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:
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
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ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how much freedom women had in the culture and how much power they could have in the government compared to other indigenous groups. I was also surprised that the Yoruba value seniority so high, yet consider children the highest honor. That just goes to show how much the Yoruba value the futures of their families. The Yoruba government has similar traits to governments in some western cultures, with a main leader and a surrounding council, the main difference coming from the reasoning of divine lineage.
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