Yoruba Of Southwestern Nigeria Research Articles

An Evaluation of Cultural Symbolism of Selected Items on the <i>Lomolehin</i> Masquerade Costume

The masquerade culture is so significant and usually well celebrated annually among the Yoruba of South-western Nigeria that, just like their counterparts in the Eastern part and some areas in the former Middle Belt of the country, they cannot do without honouring their departed ancestors in costumed figures. This is a sequel to their strong belief in life after death and that these departed individuals have pivotal roles they play in the lives of the living. It is against this backdrop that the veneration of the dead via ancestral worship is taken seriously among the aforementioned ethnic groups. This paper, however, evaluates the cultural symbolism embedded in selected elements of the Lomolehin masquerade costume of Ogbomoso in Oyo State, offering insights into the rich cultural heritage and significance or even meaning of this traditional attire to determine their relevance in the masquerading tradition. A qualitative methodology was adopted using historical and descriptive approaches to analyze the cultural essence of the selected items, and collected data from the sampled population, using a purposive technique to exclude people that do not fit into the profile. By and large, the study articulates the nuances of the selected magical items on the Lomolehin masquerade costume and concludes that the items or amulets have dual functions in that they are both symbolic and aesthetic. However culturally, their symbolical values are more significant than the visual appeal and aesthetic sensibility the costume evokes. Hence, it is recommended that the potency of spiritual powers inherent in the various magical items on the costume such as Ado-Oyin and Arinu-Rode, among others, should be embraced, adapted and collaborated with relevant agencies to advance knowledge in technological studies to contain the diverse security challenges bedevilling the Nigerian space.

Ifa Divinatory Apprenticeship Methodology for Revitalising and Decolonizing Memory Bank Among the Yoruba of South Western Nigeria

Ifa divinatory systems, though an oral tradition, is the memory bank of the Yoruba of south western Nigeria as well as their knowledge dissemination systems. As decolonised future is imagined, this study argues that given the emerging global place of Ifa? as oral tradition, it is capable of forging historical memory and nurturing resistance to the Eurocentric memory studies. To this end, this study unearths and unties the question of apprenticeship methodology and how this is deployed to enhance decolonised knowledge production patterns in Ifa? School of knowing. What are the apprenticeship processes? How do these apprenticeship learning processes continue to vent and reinvent, frame and reframe, think and rethink, construct and reconstruct such that it is not consumed by western memory frameworks? How is the apprenticeship methodology sustained in spite of the overwhelming influence of western education? Transcending the boundaries of western episteme and to push that Ifa? divinatory apprenticeship methodology is a system of scientific practice. Received: 13 March 2024 / Accepted: 24 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

The Yoruba Muslims and the Credence in Reincarnation: An Orthodox Intrusion

Everybody knows that death is the unescapable end of man. What waves the mind of many, consciously or otherwise, is the question of what happens to man when he breaths his last breath. While some are of the opinion that after death comes judgment; a determent of whether one goes to eternal blissful domains, or into everlasting tenant; depending on whether he had lived piously or otherwise, while on earth. Another school of thought opines that the soul of the dead will reincarnate by taking abode in a new physical body, born as a new baby and live another normal life, whereby he/she has the opportunity to correct his/her wrong actions in the previous incarnation. While some are of the opinion that when the soul has gathered wisdom, knowledge and understanding through several incarnations, it becomes one with the creator; others believe that reincarnation is a continuous process without neither beginning nor an ending. The Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria, like most other Africans, believes that humans reincarnate in order to re-choose their destiny and fulfill their life ambitions which they had no chance to achieve in a previous incarnation. An examination of some Yoruba traditional songs about death and what follows, show that they believe in 'a day of reckoning' and the continuum of the life cycle. Reincarnation, generally speaking, is always thought of, and discussed as a religious phenomenon, most probably because it borders on the super-natural; an issue to which only God; the creative force, has the totally correct answer

Masculinity as a Trace Element of Relationship: The case of IFÁ and AYÒ OLỌ́PỌ́N among Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria

Different cultures of the world have gender specifications for cultural and professional activities- religious or social. Among the Yoruba, Ifá is the foundation on which the culture rests. That is, every cultural activity is connected back to and referenced in Ifá. Ayò ọlọ́pọ́n is an indigenous Yoruba game that has gained an international nomenclature in the present time. Despite the influence of Ifá on every aspect of the Yoruba life, no work has been carried out linking or relating ayò ọlọ́pọ́n with to Ifá, particularly on gender. This gap is filled by this study. Cultural studies, which emphasize the social power that encodes the culture in society are adopted using the comparative method. Adopting a cultural approach offers an opportunity for using appropriate analytical tools necessary at any point of analysis. The scope of cultural studies accommodates interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary fields of academic inquiry. Relying on Ifá corpora texts, incantation and interviews from Ifá practitioners and ayò ọlọ́pọ́n’s players and author’s observations from the field, gender specificity in Ifá is compared with gender roles in ayò ọlọ́pọ́n to establish gender synergies between the two cultural elements. It is found that there is a cultural confluence between male gender activities in Ifá and ayò performances. It is also found that there is communities’ cultural change resulting in growth and development, with the involvement of the female gender in ayò ọlọ́pọ́n in contemporary times among the Yoruba. This study concludes that the male gender relates ayò ọlọ́pọ́n to Ifá.

Investigating Religious Ethics and Sociocultural Relationships in-between Ifá and Ayò Ọlọ́pọ́n among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria : A Critical Comparative Study

In Africa, ethics are encapsulated their various religious and social activities. Among the Yoruba, ethnical codes are propagated in religious activities especially, Ifá and in socio-cultural activities such as ayò ọlọ́pọ́n. Ifá, the springboard on which Yoruba culture rests have specialized formal and informal rules regulating its activities. This informs why violation of rules guiding Ifá profession is regarded as ethical misconduct; the punishment of which may attract severe spiritual and/or human sanctions. Likewise, ayò ọlọ́pọ́n- indigenous Yoruba sociocultural board game have informal ethical rules. However, despite the national and international nomenclatures of Ifá and ayò ọlọ́pọ́n, no study is known that undertakes ethical interrelationship between the two cultural elements together. Employing code- a semiotic element, a channel through which communication is encoded. Ethical code of Ifá is compared with ayò ọlọ́pọ́n. It is found out that, there are affinities between operational rules guiding against Ifá divination profession and rules guiding against ayò game. This study concludes that, among the Yoruba, ethical codes of Ifá and ayò ọlọ́pọ́n are activated for sustainability of peace and development. Ethics of Ifá and ayò ọlọ́pọ́n are found related and therefore, ayò ọlọ́pọ́n ethical code is an extension of Ifá ethical code.

Investigating African Belief in the Concept of Reincarnation: The case of Ifá and Ayò Ọlọ́pọ́n. Symbolism among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria

The concept of reincarnation, a situation where a dead person comes back to life, is as old as human beings. However, there is divergence in the belief among various religions. African religion such as Ifá uses symbols to validate the belief in reincarnation. Ifá is the foundation of the culture of the Yoruba people. The present study aims to define the concept of reincarnation in Ifá and in ayò ọlọ́pọ́n to substantiate African beliefs in the concept of reincarnation. No known work either relates Ifá with the concept of reincarnation or connects ayò ọlọ́pọ́n with Ifá to solve a cultural problem. The present study fills this gap. Symbolism, a mode in semiotics where an object signifies or represents something or somebody, is adopted for the analysis of the study since symbolism is fundamental to Ifá. The visitation of Odù in Ifá is related to the ayò game, linking the symbolism in both Ifá and ayò ọlọ́pọ́n to the realization or application of the concept of reincarnation in human life, especially among Africans and the Yoruba people. It is determined that there is synergy between Ifá and ayò ọlọ́pọ́n, and reincarnation. The study concludes that reincarnation is an encapsulated concept illustrated by Ifá and ayò ọlọ́pọ́n- the religious and social life of the Yoruba people. African cultural symbols are tangible means of cultural heritage that solve contemporary and controversial human issues such as the African belief in reincarnation.

Indigenous Wall Ornamentation in Yoruba Domestic Buildings, Osogbo As an Archetype

The origin of enrichment of walls among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria is ambiguous, while the forms in the ornamentation of walls of the domestic building during the pre-colonial era remain inexplicit. Studies of Okediji (1989) and Campbell (2008) yielded insights into forms of ornamentation in some Yoruba shrines, but embellishment on walls of domestic buildings were common practices that were initially not seen as important, despite the richness of the forms. The indigenous practices are fading out fast, without adequate records of their existence, as old buildings are constantly lost to dilapidations and demolitions to accommodate modern developments. Forms in the ornamentation of the domestic buildings are also constantly changing in the modern world, as a result of cross-cultural influences occasioned by globalization. This result to being unknown to many youths of nowadays necessitating digging into cultural roots of the practice, to unveil the origin of the practice and documenting the forms at the inception. The study uses Osogbo, an antique Yoruba town renowned for her rich artistic culture, as an archetype for investigating the cultural roots of the practice in Yorubaland. Data generated from the field were analytically studied. This includes oral interviews with custodians of history to elicit information on the origin of embellishment on buildings; owners of antique buildings were also interviewed to generate information on the forms on their buildings. The study will serve as a reference point to future generations on the creative ingenuity of the past while keeping cultural heritage intact for future generations. It will also promote cultural consciousness, leading to the strengthening of the sense of cultural identity in the people. Keywords: Yoruba, Ornamentation, Heritage, Indigenous domestic buildings, Osogbo. DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/57-05 Publication date: March 31 st 2020

This is who we are and why!: Ethnography of weddings in Ibadan,Nigeria

Background: Wedding ceremonies celebrate marital unions of two individuals/families in accordance with socially sanctioned arrangements. Among the Yoruba of south-western Nigeria, weddings of various forms exist. Elaborate and relatively grand weddings are common among the Yoruba people but studies are insufficient on these weddings. More attention is thus needed to understand the trajectories and ramifications of these weddings especially within the socio-economic conditions and rapidly changing social environments that have implications for population and development. This article is therefore an attempt to describe contemporary marriage ceremonies among the Yoruba in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria and the meanings associated with the ceremonies. The article is a detailed ethnographic narrative of Yoruba marriage processes. Data Sources and Method: Primary and secondary data were gathered. For the primary data, qualitative research method was used. Data collection methods were participant observations (10 different wedding venues) and 15 in-depth interviews. Interpretive research approach through interviews, observations and pictures were used because of their capacities to extract reliable contextual meanings and implicative elements of social realities. Secondary data were gathered from journal articles, books, newspaper clippings and reliable internet sources. Data analysis was done through content analysis of texts and pictures. Results: Findings reveal very original and dynamically creative ways of celebrating weddings and significance of such weddings among the Yoruba people with implications for better understanding of Africa’s socio-economic and cultural systems, population and development. Conclusion: Weddings are significant social realities in context. While they preceed family formation and traditionally crucial, they are both physical and cultural just as they are systematically symbolic and demonstrative of familial and sociocultural statuses and class in Africa. Weddings in the context are indication and legitimation of identity and existencies and these have strategic implications for social change, cultural systems and population.

Validation of Ewefa as Herbal Recipes for Reproductive Health Problems (Rhps) among the Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria

Validation of Ewefa as Herbal Recipes for Reproductive Health Problems (Rhps) among the Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria

Tradition and Limits: Polemical Construction of Body Size Among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria

Large body size is a major risk factor in the development of chronic diseases. However, Africans are reputed for appreciating large body size. Narratives of socially constructed knowledge of body size are seemingly nonexistent among the Yoruba. Hence, this research was designed to explore social construction of body size among the Yoruba. Relying on a triangulation of qualitative methods, this study reflects the evidence that though there are antecedents of traditional veneration of large body, the traditional Yoruba culture invokes frames of references that impose limitations on such veneration. Moreover, social construction of body size has undergone tremendous changes, which divide this construction along the traditional and the modern. The latter secures remarkable acceptance in contemporary Yoruba society. The reflection of this modern attitude on body size maintaining or reducing actions appear most significant in Yoruba culture.

Advance Directive in End of Life Decision-Making among the Yoruba of South-Western Nigeria.

End-of-life decision making is value-laden within the context of culture and bioethics. Also, ethics committee role is difficult to understand on this, thus need for ethnomethodological perspective in an expanding bioethical age. Anthropological approach was utilized to document Yoruba definition and perspective of death, cultural beliefs about end-of-life decision making, factors influencing it and ethics committee role. Interviews were conducted among selected Yoruba resident in Akinyele LGA, Oyo State, Nigeria. Content analytical approach was used for data analysis. Yoruba culture, death is socially constructed having spiritual, physical and social significance. Relationship between the dying and significant others influences decision making. Hierarchy of authority informs implementing traditional advance directive. Socialization, gender, patriarchy, religious belief and tradition are major considerations in end-of-life decision making. Awareness, resource allocation and advocacy are important ethics committees' roles. Further research into cultural diversity of end-of-life decision making will strengthen ethical practice in health care delivery.

Machinery penile injuries associated with traditional trousers of the Yoruba of South-western Nigeria: A consideration for proper work clothes

Abstract Appropriateness of garments for different vocations to avoid unintended injury to the worker has always been recognized. This report of two cases of machinery penile injuries in patients wearing the traditional trousers of the Yoruba tribe of south-western Nigeria emphasizes the need for wearing appropriate clothes when operating machines.

A new technique to biopsy both horns in a septate or bicornuate uterus

References Cayuela E, Perez-Medina T, Vilanova J, et al. 2009. True osseous metaplasia of the endometrium: the bone is not from a fetus. Fertility and Sterility 91:1293.e1 – e4. Graham O, Cheng LC, Parsons JH. 2000. Th e ultrasound diagnosis of retained fetal bones in West African patients complaining of infertility. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 107:122 – 124. Jegede AS, Fayemiwo AS. 2010. Cultural and ethical challenges of assisted reproductive technologies in the management of infertility among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria. African Journal of Reproductive Health 14:115 – 127. Sahinoglu Z, Kuyumcuoglu U. 2003. An unusual case of postmenopausal vaginal bleeding: retention of fetal bone. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2:160 – 162.

The Structure and Function of Yoruba Facial Scarification

Among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, one commonly encounters people with different patterns of facial stripes produced by scarification. It has long been observed that such stripes are labels of clan identification among the Yoruba. This article considers facial stripes from a structural viewpoint, and shows that the attested patterns are rooted in Yoruba number symbolism.

Changes in Family Types and Functions among Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria since 1960

The two related questions pursued in the study being reported in this paper are the following: (1) What changes have occurred in family types and functions among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria in the past 50 years? (2) How significant are the changes to children's well-being? Since it is a monolithic group, the sample was small (N = 551), but it spread across the group's geographical location, and comprised male, female, Christian, and Muslim people, all older than 55 years of age. The questionnaire that they responded to requested they indicate on a scale how common some family types and functions were before 1960, 1961 to 1980, 1981 to 2000 and are since 2001 to the present. It was found that the extended family form has been decreasing only slowly. Polygamous marriage shows marginal decreases and monogamous marriage shows marginal increases. Unmarried parents and single parents are increasing fast. Educational and socialization functions of the family have reduced significantly but companionship is enduring satisfactorily.

Book Reviews

MankindVolume 8, Issue 2 p. 152-157 Book Reviews First published: December 1971 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1835-9310.1971.tb01082.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract Book reviewed in this article: Ethology: the Biology of Behaviour. By Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt Ethology and Society: Towards an Anthropological View. By Hilary Callan The Sting of Change: Sicilians in Sicily and Australia. By Constance Cronin Vunamami. Economic Transformation in a Traditional Society. By Richard F. Salisbury Yiwara. Foragers of the Australian Desert. By Richard A. Gould. Charles Scribner's Sons Big Men and Cargo Cults. By Glynn Cochrane The Yoruba of South Western Nigeria. By William Bascom The Face of the Fox. By Frederick O. Gearing The Prairie Potawatomi: Tradition and Ritual in the Twentieth Century. By Ruth Landes The Book of Noodles. By W. A. Clouston The Book of Festivals. By Dorothy Gladys Spicer Allan Cunningham: Botanist and Explorer. By W. G. McMinn An Annotated Bibliography of the Tasmanian Aborigines. By N. J. B. Plomley Pitjantjatjara Grammar. By Amee Glass and Dorothy Hackett Aboriginal Man and Environment in Australia. Edited by D. J. Mulvaney and J. Golson Prehistory: an Introduction. By Derek Roe A Dictionary of Archaeology. By Warwick Bray and David Trump A Concise Dictionary of Archaeology. Edited by Leonard Cottrell The Archaeology of Wilson's Promontory. By P. J. F. Coutts Volume8, Issue2December 1971Pages 152-157 RelatedInformation

Socio-cultural factors influencing the prevalence, care and support inHIV/AIDS among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria

This paper is a part of a bigger ethnographic study conducted in two states from the Yoruba society of the Southwestern Nigeria to examine the social and cultural factors influencing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and care and support systems in those states. This is in recognition of the need to arrest the increasing rate of the spread of the epidemic and the desire to create better care for People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWAs) in those states. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative methods using key-informant interviews, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and case-study analyses. The study engaged in intensive fieldwork, which lasted for 24 months. The study examined in historical perspective, the condition of health facilities in the study area before the outbreak of HIV/AIDS and how such facilities have coped with HIV/AIDS. The study revealed that the socio-cultural condition of the society is not conducive to fighting HIV/AIDS. Poverty, low literacy capacity, the urbanization process, inadequate health care facilities, the location of tertiary institutions, and certain contesting issues in HIV/AIDS were found to account for the continued prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the study-area. In addition to the above, is the neglect of rural communities in HIV/AIDS programmes, despite the fact that PLWAs often return to their rural communities after contracting HIV/AIDS in their urban residence. HIV/AIDS is seen as a disease associated with human development, hence, action against the disease should involve the overhauling of the entire development process in the community studied. African Journal of Health Sciences Vol. 14 (1-2) 2007: pp. 61-69

Cultural Nationalism, Democratization, and Conflict in Yoruba Perspectives: Focus on O’odua Peoples’ Congress (OPC) in Nigerian Politics

This paper is generated from hard data collected in Southwestern Nigeria, on cultural nationalism through violence in a democratic consolidating state of Nigeria. The heterogeneity of Nigeria operating under repressive conditions towards cultural aspirations and goals provoked violent cultural nationalism, as manifested in the operation of O'odua Peoples' Congress among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria. The incidence is gruesome for the democratic consolidation in Nigeria, thus, the rationale for interrogating violent cultural nationalism as a social critique. The paper discusses how Yoruba historical consciousness works to aggravate social tension against the Nigeria as a State and argued that cultural nationalism is imperative in heterogeneous democratic consolidating states, because it gives strength to democratic development, but should be devoid of violence. Consequently, for cultural nationalism to promote sustainable democratic development there is a need for harmony, trust and confidence among the various ethnic groups constituting a heterogeneous state, while negotiating for power and seeking access to resource control.

Gender and Health Analysis of Sexual Behaviour in South-Western Nigeria

This paper reports the main results of a series of interviews conducted among the Yoruba of south-western Nigeria. Fifty men and fifty women differing in socio-demographic backgrounds were studied. The study revealed that during their first sexual experience, Yoruba girls are at risk of contacting sexually transmitted diseases and of having unplanned pregnancies because of the traditional control measures and lack of adequate sex education even among those from non-traditional backgrounds. Choice of marriage partner is influenced by the kin, which encourages early marriage and multiple sexual relationships through polygyny. Yoruba men do not like contraceptives and the women suffer more of the consequences of sexual relationships than men. Sexual decision-making in Yoruba culture is characterised by certain specific problems of structural and cultural origins such as separate lifestyle of men and women, seeing the discussion of sexuality as a taboo, male dominance, and the perceived side effects of contraceptives. There is need for expanded sexual and reproductive health education strategies targeted at both males and females in this community especially among the adolescent group.

Governmentality, Modernity and the Historical Politics of Ọ̀yọ́-Hegemony in Yorùbá Transnational Revivalism

Keywords: history, power, geotemporality, race, Yoruba, [Symbol Not Transcribed]Oy[Symbol Not Transcribed]otunji, African villageRed blood splattered throughout the oval-shaped room. Robed in his best African clothes and by pulling the trigger of a borrowed shotgun, one of [Symbol Not Transcribed]Oy[Symbol Not Transcribed]otunji's young men had fallen to his death. The news of the suicide rang throughout the community. His last words inscribed on paper expressed how much he tried and wanted them to be proud of him, how much he hurt and how much he could not deal with the addictions that haunted him, how much he continued to fail those who he loved the most. His solution saddened the residents as they scrambled to explain how it could have happened, wishing that they had only paid more attention to the signs; if only they had tried harder. The lack of experience dealing with death in [Symbol Not Transcribed]Oy[Symbol Not Transcribed]otunji, a three generation-old community, left residents with a numbing powerlessness and malevolent curiosity about how the leaders would deal with a life taken in this way.The emotional inclination of many, regardless of the cause of death, was to honour with a special ritual the life of their friend and brother in the religion. During the first few hours members of the [Symbol Not Transcribed]Oy[Symbol Not Transcribed]otunji community scurried in search of the appropriate ritual procedure. They called the city of Beauport authorities, consulted the ancestors through the use of divinatory rituals, telephoned knowledgeable practitioners outside of [Symbol Not Transcribed]Oy[Symbol Not Transcribed]otunji, and consulted various historical texts in which Yoruba were documented. Although in the midst of a crisis, they not only sought the advice of their ancestors by conducting divination readings to determine the course of action, but they conducted literary research in search of the protocol of traditional burial practices among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria who committed suicide.Over the course of the development of the black cultural nationalist movement, as it moved from Harlem, New York to South Carolina, African Americans disillusioned with Christianity converted to Yoruba practices in an attempt to revive their African past. At the beginning of bi-weekly town meetings and other formal events, in an attempt to enact the social, religious and political life of Yoruba ancestors, [Symbol Not Transcribed]Oy[Symbol Not Transcribed]otunji revivalists have attempted to recreate their understanding of Yoruba cultural practices by educating themselves about Yoruba history and cultural practices. This has ranged from pursuing ritual apprenticeships, learning the divinatory corpus, attending workshops about Yoruba cultural practices and reading and studying texts about the history of African peoples. Most of the texts that document Yoruba traditional practices and are used in [Symbol Not Transcribed]Oy[Symbol Not Transcribed]otunji today were published prior to 1955. These include various early 20th century Yoruba revivalist classics such as Samuel Johnson's The History of the Yoruba and N.A. Fadipe's The Sociology of the Yoruba. These texts form the source of knowledge for African American ancestral history and despite the apparent stability of these written historical forms, Yoruba revivalists participate in shaping norms of acceptability by basing their terms of practice on renditions of those accounts.Despite the attempts of various leaders within the community to focus on historical customs and traditions documented in Yoruba history texts, the friends and relatives of the deceased who lived in [Symbol Not Transcribed]Oy[Symbol Not Transcribed]otunji mourned the loss of their compatriot. Disappointed in the traditionalist prohibitions against suicide, they disputed the actual relevance of applying Yoruba funeral rites in present day circumstances. …