absoluteSuccess:
Bigfrancis, the burden is yours if my interpretation make sense or not, you don't understand Yoruba and I don't have 'the delution of need' to prove anything to be sensible to you beyond reasonable doubt, thats always your fort. I have given you my view, take me to the world court. It is my pleasure that Yoruba migrants were 12% in Benin. All I know is, by the word legba, the song ceased to be Igbo, it may be worksong popular in the plantation that has blend into 'Igbo nation Dance' (song repertoir) from slave of Yoruba/Dahome axis. I believe it is not a golden track, it is just a song that caught Op's fancy. Pazienza, don't be emotional, it is your peoples' song. We will soon have igbo dot in letters. I am waiting for that day.

cooljude:
Why must you guys drag everything. Everybody should bring his interpretation so that the op can decipher which one makes more sense and finally their should be some data to show the regions the slaves that were sent there came from.

absoluteSuccess:
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.

absoluteSuccess:
Beautiful piece @pinkyCute. My sincere observation is that the song is not the most important theme song of Igbo National Dance, maybe its just a piece of song among a thousand, derived from the slave trade era. It may be the term 'Legba' that the op knew he could find explanation to, that made him crop it out from plethora of songs on Igbo Dance Songs list. And just like devotional songs or work songs or 'speaking in tongues', people may not discriminate on a song's origin, as long as it fit in to the mood. But if hearer from another language groug hear a word he's familiar with in a song, that he likes, he tune the few words around the main words to his own words. The hook of the line is legba, it may have filtered in through Obea and Santeria intersection, and I know 'Nigeria tribalism' did not exist during slave trade as it does now. Albeit, the song and the people are Igbo-descent as we have seen, but the word 'legba' is 'Yoruboid'. Thanks.

Radoillo:


I think everybody already agreed (even before you made a comment here) that Legba was a non-Igbo deity. The Fon and the Yoruba had the greatest influence on Afro-Caribbean and Afro-American religions, and thus, deities from these two ethnicities were known and worshipped widely by slaves of non-Yoruba, non-Fon descent.

The word 'Legba' alone, therefore, cannot be of much use in establishing what language that song is in, or what ethnic group created and used the song.

bigfrancis21:


'Oya come lets go' ceases to be English just because of one word, 'oya', or just as 'go take your siesta' ceases to be English because of the Spanish word, 'siesta'.

Ok then! Goodluck in your delusion!




And finally sister, don't be afraid to quote me directly!

absoluteSuccess:
Are you 'ojuju' that I should be afraid to quote directly?

Better stop making yourself 'fearful', old prexios fears no one. I don't run through the gauntlet with anyone anymore, let intelligence do the work, not cleverness. Your antics becloud your perception of everyone Yoruba or anything Yoruba.

I am not struggling to make, fabricate or steal your people or anything like that from the Island of caracou, but anytime you look, that's what you see, its an emotional thing, you cannot think out of your tribalism, so no matter what I say, your nature will blur the insight.

Now that you have 'womanised' me? that's your sick game ascending a crescent.



Allow divergent view of opinion and healthy dialogue on public forum, stop playing mental games, focus on topic not your biases, babyman.

bigfrancis21:


babymama finally grew some balls to quote me!

Let me see how you put your new-found balls into use.

absoluteSuccess:
That's possible, my claim does not abrogate the Igbo meaning or essence of the song. I don't understand Igbo to start with, so I cannot fault the Igbo interpretation. My perspective is, chances are that that short piece may be from Santeria if we don't downplay the anchor, 'legba'. We all are attempting a reconstruction of a song that even the presenter don't understand. The best is to assume, until one can prove what is not known weather it has been proved by your conclussion on it or not.

Phut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCTPMTy5M5A

Hey Carriacou, this is the video you were referring to, right?

Carriacou1985:


For anyone interested in the exact words and way it is sung and danced, please see the video as posted by Phut.

No one has mentioned the style of dance as a characteristic of which tribe it belongs to?

I'm guessing it does come from a very corrupt form of Igbo with possibly other tribal influences.

Phut:
Also notice the similarity of dress with the skirt worn by the girl in the video starting from 1:44 min


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qK8vaLFJ37M

Phut:


Hi Carriacou. This is a video someone posted on facebook. The dance style is very similar to the dance in the ibole video. This is an Igbo dance from Nkanu people in Enugu State, Nigeria. You will notice the spinning or twirling style of dance. I can't get the video to post like the youtube video I posted earlier. Maybe someone can help me? In the meantime, you will have to click the link to view it.

Couldn't get the video to play.

https://video-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hvideo-xfa1/v/t42.1790-2/10989403_343646989177500_1593590981_n.mp4?efg=eyJybHIiOjY0NiwicmxhIjo5NDYsInZlbmNvZGVfdGFnIjoicmVzXzQyNl9jcmZfMjNfbWFpbl8zLjBfc2QifQ%3D%3D&rl=646&vabr=359&oh=6a308222046a829ea5e9f7c02d313f3a&oe=55CC7A7C

@Bigfrancis21: How do I get this to open like the youtube videos?

Carriacou1985:
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.

TAO11:
Legba is the alternative name of the Yoruba deity popularly known as Eshu.

The more common Yoruba pronunciations are Elegba, Elegbara or Legbara.

Igboid:
Legba is a Fon deity.
Stop already.

TAO11:
Lol. I can understand why you feel how you feel.

If you had the slightest inkling on the history of Yoruba religion and its spread, you should have realized that that present-day Republic of Benin was heavily influenced via Oyo’s imperial domination etc.

On the flip side, there’s is no record of any such influence on the Yoruba world-view from there.

See the attached for some details on the name Legba as an alternative name for Eshu.

Igboid:



Yoruba borrowed Legba from Fon.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Legba


Eshu belongs to Yoruba. Legba to Fon.
You borrowed and it became an alternative name to your traditional Eshu.
A bit like Ndiigbo borrowed "Ashawo" from Yorubas to serve as a synonym for "Akwuna", which is Igbo name for prostitute.

TAO11:
There is no mention of Yoruba borrowing anything from Fon in the link you pasted. Lol.

I have shared two different screenshots with you clearly stating that Legba is simply an alternative name for Eshu.

But whatever helps you sleep at night I guess. Having said that, you shouldn’t see the need to feel insecure, inferior, or intimidated going forward.

Eshu, also known as Elegba or Legba, is a trickster god of the Yoruba people of Nigeria in West Africa. He is unpredictable, sly, and fond of pranks that can be cruel and disruptive. Eshu, who knows all the languages spoken on earth, serves as a messenger between the gods and people. He also carries up to heaven the sacrifices that people offer to the gods.

According to one story, Eshu became the messenger after playing a trick on the High God. He stole yams from the god's garden, used the god's slippers to make footprints there, and then suggested that the god had stolen the yams himself. Annoyed, the High God ordered Eshu to visit the sky every night and tell him what happened on earth during the day.

trickster mischievous figure appearing in various forms in the folktales and mythology of many different peoples

Eshu enjoys confusion. Many stories tell of tricks he plays that cause arguments between friends or between husbands and wives. In one myth he lured the sun and moon into changing places, which upset the cosmic order. As the god of change, chance, and uncertainty, Eshu is sometimes paired with Ifa, a god representing order. In one tale Eshu claimed that he would ruin Ifa, who laughingly replied, "If you transform yourself, I shall do the same, and if I die, you will die, for so it has been ordained in heaven." In this way,
This carved wood sculpture shows Eshu, the trickster god of the Yoruba people of Nigeria in West Africa.
This carved wood sculpture shows Eshu, the trickster god of the Yoruba people of Nigeria in West Africa.
order and disorder are forever paired, and neither can exist without the other.

Igboid:


Legba is recognized to have originated from Fon.
Anyone else using Legba or similar cognate, obviously borrowed from Fon. It doesn't need to be stated.
You are the one with insecurities claiming things not belonging to you to make yourself feel good when you could easily give the originators their duely deserved credit.

Its embarrassing.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Legba