Disclaimer: 1. This is not a scholarly article. It was rushed. At least not scholarly in the sense of having references and exclusive formal writing. Much of African stories has been passed orally from generation to the next.
2. Hence, what is written here is subject to contest, ridicule, insults and downright disbelief etc.
3. It’s a hypothesis based on my paying attention in my secondary school Yoruba class, the internet, Wikipedia etc.
4. Everyone has a right to their opinions and beliefs whether they are right or wrong. We are just pencils in the hands of the creator.
5. I’m a Yoruba Nigerian. Now and always.
6. I’m not a native speaker of English so “mind my language” (pun intended – british siticom)


The ‘gods’ of Yoruba Land.
Many people have thought the Yorubas to be completely patriarchal. However, this could be contestable. It’s also a known fact that Yorubas name their Rivers after ‘gods.’ River Osun is a ‘female’ river named after the ‘goddess’ Osun. River Ogun named after Ogun, the ‘god’ iron (which is still an essential resource today). Not all ‘gods’ were named after Rivers however for example Sango the ‘god’ of thunder and Lord Raiden in Mortal Kombat has no river named after him. Yoruba oral tradition tells us that there have been many ‘gods’ but only one true God called “Olodumare” the creator of the Universe and everything that exist in our world.

However, great people have always existed. When a great person exists, we call him savior, messiah, the chosen one, etc in Yoruba land we called them ‘god.’ Not ‘god’ because they were born great or they were God, but because they were so great that we worshipped them. They did great things. The ‘god’ of Sopona saved the Yoruba people from ‘Sopona’ which is small pox at some point in time. Perhaps, he was the Yorubas greatest health Physician.

Lesser gods in Yoruba land have also not existed alone. They usually married other ‘gods’ or sought their help in their own perilous times. One thing common with ‘gods’ in Yoruba land is that they had a lot of people around them has counsellors to them . Also Many followers and disciples who sought to learn from their ideas.

Africa is the cradle of civilization and Rivers run long. The Yorubas have also been quite mobile around the world because they were surrounded by Rivers. So Yoruba culture doesn’t start and end in Nigeria. When a ‘god’ were to arrive at a particular region with his entourage, the Yorubas may name the river after him/her(?) and perhaps this tradition may have subsisted in other cultures(?)
What is most important however is that Yoruba saviors got rivers named after them and considering the amount of Rivers named after Yorubas some even outside Nigeria, the Yorubas must have been indeed great people.
Believing in this premises must mean believing in either genetics or God. But it doesn’t have to be so because you could believe in both. A classical example is when Ebola came to Nigeria arriving in Lagos a city with over 22 million(?) individuals with a moderate to poor health system. We had in our time a ‘god.’ At least I view it to be so as a personal opinion. Stellah Adadevoh was the doctor who saved a lot of us locking herself in her office (an anti-African behavior) to save millions. It would also be good to note that Stellah Adadevoh has great lineage. She is the great grand-child of Herbert Macauly and a niece to Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.

‘Gods/gods’ have also existed in other spheres. Jesus Christ was a savior of the Jews. They wanted a general to save them from the romans, however, Yushua brought love and piece to the world. Part of the peace and love still keeping the world today. Yushua being a prophet or a ‘God/god’ or Son of God or God stands to be contested among different Jews. Some said he had already come and were called radicals and persecuted. Some however are still waiting for him. Everyone is entitled to their beliefs. In my honest opinion, a prophet or ‘god’ is just a nomenclature anyway. It means great teacher, master, etc. We have also had great people in other cultures. Bill Gates the father of modern computing and my role model for a long while is a great man.

It must therefore be emphasized again that Yoruba history can be traced, recomposed and re-modelled based on little Oral tradition still existing today and rapidly building and science and technology and Big Data Analytics. Indeed we Yorubas can trace our lineage if Nigeria and the world would make it possible. Perhaps we need to go back to acknowledging “our heroes past” and let other cultures acknowledge their ‘God(s)/god(s)’

Happy Sunday!

Acknowledgement: My Yoruba teacher (for passing on her Yoruba history to me), Seun Osewa (for the opportunity of this forum) , Stellah Adadevoh (who God use to keep all lagos residents like me alive till this moment), Nigeria (for given me a country), google and google maps, Wikipedia, America (for fast internet.lol) etc

gods
Really Nigga

Sango oooooooo!

[/b]Disclaimer: 1. This is not a scholarly article. It was rushed. At least not scholarly in the sense of having references and exclusive formal writing. Much of African stories has been passed orally from generation to the next.
2. Hence, what is written here is subject to contest, ridicule, insults and downright disbelief etc.
3. It’s an hypothesis based on my paying attention in my secondary school Yoruba class, the internet, Wikipedia etc.[/quote]

When the letter H is sounded the article A precedes it. E.g A hypothesis, A house but on the contrary when H is silent it takes indefinite article AN. E.g An honest man, An hour, An honourable deed.

I beg to differ on your submission about River Ogun. It was not named after the Ogun the god of iron. They are both pronounced differently, though same spelling. You may dig up more on that. Good try, though. Well done.

freeDR:
I beg to differ on your submission about River Ogun. It was not named after the Ogun the god of iron. They are both pronounced differently, though same spelling. You may dig up more on that. Good try, though. Well done.

even igbo and hausa have similar world. in the ancient days, people migrated gradually particularly through rivers so words were eventually pronounced differently

JUST A NEW THOUGHT: In addition, the Jews have the strongest contender against this hypothesis that says that after God sent all the prophets and 'judges'(biblical reference) to the world, they still could not save the world and the world was at war constantly. So God had to come as a man 'Jesus' to solve the problems of the world himself. Then die, since he is God he could also then get resurrected. And continue to rule in heaven. However, the world is still in confusion now. But the Jews argument ends with the fact that he is coming back for all good people and who ever who die while believing in him will not perish but live with God forever.

Just thought of this. That is a VERY strong point right there. However even Yorubas believe that there is only one God called Olodumare and there are other lesser "gods." Which I've chose to term great people. The million dollar question is, was Jesus God in human form or a concoction of Jews? I believe we will only be 100 percent certain of this when we die and see God. I'd rather take my chances and believe.lol

Or maybe there is no God that is also another argument which leads to the question about how we got here. And how did the planets form. There certainly most be a God. A planner. I dont believe in randomness

12inches1:

even igbo and hausa have similar world. in the ancient days, people migrated gradually particularly through rivers so words were eventually pronounced differently

You don't understand what he's saying

Ogun" the river is a different word from "Ogun" the Orisa
and Ogun river is actually connected to Yemoja nothing to do with orisa Ogun

macof:


You don't understand what he's saying

Ogun" the river is a different word from "Ogun" the Orisa
and Ogun river is actually connected to Yemoja nothing to do with orisa Ogun

My hypothesis is that "Ogun" the river was named after "Ogun" the orisa. A great person/a lesser god. A saviour of the Yoruba people at a point in time. For example if he migrated at one point in time along "Ogun" the river and he was great there too, perhaps the people there named the river after him. However since they were not his yoruba dialect, they could not pronounce his name well.

12inches1:


My hypothesis is that "Ogun" the river was named after "Ogun" the river. A great person/a lesser god. A saviour of the Yoruba people at a point in time. For example if he migrated at one point in time along "Ogun" the river and he was great there too, perhaps the people there named the river after him. However since they were not his yoruba dialect, they could not pronounce his name well.

but all this ur hypothesis is not needed. .there's no controversy over the Ogun river

op, kudos,
your piece is beautiful, keep the flame on.

macof:





but all this ur hypothesis is not needed. .there's no controversy over the Ogun river

I dnt understand what you're saying either

12inches1:

I dnt understand what you're saying either

I made a mistake in the post so I corrected it

12inches1:

I dnt understand what you're saying either

let's simple really. . you have an hypothesis of Ogun river being named after orisa Ogun. . like Osun river is named after orisa Osun
but that's not the case
there's no controversy over the Ogun river. it's connected to Yemoja and not Ogun.

the Ogun river got that name from "gun" meaning "long" in english

sounds like land grabbing to me.

tpiar:
sounds like land grabbing to me.

Now this is another way to look at it.

12inches1:

Now this is another way to look at it.

I meant your account sounds like an attempt to distort history and grab land.

macof:


let's simple really. . you have an hypothesis of Ogun river being named after orisa Ogun. . like Osun river is named after orisa Osun
but that's not the case
there's no controversy over the Ogun river. it's connected to Yemoja and not Ogun.

the Ogun river got that name from "gun" meaning "long" in english

This is interesting, I would have loved to ask how river ogun is connected to iyemoja, but I remember

lamilami tonjo lori omi, onilu e wa nisale odo.

Your source for this no one knows, to ask too much is to offend you. Do you mean you know it or you read it somewhere?

All bodies of water are connected to iyemoja in Yoruba who believe the fellow lives under water.

macof:


let's simple really. . you have an hypothesis of Ogun river being named after orisa Ogun. . like Osun river is named after orisa Osun
but that's not the case
there's no controversy over the Ogun river. it's connected to Yemoja and not Ogun.

the Ogun river got that name from "gun" meaning "long" in english

How can you prove this? Also note that gun is a weapon. And Ogun is a orisa for iron and metal weapons like guns. My hypothesis is that Ogun through his smelting skills Ogun helped some Yoruba civilization win wars and industrialize.

Okay. However,I was able to trace my last name to a river close to the phillipines. My lastname is indeed a uncommon Yoruba surnameThe name I won't mention . Also, the people dress a lot like Yorubas. Some of their atires. I checked it of google maps. Taking the trip without stop looked like a possibility that would take about a month.

why would your name be a Filipino one if you're Nigerian?

Are you of Filipino ancestry on your dad's side?

tpia100k:
why would your name be a Filipino one if you're Nigerian?

Are you of Filipino ancestry on your dad's side?

You seem not to understand my point. My point is that as we name buildings after great people now,my hypothesis is that Yoruba pple named rivers after great people too.

no, not at all.

Yoruba is a tonal language, words having the same spelling doesnt mean they are the same.

12inches1:

How can you prove this? Also note that gun is a weapon. And Ogun is a orisa for iron and metal weapons like guns. My hypothesis is that Ogun through his smelting skills Ogun helped some Yoruba civilization win wars and industrialize.

prove wat? wat everybody knows and believes? . it's you - who's actually nt yoruba that needs to prove wat you're saying.



pls I meant "gun" a yoruba word for "long"
not "Gun" an English word for a firearm which is "ibon" in yoruba

tpiar:
no, not at all.

Yoruba is a tonal language, words having the same spelling doesnt mean they are the same.

Yoruba had always been tonal and words had always been pronounced differently by sub-tribes. For example oyo people pronounce words quite differently from ijesha people. Perhaps words like ogun whatever you mean it to be is an extension of that.

Let's leave Ogun river or Ogun the Orisa aside. What about Osun river etc.... There is no ambiguity in that. Osun was the goddess of maternity, love and marriage and gave birth to twins. Perhaps the river was named after her. Some may argue that it was not. However, that is the purpose of this hypothesis study.

people are telling you your hypothesis is wrong, but you are refusing to listen.


In Nigeria, rivers are named for their physical geography, not far fetched fantasies such as yours.


Ogun means long, Osun means source, but to you, going by your sketchy grasp of Yoruba language, you could assume it means mushroom.

the song , some rivers in Africa, Nile, Niger, Benue, Congo, Limpopo , Zambezi.

Is Zambezi named after anyone?

tpiar:
people are telling you your hypothesis is wrong, but you are refusing to listen.


In Nigeria, rivers are named for their physical geography, not far fetched fantasies such as yours.


Ogun means long, Osun means source, but to you, going by your sketchy grasp of Yoruba language, you could assume it means mushroom.

the song , some rivers in Africa, Nile, Niger, Benue, Congo, Limpopo , Zambezi.

Is Zambezi named after anyone?

You need to be willing to listen to differing opinions. That is the key to advancement. I'm not saying all rivers in Africa were named after people. My hypothesis is on the ones in Yoruba land, for now. My question to you however is that why is it that some of the rivers also have correlating 'gods' or 'orisas' named likewise? Many examples are not far fetched.

12inches1:


You need to be willing to listen to differing opinions. That is the key to advancement. I'm not saying all rivers in Africa were named after people. My hypothesis is on the ones in Yoruba land, for now. My question to you however is that why is it that some of the rivers also have correlating 'gods' or 'orisas' named likewise? Many examples are not far fetched.

check the previous responses for your answer, stop insisting on your wrong hypotheses.

are you saying rivers in Africa are not part of your "study"?

and btw, who is river Niger named after?

tpiar:


check the previous responses for your answer, stop insisting on your wrong hypotheses.

are you saying rivers in Africa are not part of your "study"?

and btw, who is river Niger named after?

River Niger is not a river in Yoruba land. Besides you have made no effort to prove those responses.

why are you focusing on Yorubaland?

here are other rivers in Nigeria: Kaduna river, Benue river, Imo river, why is your "study" not including them?

I mentioned Zambezi, but you prefer to stay away from that.

hmm hmm

tpiar:
why are you focusing on Yorubaland?

here are other rivers in Nigeria: Kaduna river, Benue river, Imo river, why is your "study" not including them?

I mentioned Zambezi, but you prefer to stay away from that.

I give up on trying to explain to you. Would you correlate the Yoruba culture to the Igbos?