The Yoruba Naming Ritual

The Yoruba take grate care in naming children. The naming ritual is an important part of the Yoruba culture. They believe that the name given to a child greatly influences their life, "Since it is generally believed that names are like spirits which would like to live out their meanings, parents do a thorough search before giving names to their babies” (sweetmotherinternational.org)

The naming ritual, also called the naming ceremony, usually takes place seven or nine days after a child’s birth; seven days for a male child and nine days for a female child.  Close family and a few honored guest and some community members attend the ritual. Family elders play an important part in naming the child.

The ritual begins with a family elder starting a prayer that asks for blessings for the child. For different religious groups within the Yoruba people, this part of the ritual may vary. For Christians a candle is lit to “signify the light of the world and ask for the presence of God” (Hornblend.com)

The child, or the mother in place of the child, is then given seven different items that have different symbolism. The items are: “water, salt, honey and/ or sugar, palm oil, bitter kola, pepper, and dried fish” They all mean a different thing.

Item	Symbolism / nature	Purpose
Water (omi)	Water is everlasting and has no enemies, since everything in life needs water to survive.	Given so that the child will never be thirsty in life and that no enemies will slow its growth.
Palm oil (epo)	Used to prevent rust, to lubricate and to massage and soothe the body.	Given for a smooth and easy life; and living a life in love and no friction.
Bitter Kola (orogbo)	Unlike most other kola nuts, bitter kola lasts a very long time.	Given so that the child will have a very long life.
Kola nut (obi)	Kola nut is chewed and then spat out.	Given to repel the evil in life.
Honey (oyin)	Used as a sweetener in food.	Given for a sweet and happy life.
Pepper (ata)	Pepper has many seeds within its fruit.	Given for a fruitful life with lots of children.
Dried fish (eja)	A fish lives in water, its natural environment, and uses its head to find its way in water, no matter how rough the water may be.	Given so that the child will remain in its natural environment (the love of its parents) and will find its way in life and never be overcome, even in tough times.
Salt (iyo)	Used to add flavor to and preserve food.	Given so that the child’s life will not be ordinary, but filled with flavor, happiness and substance, and so that the child will preserve all that is good.

After this has taken place, the group gathered for the ritual begins to call out names for the child as well as present gifts to the family for the child. The group recites each name after it is called out. This leads to a child having more than one name, because as each person from the group may call out a different name for a child, this is the name they will call the child by. Once this step is completed then more prayer are said.

References:

Mark Stevenson Fuo (N/A) Y ORUBA- NIGERIA/ SALVADOR - BAHIA: NAMING CEREMONIES

   http://event.sweetmotherinternational.org/Home/african-baby-naming-c

     eremonies/yoruba--nigeria-salvidor

No Author (2010) The Yoruba Naming Ceremony 

    http://www.hornblend.com/2010/05/02/the-yoruba-naming-ceremony

    isomo-loruko/

    

The Yoruba Religion: Ifa

This religion is known by several names including Ifa, Aborisha, or Orisha. It was traditionally practiced and founded by the Yoruba people in Southwestern Nigeria. Ifa was not the product of one single being or founder, but was instead formed from various traditions. In modern times, Ifa has a growing presence in the world, including the United States now that the religion has changed with the influences of Christianity. This influence was largely due to the African slave trade that began in the late 1500's.

The Yoruba belief system is based upon an omniscient being called Olodumare or Olorun "whose supremacy is absolute. Olodumare is acknowledged by all divinities as unique and pre-eminent. The divinities called orisha (orisa) are offspring of Olodumare and are believed to be ministers and functionaries in the universe" (Emeagwali 1999). The Orisha are very important in this belief because they are each unique spirits that interact with humans at religious celebrations by making "appearances at religious celebrations through possession trance of Orisha believers.....When one is possessed by an Orisha, one speaks and  behaves as though one were  that Orisha" (Howard University 2002). 

References:

Emeagwali, Gloria
   1999 The Yoruba Religious System
http://web.ccsu.edu/afstudy/supdt99.htm
November 5, 2013

Howard University
   2002 The Yoruba Faith
http://www.howard.edu/library/reference/cybercamps/camp2002/YorubaFaith.htm
November 5, 2013

The Yoruba Population

            The Yorubas are an ethnic group of West Africa. Worldwide, they number about 45 million, with 35 million in Nigeria. They constitute about 21% of Nigeria's population. Along with the Akan, Hausa/Fulani, and the Igbo, they are one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. There are also significant Yoruba populations in Benin and Togo.  Inside Nigeria, they are one of the three largest  and most important ethnic groups. The others are the Hausa/Fulani and the Igbo. The three ethnic groups together constitute more than half  of Nigeria's population. For more than a century, the Yoruba were the dominant group among Nigeria's educated elite. Prior to 1937, when Nigeria's first president Nnamdi Azikiwe rose to prominence, they provided political leadership in the development of Nigerian nationalism. Following Nigeria's independence in 1960, they became the minority party when the Igbo and Hausa  formed a coalition, but still remained very influential. 

            The Yoruba language group includes several ethnicities and Yoruba-speakers are also found in neighboring Benin. Some Yoruba have converted to Christianity and others to Islam. Many Yoruba have, however, retained their traditional belief system. The group is identifiable in comparison to other groups in Nigeria due to physical characteristics. The Yoruba dialect continuum itself consists of several dialects. The various Yoruba dialects in the Yorubaland of Nigeria can be classified into three major dialect areas: Northwest, Central, and Southeast.  Of course, clear boundaries can never be drawn and peripheral areas of dialectal regions often have some similarities to adjoining dialects.

-Kyle Shapiro

Citations:

Olumuyiwa, Olubunmi Taiwo. A History Of Anglican / Methodist Collaboration In Nigeria Within The Yoruba Socio-Cultural Context [Electronic Resource]. n.p.: Oxford : Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, 2013., 2013. University of South Florida Libraries Catalog. Web. 5 Nov. 2013.

Social and Political Structure of the Yoruba.

Social Structure:           

           The social status of the Yoruba people is determined by the sex, age, descent group, and wealth of individuals. Seniority is very important in the Yoruba culture, with elder males holding high positions in the government as well as in the family. Many families in the Yoruba culture are polygynous, with the first married wife (called the mother of the house) being above the rest of the wives. The living arrangements primarily contain a large patrilineal and patrilocal extended family, which is based on the father’s lineage. The respective classes of families are determined by wealth, education, and occupation. Women are independent, but subordinate to men in Yoruba society. They work separately from men and the income they earn can be used on whatever they like, whether it’s on their children, food, or clothing. Children on the other hand, have extremely high value placed on them, and are considered the “summum bonum”, also called the “highest good”.

Political Structure:

            Political institutions vary greatly in Yoruba kingdoms, whether it’s in size or complexity. The most distinctive feature of the Yoruba political structure is sacred kingship, which has to do with the leader of Yoruba towns, called the Oba, being from divine lineage. Each Yoruba town has an Oba that is assisted by a council of chiefs, which represent different sectors of the town, such as the military, markets, secret sections, and descent groups. Women do play a role in the government; they can be chiefs and are in charge of the royal slaves (both men and women). The Iyalode is known as the most powerful woman in the government and she holds ritual and domestic responsibilities within the palace. Subordinate towns may differ slightly, but resemble the same political organization of the capital in a lesser scale.

Citations:

J.S. Eades

1980. The Yoruba Today. Cambridge University. http://lucy.ukc.ac.uk/yorubat/yt.html Accessed November 2nd, 2013

Art & Life in Africa

November 3rd, 1998. Yoruba Information. http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/people/yoruba.html Accessed November 2nd, 2013

Kinship of the Yoruba People

Kinship of the Yoruba People

The kinship of the Yoruba people is one that is in the linage structure.  Family is extremely important to them, but is interesting because it is very much so different from that of Western and American cultures. In the Yoruba family the father’s patrilinage is valued more than that of the mothers.  Within the family seniority plays a role.  The older you are in the family the more important you are.  This is a very similar quality that Western societies also posses.  The Yoruba people live in a polygynous society meaning that a man has multiple wives.  Within this domestic household there is a hierarchy of wives  The first married is usually considered the iyale.  Iyale means mother of the house.  She is above the other wives and has more pull then the others do.  The other wives are known as arecallediyawo.  Children may be in the same household, but because they have different mothers they have different names.   Full siblings are omoiya and the children that are not of the same mother are called omobabaor babakan.  The structure of the Yoruba people’s kinship may be different, but they have mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, and wives that care about each other.  If you look at it from that perspective it really is not that different from that of a Western culture.

 

 -Dominique 

Citation:

 Schwab, B. William

1958 the Terminology of Kinship and Marriage among the Yoruba.  Africa: Journal of the International African Institute 28(4): 301-313