DOCSLIB.ORG

Mrs Teniade Makinde of Igbo Itapa

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mrs Teniade Makinde of Igbo Itapa This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ A study of the role of women in the burial rituals of the Ife of southwestern Nigeria. Adegoke, Ebenezer Olalekan The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 08. Oct. 2021 A STUDY OF THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE BURIAL RITUALS OF THE IFE OF SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA. Ebenezer Olalekan ADEGOKE. Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Ph.D of the University of London. King's College London, Department of Theology and Religious Studies. March 1995. B EL. LO N. U! V. ABSTRACT. This thesis examines the funeral rituals of the Ife and the role of women in those rites. The Yoruba see death not as an end of man, but as a transition from this earthly world to a new realm of existence. Death is classified according to the different ways or manner in which it came to the affected person. There are many types of burials in Ile-Ife. The digging of the grave, the washing, dressing and wrapping- % up of the body are done by the isogan of each lineage. The celebration of the funeral of the old is a time of feasting and thanksgiving because the deceased is thought to have completed his lifespan on earth. The death of the young is thought to be unnatural because the deceased has been cut off in the prime of life. The body is ' I buried by the isogan in the compound of the parents. The members of the Oramfe Cult are responsible for the burial of those killed by lightning. Efforts are made to remove the causes of such bad deaths. ' I \ Death rites celebrated by women include Ekun owuro, performed to separate the deceased woman from the other I wives of the lineage; ifari opo, "the shaving of the widow's head", a spiritual divorce between the widow and Page - 2 the deceased; and iba pipe, a special funeral feast celebrated by women. I. ' Eso gbigbe is celebrated for deceased men and women of the EsoI' Ikoyi lineages. It helps separate the deceased from other members of the lineage. At the celebration of % \ the death rites of ekun owuro and eso gbigbe, people are possessed by the dead. In Ile-Ife, mourning is the exclusive business of women. Many changes have been observed in the celebration of funeral rites by the Ife people. Page - 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Abstract. 2 Table of Contents 4 Acknowledgement. 11 Map. 13 List of Plates. 14 Chapter 1: Introduction 15 Chapter 2: Yoruba Beliefs about Death. 88 I. Introduction. II. Belief in the Premonition of Death. III. Belief in Reincarnation and the Ancestors. IV. The Belief in the Afterlife. V. The Fate of the Dead. VI. The Idea of Judgement and Punishment. VII. The Yoruba Idea of Life. VIII. The Yoruba Concept of the Person and the Belief in Souls and Ghosts. Page - 4 \ / IX. The Akudaaya. X. Death and Sleep. XI. Other Euphemisms for Death. XII. Summary. XIII. Endnotes. Chap ter 3: Classification of Death 175 I. Introduction. II. The Good and the Bad Death. III. The Issue of Longevity in Yoruba Religious Thought. IV. Causes of Death. V. Preventing Death. VI. Summary. VII. Endnotes. Chapter 4: The General Practice of Burial Rites in Ile-Ife. 214 I. Introduction. II. The Different Types of Burials. III. The Problem of Practice. '' •1 IV. The Isogan Society. V. The Digging of the Grave. VI. The Washing of the Body. VII. Dressing Up the Body. Page - 5 ' , VIII. The Feasting of the Isogan. IX. Wrapping Up the Body. X. Summary. XI. Endnotes. Chapter 5: Burial Rites of the Aged. 247 I. Introduction. II. The Meeting. III. Transporting the Corpse to its Hometown. IV. Preservation of the Corpse. ' I. V. Oku Wiwa: The Process of Looking for the Dead. VI. Visits to the Bereaved Family by Sympathizers. VII. Places of Burial. VIII. The Burial Shroud. IX. The Kin Group and the System of Shroud Donation. X. The Coffin. XI. The Play of the Women at the Funeral. XII. Viewing of the Body. XIII. Preparation of Food and the Provision of Drinks. XIV. The Burial Orchestra. XV. The Burial. XVI. The Celebration of the Second/Final Funeral. XVII. The Wake. XVIII. Gifts and Countergifts at Funerals in Ile-Ife. Page - 6 XIX. The Tomb. XX. Commemoration. XXI. The Eg'u'ngu'n Cult. XXII. Inheritance of Properties and Wives. XXIII. Succession to Headships of Families and Lineages. XXIV. The Problems of the Practice of Succession. XXV. Summary. XXVI. Endnotes. Chapter 6: The Burial of the Youn g . 327 I. Introduction. II. The Process of Burial. III. Inquests and Aftermath. IV. Summary. V. Endnotes. Chapter 7: Burial Rites for Other Cate gories of Death. I. Introduction. 34]. ' ' \ II. The Notions of Ero and Etutu. III. Burial of People killed by lightning. IV. The Burial of the Hunchback and the Lame. V. The Uses of the Skulls and the Hunchs. VI. Summary. VII. Endnotes. Page - 7 Chap ter 8: Women's Rituals and Death. 369 ' I. The Rite of Ekun-Owuro/Iba Orogun. II. Connecting Myth. III. Reasons for Performing Ekun-Owuro. / S. ,' IV. The Aims of Ekun-Owuro. V. The Structure of the Participating Lineages. VI. Musical Instruments, Forms of Drumming and the 5.5 .5 Carrying of the Agere. VII. Audience and Occasion. VIII. The Feast. IX. The Sitting Arrangement. X. The Rendering of the Songs. XI. Analysis of the Songs. XII. Prayers and the Distribution of Kitchen Utensils. .5 / #- XIII. The Rite of Ifari Opo. St XIV. The Rite of Iba Pipe. XV. Swiinary. XVI. Endnotes. Page - 8 S. / / Chapter 9: ESO GBIGBE - The Rituals of Men and Women. 426 I. Introduction. II. The Rituals. III. Summary. IV. Endnotes. Chapter 10: Spirit Possession and Death. 446 I. Introduction. S. II. Spirit Possession in the Death Rite of Ekun-Owuro. S. III. The Carrying of the Agere. / 'S / IV. Spirit Possession and the Death Rite of Eso Gbigbe. V. Summary. Chapter 11: Women and Bereavement in lie-If e. 463 I. Introduction. II. The Different Types of Mourning. III. Parent-Child Bereavement. IV. Conjugal Bereavement. V. The Roles of Relatives Before and During Mourning. VI. Death Pollution and the Image of the Widow. VII. Fraternal Bereavement. VIII. Kin Bereavement. IX. Purpose and Characteristics of Mourning. Page - 9 X. The Attitude of Mourners. XI. Summary. XII. Endnotes. Chapter 12: Changes in Funeral Rites of the If e. 503 I. Introduction. II. The Changes. III. Summary. IV. Endnotes. Conclusion. 537 Appendix. 539 Bibliography. 541 Page - 10 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. I am grateful to my sponsors, the King's College London Theological Trust for awarding me a scholarship which has made it possible for me to study at King's. I am also expressing my thanks to the Trust's former Secretary, Mr. P.3. Gilbert for assitance over the years. Thanks are also due to the Central Research Fund of the University of London which awarded me a research grant in aid of my fieldwork in Ile-Ife. My Supervisor, Dr. Peter B. Clarke has been very helpful, friendly and supportive throughout my period ot study at King's. The thesis was planned with his assistance and he has done a very thorough and painstaking work with the supervision. I have also benefitted immensely not only from his logical and constructive thinking but also from his knowledge and perception of Yoruba Religion as practised in Nigeria and the diaspora. Thanks are also due to Professor Peter Morton- Williams who has been very supportive since I met him in 1989. He not only gave offprints of many of his articles to me but had planning meetings with me before and after both periods of fieldwork. He also found time for our regular two-man Seminars at the Royal Conrnonwealth Page - 11 Institute, the London School of Economics and lately, at the Department of Anthropology, University College London. Prof. Morton-Williams read all the drafts of the thesis and gave valuable criticism and advice. Dr. Malory Nyc has also been helpful. He read the earlier draft of Chapter 2 and offered advice. Dr. Murray Last also gave me some advice on the contents of Chapters 2 to 5 when it was presented at the West African Seminar at University College. I also wish to thank Dr. Karen Stears, a former research student of the Dept. of Classical Archaeology at King's for giving me a list of relevant bibliography at the earlier phase of the study.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • P E E L C H R Is T Ian It Y , Is L a M , an D O R Isa R E Lig Io N
    PEEL | CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM, AND ORISA RELIGION Luminos is the open access monograph publishing program from UC Press. Luminos provides a framework for preserving and rein- vigorating monograph publishing for the future and increases the reach and visibility of important scholarly work. Titles published in the UC Press Luminos model are published with the same high standards for selection, peer review, production, and marketing as those in our traditional program. www.luminosoa.org Christianity, Islam, and Orisa Religion THE ANTHROPOLOGY OF CHRISTIANITY Edited by Joel Robbins 1. Christian Moderns: Freedom and Fetish in the Mission Encounter, by Webb Keane 2. A Problem of Presence: Beyond Scripture in an African Church, by Matthew Engelke 3. Reason to Believe: Cultural Agency in Latin American Evangelicalism, by David Smilde 4. Chanting Down the New Jerusalem: Calypso, Christianity, and Capitalism in the Caribbean, by Francio Guadeloupe 5. In God’s Image: The Metaculture of Fijian Christianity, by Matt Tomlinson 6. Converting Words: Maya in the Age of the Cross, by William F. Hanks 7. City of God: Christian Citizenship in Postwar Guatemala, by Kevin O’Neill 8. Death in a Church of Life: Moral Passion during Botswana’s Time of AIDS, by Frederick Klaits 9. Eastern Christians in Anthropological Perspective, edited by Chris Hann and Hermann Goltz 10. Studying Global Pentecostalism: Theories and Methods, by Allan Anderson, Michael Bergunder, Andre Droogers, and Cornelis van der Laan 11. Holy Hustlers, Schism, and Prophecy: Apostolic Reformation in Botswana, by Richard Werbner 12. Moral Ambition: Mobilization and Social Outreach in Evangelical Megachurches, by Omri Elisha 13. Spirits of Protestantism: Medicine, Healing, and Liberal Christianity, by Pamela E.
    [Show full text]
  • Traditional Systems and Practices of Conflict Resolution
    Traditional Systems and Practices of Conflict Resolution The Journal of Living Together Volume 6, Issue 1 ISSN 2373-6615 (Print); 2373-6631 (Online) Journal of Living Together (2019) Volume 6, Issue 1 Publisher International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation (ICERM) Edited by Basil Ugorji Layout & Design by Muhammad Danish The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors and do not represent the official position of the International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation (ICERM). ICERM is not responsible or liable for any errors or omissions contained herein. Send comments, critiques, questions, requests or inquiries about subscription or republication to the publisher through https://www.icermediation.org/contact/. Traditional Systems and Practices of Conflict Resolution The Journal of Living Together Volume 6, Issue 1 ISSN 2373-6615 (Print); 2373-6631 (Online) All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2019 International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation Cover Image © 2019 International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation. All rights reserved. This journal may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews. To submit manuscripts for consideration, please check our themes for upcoming conferences and journal issues and see our author’s guidelines at www.icermediation.org. Digital copies of abstracts or full articles should be sent by email to: [email protected]. Please indicate “Journal of Living Together” in the subject line. Hardcopies of books for review may be sent to: International Center for Ethno-Religious Mediation 11 W.
    [Show full text]
  • Ogun in Precolonial Yorubaland a Comparative Analysis
    3 Ogun in Precolonial Yorubaland A Comparative Analysis Clerical intellectuals like Samuel Johnson prided themselves on being the con- structors of a more nearly unified concept of Yoruba society and culture,1 includ- ing something that they called “Yoruba heathenism.”2 Yet they were well aware of the variety that stood in the way of this task, since their very activity as evangelists introduced them to religious practices in dozens of communities across a large swath of Yorubaland, and their detailed reports necessarily document it. In this chapter my aim is to use this evidence in a deconstructionist spirit, suggesting that the sheer extent of regional diversity in Yoruba religious practice calls into question whether we should be speaking of Yoruba religion as a single entity at all. We have to deconstruct Yoruba religion if we are to see it as an entity with a history rather than (as most of the literature presents it) as a pantheon of deities with unchanging, even eternal attributes, as first manifest in the archetypal setting of primordial Ile-Ife. Ogun, the Yoruba god of iron and war, makes an excellent subject for this purpose, since his cult is spread all over Yorubaland, placing him clearly in the quite small number of truly pan-Yoruba orisa. In this task, compari- son will play a key role, in two dimensions: between the manifestation of Ogun in different areas/locations and between the functional attributes of Ogun and other orisa. What will emerge is a view of Yoruba traditional reli- gion as less a single pantheon of deities with fixed attributes in relation to one another, spread evenly across the whole country, than a spectrum of varying cult complexes, each one the product of a unique set of local and historical circumstances.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Notes on Yoruba-Speaking of South Western Nigeria
    HISTORICAL NOTES ON YORUBA-SPEAKING OF SOUTH WESTERN NIGERIA By: Tomori Moshood Adijolola E-mail: [email protected] Mobile Phone No: 08037260502 ORIGIN OF HUMANITY The ancestor of all humanity evolved in Africa. The earliest evidence of their existence had been found in the East Africa at locations scattered North and South of the Equator. The evidence consist of fossils bones, stone tool and poignant of all, is the trail of footprints preserved in the petrified surface of a mud pan more than three (3) million years ago (John Reader, 1998). About 100,000 years ago, groups of modern human beings left Africa for the first time and progressively colonized the rest of the world. They moved across the Sinai Peninsula and were living in Eastern Mediterranean Region by 90,000 years. The fossils evidence shows that modern humans were present in the Middle East by around 100,000 years ago. Population that turned north from Middle East was well established in Europe by 40,000 years ago. Those that turned east have reached Australia by 35,000 years ago at the latest, and were in China before 30,000 years ago. From Asia, groups of modern human crossed the Bering Straits into North America between 30,000 and 15,000 years ago when sea levels were low, and had dispersed down to the tip of South America by 12,000 years ago. John Reader concluded that several strands of evidence, fossil, generic and linguistic point persuasively to the conclusion that: “every person alive today descended from a population of anatomically modern humans that existed only in Africa until about 100,000 years ago.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emergence of Oduduwa and the Origin of Yoruba Kingdoms of South-Western Nigeria
    THE EMERGENCE OF ODUDUWA AND THE ORIGIN OF YORUBA KINGDOMS OF SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA By: ESV. Lola Tomori anivs, rsv. mnim E-mail: [email protected] In Africa history there is confusion between the origins of kingdoms and dynasties, this should not be so. Rev. Samuel Johnson (1921) in “The History of the Yorubas” was right when he wrote that Oduduwa was a descendant of Nimord which was corrupted as Namurudu. The Kush tribes were descendants of Nimrod which established Babylon Empire and Sumerian Empire. The name Kush was corrupted by the Egyptians from Cush the father of Nimrod (the second son of Noah). Before the founding of the Oduduwa dynasty in Ile-Ife there was definitely autonomous aborigines people there. This myth of Eastern origin and so-called Kistra legend is found among several African countries (The Comet of Monday, May 17, 2004). Around the time that ancient Ife was being established, similar traditions of origin associated with the Bayajida legend accounting from the emergence of the seven Hausa states such as Kano, Rano, Zauzau, Katsina etc. also came into prominence. The myth associated with Oduduwa is the myth of a conquering people who took over the rulership of autonomous aborigine people and established representatives of Oduduwa dynasty in almost Yoruba areas. Some historians claimed these immigrants probably came from the Southern Nile area, particularly, the kingdom of Kush and particularly from its iron working centre of Meroe which will locate it in the present day Sudan. Some Yoruba dynasty such as the one in Ijebu-Ode claim a Waddai ancestry (i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • Osun State Pocket Fact Finder
    HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT: Osun, state, western Nigeria. Osun state was created in 1991 from the eastern third of Oyo state. It is bounded by the states of Kwara on the northeast, Ekiti and Ondo on the east, Ogun on the south, and Oyo on the west and northwest. The Yoruba Hills run through the northern part of Osun state. The state has a covering of tropical rain forest, and the Oshun is the most important river. Osun state is inhabited mainly by the Yoruba people. Osun’s economy is based mainly on agriculture. Major crops include yams, cassava (manioc), corn (maize), beans, millet, plantains, cacao, palm oil and kernels, and fruits. Cottage industries produce brass work, woven cloth, and wood carvings. Oshogbo, the state capital, has a textile industry, a food-processing plant, and a steel- rolling mill. The state’s tourist attractions include the Mbari Arts Centre at Oshogbo, the residential palaces of Yoruba rulers in Ilesha and Ile-Ife, and the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, a forest that contains several shrines and artwork in honour of the Yoruba deity Osun (designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005). The Obafemi Awolowo University (founded in 1961) is at Ile-Ife. Oshogbo is linked by road and railway to Ibadan in Oyo state. Pop. (2006) 3,423,535. GEOGRAPHY Osun State, Nigeria, came into existence on 27th August, 1991. The State which is one of the then nine newly created States was carved out of the old Oyo State by the General Ibrahim Babangida‘s administration. It is one of the 36 States w hich make up Nigeria.
    [Show full text]
  • RE-IMAGINING OGUN in SELECTED NIGERIAN PLAYS: a DECOLONIAL READING by OLUWASUJI OLUTOBA GBOYEGA Submitted in Accordance With
    RE-IMAGINING OGUN IN SELECTED NIGERIAN PLAYS: A DECOLONIAL READING By OLUWASUJI OLUTOBA GBOYEGA Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY In the subject of ENGLISH At the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR JESSICA MURRAY CO-SUPERVISOR: DR NAOMI NKEALAH JUNE 2018 DECLARATION Student Number: 48394564 I, Oluwasuji Olutoba Gboyega, declare that RE-IMAGINING OGUN IN SELECTED NIGERIAN PLAYS: A DECOLONIAL READING is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. ________________________ 09-04-2019_______ SIGNATURE DATE i ABSTRACT Through an in-depth analysis of selected texts, this study engages with the ways in which Ogun is reimagined by recent selected Nigerian playwrights. Early writers from this country, influenced by their modernist education, misrepresented Ogun by presenting only his so-called negative attributes. Contemporary writers are reconceptualising him; it is the task of this thesis to demonstrate how they are doing so from a decolonial perspective. These alleged attributes represent Ogun as a wicked, bloodthirsty, arrogant and hot tempered god who only kills and makes no positive contribution to the Yoruba community. The thesis argues that the notion of an African god should be viewed from an Afrocentric perspective, not a Eurocentric one, which might lead to violence or misrepresentation of him. The dialogue in the plays conveys how the playwrights have constructed their main characters as Ogun representatives in their society. For example, Mojagbe and Morontonu present Balogun, the chief warlord of their different community; both characters exhibit Ogun features of defending their community.
    [Show full text]
  • Ife Ife (Yoruba: Ifè, Also - ) Is an Ancient Yoruba City in South-Western Nigeria
    Ife Ife (Yoruba: Ifè, also - ) is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. Evidence of habitation at the site has been discovered to date back to as early as 600 BCE, and according to its own customary traditions, it is the planet's oldest organized community. It is located in the present day Osun State. Ife is about 218 kilometres (135 mi) northeast of Lagos.[1] Contents 1 History o 1.1 Mythic origin of Ife, the holy city: Creation of the world o 1.2 Founding of Ife, the holy city: Immigration from the ancient Near East o 1.3 Origin of the regional states: Dispersal from the holy city, Ife 2 Traditional setting o 2.1 The King (Ooni) o 2.2 Cults for the deities o 2.3 Art history 3 The modern town 4 Exhibition 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links History Mythic origin of Ife, the holy city: Creation of the world The Yoruba claim to have originated in Ife. According to their mythology, Olodumare, the Supreme God, ordered Obatala to create the earth but on his way he found palm wine, drank it and became intoxicated. Therefore the younger brother of the latter, Oduduwa, took the three items of creation from him, climbed down from the heavens on a chain and threw a handful of earth on the primordial ocean, then put a cockerel on it so that it would scatter the earth, thus creating the land on which Ile Ife would be built.[2] Oduduwa planted a palm nut in a hole in the newly formed land and from there sprang a great tree with sixteen branches, a symbolic representation of the clans of the early Ife city-state.
    [Show full text]