In the early 20th century, most of the yoruba city states and communities were controlled by obas. The history of the yorubas by samuel johnson goodreads. The first part of the book discusses the people, theircountry and language, religion, government, land law, manners and customs. Her research interests include yoruba language, culture and history, yoruba women and creole studies. A grammar of the yoruba language download ebook pdf. Both archeology and traditional yoruba oral historians confirm the existence of people in this region for several millennia. The inevitable starting point is their traditional accounts.
Younger members of the benin ruling house carried yoruba influenc e eastwards across the niger as far as onitsha and into the creeks, notably to nembe in the brass district. This pioneering volume brought together various oral and recorded accounts of yoruba history, describing not only political history but also social customs, language and laws. Yoruba, one of the three largest ethnic groups of nigeria, concentrated in the southwestern part of that country. A study of relationship between arabic and yoruba languages. Oldnaija is an online platform dedicated to documenting and promoting the history of ngeria. The documented history of the yoruba people begins with the oyo empire, which became. Jun 20, 2019 the yoruba religion system comprises of traditional practices and spiritual concepts which has evolved into a robust religious system. Yoruba language simple english wikipedia, the free. The number of speakers is roughly estimated at about 30 million in 2010. 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. Dont forget to like, comment, share and of course subscribe to the channel. Director of the yoruba historical research schzme, nigeria. Yoruba language and literature african studies oxford.
The history of the indigenous peoples of west africa is ripe for intensive research. Yoruba religion ifa history and interesting facts in 2019. The yoruba constitute approximately 35 percent of nigerias total population, and around 40 million individuals throughout the region of west africa. The number of speakers of yoruba is estimated between 30 and 40 million. Traces of arabic words in yoruba language apart from the borrowed words from hausa to yoruba language like means leave the placekai, gani means to see properly, magaji means heirleader of a family and host of others, there are still many words in yoruba language which emanate from arabic. The yoruba people today number more than 30 million strong, with significant numbers in the united states, nigeria, europe, and brazil. The yoruba language preservation law has been commended, and rightly so, by various stakeholders across the land, as very vital to the preservation of yoruba language, especially at time when the. The second part is divided into four periods, first published in 1921, and cited on the africas best 100 books list, this is a standard work on the history of theyorubas from the earliest times to the beginning of.
As a part of this, there is an expectation that everyone will eventually achieve the state of olodumare, which is becoming one with the divine creator who is the source of all energy. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a brief history of the yoruba people. Therefore, according to the yoruba, humans are eventually expected to. There are many yoruba dialects, but the translation of the bible by a yoruba speaker, bishop samuel crowther, in 1884 led to the development of a standard written yoruba that has been widely adopted across the dialects. Oldnaija goes beyond the lines to unearth historical events in nigeria and document nigerian cultures for. The traditional leadership of yoruba land consists of an oba, who is the monarch, as well as chiefs or oloyes, which act as advisers and coadministrators of the kingdom. Modern yoruba is a concise, portable and easytograsp reference of the yoruba language. The yoruba constitute over 40 million people in total. It is a practice which originated thousands of years ago. This is one of the craziest language course that exist. The other yoruboid languages include igala and itsekiri.
Ashe is the energy found in all natural things much like the catholic saints, the yoruba orishas work as the intermediaries between man and the supreme creator, and the rest of the divine world. They have a general language called yoruba yooba which is the form that is taught in schools in the southwestern zone of nigeria. Origin, nature, problems and prospects article pdf available december 2004 with 1,771 reads how we measure reads. There is a substantial body of literature in the yoruba language, including books, newspapers, and pamphlets. Some years ago i came across 300 short mp3 files and a pdf. Yoruba language the yoruba culture was originally an oral tradition, and the majority of yoruba people are native speakers of the yoruba language. Traditional yoruba beliefs hold that all people experience ayanmo, which is destiny or fate. It is also used widely as a second language in this area. The yoruba numbered more than 20 million at the turn of the 21st century. It is a very ancient religion of the mysteries and messages of olodumare revealed to man by orunmila. It demonstrates the strong influence of yoruba religion and culture on world religions among african diaspora. The history and traditions of the yoruba people panorama. Yoruba basic language survival guide, california, 2008. Although recent analysis of the text has revealed some inaccuracies, this volume remains the standard reference for the history of the yoruba people.
It is one of the languages in nigeria, benin, and togo and in communities in other parts of africa, europe and the americas. Yoruba was an unwritten language until the early part of the 19th century. The history of yoruba contact with islam and the far reaching impact that islam has had on them and their language, is a subject that has. The number of speakers of yoruba was thought to be 20 million in the 1990s. Mosadomi is a poet, who has authored several articles in books and journals on creole studies, african language and gender, african linguistics and pedagogy. Yoruba is classified within the edekiri languages, which together with the isolate igala, form the yoruboid group of languages within the voltaniger branch of the nigercongo.
History of yoruba people and yoruba land the yoruba people yoruba. Ede yoruba is a language spoken in west africa and most prominently. The yoruba traditional religion believes that all human beings pass through what is known as ayanmo which translate to destiny or fate. Fsi yoruba basic course student text skype language school. Topics yoruba language collection opensource language english. The history of yoruba contact with islam and the farreaching impact that islam has had on them and their language, is a subject that has. It is written to help the beginning student basic knowledge in learning the acquire a language. Yoruba are an ethnic group of southwestern and north central nigeria as well as southern and central benin, together known as yorubaland. It is understood that yoruba is an ethnic group in west africa and predominantly nigeria.
Brief history of yoruba people, culture, religion and. Oduduwa was the first divine king of the yoruba people, and obatala fashioned the first human beings out of clay. Yoruba people are a large ethnolinguistic group or ethnic nation in africa, and the majority of them speak the yoruba language. Oct 22, 2019 defense language institute, foreign language center. The yoruba are one of the largest african ethnic groups south of the sahara desert.
Yoruba is spoken by more than 20 million people in southwestern nigeria and parts of benin and togo. Yoruba people, language, religion, tribe, culture, facts. This article aims to shed more light on the origin and history of the yoruba people. The yoruba spiritual heritage maintains that the yoruba ethnic groups are a. This is the yoruba creation story, i hope you enjoy. Yoruba, endangerment, globalisation, acquisition, and attrition. In terms of ethnolinguistics, the yoruba belong to the nigercongo language family, which covers many cultures of that region. History the history of the yorubas dates back to an era that existed before the ancient oyo empire of the 17th century. Yoruba people believe that they are descendants of oduduwa, the mythical founder of the. Ila 1992 makes the case for yoruba as a literary language close to the lifeworld of its speakers, while adejunm. Jan 06, 2020 history of the yorubas samuel johnson pdf the history of the yorubas. Within nigeria, the yoruba dominate the western part of the country.
The history of the yorubas 1921 edition open library. Brief history of the orthography the first recorded collection of yoruba words was the sample of numerals collected by bowdich in 1817 and published in mission from cape coast to ashantee in 1819. Although the term yoruba is of recent origin, being a colonial and missionary creation. Yoruba is a popular indigenous language in nigeria alongside hausa and igbo. She is completing her manuscript on yoruba grammar. This is just out of personal research and curiosity. Yoruba introduction, location, language, folklore, religion. History of yoruba people and yoruba land south west towns. Lagos and the preservation of yoruba language vanguard news. It is very important to pay attention to proper pronunciation right from the outset.
One of the traditional practices of the yoruba people is ifa worship. Learn the basics of the yoruba religion ifa in this exciting article. Translation of the bible by a yoruba speaker, bishop samuel crowther, in 1884 led to the development of a standard written yoruba that has been widely adopted across the dialects. Language similarities exist between the egyptians and some groups in west africa such as the wolof and particularly more so, the yorubas more then 500 similar words have been discovered bearing identical meanings. Cambridge core african history the history of the yorubas by samuel johnson edited by obadiah. According to legend, the civilization currently known as yoruba started in ancient ileife. We provide a research and learning environment for nigerians at home and in the diaspora. Saburi biobaku director of the yoruba historical research schzme, nigeria the history of the indigenous peoples of west africa is ripe for intensive research. Much smaller, scattered groups live in benin and northern togo. This kingdom was founded by the deities oduduwa and obatala, who are believed to have created the world. History of the yorubas samuel johnson pdf the history of the yorubas. I was happy finding so many files for free and started listening to the files. Other earlier collections included those by hannah kilham in 1828, clapperton in 1829, and the first volumes on yoruba, written by john raban.
Yoruba language, one of a small group of languages that comprise the yoruboid cluster of the defoid subbranch of the benuecongo branch of the nigercongo language family. The yoruba people occupy the states lagos, ondo, oyo, ogun, osun, ekiti, and some parts of kwara and edo states respectively. This kasahorow language guide includes a basic grammar of yoruba for readers and writers. A pictorial format with sound clips attached to every word. The tribe is famous and the language is spoken in certain west african countries mainly. This variety, which has its origin in the 1850s, is the written form of the language and is widely used in the media by newsreaders. 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.
The yoruba spiritual heritage maintains that the yoruba ethnic groups are a unique people who originally settled at ileife. The study of yoruba religious tradition in historical. Many of these important voices are included in this volume. Nov 29, 2019 the yoruba religion includes the concept of ashe, a powerful life force possessed by humans and divine beings alike. The yoruba language is a nigercongo language spoken in west africa. Click download or read online button to get a grammar of the yoruba language book now. History of yoruba people and yoruba land south west. Search the history of over 431 billion web pages on the internet. Learn simple yoruba for getting around and making friends. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. They are, in fact, not a single group, but rather a collection of diverse people bound together by a common language, history, and culture. The history of the yorubas from the earliest times to the beginning of the british protectorate by samuel johnson. Irrespective of the aforementioned discrepancies in the yoruba language, the tribe has a standard variety of yoruba known as literary yoruba, yoruba koine, or yoruba.
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