In this series we are embarking on a pioneering corpus aim to highlight the rich history of some of the varied African tribes or people groups, their impact on African and world history, legacies and stories that matter. Studies have shown that the African continent contains the highest genetic diversity of any place in the world and population genetics theory predicts that the highest level of diversity exists at the source of the population’s origin. For humans, that is Africa — with respect to Africa being the cradle of humanity — the birth place of humankind. As the second largest continent, Africa is home to more countries than any other continent in the world and more tribes or people group than any other continent not to mention the highest variation in language with more than 2,000 distinct languages, Africa has a third of the world’s languages.
The Yoruba are one of the largest ethno-linguistic groups in sub-Saharan Africa with “Yorubaland” spanning parts of the modern states of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The Yoruba-speaking peoples share a rich and complex heritage that is at least one thousand years old. Today 18 million Yoruba live primarily in the modern nations of southwestern Nigeria and the Republic of Benin. The Yoruba diaspora, a result of the Atlantic slave trade and religious pilgrimages to Mecca, extends from Senegal to the Nile in Africa and from North to South America. Through most of their history, Yoruba-speaking peoples have referred to themselves by group names (e.g., Oyo and Ekiti) or town names (e.g., Oyo and Ise). Their language, of which there are numerous dialects, provides the main evidence for a common identity. In addition, the various groups, including many in the Ekiti region, share the belief that the world was createdat Ile-Ife, the first Yoruba kingdom.
Both creation myths of the Yoruba culture articulate the same basic idea: newcomers (personified by Oduduwa) settled in Yoruba land had a significant effect on the pre-existing populations of the area. Archaeological evidence has demonstrated that Yorubaland was already populated by the time of these newcomers, and had probably been populated since the Stone Age. Evidence for early inhabitants in the area rests with metalwork and fine art techniques on baked clay that are possibly related to Nok Culture. The Nok culture was one of the earliest known societies of Western Africa. Existing in modern-day Nigeria from around 500 B.C.E. to 200 C.E, the Nok farmed crops and used iron tools. Historians and archaeologists refer to this culture as the Nok culture because artifacts were first discovered near the modern Nigerian town of Nok. Nok culture is known for its unique terracotta sculptures and its early iron working. In fact, sometime between 1800 and 1500 BC, craftsmen are believed to have discovered iron and new evidence indicates that ironworking began in the heart of Africa.
The question remains, however, regarding the identity of the newcomers into Yorubaland. Linguistic history has proven pivotal in unraveling the mystery, and many Yoruba language experts have agreed that there were in fact two main movements of newcomers. The first movement brought a population boom to Ekiti, Ife, and Ijebu soon after 700 C.E. This movement was followed by a similar increase of population in Oyo to the north. Yoruba legends claim that the newcomers hailed from Arabia, an idea substantiated by the high percentage of Yoruba customs that echoes those found along the Middle Nile, particularly in the ancient kingdom of Kush.
The two waves of newcomers brought a flood of new political ideas and methods into Yorubaland, which began to take root almost immediately. By 1000 C.E., the Yoruba had developed a political system dominated by town governments. Towns themselves were a product of new ways of thinking, as they grew out of increased interdependence among the Yoruba and a rising need to rely on one’s neighbors. Where once Yorubaland had been primarily a forest farming area, under the influence of the newcomers it became a highly urbanized society, known throughout West Africa for the glory of their capital, or crowned, towns.
The capital towns of Yorubaland were linked together in ancient times, forming a loose confederacy under the senior Yoruba leader, the oni of Ife. Primarily serving as a mechanism for peace keeping, the confederacy that united Yorubaland left the states to govern themselves and served to minimize conflict among confederacy members. Political thought at this time focused on the idea of a kingdom as a large family, the oni as the head and mutual respect among the sibling nations. Each city state, left to govern itself in most matters, was controlled by monarchs (Obas) and councils of nobles, and merchants, commonly known as Ẹgbẹ in Yoruba.
Two varying views of creation revolving around a man named Oduduwa exist within the Yoruba culture, one stating that Ile-Ife was the site of humankind’s creation and the other stating that Oduduwa’s extensive family caused the population to spread out from Ile-Ife. The most popular of these two versions is the one based on Oduduwa’s children, as it appears supported by historical fact. Subscribers to this version of creation hold that Oduduwa sent his descendants out of Ile-Ife to conquer other existing Yoruba people and that many of his children gained leadership positions in other cities. Eventually the flow of his descendants out of Ile-Ife into other Yoruba areas unified a way of life and tied together different cultural practices.
The other main creation myth of the Yoruba focuses on the religious significance of Ile-Ife as the cradle of humankind. In this version, Oduduwa is sent by Olodumare, the Creator, to form humankind out of the clay of Ile-Ife. While this version endows Oduduwa with a religious role, it keeps his position as a major player in the formation of Yoruba life. Some scholars argue that this version of creation is tied to the earth goddess Odudua. Proponents of the connection between the earth goddess and Oduduwa are primarily based on the shared use of the “odu,” meaning knowledge.
According to myth, when Oduduwa was sent to create humankind he was given only a chicken and a sack of sand. The sand was primarily a preventive measure, because at the time of Oduduwa, Yoruba myth states that the earth was covered with water. While Oduduwa was climbing down from the heavens, his grip on the chicken weakened and it began to spiral towards the ground. In a desperate attempt to catch the free-falling chicken, Oduduwa let loose his sack of sand, which also plummeted to the earth. When Odudwa had finished climbing he realized that his sack of sand had formed a small hill in the waters covering the earth and that the chicken was safely seated on top of the sandy mound. From this spot, dubbed Ile n’fe, land began extending in all directions as the town of Ile-Ife was created. To understand Ile Ife watch the City of Ile Ife and the origin story of Ile Ife which lies at the heart of the Yoruba culture from the PBS series: Africa’s Great Civilizations by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
One of the highlights of Yoruba culture is the art. Olowe of Ise or primary name, Olowe of Ise-Ekiti was a Yoruba, and a leading Yoruba carver and sculptor. Olowe of Ise (born circa 1873, died circa 1938) is considered by Western art historians and collectors to be one of the most important 20th century artists of the Yoruba people. He was a wood sculptor and master innovator in the African style of design known as oju-ona.
Olowe, originally Olowere, was born in Efon-Alaiye, a town known as a major cultural center in Yorubaland, but he lived most of his life in the city of Ise. He was initially employed as a messenger at the court of King Arinjale, the Oba of Ise. It is a matter of dispute whether his artistic career began as an apprenticeship or arose purely from his own natural talent. His fame as a sculptor appears to have begun at Ise under the patronage of Arinjale before spreading throughout eastern Yorubaland. Olowe was summoned to Ilesa, Ikere, Akure, Idanre, Ogbagi and other towns located within a 60-mile radius (96.75 kilometers) to create elaborate household (such as doors and veranda posts), personal and ritual objects for wealthy families.
Olowe’s celebrated status as an artist was recorded by his contemporaries in Yoruba oral praise poetry known as oriki. For instance, this example sung by one of his wives was recorded in 1988. In 1924, Olowe’s art was exhibited overseas for the first time when a door and lintel ensemble from the royal palace at Ikere was selected for the Nigerian Pavilion at the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, London. This work of art was subsequently acquired by the British Museum. Olowe’s sculptures were originally painted, but the paint has typically since worn down.
A notable Yoruba figure in the literary world is none other than Wole Soyinka, a playwright, novelist, poet, dramatist, essayist, and a force of Nature in the African literary space. Soyinka won The Nobel Prize in Literature 1986. The first sub-Saharan African to be honored in that category. Prize motivation: “who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence.” He dedicated his Nobel acceptance speech to Nelson Mandela (Madiba). Soyinka writes in English, but his works are rooted in his native Nigeria and the Yoruba culture, with its legends, tales, and traditions. As a dramatist, Soyinkas writing links up with the traditional popular African theatre with its combination of dance, music, and action. He bases his writing on the mythology of his own tribe-the Yoruba-with Ogun, the god of iron and war, at the center. His writing style is marked by great scope and richness of words.
During the first millennium B.C., a remarkable artistic tradition of terracotta sculpture emerged. Pieces that are highly sophisticated, intricately detailed, and technologically advanced. Yet much of the culture from which they were created remains a mystery. Famously known as the Nok Terracottas and they are sublime. In 1943, a farmer from a village, Nok gave archeologist Bernard Gagg the head of the scarecrow. When Fagg inspected the piece, he estimated the finely sculpted head dated back to around 900 B.C., making it outside of Egypt the earliest sculptural art found in Africa. Some argued they could be depicting high ranking people in customary attire, and some believe they are made by traveling artist creating these works for high-ranking individuals and there are also predictions they could be depicting distinctive religious traditions. We can credit these sophisticated Nok terracotta sculptures to Nigerian artists who are of the Yoruba people.
Not much is known of the Nok culture other than its iron works and terracotta sculptures, like this bas-relief. The Yoruba performance repertoire includes various masquerade plays, folk operas, and a vibrant cinematic scene. Perhaps the most famous among Yoruba masquerade pieces, Gẹlẹdẹ from the Ketu region of the modern Republic of Benin, received the honor of being recognized as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Other Yoruba cultural productions that have gained international recognition include the Ifa corpus, a collection of hundreds of poems used in divination ceremonies and the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, one of the few remaining functional sites for traditional religious ceremonies in Nigeria and a magnet for visitors from all over the world. Recently, scholarly attention has focused on the performances of Egungun (representative of ancestral spirits visiting the living), Epa (symbolic performances variously promoting valor and fertility), and Ẹyọ, a procession of masked dancers.
Let us know if you are enjoying this series and which tribes you would like to learn more about.
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