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vajinda
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Hello everyone
I have an adopted brother and sister who are half Yoruba and half American. Their father is not in their lives and as they get older they seem to be wanting to know more about their Nigerian roots. They really lack a lot of knowledge about their father's culture and the history of Nigeria. First I wanted to ask anyone on this board, not just Yoruba, what I could possibly do to help these two wonderful kids connect to their father's land and to Nigerian culture. They have never been to Nigeria, they do not know any family there, and their mother had a big nasty divorce from this man long back. I feel that there's only so much I can do, as I am half Zimbabwean and half American, so the parallels are limited between them and I. I feel like they need to know the meaning of their Nigerian names. Their father's last name was Okeke, so I wanted to see if anyone could translate that for me. The boy, who is 9, has the names Bola and Odun. The girl is 10, her name is Ayo, but we've found out that means Joy. So if anyone has any words of advice, I would sincerely appreciate it. Knowing what pride and self-esteem I have built from knowing my own African family and my history, I wish for something similar for my brother and sister who are growing up with a big mystery about half of their heritage. I really want to support them as they grow up so they can be proud to be who they are. Thank you for having this forum, where I am allowed to even hope for answers. Blessings to all.
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damygurl (f)
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that is so sweet! you're a good person!! keep it up!! well i don really know what to tell ya but if u know somebody who is nigerian so that d kids can relate to d person and pick up a few nigerian words. a trip to nigeria sounds ok too if u can afford it!!!
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kenflavor (m)
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Hi vajinda, I really appreciate the fact that you have decided to help your African brother and sister. Meanwhile, there is a big problem here, because Okeke is an Igbo name (South East Nigeria) and Ayo and Odun are both yoruba names from South West Nigeria. I will advice you to sit your sister and brother down and ask them some few questions, I believe if most of these questions are answered, we will definitely have a head way.
Ask them these few questions.
(1) What are their father's full names?
(2) Where in particular in Nigeria, did their father hail from?
(3) Has their father or mum ever made mention of any part of Nigeria during conversation?
(4) Do they have any of their fathers pictures?
(5) What of their mother, is she still alive. If yes, she definitely needs to answer some few questions.
I believe if they could answer these few questions, we could have a head way.
Alternatively, I will also suggest that if you can afford their flight tickets to Nigeria, I am very sure if they come to Nigeria with their fathers picture(s), they will definitely find their root. I had seen couple of foreigners who came to Nigeria to seek for their lost father's family & homes and they were eventually lucky to get to their roots, courtesy NTA Newsline (a special programme on Nigerian Television Authority). I wish you a best of luck in your search.
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vajinda
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Hello again
Thank you damy and kenflavor for your encouragement and advice. I appreciate the clarification over the regional and tribal differences in their names. Their mother is alive, and I should probably ask her as well for any details. So is it safe to assume that their father is Igbo if his name is Okeke?
Thanks so much again, I feel lucky to have found this online community.
Vajinda
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Hotstepper (f)
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HEY, IF THEIR FATHER'S LASTNAME IS OKEKE, THEN HE IS IGBO(SOUTH EAST NIGERIA) BUT THE CHILDREN ARE ANSWERING YORUBA NAMES SO I CAN'T FIGURE OUT THE CONNECTION WELL. ASK THEM VERY WELL OR ASK THEIR MOTHER. GO ARE DOING A GOOD JOB THOUGH..PEACE
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Sesan2
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Well done, Vajinda, for the work you are doing. As the other contributors have said, I think we need more information to be able to assist. Okeke (if that is the right spelling) is definitely Igbo. Although it is not unknown in Nigeria for people from one ethnic group to give their children names from another ethnic group, it is still necessary to clarify the situation here.
Just like Zimbabwe, Nigeria (and the Yorubas) has a very rich culture and your brother and sister will be proud to know their cultural heritage.
Regarding the meaning of the children's names. The names you have given are all shortened forms of several possible names. You are right, Ayo means joy; but the full name could be Ayodeji (my joy is doubled) or Ayodele (Joy has got home) etc. Bola is also a shortened form of several names: e.g Adebola (one who arrived to meet wealth), Bolaji (One who wakes up with wealth), Omobola (child born into wealth - often for girls) etc. Odun means 'year' or big landmark or occasion. So, Odun may have been born during a major occasion (e.g Christmas or New year). The interpretations given are literal and these names tend to lose some of their more profound meanings when you try to interprete them into english.
If you know the full names, we can give you the full meanings. Several books of Yoruba names and their meanings exist and there are web sites giving meanings of Yoruba names (although some that I have seen are not very accurate). If you do a search of 'yoruba names' you are likely to see some of them.
Have a nice day and give my regards to your brother and sister.
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