One idea behind yoruba religion is that natural objects, like trees, rivers, stones, metal, have a spiritual existence. Oduduwa between 1100 ad and 1700 ad, the yoruba kingdom of ife experienced a golden age, the oba or ruler of ife is referred to as the ooni of ife. The history of nigeria explained in 6 minutes 3,000 years of nigerian history. The eighteenth century was a particularly difficult one for them. Apr 12, 2016 reading of an excerpt from a history of the yoruba people. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Yoruba people, tribe, language, religion, culture, women. The story in question revolves around oduduwa, who is said by the yoruba to be the founder of the monarchy at ileife, the town which is widely regarded as the cradle of their civilization. He is a patron of sexual diversity, celebrating lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
Yoruba religion ifa history and interesting facts in 2019. In the past ten years, significant works on the phenomenology and history of religions. The question of their origin is debatableand in the. The origins and brief history of the ewe people narrated by dr. History archeological evidence shows us that the yoruba have lived in here since prehistoric times.
The vast majority of this population is from nigeria, where the yoruba make up 16% of the countrys population, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in africa. Let us do it, the way it is usually done, so that we may have the usual result. Some examples rituals and rites abound in yoruba traditional religion. Reading of an excerpt from a history of the yoruba people. It is thus not surprising that the history of the yoruba soon became the subject of. A short history of yorubaland with pictures culture nigeria. The yoruba people remain as one of the largest ethnic groups in nigeria and in africa as a whole. Yoruba religion is a traditional west african religion.
The history of the yorubas by samuel johnson, 1921, c. Yoruba people are a large ethnolinguistic group or ethnic nation in africa, and the majority of them speak the yoruba language. Yoruba and ancient near eastern history, the present article argues that yoruba traditions of provenance, claiming immigration from the near east, are basically correct. Yoruba armament the journal of african history cambridge core. The yoruba people live mainly in what is now southwestern nigeria, as well as in the neighboring republic of benin. The yoruba traditional religion believes that all human beings pass through what is known as ayanmo which translate to destiny or fate. Samuel johnson 18461901 was an anglican minister and historian renowned for his magisterial history of the yoruba people. It is a very ancient religion of the mysteries and messages of olodumare revealed to man by orunmila. For instance, they claim that they have more than 400 deities. The handbook of yoruba religious concepts by baba ifa karade, olodumare.
Influence of yoruba culture in christian religious worship. In a similar vein, yoruba philosophy can be considered antecedent to yoruba religion, in the same manner. This variety, which has its origin in the 1850s, is the written form of the language and is widely used in the media by newsreaders. It is illuminating and engaging and strangely funny in its quaint often sententious tone. The history of the yorubas 1921 edition open library. Download history of yoruba land or read online books in pdf, epub, tuebl, and mobi format. The book has a vivid picture of a generation of yoruba nationhood within nigerian nationality, prior to the british invation and colonalization of nigeria, yoruba had been a nation with an institutionalized government and there is no better place to understand and assess this form of government except in this book, the book is a bag of history. The yoruba people iv page ife and thus became the first oba meaning king or ruler in the yoruba language of who today are known as the yoruba people. A people of rich soil and full of mystery, the yoruba people of nigeria dance to the beats of the bata drum under the moonlight, chanting away to the mother goddess, ibase yemoja, olugberere i give praise to you yemoja, the one who brings goodness, offering their gratitude to oduduwa, the godfather of the land this is a tribe with a story. It reminds us of the beauty, pain, violence and resounding relevance of yoruba culture easily mirrored in other african ethnicities. Also, more than one third of afrobrazilians claim yoruba ancestry fadipe. At the beginning of yoruba mythology, the universe was composed of two elements, the ethereal sky above and a watery chaos below.
The rest is spent in the farm with oko a farming god. Based to a large extent on the dynastic tradition of the formerly dominant oyo clan, it is presently in the process of reevaluation. 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. Theyequally formparts of edo, kwara and kogi states. Uncounted numbers of yoruba were carried to the americas. History of the yoruba people the yoruba tribe is one of the greatest tribes in africa, although very sketchy evidence exists as to the true origin of this mighty tribe. Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups of nigeria, concentrated in the southwestern part of that country. According to him, the yoruba originally came from the northeastern area of africa.
Cambridge core african history the history of the yorubas by samuel johnson. 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. It would seem that the oduduwa factor was not a dominant issue in the history and politics of the yoruba until the late 1940s when it was revived or. The inevitable starting point is their traditional accounts. Irrespective of the aforementioned discrepancies in the yoruba language, the tribe has a standard variety of yoruba known as literary yoruba, yoruba koine, or yoruba. The longrunning dispute between the yoruba and the bini about certain aspects of the myth purportedly accounting for the existence of the yoruba is well known. Jan 22, 2009 see smith, robert, the alafin in exile. Saburi biobaku director of the yoruba historical research schzme, nigeria the history of the indigenous peoples of west africa is ripe for intensive research. We provide a research and learning environment for nigerians at home and in the diaspora. The artists of ancient ife, ancestral home to the yoruba and mythic birthplace of gods and humans, clearly were interested in creating works that could be read. Born in freetown in sierra leone and educated by the church missionary society, johnson was sent with his family to idaban in nigeria in 1857. Yoruba people were heavily traded for salves during the slave trade years and the yoruba territory was known as the slave coast. History of the yoruba civil wars 1877 1893 although the yoruba civil war was mainly between western yoruba ibadan and its allies like the offa, modakeke and all oyo forces on ibadans side and eastern yoruba ijesa, ekiti, ife and other yoruba dominions like igbomina, akoko, egbe, kabba and the oworro, a. On the basis of comparative studies between the dynastic tradition of the.
I would recommend it as mustread text for all yorubas and indeed all interested nigerians, beninois and brazilians. One of the traditional practices of the yoruba people is ifa worship. Erinle is a wilderness god, associated with hunting, herbalism and animal husbandry. History of yoruba land download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Nevertheless, ancestral cultures directly related to the yorubas bloomed to the north of niger. The yoruba constitute about 44 million people in total. Oldnaija goes beyond the lines to unearth historical events in nigeria and document nigerian cultures for the good of students, historians. A brief history of the yoruba people kindle edition by crowther, samuel ajayi. They are one of the largest ethnic groups in one of africas most populous nations nigeria. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a brief history of the yoruba people. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want.
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. 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. Jun 20, 2019 the yoruba religion system comprises of traditional practices and spiritual concepts which has evolved into a robust religious system. Abstract religion is the strongest element in african culture and exerts great influence upon the conduct of the african people.
Click download or read online button to get history of yoruba land book now. It is a practice which originated thousands of years ago. Origin of the yoruba and the lost tribes of israel dierk lange abstract. Much smaller, scattered groups live in benin and northern togo. This article aims to shed more light on the origin and history of the yoruba people. The yoruba tribe is one of the three largest and most powerful ethnic groups in nigeria. Request permission export citation add to favorites track citation. The orisha and the 12 gods of yoruba mythology ancient code. Even though a good number of yoruba people practice christianity, up to 20% of the yoruba population still practice traditional forms of religion. They are, in fact, not a single group, but rather a collection of diverse people bound together by a common language, history, and culture. 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. In a similar vein, yoruba philosophy can be considered antecedent to yoruba religion, in the same manner that every idea comes from the head before going into action. Therefore, according to the yoruba, humans are eventually expected to. A short history of yorubaland with pictures by jennyo.
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. However, this practice varies from one community to another. It demonstrates the strong influence of yoruba religion and culture on world religions among african diaspora. Younger members of the benin ruling house carried yoruba influenc e eastwards across the niger as far as onitsha and into the creeks, notably to nembe in the brass district. His findings certainly put a lie to the controversial assertion made by sir hugh trevorroper, one of the bestknown and most respected historians that ever lived, who once said that the history of africa is. According to legend, the civilization currently known as yoruba started in ancient ileife. Samuel johnsons version and the oke oramfes version. Kobla dotse published in 2011 xxxx publications disclaimer the material we present here is provided to you mainly for educational and information purposes only. Yoruba religion simple english wikipedia, the free. The study of yoruba religious tradition in historical. Majority of yoruba still practice traditional religion. The oduduwa myth and the farce of yoruba unity brunel. As master of the deep, he has a great insight into the. Several controversial articles and books have been written about the origins of this mighty tribe, with several kingdoms even in yoruba land contesting for the rights to be.
Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. Iran yoruba are an ethnic group that inhabits western africa, mainly nigeria and benin. Learn the basics of the yoruba religion ifa in this exciting article. They have a general language called yoruba yooba which is the form that is taught in schools in the southwestern zone of nigeria. He is said to live in the forest with his orisha brothers part of the time.
The yoruba constitute approximately 35 percent of nigerias total population, and around 40 million individuals throughout the region of west africa. At the east and the north, the yoruba culture arrives at its limits in the niger river. The history of the yorubas by samuel johnson goodreads. Not only does the book cover every aspect of yoruba history from the. This kingdom was founded by the deities oduduwa and obatala, who are believed to have created the world. The woman in yoruba culture the yoruba people predominantly belong to the oyo, ogun, ondo, osun, ekiti and lagos states. Art in ancient ife, birthplace of the yoruba suzanne preston blier a rtists the world over shape knowledge and material into works of unique historical importance. Yoruba people, language, religion, tribe, culture, facts. Pdf reexamining the yoruba nation a history of the.
The yoruba imported their best horses from hausaland and bornu, and tradition suggests that the trade was conducted through markets in nupe. The word for head in yorubaoricarries physical and spiritual connotations that cannot be separated. Ifa divination may not be common in other african philosophies, but it is for the yoruba people an oasis of wisdom, love, and morality. In terms of ethnolinguistics, the yoruba belong to the nigercongo language family, which covers many cultures of that region. The yoruba people occupy the states lagos, ondo, oyo, ogun, osun, ekiti, and some parts of kwara and edo states respectively.
Oldnaija is an online platform dedicated to documenting and promoting the history of ngeria. The yoruba constitute, perhaps, the most studied african ethnolinguistic group. The history of the yorubas from the earliest times to the beginning of the british protectorate by samuel johnson. Modern history map of yoruba people, west africa nigeria, 1898 the yoruba eventually established a federation of citystates under the political ascendancy of the city state of oyo, located on the northern fringes of yorubaland in the savanna plains between the forests of present southwest nigeria and the niger river. Adegbola is absolutely right and his research into the history of the yoruba and the various yoruba kingdoms is simply outstanding. The history of nigeria explained in 6 minutes 3,000 years. A brief history of the yoruba people provides a short of account of a yoruba origin tradition, and a list of yoruba kings. Yoruba religion simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The history and traditions of the yoruba people panorama. The yoruba numbered more than 20 million at the turn of the 21st century. Olokun presides over this watery abyss, an aquatic realm populated by sea spirits. A short history of yorubaland with pictures culture.
Brief history of yoruba people, culture, religion and. Yoruba culture area at the time of his alleged journey in the 5th century bc. The yoruba are one of the largest african ethnic groups south of the sahara desert. The fulani invasion drove many of the yorubas far into these lands, and the fleeing locals remained where they landed. Director of the yoruba historical research schzme, nigeria. History of the yoruba people the history of the yorubas is not yet well established. The yoruba people, of which there is at the present time more than 25 million, occupies the western south corner of nigeria, by all the edge of dahomey and it extends until he himself dahomey. History the history of the yorubas dates back to an era that existed before the ancient oyo empire of the 17th century. The ori holds the bodys knowledge and is its destiny. In several parts of the caribbean and south america, yoruba religion has been combined with christianity. Oduduwa was the first divine king of the yoruba people, and obatala fashioned the first human beings out of clay. The yoruba have been the most dominant group in this region of africa for centuries.