoruba culture, nigeria. In 1893, the yoruba kingdoms in nigeria became part of the protectorate of great britain. The importance of taboos in yoruba society is also discussed. Traditional marriage system in yoruba culture, nigeria. Issues on nigerian peoples and culture is the title of this book and also one of the general benchmark course requirements of the nuc for undergraduate studies in nigeria. One can find clear elements of yoruba culture today in cuba and brazil. Until 1960 nigeria was a british colony and the yoruba were british subjects.
Department of religious studies, university of ibadan. Analysis and interpretation ades ola o late ju university of ibadan, nigeria abstract the paper undertakes a study of animal metaphors in the yoruba language with a view to highlighting the stylistic and communicative potentials of these metaphors. Thus, the average historian who is dealing with a topic affecting a cultural group within nigeria restricts himself strictly to the area now currently known as nigeria. Currently, even though edo state has its peculiar dialect and culture, its traditional leadership system is almost exactly the same as that of traditional yorubas. Yoruba mythology holds that all yoruba people descended from a hero called odua or oduduwa. The people in nigeria belong to more than two hundred different ethnic groups, each with its own language, customs and traditions. This article brings you some interesting facts about the yoruba tribe in nigeria, and well be looking into their history, culture and religion the yoruba tribe is one of the three largest and most powerful ethnic groups in nigeria. Here are 10 things that might surprise you about yoruba culture. Director of the yoruba historical research schzme, nigeria. The yoruba are said to be prolific sculptors, famous for their terra cotta works throughout the 12th and 14th century. The yoruba are the second largest ethnic group in nigeria, with a population of about 30 million, and occupy most of what we refer to today as south western nigeria. There are three major ethnic groups yoruba, igbo, hausafulani.
Nigerias population is multiethnic with more than 250 groups having a variety of customs, religions, traditions, and languages. Abstract religion is the strongest element in african culture and exerts great. From that foundation have yoruba philosophy, religion, and literature developed, all of which blend ancient truths and divine moralities with reason. It also confirmed whether superstition and taboo means the same thing in yoruba society.
The yoruba people are an ethnic group of over 40 million people in total, inhabiting the southwestern and northcentral region of nigeria, as well as southern and central benin. The concepts of ori and human destiny in traditional yoruba thought. The population of the country is around 170 million. Indigenous yoruba populations can also be found in the republic of benin and togo 1. Brief history of yoruba people, culture, religion and. They are, in fact, not a single group, but rather a collection of diverse people bound together by a common language, history, and culture. Husbands are seen as crowns and a single lady is seen as incomplete without her crown. Yoruba is classified within the edekiri languages, which together with the isolate igala, form the yoruboid group of languages within what we now have as west africa. An overview of taboo and superstition among the yoruba of. Dada adelowo introduction this paper is motiated by the need. A woman who is single at a marriageable age is seen as a crownless woman.
Cultural similarities in nigeria and their differences. An accumulated culture is an invented culture added to the already present one. The yoruba culture, for the present purpose, can be defined as follows. Yoruba people and culture from sierra leone and the gambia.
It is a continuum beginning from their subsistence, communal, agrarian life of the. Perfect reading for anyone wanting to learn a bit more about what makes nigerians tick. The yoruba people are stereotypically described as the lively bunch for their enthusiasm for parties. Yoruba cultural studies university of african art press. Abstract religion is the strongest element in african culture and exerts great influence upon the conduct of the african people. Influence of yoruba culture in christian religious worship. The semiotics of movement and body attitude in a nigerian culture, 1998. The yorubaspeaking peoples of southwestern nigeria.
Most of them are performed with the hands, but theres one eyecatching exception i want to mention here. The number of speakers is roughly estimated at about 30 million in 2010. Mosadomi is a poet, who has authored several articles in books and journals on creole studies, african language and gender, african linguistics and pedagogy. While many yoruba people have moved into urban environments like lagos, a good portion of them still keep their old traditions. Each group has its own language and other unique cultural characteristics. Yoruba people, language, religion, tribe, culture, facts. She is completing her manuscript on yoruba grammar.
Within nigeria, the yoruba dominate the western part of the country. Noting the lack of similar studies in the country for those with informal education, the paper calls for a similar research to be. Because of migration and the slave trade to the americas in the mid18th century, there are yoruba communities throughout the western world, especially in the caribbean, south america and north america. The family lifestyle in nigeria by morire oreoluwapo labeodan. Not many people are aware that there are living and thriving yoruba cultures in the two west african countries of sierra leone and gambia, that is apart from the well known nigerian, beninese and togolese yoruba communities. Much smaller, scattered groups live in benin and northern togo. In yoruba culture we use honorific pronouns these function just as they are named, to honor and pay respect.
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