Yoruba Society Research Articles

قيم الأدب الشفهي في المجتمع الأفريقي: حالة من أغاني اليوروبا الشعبية والمهرجانات التقليدية

Folksongs and traditional festivals are central to almost every activity of the Yoruba people. The contemporary world is full of pains, worries, sufferings and despair and various anti-social activities, in spite of pompous claims and glaring efforts of science and technology in solving old problems to create many new ones. Hence, every individual needs to relax, amuse, and get his or her mind off the dull struggles, worries and sorrows of life through folksongs and festivals. The Yoruba folksongs and festivals as soul-searchers and soul-menders therefore, serve the aesthetic, therapeutic and communicative purposes as tension relievers as well as elixir through which individuals are firmly reassured that there is still hope for humanity. Folksongs and traditional festivals, as manifestations of oral literary genre, possess the remarkable ability to simultaneously entertain, educate, heal and provide solace in individuals. Through them, virtues of the community are upheld and cultural values are projected. It thus concluded that Yoruba folksongs and festivals are a vital communicative instrument for pleasure and a therapy to heal and soothe individuals. Therefore, it is recommended that the Yoruba people continue to utilize folksongs as a means of entertaining, educating, consoling, and comforting themselves as the need arises. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of preserving and perpetuating traditional festival celebrations in Yoruba society, as they serve as a unifying force among the people and a potent platform for showcasing the rich culture and traditions of the Yoruba people to the wider world. Other African societies should also intensify efforts in employing folksongs and festival performances to project their respective cultural identity to the wider world.

Traditional Marriage In Yoruba Culture: An Exploration Of Male Dominance

This paper seeks to examine the structure of traditional marriage in the Yoruba culture and to explore how issues of bride price, virginity and fertility are used to reinforce male dominance. In the Yoruba culture, marriage is seen as a very important institution and it is regarded as a union between two families. Traditionally, the groom's family is responsible for providing a bride price to the bride's family. Bride price is seen as a bargaining chip, conferring rights to the husband to control the wife while also legitimizing her place in his family. Virginity is associated with purity and good character, with faithfulness to the husband being prerequisite for a good marriage. Fertility is seen as a duty of the wife and necessary for the continuity of the husband’s lineage. Failure to fulfil these roles was seen as grounds for divorce or repudiation. The paper adopts critical and reflective methods to explain male dominance as related to the issues of bride price, virginity and fertility in Yoruba traditional marriage and concludes that the traditional marriage practices that dictate these values are a source of inequality and oppression that reinforces male dominance in Yoruba society.

The Symbolic Potentials of Motifs on Yoruba Beaded Crowns

The Yoruba monarchical system operates supremacy of power with the use of beaded objects to indicate ranks and wealth. Suffice to say that beads are of inestimable value in Yoruba culture because its use is historic and perhaps, transcends extinction based on it's cultural value and record. This paper therefore, explores the basis for the use of particular motifs (rendered in beads) on these great works of historical, cultural and socio-political values and their symbolic potentials in Yoruba culture. It examines the relationship between ori (head) and crown in relation to Yoruba culture. It groups Yoruba crowns Into two: Agba Ade (the tall and conical type) and Orikogbofo (the caplike type). It identifies four main motifs on the crown and describes one as material (veils) and the other three as iconic (groups of birds). Extolling the power of the motifs in Yoruba monarchical system, the paper submits that the statuses of Yoruba kings are determined by the number of icons (motifs) on their crowns. The paper concludes by asserting that irrespective of any changes in the Yoruba society, the institution of kingship will remain with continuous making of beaded crowns adorned with symbolically and potentially driven motifs in response to socio-cultural demands of the Yoruba society at that time. Keywords: Symbolic, Potential, Motif, Yoruba, Beaded Crown. Aims Research Journal Reference Format: Ajayi, J.B. (2023): The Symbolic Potentials of Motifs on Yoruba Beaded Crowns. Advances in Multidisciplinary and Scientific Research Journal Vol. 9. No. 4. Pp 35-43 www.isteams.net/aimsjournal. dx.doi.org/10.22624/AIMS/V9N3P4

A Critical Appraisal of The Role of Retribution in Aníkúlápó: The Movie

This study examines Aníkúlápó, a Yoruba historical movie, to elucidate cultural perspectives on retributive justice. The study is grounded in the Yoruba worldview, which frames retribution as essential for restoring cosmic and social equilibrium when moral norms are violated. The data analysis used textual analysis of Aníkúlápó’s narrative depictions of crime and punishment as insights into traditional Yoruba principles of retributive justice. The findings reveal that the movie accurately portrays customary public punishment processes in precolonial Yoruba society aimed at communal justice and harmony. Beliefs in supernatural forces dispensing divine retribution are also authentically represented. While punishments seek to deter crime and rehabilitate offenders, scholarly critiques note occasional unfairness and excess. Overall, the analysis of the movie illuminates the pivotal role of retribution in Yoruba's cultural identity and moral philosophy. The key themes in the study relate to retribution's links to cosmic balance, supernatural dimensions, and functions as deterrence and rehabilitation. By situating the analysis of Aníkúlápó within scholarship on African jurisprudence, the study elucidates Yoruba perspectives on fate, choice, proportionality, and pragmatism when responding to moral complexities and wrongdoing. This study contributes original humanistic insight into indigenous African philosophies of social harmony beyond punitive justice. This study recommends comparing diverse narratives and contemporary attitudes to enrich the understanding retribution's nuanced cultural significance.

Who Owns the Child? Critically Engaging the Belief in Child Ownership in Yoruba Cultural Belief System

Abstract The belief that the husband owns the child, prevalent in Yoruba cultural system, is the issue of engagement in this research. The research traced the justification for this belief to patriarchy. The paper found that patriarchy, is only a masculine hegemony, socially entrenched and unchecked within the Yoruba social system. Consequently, building it on the philosophical framework of Hobbes and Locke, the paper argued that; considering the fact that each sex is biologically determined and the complementary contribution made by each towards procreation, it is consistent to conclude that the child belongs to both parents. Considering the assumption that each parent is a natural object, conditioned to respond to procreation eliciting natural promptings, it follows that the children belong to Nature. The paper therefore concludes that family laws in Yoruba societies ought to reflect equal ownership of children by both parents. Methodology used include textual analysis and argumentative investigation.

Reincarnation in the Yoruba Ontology: Abiku

This study will present an argument on reincarnation beliefs among the Yoruba people in Nigeria, focusing on the born-to-die phenomenon, Abiku. According to the Yoruba tradition, the Abikus were once spiritual creatures before evolving into humans. But the Yoruba people's reincarnation beliefs concerning Abiku may be a myth. With the lack of medical technology in Yorubaland and other pre-colonial African nations to ascertain couples’ genotype compatibility, sickle cell anemia, and other illnesses may have been the underlying cause of child mortality. Although previous scholars have attempted an explanation of the phenomenon, most scholarly works are premised on the medical perspective of child mortality, lack of adequate healthcare, folktales, and religious beliefs. A typical phenomenon among the Yoruba is the mutilation of body parts of the children assumed to be an Abiku. They do this to easily recognize the child if he returns to the family as a new child. When newborn babies are born with mutilation marks like the ones that died, it confirms the belief that he is an Abiku. However, it is hard to determine if the Abiku phenomenon is a myth or reality. To explain and establish this, I will explore research and documented stories of reincarnation experiences of people who have been caught on this web. This will also uncover parallels in the reincarnated individuals' experiences, the consequences for these people, and the impact of reincarnation belief systems and rituals on Yoruba society.

Sociological background and emotional experiences in selected Yoruba traditional musical forms

This study explores the distinguished characters and emotional experiences of selected traditional Yoruba musical forms and focuses on the sociological background and events which have contributed to the emotional experience of traditional Yoruba musical forms. Therefore, the paper clarified the relativity of evoking associations which determines the musical forms in the traditional music-making of the Yoruba people. Music is omnipresent and it is appreciated and respected within the traditional Yoruba society. The goal of this micro-sociological and ethnographical research in Yoruba music was to produce as detailed distinguished character description and emotional experience of the potential social impacts in the Yoruba music structures. The application of context analysis to investigate Yoruba traditional music is intended for a complete and an in-depth understanding of the music. The theoretical framework for this study is the Aristotle’s theory of art as an imitation of life. The study brought to fore the various circumstances, religious, ritual beliefs, environmental factors and cultures of Yoruba people as determinants of musical forms. In consequence, the following are the Yoruba musical forms; responsorial and recitative forms, General chorus form, incantation call and response form, round form, proverbial free form, free song form, nonsense syllable form and historical song form.

The signifying culture: An intercultural and qualitative analysis of Tiv and Yoruba folktales for moral instruction and character determination in children

Background: In the study of African communities, folktales have remained a constant element. With their origin in the culture of oral storytelling, folktales have often been used by older age groups to guide and mould behavioural patterns in children. In ancient and traditional African societies, children were gathered at the end of the day by older members of the community for tales by moonlight sessions aimed at guiding their moral decisions. With globalisation and its consequent effects such as migration, dislocation and disindigenisation, the culture of communal folktale sessions is experiencing a quick death. This paper engages with the relevance of folktales as moral guides for children in African societies and as a renewed path to increased societal stability facilitated by morally set individuals. Methods: The folktales were randomly selected from a pool of Tiv and Yoruba folktales in Nigeria. Two animal-based folktales which are part of shared folk culture were picked from the Tiv society and one from the Yoruba society. The study follows a narrative and content analysis approach where the selected folktales are corroborated by four key informants, two males and two females within the ages of 50-65. Results: With particular focus on the benefits of promoting and re-introducing the folktale culture to encourage positive behavioural traits amongst individuals in the society, the study primarily highlights folktales as reflective of human life. In identifying this similarity, the character of children is largely influenced by the moral values inherent in these folktales. Conclusions: There needs to be an increased use of media and audio-visual tools to expand the knowledge and accessibility of indigenous African folktales in order to preserve ethnic, national and social identity as well as to provide a moral compass for children.

Waka Music as a Commentary on Yoruba Society in Post-Colonial Nigeria: A Review of Two Female Musicians

In pre-colonial and colonial Yoruba societies, music was an integral part of everyday life. Scholarly works have differentiated music genres among the Yoruba with attempts made to analyse their historical background. Even though the Yoruba music industry is a male-dominated industry with concentration on Fuji, Highlife and Juju music, the few female musicians in the industry have created a distinct genre known as Waka music. This article argues that the Waka music of the female musicians presents a perspective for understanding the feminisation of music and the challenges of development in Southwestern Nigerian cities from the immediate postcolonial era. Moreover, against the stereotype that women lack insights into social issues, this work displays that Waka music by female singers, Batuli Alake and Salawa Abeni, illustrate how an agency of communication and relevance is created. The career history of both women serves a basis for unravelling feminist struggles to eke out a livelihood in postcolonial Nigeria. The article adopted an historical approach in its analysis. It employed both primary and secondary sources such as online interview excerpts, newspapers, journals and books. The findings show that Waka music has strictly been a sphere of interest that women have sustained in the Yoruba music industry.

Literature and History: Study of Nigerian Indigenous Historical Novels

The assumption that history posits itself as a fact, while literature is to be taken as an artistic form, only for entertainment (i.e., the difference between truth and falsehood, reality and illusion) has long been debated by formalists and soclologlsts of literature. In Yoruba society, literature and history are im­portant in explaining the fullness of life and the world around us. It is against this background that this paper examines the relationship between literature and history and how Yoruba novelists use their works as vehicles for the repre­sentation of history. We adopt the theory of New Historicism to analyze T.A.A. Ladele's lgbi Aye n yi and Olu Owolabi's Ote Nibo. Some of the findings reveal that: both Yoruba literature and history are closely related, they are both based on Yoruba experience and Yoruba existence either in the past or present; while Ladele Interprets the history of the dignity and royal glamour of the Yoruba oba in the precolonial era as a form of domination which is often achieved through culturally-orchestrated consent rather than force; Owolabi represents the hlstory of party politics in Yoruba society as fraudulent, deceltful, full of bitterness and violence. The paper concludes that both novelists are subjective in their representation of Yoruba history, but they successfully establfsh the fact that the novel is a repository of history; however, such history is not a mere chronlcle of facts and events, but rather a complex description of human reality and a challenge to the preconceived notions of the societies from which they emerged.

“Welcome to the White Man’s World”: An English Translation of Isaac Oluwole Delano’s Historical Novel Aiyé D’Aiyé Òyìnbó

Welcome to the White Man’s World
 By Chief Isaac O. Delano
 Author of Soul of Nigeria, An African Look at Marriage, One Church for Nigeria, Notes and Comments from Nigeria, The Singing Minister of Nigeria, Ìran Ọrun, Ìtàn Ogun Àdùb ̀ í, and Ìwé Atúmọ Yorùbá ̀ (Yoruba – Yoruba Dictionary) London: Tomas Nelson Ltd., 1953
 Foreword
 I appreciate the kind of love with which you, my readers, embraced my previous books, whether those I wrote in the English language or in Yoruba. For the record, one important thing I would like to say right here is that all names, be it of towns or of people, that are used in this book are totally fictional. We had no one in mind when this story was being written. The story is purely fictional but based on our various experiences in the Yoruba society.
 Isaac O. Delano Bajiki Ake, Abeokuta London, 1953
 Dedication
 Tis book is dedicated to Ẹgbẹ́Ọmọ Odùduwà (Te Society of Sons and Daughters of Oduduwa), which is frantically engaged in working relentlessly towards the progress of the Yoruba society.

John Ayotunde Isola Bewaji. The Rule of Law and Governance in Indigenous Yoruba Society: A Study in African Philosophy of Law. Lexington Books, 2016, 282 pages

Review of John Ayotunde Isola Bewaji's The Rule of Law and Governance in Indigenous Yoruba Society: A Study in African Philosophy of Law. Lexington Books, 2016, 282 pages.

Glocalization of Yoruba Omoluwabi Ideology

Omoluwabi, a Yoruba concept of the Ideal persona, is well foregrounded in the Ifa corpus, the full meaning and import of which are either lost or taken for granted. Previous studles have examined the concept of Omoluwabi, inves­tigated its possible source(s) or origin, and explored its philosophy. The pres­ent writer has also been privileged, at different forums, to extend the study's frontiers in different directions, including evolving a home-grown theoretical basis for ideologizing the indigenous Yoruba concept. On each occasion, he has come up with additional exciting findings. The present discourse attempts to stretch the horizon of intellection a little further, such that the theoretical basis for interrogating the Yoruba personality using the Omoluwabi concept is guided by revisionist/historicist assumptions since one is dealing with an all-encompassing philosophical hermeneutic that both defines and engages the sociology of life and llving, the prevalent patterned attitude, and values in the indigenous Yoruba society. "Glocalizatlon," in this context, refers to the extent of the local relevance of pmqluwabl and the possibility of its attaining a higher pedestal of global ideological competitiveness. The paper argues that Omoluwabi remains one great ideology in the Yoruba Ifa knowledge systems practice that possesses a capacity for gauging socially approved human rela­tions of global magnitude; there is a plurality of poetics, not just one. The paper succeeds at, among other things, harnessing and streamlining prevlous find­ings of this writer on Omoluwabi with the current ones, with a view to sharing fundamental cultural information on the subject for the purpose of making it globally acceptable and adaptable. The paper concludes that the Omoluwabi ideology is capable of fostering genuine development, and that its relevance to worldviews, core universal values, and principles naturally compels an acknowl­edgment of its profundity, as well as ensures the possibility of its assuming a pedestal of universal philosophical and ideological mediation in an apparently troubled world, albeit not without some soft challenges.

Didacticism and Philosophical Tenets in Ọbasa’s Poetry

Projection and promotion of Yoruba cultural ideology and philosophy are motifs in D.A. Ọbasa’s poetry. As an ingenious poet, Obasa adroitly blends the tropes of didacticism and philosophical tenets in his poetry. Existing works on his poetry have explored the thematic preoccupations of his poems, as well as their forms and stylistic features. However, little attention has been paid to the correlation between didacticism and philosophy in his poetry. Tis essay, therefore, identifies the basic tenets of philosophy in the form of ethical, metaphysical, and epistemological aspects of Yoruba philosophy in Obasa’a poetry with a view to establishing the way Yoruba philosophy is used to teach morals in the poems. Ọbasa’s philosophical inclination is anchored on Yoruba philosophy. Some of the philosophical tenets identified are ethical issues, like obedience, truth, hospitality and being respectful. Virtues are extolled, while vices, like jealousy, pride, disobedience and deceit are condemned. The metaphysical beliefs of the Yoruba in death, destiny, and life after death, as well as the belief in the Supreme Being (Olodumare) are also discussed. The epistemological values of Yoruba communal system and ìwà, and ọmọlúàbí concept are also entrenched in Ọbasa’s poetry. It is also revealed that satirical elements, especially humor are used to project Yoruba philosophical belief in order to imbue the reader with moral rectitude. There is a close link between Ọbasa’s poetry and the Yoruba sociocultural milieu. The essence of didacticism and philosophical tenet in his poems is to advance the social development of the Yoruba society and the larger Nigerian society.

The Pre-colonial Yoruba Education System: Catalyst Against Immorality

The notion that Africans in general have no literature of their own has been severally debunked as false assertion. Awólàlú (1979) describes it as ‘erroneous’, a thought borne out of prejudice, malice and bias (3). Among these is their method of training both the young and old in the ways and traditions of the people. The Yorùbá had a system of education referred to as ìlànà ètò è̩kó̩ ìbílè̩ (traditional or indigenous system of education). Even though the said system of education was not documented, it is not only flexible enough to conserve the tradition and culture of the people, it has also proved adequate in transmitting the cultural heritage from generation to generation using the mother-tongue as a tool. Tis paper examines the effectiveness of this traditional system of education in the development of the pre-colonial Yoruba society especially in terms of moral diligence. The paper critically analyzes the system and concludes that a society that is morally bankrupt cannot develop, hence the need for a system of education that emphasizes moral training such as the Yorùbá traditional system of education as compared with the Western system of education, which lays emphasis on jobs. The paper concludes that if the formal education system can prioritize moral training by tailoring the curriculum towards this objective, the problem of high moral decadence level currently ravaging our various societies may continue and this will not do the societies any good.

Using Crime Control Mechanisms in Yoruba Traditional Society as a Template for Redressing Security Challenges in Nigeria

Crime and its attendant fatalities has become a burning issue in Nigeria in recent times. It is a phenomenon that is bedeviling the nation and steps taken by government to prevent it seem inadequate as it continues to spread like a dry season fire. Existing studies on crime and its control have focused mainly on the use of modern methods which are at variance with the cultures of the various societies, while little attention is also paid to the crime control mechanisms of the traditional Yoruba society. The inability of government to tackle the menace of crime has led to palpable fears among the people as security of lives and property is perpetually threatened. This has impacted negatively on the country that is striving to be among the developed nations in the world. A qualitative method of research was adopted for this brief study. The paper argues that crime that has become the order of the day in Nigeria, came as a result of inter alia unemployment, poverty, selfishness and greed. This paper proffers a solution by proposing the use of traditional Yoruba crime control mechanisms with the modern one, side by side, to fight crime in Nigeria in order to foster the rapid economic and social development that everybody is longing for.

Socio-legal Implication of Legalising Same-Sex Marriage in Cultural Yoruba Society, Osun State, Nigeria

Previous studies on same-sex marriage have only examined the discourse of same-sex marriage through the lens of religion, morality and philosophy. Others include political and human rights perspective in Nigeria with paucity of research on socio-legal dimension. Therefore, this paper assesses the socio-legal consequences that are plausible with the legalisation of same-sex marriage in cultural Yoruba society. The exploratory design was employed with a total of 20 respondents (community and traditional leaders and law enforcement officers) recruited through purposive and convenience recruitment strategies. The semistructure interview approach was used for data collection and the NVivo (v. 12) qualitative software was employed in identifying themes from the transcripts interview. The study reveals a range of perception about same-sex marriage including exposure to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as well as HIV/AIDS, and the challenge of procreation which remains a sacrosanct need of marriage. Social implication reveals a taboo to existing cultural tradition, norms, values and customs of the Yoruba cultural society and a blasphemy to religion which can trigger societal unrest. The legal implication uncovered include that same sex exudes a danger to public morality, with 14 years imprisonments for offenders and 10 years for accomplices. The analysis takes the position of the constitution of gender ministry by the Osun State government where issues of same-sex marriage can be effectively addressed for the sanity of the cultural Yoruba.

A Yorùbá Novelist’s Perception of Courtship: An Examination of Fagunwa’s Novels

This paper investigates Fagunwa’s perception of courtship in his novels. Our theoretical framework is based on sociology of literature. The theory studies the social production of literature and its social implications. The paper shows a letter-related-courtship: which strengthens the level of love between two prospective lovers each time the letter is read, and a test-related courtship: that enables the woman to discover the man. The paper shows that in Fagunwa’s novels, love and intimacy solidify courtship. The paper reveals that the novelist does not support the use of Alarena (matchmaker) between a man and a woman that want to go into courtship as he wants everyone to express his or her love to the opposite sex. The novelist also condemns cohabitation. The paper concludes that the Yoruba society should complement the Yoruba courtship process with good foreign courtship processes to meet the demands of the present day society.

Contribution to Britain’s War Efforts in Osun Division of Western Nigeria, 1939–1945

Abstract Although no real battle was fought in Nigeria during the Second World War (1939–1945), the burden of the war was much felt by Nigerians. They made significant contributions to the war effort; a method through which the British shifted the burden of the war onto their colonial subjects. This strategy had caught the attentions of many scholars, and various discussions have centered on its origin, purpose and operation at provincial and Nigeria wide level. Thus, contributions at the Districts and Division levels have always been subsumed into colony-wide studies, and by that fact remained unresearched. This paper focuses the effects of the imperial coping strategy on the Yoruba society with Osun Division as a case study. The study adopts historical approach, which depends on written, oral, and archival sources. However, it is hoped that, with due attention being given to the efforts of the people at a local level, the impact of the Second World War on African social order will be better understood.

Endangerment of Yorùbá Individual Names: Implication on Yorùbá True Identity

Name plays an important role in Yoruba society. Yoruba does not bear names without considering some factors because of its future consequences. Although, name is for identification, it also serves as a source of honour and pride, especially for those who are born from heroic and warrior families. People love identifying with such names by bearing the names of the heroes or warriors. These names have been reduced to surnames today. Other names are praise namely Amoke, Arinpe, Amoo, Alani, Akanke, and Abeke. These names are regarded as archaic today and nobody reckon with them anymore. It is dismal that these names and many others that are associated with deities are gradually going into extinction owing to modern religions. This forms the discussion of this paper. The purpose of the paper is to call the attention of Yoruba scholars to the fact that not only Yoruba language is going into extinction, Yoruba original names also do. The data collection for the paper is drawn from texts and journals on Yoruba names. An interviewed was conducted among the youths and the informants who are between 70 and 75 years old from Ado- Ekiti were consulted. They are selected because aged people value names unlike the youths who bear names without minding the implication. The JAMB admission broad sheet students seeking admission into E ki ti State University, Ado - E ki ti , Nigeria and the Faculties final admission lists sent to the Faculty of Arts were consulted. The data cover three sessions; 2016/17, 2017/18, 2018/19. This is possible because the researcher is in-charge of admission process in his Department. The paper adopts descriptive approach for the data analysis.