Research Paper On Yoruba Culture

Throughout the ages, Africa has been populated by a diverse array of peoples, whose cultural, ethnic, and sociological differences have been shaped by the continents varied landscape ( ). Known for being the three magnificent trading territories in West Africa. Ghana, Mali, and Songhay were three very closely associated, but separate African civilizations that prospered and dominated West Africa for more than 300 years. Ancient Ghana was a rich and powerful empire. Despite the name Ancient Ghana is not related to the country we know today.

The Yoruba have a culture and history that is unique in its own way and meaning. According to the oral history of the Yoruba, it is described as a myth. As the tale goes, the first kings of the land were the offspring of the creator, Oduduwa.

The rituals that these religions perform are different but are all done to reach closeness or get direction from their god or gods. One of the Yoruba’s religions rituals is divination. A diviner does this ritual and is a priest that must be trained for years. Divination is a process where the future of and individual is revealed. Throughout the other rituals that are preformed in this religion a priest must be there to oversee the ritual. During rituals in the religion of Christianity priest are also

African history is extremely important because it contributes to the overall understanding of world history. The historical interaction between Africa and America created a platform for national capitalization. Nigeria is one of the most populated countries in Africa and more specifically it consists of one of the highest amounts of ethnics groups. Nigeria consists of over three hundred different ethnic groups. Language, culture, and values are what differentiate ethnic groups from each other.

When one country takes over and colonizes another, it is inevitable for cultural exchanges to occur. A lot of African people, including the Nigerians, had picked up quite a few British customs. The influence of Great

In what ways does Yoruba Religion challenge both the traditional western and eastern notions of what separates a religion from a philosophy?

From the 1500s to the 1700s, African blacks, mainly from the area of West Africa (today's Senegal, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Dahomey, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Gabon) were shipped as slaves to North America, Brazil, and the West Indies. For them, local and tribal differences, and even varying cultural backgrounds, soon melded into one common concern for the suffering they all endured. Music, songs, and dances as well as remembered traditional food, helped not only to uplift them but also quite unintentionally added immeasurably to the culture around them. In the approximately 300 years that blacks have made their homes in North America, the West Indies, and Brazil, their highly honed art

Masking the Yoruba deities with the Catholic saints was a means of keeping the old religion alive, even if it meant giving new names to the orishas. Catholicism was the seedbed for the survival of the orishas.

“I was born in Nigeria, I came to Maryland when i was still in diapers…” Omokore insures her cultural roots remain a part of her everyday life. Although she can’t speak her language, yoruba, she can understand it well. At age one Omokore and her mother moved from Nigeria to Maryland, where her grandmother was living, due

Aptly named Yorubaland, modern day Benin and West Nigeria, held the birthplace of the Yoruba people and their faith. Living in ancient cities, each with their own kings, the Yoruba people worshipped one God and his Orisha divinities in sacred shrines for hundreds of years. With great cities come great army’s and disagreements as they constantly fought with one another and surrounding kingdoms. Soon Oyo became the lead city in the kingdom of Yorubaland, enemy to the lead city Whydah of the Dahomey kingdom (todays Republic of Benin). In the 18th century Oyo conquered Whydah, leaving many Fon and Ewe speaking Dahomey people to find themselves in slavery as the main laborers for sugar on the French Saint Domingue (todays Haiti).

This religion takes up about 42.8% of the nation’s total population. Other religions throughout the country include Catholic, Muslim, Vodoun, and Protestant. Most adherents of the Yoruba religious group are located in the south, whereas the other African Religion beliefs are found more in the north and southeast.

Thousands of years ago there was a tribe filled with people known as the Ibo, now known as the Igbo. The Igbo were one of the first tribes to really be able to thrive and have order in their villages. Igboland is now one of the most populated countries in Nigeria. Though Igboland is now one of the most populated countries, it has managed to keep its historical charm. Igboland is now a very well thriving country, but it is still facing many hardships regarding their political system.

Yoruba religion is based on nature worshipping and is rooted deeply on respect for the environment. Their divinities is called Òrìsà, when it work is complete they become thunderstorm with lightning. Then the formation of the river adjoining into the ocean all of these actions are classified as divinities (Abimbola 2010). All living things are considered sacred and need to be reverenced. Religion cannot be free from the influence of the culture of the people where it is established, Gaiya substantiating this view wrote that culture and religion are two sides of the same coin and that a change in one affects the other (Awoniyi 2011).One will hear words such as Ori which is the soul or the unconscious mind, Èmí-the divine breathe enclosed in our heart and Òlódùmare, our High God.. (Awoniyi 2011).

A long time ago, before humans, the earth was covered entirely with water. Then, the God, Chukwu, created the first human family which included Eze Nri, his wife, and his children. Eze Nri and his family stood upon a small anthill feeling extremely hungry and without a place to live. Chukwu, who felt bad for them, gave them a yam and they found it to be very good. The next morning, the family was hungry again and begged for more yams from Chukwu. The God then gave them some yam seeds but there was no place to plant them. Chukwu told Eze Nri to call for the Akwa blacksmiths to blow away the water. Eze Nri was then told to sacrifice his eldest son and daughter to plant the seeds in their graves. Some time later, the yams were ready to be harvested and Eze Nri gave them to all the Igbo people (Ohadike). Today, the Igbo people are the third largest ethnic group in Nigeria and they make up 18 percent of the population which is over 32 million (The World Factbook - Nigeria) and about the size of Afghanistan (The

How would you feel if you were forced to marry someone you had met a week before just because your parents told you to? Arranged marriages are one of the most important traditions within the culture of the Igbo tribe. Even though this tradition has been sustained within few ethnic groups around the world, society has been evolving and changing over time, which may lead one to believe it’s only a matter of time before everyone has succumbed to the more modern lifestyle. The view that certain tribes have on marriage and how it has changed in certain places over time can be seen within the short story, “Marriage is a Private Affair.”