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The Yoruba Traditional Religion Is Monogamist! (read To Know How And Why?) - Culture - Nairaland

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The Yoruba Traditional Religion Is Monogamist! (read To Know How And Why?) by NeuroBoss(m): 2:30pm On Mar 25, 2017
From this book, "La cuna de la cultura Yoruba" (The cradle of Yoruba culture) authored in Spanish by a Babalawo, Chief Araba Dayo Ologundudu who teaches Yoruba culture to foreigners, I read a verse of the Ifa Corpus where Orunmila baba Agbonmiregun warned about the dangers or inherent risks of polygamy.
Contrary to widely-held belief, the traditional Yoruba religion is also against the practice of having many wives. Evidently, Orunmila had to leave our forefathers to their "reprobate" and obstinate minds after he warned them in these lines:
Okan pere l'obinrin dun mo lowo oko
( The best thing is to have only one wife)
T'oba di meji a do jowu
( When a man has two wives, it breeds envy between them)
T'oba di meta adi eta ntule
( When they become three, they break the family)
T'oba di merin a di iya oko eni lo nrinni
(When there are four wives, they start calling the mother-in-law untoward names)
T'oba di marun-un a di rungun-rungun
(When a man has five wives, they become destructive)
T'oba di mefa a di eni to n fa owo oko wa seyin re
(When there are six wives, they say: "this is the one who is drawing our husband back" )
T'oba di meje a di eni ti o n je ki oko wa jin si koto re
(When they are seven, they say, " who is that who is a perpetual pitfall for our husband?" )
T'oba di mejo adi eni ti ko je ki imo wa jo mo re.
(When they become eight, they start pointing fingers, "this is the one brought to threaten our peace and harmony" )
T'oba di mesan a di eni to ko ni sanjo de
(When the wives become nine, they say to the other, " this is the worthless wife of our husband" )
T'oba di mewa a di ewo eni to o tun nwa oko wa wa
(When they become ten, they say, "look at the one that our husband is seeing behind us" )
Polygamy is not really Yoruba, men's insatiable quest for varieties in women brought about it. The Ifa religion was never in support!

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Re: The Yoruba Traditional Religion Is Monogamist! (read To Know How And Why?) by Olu317(m): 3:34pm On Mar 25, 2017
Yoruba tradition has a lot to offer humanity.

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Re: The Yoruba Traditional Religion Is Monogamist! (read To Know How And Why?) by 9jakool: 3:52am On Mar 26, 2017
Even though Yoruba society doesn't care if you are polygamous, the society encourages monogamy. That's why we have the saying "Ile orogun, ile ogun ni."
Re: The Yoruba Traditional Religion Is Monogamist! (read To Know How And Why?) by baby124: 5:32am On Mar 26, 2017
Hahahaha. This is excellent and very true interpretation. Thanks OP. Wisdom here for those who are wise.

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