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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Culture / Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? (9449 Views)
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Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Carriacou1985(f): 4:06pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
I live in England and my Mother is from a small island in the Caribbean called Carriacou. Carriacou is known for holding onto many African traditions but of course after thousands of years these have probably changed from the African traditions brought by their ancestors. It is known that the people on the island of Carriacou originate from the Ibo, Akan and Temme tribes. We have a tradition that has been past down from our ancestors brought to the island from the slave trade, known as the big drum dance, this is usually done for weddings, deaths ect, in order for the ancestors to bless the ceremony. I am particularly interested in what we call the Ibo nation dance, a song they sing and dance to is called: Ibole Ibole woy yo The lyrics are as follows: Gongo banan plantain me wo yo Ibole Ibole woy yo Hele bu Legba wo yo I wanted to know if any Ibo speakers know if this actually comes from the Nigerian Ibo language? Just curious about understanding my culture better and hope someone can help, any answers will be appreciated.... Thanks in advance
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Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by xpac01(m): 4:15pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Dunno oo. Tat sounds more like yoruba sha. |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Carriacou1985(f): 4:43pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Thank you for your reply, it could possibly be Yoruba because many of our churches are based on an ancient yoruba religion. Which would make no sense considering they say we mostly orignate from the Igbo and no mention of Yoruba origins. 1 Like |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Penssuwa(m): 4:46pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Yes, it sounds more like Yoruba. I spotted only one seemingly igbo word. |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Carriacou1985(f): 4:53pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Thank you also for your reply, I changed the title to also include Yoruba speakers, so hopefully I can get some clarity. From some research I did online I found out Legba is a Ancient West African God but I didn't find out which tribe is associated. |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Phrankin(m): 4:57pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
That's not igbo language if you got the lyrics right. The only igbo word there is "me"=do and "bu"=is |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Carriacou1985(f): 5:10pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Pls don't be offended phrankin. I am not familiar with Igbo language or culture, just trying to learn more of my own culture and our link to west Africa. These songs have been preserved and passed down for thousands of years so the language could have well been muddled along the way and could be a mixture of the languages of the various tribes from west Africa which settled there. |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Phrankin(m): 5:18pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Carriacou1985:Why should I be offended? I was just pointing out something to you. Wish you luck on your quest. 1 Like |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Carriacou1985(f): 5:41pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Thank you Phrankin, no luck so far. I guess it will remain an unsolved mystery. |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by ezeagu(m): 9:15pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Carriacou1985: Hello Carriacou1985. This is a stretch, but after reviewing the words and twisting them into something intelligible I've transliterated the words into what it could be in Igbo then I've given the English translation. You're correct about the amount of Igbo and Akan peoples to your island and the Leewards Islands. It's funny because Igbo people are also known to wear those imported 'madras' (or "tartan" ) cloths the ladies are wearing in your post. So here are the proposed translations (question marks are unintelligible): Igbo: Gongo (?) Banana, Plantain mu ewoh yo! Igbo lé! Igbo lé! Ewoh yo! Hanile bú Legba ewoh yo - or - Hé lé bụ Legba ewoh yo! English: Gongo (?) my Bananas, Plantains, ewoh! (ewoh is an expression like 'oh my god', or 'lord god') Igbo nation! Igbo nation! ewoh yo! All of them go to Legba (vodou deity) ewoh - or - They are all Legba ewoh yo! Conclusion: to me this is an offering to Papa Legba in the Igbo language of plantains and bananas possibly, from a brief search on the net, Papa Legba indeed is given offerings of sweet fruits including plantains and bananas. Vowels at the beginning and end of words often blend in Igbo so in 'me wo yo', the 'me' could be 'mu e[woh]' > 'mewoh', if you see what I mean. Also, in Haiti (who also have Legba) there is a song of the Igbo nation called Ibo Lele. Interesting. Hopefully this helps. By the way Ibo is the older (European) way of spelling Igbo just for future reference. 7 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by bigfrancis21: 9:48pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
I do know that the dance was created in remembrance of their Igbo ancestors. In Haiti, they have a native dance done in remembrance of their Igbo ancestors called 'ibo lele'. There is also a drum popular in the caribbean used in creating beats and tune pattern according to the beat tune called 'ibo udu' drum. On deep inspection of the lyrics, the lyrics look a lot Igbo. There are a lot of Igbo words in it such as he', 'bu', 'le', 'ewoh' (or 'awoh' as used in Jamaica - another area with a huge percentage of Igbo-descended peoples). 'Le' and 'ewoh' are Igbo words used for expression. If you watch Nigerian Nollywood movies that portray mostly Igbo culture, you would hear 'ewoh' a lot. Take for example, 'he has died. ewo!', 'i just bought a car. ewo!' I see a lot of 'wo' in the lyrics, probability elongated over the years to 'wo yo', as common with language evolution over time. Examples of 'le' in Igbo: nne m le (my mother le), O biala le (he/she has come le) etc. Igbo Translation: Gongo banan plantain me wo yo: goro banana na plantain m ooo (buy my banana and plantains oo) Ibole Ibole woy yo: proper in modern Igbo orthography as: Igbo le Igbo le [e]wo oo = a chant mentioning the Igbo ancestors expressively. Hele bu Legba wo yo: proper in modern igbo orthography as: he le bu Legba, [e]wo oo = this is Legba, ewo oo. Coincidentally, 'he' is commomly spoken in southern igbo, where majority of Igbo slaves were taken from, for 'this thing', compared to 'ihe' used in upland Igboland. 'bu' is the Igbo word for 'is'. The lyric is exceedingly similar to Igbo language. However, I'd like your interpretation of the lyrics in creole to be able to finally balance both meanings. And if both meanings match, this would be great evidence of the survival of the Igbo language in the Caribbean after over 300 years. 7 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by ezeagu(m): 10:57pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
bigfrancis21: I was wondering about 'he le', sounded familiar. Do you also mean 'this is Legba' as in these are Legbas offerings? Also, Carriacou1985, I think we can confirm that 'wo yo' is ewoh and that 'Ibole' is Igbo lé. And I like that you also noticed Jamaicans say awoh. Cha may also be Igbo related. 3 Likes |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Nobody: 11:07pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
It does sound Igbo to me. Corrupted, but still possible to make some sense of. But I suspect that as most Afro-Caribbean cultures are syncretic, some at least of the words could have come from somewhere other than Igboland. Legba, for example, is a Beninios-Togolese deity, and not Igbo. Ezeagu and Francis have attempted translations. This is my attempt (not too different from theirs). Gongo banan plantain me wo yo (Ngwongwo banana na plantain mu-ee, woyo) Ibole Ibole wo yo (Igbo le Igbo le, wo yo) Hele bu Legba (He le bu Legba) In English: My loads of bananas and plantains, wo yo Igbo le, Igbo le,wo yo They are all [for] Legba. Wo yo being a meaningless onomatopeic expression. Igbo chants typically use such expressions at the end of a line to keep the rhythm. And 'le' being a commonly used interjection in the Southern Igbo axis. [See bigfrancis' comment for further explanation of the use of 'le'). 6 Likes |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Carriacou1985(f): 11:35pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
To Ezeagu, Big Francis 21 and Radoillo, many thanks for your contributions to my post and for helping me make some sense of this. Ezeagu, your points are very valid and interesting, it's interesting to see the similarities of the beautiful Igbo women in their traditional dress also I really didn't know that Hatians also share similarities with us. Carriacou is a very small island approximately 13sq metres and 6,000 people only... I will be continuing my research to find out more about the Hatian traditions and possible similarities. The people who sang these songs have never seen any written Igbo, so maybe my spellings or pronounciations were wrong, thanks also for the (Igbo instead of Ibo) correction, always a pleasure to learn something new. 1 Like |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Carriacou1985(f): 11:46pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
To big Francis The song of the Hatians sounds very similar to that of our song. I will definitely research it and look at similarities. What we have in Carriacou is known as the nation dance or more often the big drum maroon. It was done to honour the ancestors for special ceremonies and I guess it brought a sense of comfort to the captives of slavery and was therefore passed down to us as a way of trying to hold on to their heritage. The drums used were 3 drums, cannot remember the names, always played by men to a call and response rhythm. The dancers were always women and there were various dances for various occasions, some talk about Dahomey which is now the rebublic of Benin. Videos of the exact dance can be found on YouTube. Unfortunately I don't know the creole version, I don't speak or understand creole but I will ask some of my Aunts and Grandmother for more insight, they know a few creole words. |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Carriacou1985(f): 11:53pm On Mar 25, 2015 |
Thank you Radoillo for you interpretation, I agree with you that the language in the song is possibly made up of different languages from the various tribe, so not sure why it is called Igbo nation dance. I also found Legba to be a ancient God of Benin and made a connection in another song of ours which talks about returning back to Dahomey, present day Republic of Benin... I'm so excited to have uncovered some history and culture which none of my family could trace back to apart from the fact it is west African. Unfortunately I couldn't post the video from YouTube on here as it would have been interesting to ask any Igbo people about the style of dance the dancers do, to determine if it is an Igbo tribal dance. Thank you all for your input on this subject. |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Nobody: 12:05am On Mar 26, 2015 |
Carriacou1985: It is probably called that because the original dance, tune and lyrics were imported by Igbo slaves. With the passage of time, other elements crept in (eg. the reference to Legba). They also have an 'Ibo dance' in Haiti, I hear. |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by bigfrancis21: 3:03am On Mar 26, 2015 |
Carriacou1985: @bold...From language similarities, the song can be definitely said to be Igbo language in line with its dedication to the Island's Igbo ancestors, with an adoption of 'Legba' (being a god) over time. Radoillo's rendition of its meaning seems to be the best. However, note that languages borrow words from each other, especially in Africa. Yoruba borrows from Hausa, Igbo borrows from Yoruba, Yoruba borrows from Igbo, Igbo borrows from Hausa, etc. It does not come as a surprise if ancient Igbo slave speakers adopted 'legba' into their lexicon, especially when a worship of the god was widespread on the Island. And yes, there is an 'Ibo lele' song in Haiti also in remembrance of the Igbo slaves of Haiti. Haiti was one of the first non-african countries to recognize the republic of biafra (made up of mostly Igbo, Ibibio and Ijaw peoples with majority Igbo) in a symbolic extension of ancestral ties to the Igbo people. Jamaicans practice a form of Igbo native doctoring system called 'obeah' (obia/dibia in Igbo) but the belief system has a great part of it originating from the Akan of Ghana). 3 Likes |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by pazienza(m): 12:46am On Apr 05, 2015 |
Bigfrancis,Radoillo and Ezeagu! You guys are great, can't believe how you guys succeeded in breaking that song down. I couldn't make a single sense of the song on my own. Unu di egwu o! 4 Likes |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by bigfrancis21: 7:56pm On Apr 05, 2015 |
pazienza: It is called, an eye for the song. 1 Like |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by absoluteSuccess: 11:37am On Apr 06, 2015 |
but to some extent, the song is equally intelligible in Yoruba, I'm not trying to spoil the party, brothers. Gongo banan plantain me wo yo ibole ibole wo yo Helebu legba wo yo Gongo is Yoruba for drumstick used in beating the drum known in Yoruba as gongon. You can compare the song 'Gongo Aso' by 9ice for instance. Now the song: Gongo...me wo yo My talking drum (banana) parade of joy, My earth ritual phenalia for parade of joy The stigmatized as devil, parade for joy. wo in Yoruba is to move in one accord from place to place in celebration, it is iwo lu or iwode (e-war-day). But if your pronounciation is Wo as in Woe, that stands for a shout of joy. Elebu is someone that was labeled wrongly or for disability 'eebu' is something that one can be mocked by. Elebu is someone who has done anything that can be mocked. Legba is the Yoruba leader of old mocked as the devil. 1 Like |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by pazienza(m): 4:10pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
absoluteSuccess: Hian! You see the problem with Yorubas. This was probably how Oyibo became Oyinbo, and Egusi. Elegushi! The song is called Ibo nation song for a reason, stop forcing it! 2 Likes |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by absoluteSuccess: 4:45pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
pazienza: brother, stop having hangover from thread to thread for your own health, these languages are related, it is not a do or die affair and stop seeing apparitions. What is in it other than trying to see where collocation of ideas may lead? Legba is not dibia, it is Yoruba/beninois term for Legba (elegbara) or devil. Gongo is gongo, drumstick. Stop making noise as if you lost a grammy jor. 6 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by pazienza(m): 5:01pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
absoluteSuccess: Gongo there could mean anything, seeing as we don't know the tune of the "o" there, if the "o" there is pronounced as that in "Congo" , what then happens to your Gorngor( Gongo Aso ) fabrication. Secondary, the Op specifically mentioned that the people have Beninoise influence, he never mentioned any thing about Yoruba, you are the one forcing the issue, cos as we know, Yoruba is but a tiny minority in Benin republic, the likely hood of Beninoise influence being Yoruba is so small, but that won't still stop you from pushing it now, would it? Legba is a Fon culture, the Fon ethnic group of Benin republic and Togo, go figure. 4 Likes |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by absoluteSuccess: 5:16pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
pazienza: I am partly Fon, partly Yoruba. I did not force anything...my post is as clear as noon. I am not telling you my conclusion or 'fabrication' as you put it is 'absolute truth'. I am wrong as you can see, but look at the thread and topic, it is open to both Yoruba and Igbo. The thread is not a trophy, but linguistic exercise. Legba is shared between Fon and Yoruba, another example of such is Ofa (Ifa), Sango, Duduwa (Oduduwa), Gu (Ogun) and Sapata, (Jakuta). Elegba(ra) is Yoruba for devil or Esu, as the Yoruba would say "Ko b'esu b'egba". I can't say I am right with my interpretation, I don't know what the song sounds like, but as to the written words, you can see I point the Yoruba aspect of the sounds out. I have greater material to offer the public, I don't know why I should be jammed in this duel. Op, sorry I respect your humble quest. 5 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by scholes0(m): 7:00pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
absoluteSuccess: You are right Elegbara (Legba) is another Yoruba word for the god more popularly known as ESU, while Jakuta (Xevioso) is another name for SANGO, and Soponna in Yoruba is Sakpata in Dahomey. Amazing how people would try and argue with you on your own culture, isn't it? 2 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by absoluteSuccess: 7:29pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
scholes0:You are absolutely right bruv, my approach was to call attention to dual nature of the song and before I say jack, it has become an ethnic recrimination as if I've stolen the Island of Comoros from world map. God! nairaland is nairaland indeed, every dot is fiercely contested. Yoruba is the second largest group in Benin Rep. 5 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by bigfrancis21: 9:16pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
absoluteSuccess: Unfortunately, yorubas were not among the slaves taken to Carriacou. Igbo, Akan and Temne slaves were mostly the ones moved to Carriacou. The op also confirmed this for himself. How the song would suddenly be Yoruba is ludicrous. The fact that 'legba' is a borrowed word from Fon doesn't make the lyrics Yoruba. The word is a borrowed word from 'Fon'. It was called Ibo nation dance for a reason, not Yoruba nation dance. The same way you would want to hold on to 'legba', you've conveniently chosen to ignore 'ibo' that is all over the song? English language has borrowed several words from spanish, french and latin, that still doesn't stop it from being the language it is. And it acknowledges the fact that it borrowed some of its words. Radoillo, Ezeagu and I all acknowledged Legba is a borrowed word not from Yoruba but from Fon. How you conveniently choose to shorten elegbara to legba just to conveniently claim something not attributed to Yorubas is quite baffling. Or maybe go ahead and twist some yoruba origin of the words 'unu'/'una' used in Jamaican patois/Nigerian pidgin, or 'awoh', or red ibo etc. used in Jamaica just to satisfy your insatiable quest. 2 Likes |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by bigfrancis21: 9:37pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
absoluteSuccess: Maybe this should enlighten you a little bit:
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Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by bigfrancis21: 9:47pm On Apr 06, 2015 |
absoluteSuccess: Interestingly, the meaning you rendered makes no sense at all. How banana became 'talking drum' and 'plantain' conveniently omitted leaves much to be desired. Unfortunately, Yorubas, who are migrants from Nigeria, are 4th in line and make up only 12% of the population of benin republic or only 1 million out of its 10 million people, the largest group being the Fon (39.2%) and Adja (15.2%) and Bariba (12% - tie with Yoruba. Demographics of Benin republic The population of Benin is 99% African. However, although several of the larger groups in southern Benin are culturally and socially closely related, Benin is not ethnically or linguistically homogeneous, and there is a particularly marked division between the peoples of the south and those of the north. The largest ethnic group is that of the Fon or Dahomeyans (about 25%), the closely related Adja (about 6%), and the Aizo (about 5%), who live in the south of the country and are predominantly farmers. The Goun (about 11%), who are related to the Adja, are concentrated around Porto-Novo. The Bariba (about 12%) are the dominant people in northern Benin. The Yoruba (more than 12%), essentially a farming people, came from Nigeria and are settled along the eastern boundary of the country. In the northeast, the Somba (more than 4%) subdivide into a number of distinct groups. The Fulani (about 6%), traditionally nomadic herders, gradually are becoming sedentary. Other groups include the Holli, the Dendi, and the Pilapila (or Yowa). The remaining 1% of the population is largely European, numbering about 5,500 in 1998. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Benin-ETHNIC-GROUPS.html |
Re: Can Any Ibo or Yoruba Speakers Help Me? by Phut(f): 9:29am On Apr 07, 2015 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTPMTy5M5A Hey Carriacou, this is the video you were referring to, right? 2 Likes |
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