Yoruba People is an African ethnic found mainly in southwestern Nigeria, Togo, Benin, and outlying regions of Ghana, Upper Volta, Sierre Leone, and Ivory Coast. During the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Yorubas were shipped to places like Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, and numerous other countries in the Americas. It is estimated the Yorubas are 60 million strong.
Family
In the past, a Yoruba man could have many wives, but with the spread of Christianity most men have one wife. A man is expected to support his family, and treat his wife or wives kindly and with affection. A wife is expected to display "good character."
It was the function of men to farm the land which was close to the family compound, and the function of women to sell produce in market. Social custom was strong against a man selling produce. Through selling at market, women could engage other enterprising business activities. Women were expected to assist in the economic activities of the household. She was expected to be an income earner. The notion of the stay at home-mom, completely dependent on her husband for support was once non-existant in Yoruba culture.
Families typically lived in a rectangular compound with the oldest male as head of an extended family both patrilineal and patrilocal. Each wife had a her separate room. Male and female children would sleep with their mothers until maturity. At maturity, girls would sleep in the girls room and the same with mature boys, in the boys room.
Clothing
Agbada is a V-neck Yoruba robe, that extends the length of ones arm to ones feet. It is worn with trousers called sokoto, and a round cap called fila. It was traditionally made with a silken textured material sanyan. Traditionally, agbada was only worn by nobles and people of high status.
Yoruba women are known for elaborate, brightly colored head-dress called gele. Gele is worn during weddings and other festive occassion. The head-dress is made of stiff material called ashoka is brightly colored. For full body attire, women wear iro (wrapper) at the bottom half of an attire and the buba the top half of an attire. On top of the shoulders goes the pele or iborun(shawl).
Music
Yoruba music is poly-rhythmic. It is centered around drums. Drums can reproduce the tones of Yoruba speech. Dundun is the name given to Yoruba talking drums. Dundun means means "sweet sound" in Yoruba. A dundun ensemble comprise of a iyalu(lead), gangan (the front guard), the gudugudu (the rear guard). Songs can praise the orisa or gods. Each orisa is affiliated with a rhythm. Other drums include the bata drums, omele ako, kudi. In the past to become a drummer one had to be from a drumming lineage.
Today Yoruba music has been influence by music from the African diaspora like jazz, funk, and soul music. Juju, fuji, and highlife are all modern styles popular among Yorubas.
Yoruba Ethnics
All Yoruba claim common origin from Ile Ife. The following are Yoruba ethnics:
- Ife
- Oyo
- Ijebu
- Remo
- Awori
- Egba
- Ijesa
- Ekiti
- Ilaje
- Ondo
Yoruba Calendar
Yorubas presently use the western calendar. Before the western calendar, Yorubas used a lunar calendar. The Yoruba year begins June 3 of this year to June 2nd the following year. The traditional calendar had a 4 day week, 7 week month, and 12 month year.
4 days=1 week(traditional calendar) 7 weeks=1 month 93 weeks=1 year 12 months=1 year
Days | Yoruba | Sunday | Ojo-Aiku | Monday | Oko-Aje | Tuesday | Ojo-Ishegun | Wednesday | Ojo-Riru | Thursday | Ojo-Bo/Alamisi | Friday | Ojo-Eti | Saturday | Ojo-Abameta |
Time Units | Yoruba | Second | n/a | Minutes | isheju | Hour | wakati | Day | ojo | Week | ose | Month | oshu | Year | odun | | |
Month | Yoruba | January | Sere | February | Erele | March | Erena | April | Igbe | May | Ebibi | June | Okudu | July | Agemo | August | Ogun | September | Owere | October | Owaro | November | Belu | December | Ope |
Yoruba Religion and Pantheon
The Yoruba Pantheon or Orisa is comprised of about 400 gods. Each god has a particular function and place in a hierarchy. Ancestor spirits occupy the lowest position in the hierarchy. Yoruba gods can have different functions and sex in different locals. In one tradition Obatala created land. But in another tradition, Oduduwa created land. Olukun in one tradition is male, in another female. Some gods are universal in the Yoruba pantheon.
Gods | Description | Aja | goddess of forest who taught the use of herbs | Eshu | trickster God | Ibeji | god of twins | Jakuta | the one who hurls stones; associated with Shango, co-creator of lightning and thunder with Shango | Obatala | king of the white cloth;creator of man; representative of Olorun on earth; founder of Ife | Ogun | God of iron, war, hunt | Olorun | Olodumare; Owner of Endless Space; Supreme God, owner of the sky | Orishala/Odudua | First ruler of Ife, god ancestor | Osanyin | God of medicine and divining | Olokun | He/she god of the marshes | Shango | deified fourth ruler of the city of Oyo | Yansan | god of the wind | Yemaja | goddess of Ogun River, mother goddess from whom 15 gods came to be | |
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Yoruba Numeration
The Yoruba numeration system is a vagesimal system, based on 20.
Number | Term
| Arithmetic Expression
| 1 | ikan | 1 | 2 | meji | 2 | 3 | meta | 3
| 4 | merin | 4 | 5 | marun | 5 | 6 | mefa | 6 | 7 | meje | 7 | 8 | mejo | 8 | 9 | mesan | 9 | 10 | mewa | 10 | 11 | mokanla | 10+1 | 12 | mejila | 10+2 | 13 | metala | 10+3 | 14 | merinla | 10+4 | 15 | medogun | -5+20 | 16 | merindilogun | 4 from twenty
| 17 | metadilogun | 3 from twenty
| 18 | mejidilogun | 2 from twenty
| 19 | mokandilogun | 1 from twenty
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20 | ogun | 20 | 21 | mokanlelogun | 1 and 20 | 22 | mejilelogun | 2 and 20 | 23 | metalelogun | 3 and 20 | 24 | merinlelogun | 4 and 20 | 25 | medogbon | -5† + 30 | 26 | merindilogbon | 4 from 30 | 27 | metadilogbon | 3 from 30 | 29 | mokandilogbon | 1 from 30 | 30 | ogbon | 30 | 31 | mokanlelogbon | 1 and 30 | 32 | mejilelogbon | 2 and 30 | 33 | metalelogbon | 3 and 30 | 34 | merinlelogbon | 4 and 30 | 35 | marundilogoji | 5 from 20* × 2* | 36 | merindilogoji | 4 from 20* × 2* | 37 | metadilogoji | 3 from 20* × 2* | 38 | mejidilogoji | 2 from 20* × 2* | 39 | mokandilogoji | 1 from 20* × 2* | 40 | ogoji | 20* × 2* |
41 | mokanlelogoji | 1 and 20* × 2* | 42 | mejilelogoji | 2 and 20* × 2* | 43 | metalelogoji | 3 and 20* × 2* | 44 | merinlelogoji | 4 and 20* × 2* | 45 | marundiladota | 5 from 50 | 46 | merindiladota | 4 from 50 | 47 | metadiladota | 3 from 50 | 48 | mejidiladota | 2 from 50 | 49 | mokandiladota | 1 from 50 | 50 | adota | 50 | 51 | mokanleladota | 1 and 50 | 52 | mejileladota | 2 and 50 | 53 | metaleladota | 3 and 50 | 54 | merinleladota | 4 and 50 | 55 | marundilogota | 5 from 20* × 3* | 56 | merindilogota | 4 from 20* × 3* | 57 | metadilogota | 3 from 20* × 3* | 58 | mejidilogota | 2 from 20* × 3* | 59 | mokandilogota | 1 from 20* × 3* | 60 | ogota | 20* × 3* |
61 | mokanlelogota | 1 and 20* × 3* | 62 | mejilelogota | 2 and 20* × 3* | 63 | metalelogota | 3 and 20* × 3* | 64 | merinlelogota | 4 and 20* × 3* | 65 | marundiladorin | 3 from 70 | 66 | merindiladorin | 4 from 70 | 67 | metadiladorin | 3 from 70 | 68 | mejidiladorin | 2 from 70 | 69 | mokandiladorin | 1 from 70 | 70 | adorin | 70 | 71 | mokanleladorin | 1 and 70 | 72 | mejileladorin | 2 and 70 | 73 | metaleladorin | 3 and 70 | 74 | merinleladorin | 4 and 70 | 75 | marundilogorin | 5 from 20* × 4* | 76 | merindilogorin | 4 from 20* × 4* | 77 | metadilogorin | 3 from 20* × 4* | 78 | mejidilogorin | 2 from 20* × 4* | 79 | mokandilogorin | 1 from 20* × 4* |
80 | ogorin | 20* × 4* | 81 | mokanlelogorin | 1 and 20* × 4* | 82 | mejilelogorin | 2 and 20* × 4* | 83 | metalelogorin | 3 and 20* × 4* | 84 | merinlelogorin | 4 and 20* × 4* | 85 | marundiladorun | 5 from 90 | 86 | merindiladorun | 4 from 90 | 87 | metadiladorun | 3 from 90 | 88 | mejidiladorun | 3 from 90 | 89 | mokandiladoru | 1 from 90 | 90 | adorun | 90 | 91 | mokanleladorun | 1 and 90 | 92 | mejileladorun | 2 and 90 | 94 | merinleladorun | 4 and 90 | 95 | marundilogorun | 5 from 20* × 5* | 96 | merindilogorun | 4 from 20* × 5* | 97 | metadilogorun | 3 from 20* × 5* | 98 | mejidilogorun | 2 from 20* × 5* | 99 | mokandilogorun | 1 from 20* × 5* | 100 | ogorun | 20* × 5* |
200 | ogorun meji | (20* × 5*) × 2 | 300 | ogorun meta | (20* × 5*) × 3 | 400 | ogorun merin | (20* × 5*) × 4 | 500 | ogorun marun | (20* × 5*) × 5 | 600 | ogorun mefa | (20* × 5*) × 6 | 700 | ogorun meje | (20* × 5*) × 7 | 800 | ogorun mejo | (20* × 5*) × 8 | 900 | ogorun mesan | (20* × 5*) × 9 | 1000 | egberun | 1000
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Works Cited
The Yoruba In Trinidad. <http://sta.uwi.edu/stan/article6.asp>
The Yoruba Family. < http://archive.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu13se/uu13se0e.htm >
<http://plc.sas.upenn.edu/yoruba>
Yorupedia.com
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