Nigerian ethnic groups have different cultural heritage formed by their history, values, and economic and social conditions. Indeed, the Yoruba people, Western African nations’ representatives, created their own language, religion, art, and architecture. The brightest period of this ethnic group’s development is the time of the Oyo Empire which impacted the Nigerian culture and today remains the largest and most influential state. The region is the origin of the Yoruba tribe that grew into a kingdom in the sixteenth century by conquering their neighbors and making social and political arrangements (Udo, 2020). Oyo Empire’s culture is represented through the sodality to all people, ruling of Alaafins, traditional art, drumming, spiritual dances, yam-based cuisine, and lingual deviations from other Nigerian ethnicities. Moreover, the Imperial times spread and enforced Yoruba’s native religion with its concept of Orisa and various gods who helped the tribe thrive (Udo, 2020). Oyo Empire went from rising to decline from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, leaving massive changes in its inhabitants’ values, traditions, and socio-economic attitudes that define its modern strengths and weak points.
Researching the cultural heritage of the Oyo Empire is a workable approach to exploring the Yoruba identity. The study’s goal is to reveal the root causes of modern social, political, and issues Nigerian groups experience and help better understand the ethnicity’s representatives. Moreover, the Empire’s heritage must be explored to discover how conquering other tribes influenced and diversified the Oyo culture. As Yoruba is one of the largest Nigerian ethnicities, the research will explain why it maintains a strong position in the region (Udo, 2020). Besides, cultural heritage studying broadens the knowledge of humanity’s history and the events that form the latest values, lifestyles, and social and governmental systems in Africa and worldwide.
Reference
Udo, E. M. (2020). The Vitality of Yoruba Culture in the Americas.Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 41(2). Web.