Introduction
History is a unique branch of the humanities in many ways as it can provide answers, which sociologists, economists, and political scientists cannot give. Nowadays, researchers in this discipline continue to focus on studying European and Asian civilizations. Only recently, the cultures of Africa and other non-Eurasian regions have begun to become the center of attention for historians (Olupona, 1993). It happened mainly due to the efforts of the scientists such as Arifalo (Fani-Kayode, 2013).
It is no secret that each African ethnic group has an exciting and unique history. The Yoruba people stand out among other African nationalities due to their historical origin and mystical founding ancestor. Today, “the Yoruba people occupy the South-Western part of Nigeria, they account for about 20% of the population of the country” (Bamidele, 2003, para. 1). Several existing historical and cultural findings indicate that they came from the Arabian Peninsula (Davidson, 2004). This work explores the mysterious history and interesting traditions of the Yoruba people, focusing on its semi-divine ancestor, Oduduwa.
Yoruba People and the Present
Before diving into the centuries-old Yoruba culture, a brief description of their current state needs to be provided. As noted above, the vast majority of Yoruba people live in the Nigerian land. There they mostly occupy medium and high socioeconomic positions. According to experts, “the Yoruba people are mainly involved in the financial, press and educational sectors of the country” (Bamidele, 2003, para. 1). The overall picture of their religious diversity and segmentation is similar to that of other African ethnic groups. There are both Christian and Muslim believers of Yoruba origin and adherents of the traditional pagan religion (Bamidele, 2003).
Globalization has had little impact on Yoruba culture, and they still take it very seriously, which is reflected in their language, dress code, and manner of interaction. Even their political perspective is primarily shaped by culture and traditions (Peel, 2009). Many of the Yoruba people’s current sociopolitical alliances and conflicts have historical or mythological roots.
Oduduwa, Founding Father of the Yoruba
Oduduwa, the historical and mythological founding father of this ethnic group, occupies a special place in the Yoruba culture. His figure is the centerpiece of Yoruba history and traditional religion. The Yoruba people believe that he founded Ife, their first city-state, and gave rise to the first royal dynasties of Yorubaland (Adekunle, 2007). However, there is uncertainty as to where Oduduwa came from. There is a migration version of his origin, according to which he came to Yorubaland from one of the southern centers of the Abrahamic religions, namely Egypt, Mecca, or Israel (Jock, 2020). Historians interpret this theory as the migration of the Yoruba population from the Middle East to West Africa during the Middle Ages.
The second version is the mythological one, and it is directly related to the Yoruba religious tradition. The myth tells that Oduduwa was born of Olodumare, the supreme deity of the Yoruba pantheon, or was given divine powers by them to create the world, the Yoruba nation, and their first kingdom (Davidson, 2004). Interestingly, even this theory has a dual interpretation as this myth of creation also has a mythological figure Orishanla who is believed to be the initial person to whom the supreme deity entrusted this task (Davidson, 2004).
Cultural scientists explain this plot as a long process of mixing and fusion of aboriginal and Yoruba cultures. There is even a hypothesis that Oduduwa was a revolutionary who overthrew the previous local dynasty and brought the Yoruba people to power in Ife (Bamidele, 2003). As one can see, many mysteries and inaccuracies surround Oduduwa’s origins; even their gender is unknown.
Traditions of the Yoruba People
Although Europeans colonized Nigeria and Yorubaland, the Yoruba people preserved their traditions. Yoruba language and its dialects, unique etiquette during daily activities, arts, and dressing prove it. For example, smiling, kneeling, and prostrating in a manner similar to Persian proskynesis during greetings is still practiced in Yoruba society (Bamidele, 2003). Experts also note that the Yoruba language is rich in unique idioms, figures of speech, proverbs, and sayings (Bamidele, 2003).
Many Yoruba people adhere to traditional garments and color schemes in dressing. According to cultural scientists, “the females dress up mainly with a head tie known as “Gele,” and a long wrapper with a short-armed top” (Bamidele, 2003, para. 8). While “the males normally wear a long-dress in the form of a shirt almost touching the knees or even the ankles” (Bamidele, 2003, para. 8). Yoruba people use musical instruments not only as a means of entertainment and self-expression but also for communication (Bamidele, 2003). Their traditional set has both instruments characteristic of other West African ethnic groups and unique ones.
Connection of Yoruba Religious Tradition with Pre-Historical African Spirituality
Like any other local ethnic spirituality, the Yoruba one has deep mythical and religious connections with different native African beliefs and world religions practiced by Africans. Oduduwa, his divine collaboration with Orishanla and the subsequent partial spiritual fusion of these two mythical figures is a shining example of it. It is because these two semi-mythical persons of traditional Yoruba faith are a symbol of “legendary compromise between incomers and aboriginals” (Davidson, 2004, p. 26). This mainstream interpretation of the myth of the emergence of the central spiritual figure of traditional Yoruba believers explains how and why spiritual interactions and integration occurred between Yoruba people and other African ethnic groups.
One of the aboriginal populations of Nigeria to whose lands the ancestors of the Yoruba people came had a semi-religious semi-juridical conception of land ownership. They called it “the Spirit of the Earth” or “the spiritual title to the land” (Davidson, 2004, p. 27). Orishanla, the initially chosen one of Olodumare, represents this idea in the origin myth. However, they were conquered by the Yoruba people, so there was a cultural shift, and Oduduwa replaced Orishanla, and the former became the latter’s assistant (Davidson, 2004).
Oduduwa became not only the founding figure and messiah of the Yoruba people but also a new symbol of land succession and a connecting element between two ethnic spiritualties. Interestingly, the idea of having a spiritual right to land is also present in other aboriginal African cultures, and the history of the Mbundu and Mbwela peoples shows this (Davidson, 2004). One may conclude that the presence of this idea in the religions of such distant ethnic groups indicates that it may have existed in African cultures even before the pre-migration history of Africa.
Christianity, Its Oppressive Influence on Native Yoruba Religion and the Occurring Spiritual Renaissance
It is no secret that a large part of the spiritual identity of African nations, including the Yoruba people, is the Abrahamic religions, especially Christianity and Islam. They were brought in both through economic and cultural interactions with the states of the North African region and the colonial conquest by the Western and Arab nations (Our Weekly LA, 2010). The history of the spiritual interconnection of traditional Yoruba believers and Christians goes back more than half a century (Our Weekly LA, 2010).
Unfortunately, the character of the spiritual connection between the two groups is of oppressive nature due to the slavery and cultural domination that western Christians have practiced towards the Yoruba people. Many traditional Yoruba religious practices have been eradicated or irreversibly transformed (Our Weekly LA, 2010). Contemporary historical, scientific techniques make it possible to uncover and identify traditional ancient and forgotten ritual practices. Ethnic religion in Yoruba diasporas living in Western countries is experiencing a spiritual renaissance due to such discoveries (Our Weekly LA, 2010). There is a growing trend in these people to return to traditional beliefs.
Conclusion
This study is about the culture and traditions of Yoruba people, West African nationality with a unique and mysterious history. The work is focused mainly on the historical and mythological figure of Oduduwa. It is because this person is the key to understanding the worldview of Yoruba society and its traditions. From a historian’s perspective, the Oduduwa myth is the historical starting point of the Yoruba people and the cornerstone of their social structure and cultural pattern. It has also been found that the spirituality of the Yoruba nation has deep roots in the pre-migratory religious and cultural rituals of other aboriginal African populations and is currently in the stage of revival, especially in diaspora communities.
References
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