AFN 121 Yoruba Tradition and Culture
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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. -
Preservation of the Canaanite Creation Culture in Ife1
Preservation of the Canaanite Creation Culture in Ife1 Dierk Lange For Africanists, the idea that cultures from the ancient Near East have influenced African societies in the past in such a way that their basic fea- tures are still recognizable in the present suggests stagnation and regres- sion. Further, they associate the supposed spread of cultural patterns with wild speculations on diffusion: How can Canaan, which is often con- sidered to be the culture of the Near East which preceeded Israel, have had any influence on Africa? They overlook the fact that the Phoenicians were none other than the Canaanites and that as a result of their expan- sion the Canaanite culture stretched to North Africa and to the coast of the Atlantic. In the North African hinterland it reached at least as far as the Fezzan, the most important group of oases in the Central Sahara.2 Scholars of Africa pay insufficient attention to the fact that the central Sahara, similarly to the Mediterranean, with its infertile yet easily cross- able plains and its often high ground water level, was more a benefit to communication than a hindrance.3 Finally, they misjudge the significance of the diffusion process worldwide, which has been emphasized by world historians like McNeill4: If Europe and Asia owe essential developmental impulses to ancient near eastern influences, why should not Africa as well? My current project, however, is not an attempt to show the integration of African peoples into ancient world history, but rather to explore the ne- 1 The following study owes its main thrust to discussions with my friend and colleague Prof. -
Yoruba Art & Culture
Yoruba Art & Culture Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology University of California, Berkeley Yoruba Art and Culture PHOEBE A. HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY Written and Designed by Nicole Mullen Editors Liberty Marie Winn Ira Jacknis Special thanks to Tokunbo Adeniji Aare, Oduduwa Heritage Organization. COPYRIGHT © 2004 PHOEBE A. HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PHOEBE A. HEARST MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY ◆ UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY BERKELEY, CA 94720-3712 ◆ 510-642-3682 ◆ HTTP://HEARSTMUSEUM.BERKELEY.EDU Table of Contents Vocabulary....................4 Western Spellings and Pronunciation of Yoruba Words....................5 Africa....................6 Nigeria....................7 Political Structure and Economy....................8 The Yoruba....................9, 10 Yoruba Kingdoms....................11 The Story of How the Yoruba Kingdoms Were Created....................12 The Colonization and Independence of Nigeria....................13 Food, Agriculture and Trade....................14 Sculpture....................15 Pottery....................16 Leather and Beadwork....................17 Blacksmiths and Calabash Carvers....................18 Woodcarving....................19 Textiles....................20 Religious Beliefs....................21, 23 Creation Myth....................22 Ifa Divination....................24, 25 Music and Dance....................26 Gelede Festivals and Egugun Ceremonies....................27 Yoruba Diaspora....................28 -
Nja...I Am the Ancient Mother of Fishes. 1 In
Janet Langlois F'olklore Institute Indiana University 1 I am Yem?nja....I am the Ancient Mother of Fishes. In YorubaLand, her devotees honor the origa Yempnja as a source of life, of fertility, of abundance. Some Bee her in the depths of the river Ogun near the city Abeokuta, Nigeria, where they have built her principal temple in the Ibora quarter.2 Some feel her presence in the small stream near one of her Ibadan temples. Others know she comes to them from the sea when they call her to their temple in Ibadan city.3 They sing her praises in Abfokuta, Ibadan, Porto-Novo, Ketou, Adja Wbrb, and Ouidah. They know her to be powerful and her very name symbolizes this p wer: "~emoJa"fuses "yeye" which ie "mother" with "eja" which is She is the source of food and drink -- of life. When Yorubaland extended and fragmented itself in the New World, Ycmoja and her memory extended and fragmented, too. When her devotees, caught in the olave traffic and channeled through port cities on the Slave Coast of West Africa, reached ports in Brazil, Cuba, Haiti, and Trinidad; they maintained her cult as well as those of the other origa. Their descendants too are faithful to her. Yet she is not in the New World what ahe was in the old one. She has become fragmented and fused into a greater whole. She has lost and she has gained. The fragmentation of her name in the New World is indicative. She is "~emaya"in Cuba. She is "~emanjQ," "1emanj6," "~emanja,"etc. -
From Maroons to Mardi Gras
FROM MAROONS TO MARDI GRAS: THE ROLE OF AFRICAN CULTURAL RETENTION IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BLACK INDIAN CULTURE OF NEW ORLEANS A MASTERS THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY OF LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BY ROBIN LIGON-WILLIAMS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY DECEMBER 18, 2016 Copyright: Robin Ligon-Williams, © 2016 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv. ABSTRACT vi. CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 History and Background 1 Statement of the Problem 1 Research Question 2 Glossary of Terms 4 Limitations of the Study 6 Assumptions 7 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 9 New Orleans-Port of Entry for African Culture 9 Brotherhood in Congo Square: Africans & Native Americans Unite 11 Cultural Retention: Music, Language, Masking, Procession and Ritual 13 -Musical Influence on Jazz & Rhythm & Blues 15 -Language 15 -Procession 20 -Masking: My Big Chief Wears a Golden Crown 23 -African Inspired Masking 26 -Icons of Resistance: Won’t Bow Down, Don’t Know How 29 -Juan “Saint” Maló: Epic Hero of the Maroons 30 -Black Hawk: Spiritual Warrior & Protector 34 ii. -Spiritualist Church & Ritual 37 -St. Joseph’s Day 40 3. METHODOLOGY 43 THESIS: 43 Descriptions of Research Tools/Data Collection 43 Participants in the Study 43 Academic Research Timeline 44 PROJECT 47 Overview of the Project Design 47 Relationship of the Literature to the Project Design 47 Project Plan to Completion 49 Project Implementation 49 Research Methods and Tools 50 Data Collection 50 4. IN THE FIELD 52 -Egungun Masquerade: OYOTUNJI Village 52 African Cultural Retentions 54 -Ibrahima Seck: Director of Research, Whitney Plantation Museum 54 -Andrew Wiseman: Ghanaian/Ewe, Guardians Institute 59 The Elders Speak 62 -Bishop Oliver Coleman: Spiritualist Church, Greater Light Ministries 62 -Curating the Culture: Ronald Lewis, House of Dance & Feathers 66 -Herreast Harrison: Donald Harrison Sr. -
The Influence of the Kingship Institution on Olojo Festival in Ile-Ife: a Case Study of the Late Ooni Adesoji Aderemi
The Influence of the Kingship Institution on Olojo Festival in Ile-Ife: A Case Study of the Late Ooni Adesoji Aderemi by Akinyemi Yetunde Blessing [email protected] Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria Abstract In this paper an attempt is made to examine the mythic narratives and ritual performances in olojo festival and to discuss the traditional involvement of the Ooni of Ife during the festivals, making reference to the late Ọợni Adesoji Adėrėmí. This paper also investigates the implication of local, national and international politics on the traditional festival in Ile-Ife. The importance of the study arrives as a result of the significance of the Ile-Ife amidst the Yoruba towns. More so, festivals have cultural significance that makes some unique turning point in the history of most Yoruba society. Ǫlợjợ festival serves as the worship of deities and a bridge between the society and the spiritual world. It is also a day to celebrate the re-enactment of time. Ǫlợjợ festival demands the full participation of the reigning Ọợni of Ife. The result of the field investigation revealed that the myth of Ǫlợjợ festival remains, but several changes have crept into the ritual process and performances during the reign of the late Adesoji Adėrėmí. The changes vary from the ritual time, space, actions and amidst the ritual specialists. It is found out that some factors which influence these changes include religious contestation, ritual modernization, economics and political change not at the neglect of the king’s involvement in the local, national and international politics which has given space for questioning the Yoruba kingship institution. -
Ọbè ̣Dú Festival in Ọ̀bà-Ilé in Ọ̀ṣun State, Nigeria
In Honour of a War Deity: Ọbèdụ́ Festival in Òbạ̀ -Ilé in Òṣuṇ State, Nigeria by Iyabode Deborah Akande [email protected] Department of Linguistics and African Languages Ọbáfémị Awólówọ̀ ̣University, Ilé-Ifè,̣ Nigeria Abstract This paper focuses on an account of Ọbèdú,̣ a deity in Yorùbá land that is popular and instrumental to the survival of the Òbạ̀ -Ilé people in Òṣuṇ State, Nigeria. Data for the study was drawn from interviews conducted with eight informants in Òbạ̀ -Ilé which comprised of the king, three chiefs, three Ọbèdụ́ priests, and the palace bard. Apart from the interviews, the town was visited during the annual festival of Ọbèdụ́ and where the performances were recorded. In paying attention to the history and orature of Ọbèdú,̣ it was found out that Ọbèdụ́ who was deified, was also a great herbalist, warrior and Ifá priest during his life time. It was concluded that the survival of Òbạ̀ -Ilé and the progress achieved, could be linked to the observance of the Ọbèdụ́ festival, and that a failure not continue the event would be detrimental to the community. Introduction The worldview of the Yorùbá, a race which is domiciled mainly in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, cannot be properly understood without a good knowledge of their belief about their deities and gods. In Yorùbá mythology, gods and deities are next to Olódùmarè and, as such, they are revered and worshipped (Idowu 1962). The Yorùbá believe in spirits, ancestors and unseen forces and whenever they are confronted with some problems, they often seek the support of gods and deities by offering sacrifices to them and by appeasing them. -
DIANA PATON & MAARIT FORDE, Editors
diana paton & maarit forde, editors ObeahThe Politics of Caribbean and Religion and Healing Other Powers Obeah and Other Powers The Politics of Caribbean Religion and Healing diana paton & maarit forde, editors duke university press durham & london 2012 ∫ 2012 Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper $ Designed by Katy Clove Typeset in Arno Pro by Keystone Typesetting, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data appear on the last printed page of this book. Duke University Press gratefully acknowledges the support of Newcastle University, which provided funds toward the production of this book. Foreword erna brodber One afternoon when I was six and in standard 2, sitting quietly while the teacher, Mr. Grant, wrote our assignment on the blackboard, I heard a girl scream as if she were frightened. Mr. Grant must have heard it, too, for he turned as if to see whether that frightened scream had come from one of us, his charges. My classmates looked at me. Which wasn’t strange: I had a reputation for knowing the answer. They must have thought I would know about the scream. As it happened, all I could think about was how strange, just at the time when I needed it, the girl had screamed. I had been swimming through the clouds, unwillingly connected to a small party of adults who were purposefully going somewhere, a destination I sud- denly sensed meant danger for me. Naturally I didn’t want to go any further with them, but I didn’t know how to communicate this to adults and ones intent on doing me harm. -
Title the Minority Question in Ife Politics, 1946‒2014 Author(S
Title The Minority Question in Ife Politics, 1946‒2014 ADESOJI, Abimbola O.; HASSAN, Taofeek O.; Author(s) AROGUNDADE, Nurudeen O. Citation African Study Monographs (2017), 38(3): 147-171 Issue Date 2017-09 URL https://doi.org/10.14989/227071 Right Type Journal Article Textversion publisher Kyoto University African Study Monographs, 38 (3): 147–171, September 2017 147 THE MINORITY QUESTION IN IFE POLITICS, 1946–2014 Abimbola O. ADESOJI, Taofeek O. HASSAN, Nurudeen O. AROGUNDADE Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University ABSTRACT The minority problem has been a major issue of interest at both the micro and national levels. Aside from the acclaimed Yoruba homogeneity and the notion of Ile-Ife as the cradle of Yoruba civilization, relationships between Ife indigenes and other communities in Ife Division (now in Osun State, Nigeria) have generated issues due to, and influenced by, politi- cal representation. Where allegations of marginalization have not been leveled, accommoda- tion has been based on extraneous considerations, similar to the ways in which outright exclu- sion and/or extermination have been put forward. Not only have suspicion, feelings of outright rejection, and subtle antagonism characterized majority–minority relations in Ife Division/ Administrative Zone, they have also produced political-cum-administrative and territorial ad- justments. As a microcosm of the Nigerian state, whose major challenge since attaining politi- cal independence has been the harmonization of interests among the various ethnic groups in the country, the Ife situation presents a peculiar example of the myths and realities of majority domination and minority resistance/response, or even a supposed minority attempt at domina- tion. -
The House of Oduduwa: an Archaeological Study of Economy and Kingship in the Savè Hills of West Africa
The House of Oduduwa: An Archaeological Study of Economy and Kingship in the Savè Hills of West Africa by Andrew W. Gurstelle A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology) in the University of Michigan 2015 Doctoral Committee: Professor Carla M. Sinopoli, Chair Professor Joyce Marcus Professor Raymond A. Silverman Professor Henry T. Wright © Andrew W. Gurstelle 2015 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I must first and foremost acknowledge the people of the Savè hills that contributed their time, knowledge, and energies. Completing this dissertation would not have been possible without their support. In particular, I wish to thank Ọba Adétùtú Onishabe, Oyedekpo II Ọla- Amùṣù, and the many balè,̣ balé, and balọdè ̣that welcomed us to their communities and facilitated our research. I also thank the many land owners that allowed us access to archaeological sites, and the farmers, herders, hunters, fishers, traders, and historians that spoke with us and answered our questions about the Savè hills landscape and the past. This dissertion was truly an effort of the entire community. It is difficult to express the depth of my gratitude for my Béninese collaborators. Simon Agani was with me every step of the way. His passion for Shabe history inspired me, and I am happy to have provided the research support for him to finish his research. Nestor Labiyi provided support during crucial periods of excavation. As with Simon, I am very happy that our research interests complemented and reinforced one another’s. Working with Travis Williams provided a fresh perspective on field methods and strategies when it was needed most. -
“YORUBA's DON't DO GENDER”: a CRITICAL REVIEW of OYERONKE OYEWUMI's the Invention of Women
“YORUBA’S DON’T DO GENDER”: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF OYERONKE OYEWUMI’s The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses By Bibi Bakare-Yusuf Discourses on Africa, especially those refracted through the prism of developmentalism, promote gender analysis as indispensable to the economic and political development of the African future. Conferences, books, policies, capital, energy and careers have been made in its name. Despite this, there has been very little interrogation of the concept in terms of its relevance and applicability to the African situation. Instead, gender functions as a given: it is taken to be a cross-cultural organising principle. Recently, some African scholars have begun to question the explanatory power of gender in African societies.1 This challenge came out of the desire to produce concepts grounded in African thought and everyday lived realities. These scholars hope that by focusing on an African episteme they will avoid any dependency on European theoretical paradigms and therefore eschew what Babalola Olabiyi Yai (1999) has called “dubious universals” and “intransitive discourses”. Some of the key questions that have been raised include: can gender, or indeed patriarchy, be applied to non- Euro-American cultures? Can we assume that social relations in all societies are organised around biological sex difference? Is the male body in African societies seen as normative and therefore a conduit for the exercise of power? Is the female body inherently subordinate to the male body? What are -
2016 Conference Program
Image “Destiny” by Deanna Oyafemi Lowman MOYO ~ BIENVENIDOS ~ E KAABO ~ AKWABAA BYENVENI ~ BEM VINDOS ~ WELCOME Welcome to the fourth conference of the African and Diasporic Religious Studies Association! ADRSA was conceived during a forum of scholars and scholar- practitioners of African and Diasporic religions held at the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School in October 2011 and the idea was solidified during the highly successful Sacred Healing and Wholeness in Africa and the Americas symposium held at Harvard in April 2012. Those present at the forum and the symposium agreed that, as with the other fields with which many of us are affiliated, the expansion of the discipline would be aided by the formation of an association that allows researchers to come together to forge relationships, share their work, and contribute to the growing body of scholarship on these rich traditions. We are proud to be the first US-based association dedicated exclusively to the study of African and Diasporic Religions and we look forward to continuing to build our network throughout the country and the world. Although there has been definite improvement, Indigenous Religions of all varieties are still sorely underrepresented in the academic realms of Religious and Theological Studies. As a scholar- practitioner of such a tradition, I am eager to see that change. As of 2005, there were at least 400 million people practicing Indigenous Religions worldwide, making them the 5th most commonly practiced class of religions. Taken alone, practitioners of African and African Diasporic religions comprise the 8th largest religious grouping in the world, with approximately 100 million practitioners, and the number continues to grow.