Much smaller, scattered groups live in benin and northern togo. Yoruba people are a large ethnolinguistic group or ethnic nation in africa, and the majority of them speak the yoruba language. 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. A history of the yoruba people is a comprehensive exploration of the founding and growth of one of the most influential groups in africa. The yoruba people of western nigeria are a nationality of approximately 35 million people occupying the southwestern parts of nigeria. The yoruba constitute approximately 35 percent of nigerias total population, and around 40 million individuals throughout the region of west africa. The word for head in yorubaoricarries physical and spiritual connotations that cannot be separated.
Yet the syncretism between the yoruban religion that the slaves brought to the island and the catholicism of their masters is, in my opinion, the underpinning of cuban culture. The yoruba are the second largest ethnic group in nigeria, with a population of about 30 million, and occupy most of what we refer to today as south western nigeria. A history of the yoruba people ebook by stephen adebanji. Ellis who lived and studied there way of life such as thier religion,manners,customs, laws, language etc.
Born in freetown in sierra leone and educated by the church missionary. 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. 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. They have been enjoying for centuries a wellorganized pattern of society, a pattern which persists basically in spite of all the changes resulting. With a population of nearly 40 million spread across western africa and diaspora communities in europe, the caribbean, latin america, and north america yoruba are one of the most researched groups emanating from africa. Read a history of the yoruba people online by stephen adebanji.
The old yoruba kingdom of oyo was traditionally one of the largest states of w africa, but after the mid1700s its power slowly waned. The wide range of themes covered in the book includes traditions of origin. Nevertheless, ancestral cultures directly related to the yorubas bloomed to the north of niger. A brief history of the yoruba people by samuel ajayi crowther. The ori holds the bodys knowledge and is its destiny. This is where we come to how and where the choosing of a coronation title by the future oba of benin originated, as stated earlier, from the arrival of oranmiyan in benin.
Sierra leone, where they are known as the i aku people. The key point, or focus, in respect to yoruba religious evolution, is that the egyptian order, coupled with the earlier peoples produced the more defined statement of what makes yoruba. See more ideas about yoruba people, african and african culture. This kingdom was founded by the deities oduduwa and obatala, who are believed to have created the world. A history of the yoruba people is an audacious comprehensive exploration of the founding and growth of one of the most influential groups in africa. Indigenous yoruba populations can also be found in the republic of benin and togo 1. However, their political and social system varies significantly, depending largely on regions. 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. They boast a rich culture which has influenced many other.
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. He came from the east, sometimes understood from ife traditions to be okeora and by other sources as the vicinity true east on the cardinal points, but more likely signifying the region of ekiti and okun subcommunities in northeastern yorubaland in central nigeria. List of books and articles about yoruba people online. This article aims to shed more light on the origin and history of the yoruba people. The yoruba are one of the few african people who have strong, united political and social systems. Whether by accident or design, this completed manuscript was sadly lost. In his book titled ileifethe source of yoruba civilisation, prince adelegan adegbola said that the yorubas are the progeny of great kingship, efficient kingdombuilders and astute rulers. Oral history of the oyoyoruba recounts oduduwa to be the progenitor of the yoruba and the reigning ancestor of their crowned kings. Download history of yoruba land or read online books in pdf, epub, tuebl, and mobi format.
There are over 60 million yoruba people and they represent over 20% of nigerias entire population. This book is about the aboriginals of west africa written by a. Sep 06, 2019 the history of the yorubas is quite exciting with folklores and stories of heroes, like oduduwa, princess moremi an outstandingly brave woman who, with her wits and trickery, saved her people from a wicked tribe oh i loved bed stories in secondary school, orunmila, bashorun oluyole, fabunmi okemesi, ogedengbe a man whose head was cut off and who replaced it, the oyo empire the yoruba wars. Claiming yoruba ancestry, he was concerned that his people were losing their own history and completed the original manuscript of his history of the yoruba people from his notes in 1897. The african discovery of america odd salon discovery 57 duration. With a population of nearly 40 million spread across western africa and diaspora communities in europe, the caribbean, latin america, and north america yoruba are one of the most researched groups. The portion of the west african coast occupied by the yorubaspeaking peoples is situated in the eastern half of the slave coast, and lies between badagry.
Samuel johnson 18461901 was an anglican minister and historian renowned for his magisterial history of the yoruba people. The history of the yorubas is quite exciting with folklores and stories of heroes, like oduduwa, princess moremi an outstandingly brave woman who, with her wits and trickery, saved her people from a wicked tribe oh i loved bed stories in secondary school, orunmila, bashorun oluyole, fabunmi okemesi, ogedengbe a man whose head was cut off and who replaced it. The beginnings the development of early yoruba society before oduduwa. Niven, rex, sir, 1898short history of the yoruba peoples. Omiwole said the coronation of an ooni had always been a historic event as he was the. He was ordained in 1880 and by 1897 had finished the manuscript for the history of the yorubas. Apr 12, 2016 reading of an excerpt from a history of the yoruba people. Click download or read online button to get history of yoruba land book now. While their primary concentration is in nigeria, they are also found in other west african countries and throughout the entire world as well.
The yoruba people live mainly in what is now southwestern nigeria, as well as in the neighboring republic of benin. 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. 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. The nigerian history of numerous coups and civil wars has added tragedy into recent yoruba history.
Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups of nigeria, concentrated in the southwestern part of that country. Ooni, ambode preach yoruba culture, history at book launch. Their oral history tells that the bnai ephraim people came from morocco after the jews were banished from the iberian pennisula sometime after 1492. Today many of the large cities in nigeria including lagos, ibadan, and abeokuta are in yorubaland. Sep 30, 2010 samuel johnson 18461901 was an anglican minister and historian renowned for his magisterial history of the yoruba people. The university of african art press electronic book media. Adebanji akintoye deploys four decades of historiography research with current interpretation and analyses to present the most complete and authoritative volume on the yoruba to date. 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. Finally, i have added a somewhat novel dimension to the perspective of this work. A history of the yoruba people stephen adebanji akintoye. Santeria was traditionally an unacknowledged and underappreciated aspect of what it meant to be cuban. In a similar vein, yoruba philosophy can be considered antecedent to yoruba religion, in the same manner. Oduduwa was the first divine king of the yoruba people, and obatala fashioned the first human beings out of clay. It is illuminating and engaging and strangely funny in its quaint often sententious tone.
A history of the yoruba people by stephen adebanji akintoye. Olowe of ise, veranda post, before 1938 yoruba people, nigeria, wood, pigment, 180. Most yoruba people speak the yoruba language, which is the nigercongo language with the largest number of native speakers. 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 pronounced as the source of the yoruba nation. Reading of an excerpt from a history of the yoruba people. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. They speak a dialect that is a mixture of moroccan arabic, yoruba, and aramaic. Akintoye links the yoruba past with the present, broadening and transcending samuel johnson in scope and time, and reviving both the passion and agenda that are over a century old, to reveal the long history and definable identity of a people and an ethnicity, one of the most important in africa and the african diaspora. This account of their history was written in a brief history of the yoruba people provides a short of account of a yoruba origin tradition, and a list of yoruba kings. 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.
The yoruba numbered more than 20 million at the turn of the 21st century. I would recommend it as mustread text for all yorubas and indeed all interested nigerians, beninois and brazilians. Jan 31, 2011 this book is about the aboriginals of west africa written by a. Apr 25, 2017 these talented yoruba people include among them british actors, hollywood stars, rappers, singers, and national basketball association players, among other professions. At the east and the north, the yoruba culture arrives at its limits in the niger river. Bolaji idowu shelved 3 times as yoruba avg rating 4. Sep 07, 2012 suffice it to state that the benin people did submit to and passed oduduwas test and so oranmiyan or oranyan in yoruba came to benin as the ruler of the people. The yoruba constitute about 44 million people in total. Olowe of ise, veranda post yoruba peoples smarthistory. 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.
They are known by the yoruba people as the emo yo quaim, or strange people. A history of the yoruba people by stephen adebanji. The portion of the west african coast occupied by the yorubaspeaking peoples is situated in the eastern half of the slave coast, and lies between badagry, on the west, and the benin. The yoruba and other canaanitehebrew israelites of nigeria. Ife in the ninth to tenth century the revolution in ife. Cambridge core african history the history of the yorubas by samuel johnson edited by obadiah johnson. More than any book of or about the yoruba in the 20th century, olodumare succeeded in combining religion with philosophy and literature. Excellent book for anyone who wants to know real west african history. In 1880 samuel johnson became a deacon and was ordained a vicar in 1888. A history of the yoruba people is a comprehensive exp.
History of yoruba land download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Yoruba people, tribe, language, religion, culture, women. Buy a history of the yoruba people by akintoye, stephen adebanji isbn. Suffice it to state that the benin people did submit to and passed oduduwas test and so oranmiyan or oranyan in yoruba came to benin as the ruler of the people. A history of the yoruba people kindle edition by akintoye, stephen adebanji. Adebanji akintoye deploys four decades of historiography research with current interpretation and analyses to present the most complete and authoritative volume on the. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In addition, allegiance to these systems is paid uniformly to a large urban area, as opposed to a centralised authority.
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