Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,140,495 members, 7,770,229 topics. Date: Tuesday, 19 March 2024 at 07:50 AM

Yoruba Mythology - Culture (3) - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Culture / Yoruba Mythology (117143 Views)

Fulani/fulbe Traditional Beliefs And Mythology / Lucifer As The Olósí (not Esu)of Yorùbá Mythology / Fulani/ Hausa Myths, Mythology And Legends (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (Reply) (Go Down)

Re: Yoruba Mythology by tpia5: 1:42am On Oct 15, 2011
exotik:

so a man called ajayi crowther -- the returneee slave with an english surname is the yoruba puritan?

ajayi crowther returned to his exact hometown in nigeria.

kindly find your level somewhere because you're threatening to lower the quality of the thread.

start another topic or do a search for "ask any question about yoruba" or "everything you've always wanted to know about yoruba".

also try "how do i cure my hangover" while you're at it.

1 Like

Re: Yoruba Mythology by aljharem3: 1:43am On Oct 15, 2011
exotik:

and btw, why havent so-called elderly yoruba "puritans" corrected the yoruba word itself?

if Yemaja was quickly corrected to Yemoja
then, Yoruba should be Yoruba.

at least the ibos have corrected ibo to igbo ,  

but nah, yoruba puritans cannot be bothered to correct the most important word in their identity but want to tell us the correct spelling of Akpata.



LOL about the kp and P thing you are very wrong

it is p and not kp

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7XSiGw4_qlAC&pg=PR28&lpg=PR28&dq=kp+yoruba&source=bl&ots=u0Ve7ZrfIm&sig=vC_W4Eb6tmY9f3aoaR5T0K27gWM&hl=en&ei=29aYTr-cCMHD8QOa8cnQBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CB4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=kp%20yoruba&f=false
Re: Yoruba Mythology by Rgp92: 1:44am On Oct 15, 2011
Hello Tpia smiley Eshu is my favorite Orisha. I like his filosofi, saying everything dont alway go the way you want it. Ye you're right, i probably should change that picture.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by exotik: 1:45am On Oct 15, 2011
tpia@:

like i said, you place yourself with that spelling.

and if you're not yoruba then why are you getting a headache over yoruba.

se oo nilu ni?

well, im pretty sure you are the one who is getting headache over my post coz i never addressed u in the first place.

i directed my comment to the person who said old bendelites spell akpata wrongly and i corrected him/her that akpata is actually the right spelling

so?
Re: Yoruba Mythology by tpia5: 1:45am On Oct 15, 2011
oh, i remember this exotik now.

very senseless fellow.

1 Like

Re: Yoruba Mythology by exotik: 1:47am On Oct 15, 2011
tpia@:

oh, i remember this exotik now.

very senseless fellow.



lol, is that the best u could come up with? try again, ozuo.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by ektbear: 1:48am On Oct 15, 2011
This dude is trying to derail the thread by force. Imo, best to ignore him
Re: Yoruba Mythology by exotik: 1:53am On Oct 15, 2011
^^^ actually, i dont care about your thread, man.

but while you yoruba puritans are doing whatever makes u happy? keep it within urselves and dont throw words to people outside your group not to attract them

akpata is the correct spelling of akpata. simple and clear. kpele.

enjoy your yoruba mythology
Re: Yoruba Mythology by tpia5: 1:56am On Oct 15, 2011
bye bye.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by Kilode1: 1:58am On Oct 15, 2011
OP, put Esu laalu's picture back!  angry

Or find another one for the trickster God!

1 Like

Re: Yoruba Mythology by tpia5: 2:00am On Oct 15, 2011
^^the thread isnt about esu, but rather is a general one discussing yoruba mythology.

as such, making esu the sole focus will keep others out of the thread, and give a wrong impression.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by Rgp92: 2:05am On Oct 15, 2011
Seems like Eshu statue is the only Orisha statue available online.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by Rgp92: 2:07am On Oct 15, 2011
Im off for now. Ill continue tomorrow smiley
Re: Yoruba Mythology by Kilode1: 2:12am On Oct 15, 2011
It's ok. Right, don't focus on Esu, but give him his place. I don't think the OP listed them in order of importance though.

It's fine, I just don't want us to keep thinking we need to hide Esu because Europeans misunderstood his role in the Yoruba pantheon of Gods

Esu is not Satan, Satan is an EUROPEAN god. Esu is not the devil, he's just a trickster, a little cynical but not evil.

Western christians and their converts just diluted the role and essence of an existing God to suit their own Beliefs.

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Yoruba Mythology by exotik: 2:18am On Oct 15, 2011
Kilode?!:



Western christians and their converts just diluted the role and essence of an existing God to suit their own Beliefs.

grin thanks to ajayi crowther -- the returnee slave that became a yoruba puritan.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by ektbear: 2:19am On Oct 15, 2011
Kilode?!:

It's ok. Right, don't focus on Esu, but give him his place. I don't think the OP listed them in order of importance though.

It's fine, I just don't want us to keep thinking we need to hide Esu because Europeans misunderstood his role in the Yoruba pantheon of Gods

Esu is not Satan, Satan is an EUROPEAN god. Esu is not the devil, he's just a trickster, a little cynical but not evil.

Western christians and their converts just diluted the role and essence of an existing God to suit their own Beliefs.

+100
Re: Yoruba Mythology by PhysicsQED(m): 2:52am On Oct 15, 2011
Some people were  misreading what exotik was saying about akpata because they actually thought he came to a Yoruba culture thread to tell Yoruba speaking posters how their language works.   undecided

Nothing could be further from the truth. He merely tried to correct an erroneous assumption about "akpata" (an Edo name) but others kept trying to string him along into an argument about Yoruba words that he clearly had no interest in.

The old story that Kilode mentioned (there's one version of it here: http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5409495-146/story.csp) is this:

The most sophisticated puns I know are the Yoruba ones. Perhaps every speaker of the language knows the simplest examples such as "Nkan t'a wa lo si Sokoto wa l'apo sokoto": What we seek in the city of Sokoto is actually in our trousers (the [Yoruba] word for trousers is "sokoto"wink.

But in the hands of such orators as Samuel Ladoke Akintola (premier of the Western Region until his death in the 1966 coup), meaning migrates farther and sharper, casting a shimmering light on the mind. Once, the story goes, Akintola met someone named Akpata (an Edo cognate of Yoruba, "Apata," which means rock). He asked the fellow to spell his name, and he began, "A, K, " Akintola stopped him with an impatiently upraised hand: "Ki ni'ke nwa ninu apata?" (What is K doing in Apata?).

The triple-entendre here is that the Yoruba hearers would have known that only Bendelites spell Apata with a K, that "ike" (hump) sounds like the letter K, and that no solid rock worth the name should have a hump. Embedded in all this was perhaps a tribalistic dig as well, as Akintola was something of a Yoruba chauvinist.


This assumption about "akpata" being a Bendelite "version" of the Yoruba word "apata" is false. False or real cognates that are derived from the same source do not necessarily mean that the word is derived from one particular modern source (Yoruba) according to one's particular biases or fancy. Take the word "rock" or "stone" in Yoruba and Igbo. In Yoruba, a rock is "òkúta". In Igbo, a rock is "okwute". This doesn't necessarily mean that one group took the word from the other and modified it. It could be a sufficiently ancient word that it existed when these groups were not distinct.

And the story itself is probably not true, regardless of how witty Akintola was. Had he actually said that, the "Akpata" in question would probably have explained that akpata was not a version of apata anymore than apata was a version of "akpata" and exposed Akintola's (or whoever made the statement) ignorance, thus making the whole joke without basis and making Akintola (or whoever) look ill-informed. Of course the story is meant to be a joke, but it's based on a faulty assumption.

1 Like 1 Share

Re: Yoruba Mythology by lakal(m): 3:31am On Oct 15, 2011
exotik:

and btw, why havent so-called elderly yoruba "puritans" corrected the yoruba word itself?

if Yemaja was quickly corrected to Yemoja
then, Yoruba should be Yoruba.

at least the ibos have corrected ibo to igbo , 

but nah, yoruba puritans cannot be bothered to correct the most important word in their identity but want to tell us the correct spelling of Akpata.




What is there to correct? If you pronounce "Yoruba" as "Yoruba", you are most definitely not Yoruba.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by Kilode1: 3:38am On Oct 15, 2011
@PhysicsQED, long time bro.

Let me address your "concern"

If you read my reference to Bendelites and their "Kp" sound/stress, you will notice I made an allowance for their usage of "K". it was kinda "tongue in cheek" but I recognized their usage of that sound.

Now, it is not my place to say how other people's accent or language should sound,  I was primarily speaking to Yorubas. I do recognize the different pronunciation and wanted to explain the difference to those who might think that "Kp" is standard Yoruba usage.

I did not say "kp" is wrong in Edo, Itshekiris, or other language groups with similar sounds. I was speaking primarily about Yoruba usage since this is a topic about Yoruba Mythology.

I used Akintola's quote to cite a famous Yoruba speaker. Akintola was well known for his wit, I don't think he was ignorant (I can't vouch for him) I suspect he was making a point about the different pronunciation. His quote was actually a question, although rhetorical.

edited: for clarification
Re: Yoruba Mythology by exotik: 3:39am On Oct 15, 2011
lakal:


What is there to correct?  If you pronounce "Yoruba" as "Yoruba", you are most definitely not Yoruba.

and lemme guess, coz Yoruba is a Yoruba word?
Re: Yoruba Mythology by lakal(m): 3:46am On Oct 15, 2011
exotik:

and lemme guess, Yoruba is a Yoruba word?

But that wasnt your point, was it?


Let me indulge you.
LOL.  Bini might not be a BIni Word.  Lagos might not be a word in English.  However there is still a "correct" way to say it according to speakers of those languages.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by PhysicsQED(m): 3:47am On Oct 15, 2011
Kilode?!:

@PhysicsQED, long time bro.

Let me address your "concern"

If you read my reference to Bendelites and their "Kp" sound/stress, you will notice I made an allowance for their usage of "K". it was kinda "tongue in cheek" but I recognized their usage of that sound.

Now, it is not my place to say how other people's accent or language should sound,  I was primarily speaking to Yorubas. I do recognize the different pronunciation and wanted to explain the difference to those who might think that "Kp" is standard Yoruba usage.

I did not say "kp" is wrong in Edo, Itshekiris, or other language groups with similar sounds. I was speaking primarily about Yoruba usage since this is a topic about Yoruba Mythology.

Yeah, I see that it was tongue in cheek, I was just pointing out that the argument that built up over the specific word "akpata" was based on a misunderstanding.

And you were right to point out the proper spelling of  Shakpana, of course, since it s a Yoruba mythology thread.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by lakal(m): 3:49am On Oct 15, 2011
Seriously speaking, why can't there be a Yoruba thread on Nairaland without certain fools showing their ignorance? Are people threatened by someone else's culture?
Re: Yoruba Mythology by ektbear: 4:07am On Oct 15, 2011
Right. Nobody is saying that no such word/phrase exists in any language. But his comment was not about languages in general, but about Yoruba specifically. So I don't see the point of this dude's comments.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by exotik: 4:10am On Oct 15, 2011
lakal:

But that wasnt your point, was it?


Let me indulge you.
LOL.  Bini might not be a BIni Word.  Lagos might not be a word in English.  However there is still a "correct" way to say it according to speakers of those languages.

lol, of course that was my point because if yoruba is not a yoruba word then who is to say who is pronouncing it correctly?
and from north to south, majority of Nigerians (yorubas inclusive)  pronounce yoruba as Yoruba as the "accepted" pronunciation.
so it not possible yorubas are the one perpetuating the wrong spelling, and time for their "puritans" correct it?
Re: Yoruba Mythology by lakal(m): 4:13am On Oct 15, 2011
exotik:

lol, of course that was my point because if yoruba is not a yoruba word then who is to say who is pronouncing it correctly?
and from north to south, majority of Nigerians (yorubas inclusive)  pronounce yoruba as Yoruba as the "accepted" pronunciation.
so it not possible yorubas are the one perpetuating the wrong spelling, and time for their "puritans" correct it?



Go and hug transformer, were alaso ni e.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by lakal(m): 4:16am On Oct 15, 2011
[size=16pt]The God-King, Sango[/size]

In Yoruba myth, Sango once ruled as the fourth Alafin of Oyo. After his extraordinary life and controversial death, his friends revered him as a god. His cult has enjoyed the royal patronage of the Alafin of Oyo, who is regarded as his descendant. Sango's cult played an important role in securing the people's loyalty to the Alafin in the days of the Oyo Empire.

Sango's devotees regard him as the embodiment of great creative potential, unfortunately one that was tragically and unpredictably tempted to exceed its own limits and thereby destroyed what it had created. This dedication to the power over life and death and to creativity is reflected in Sango's shrines, such as the one found at the compound of Baale Koso in Oyo, which overflow with carvings, ceramics, and other artwork. A well-carved mortar, ritual container, figure, or dance staff is believed to be able to better focus the worshippers attention on the important attributes of the god and to better lure the spirit to the shrine. Small images of twins (ere Ibeji) are also often stored in the shrine, as legend states that Sango was himself a twin.

In 1910, Leo Frobenius took this photo of an interior of a Sango shrine in Ibadan. It impressed him greatly, and he wrote that "a lofty, long and very deep recess made a gap in the row of fantastically carved and brightly painted columns. These were sculptured with horsemen, men climbing trees, monkeys, women, gods and all sorts of mythological carved work. The dark chamber behind revealed a gorgeous red ceiling, pedestals with stone axes on them, wooden figures, cowrie-shell hangings, "

Carvings of horsemen, with archers and foot-soldiers at their sides, are depicted on many objects including houseposts, doors, and festival masks, such as this Epa mask. The Oyo Empires three centuries of military dominance depended heavily upon the victories of its cavalry. Large war horses, costing up to 120,000 cowries each, had to be imported from the northern savanna regions. This left a great impression on the forest peoples, where horses were expensive and could not survive for long.

Sango worshipers may be called to follow him in many ways. Most are taught by their parents and family, others consult a diviner. Sometimes men and women are suddenly possessed or called to Sango in a dream. Many of the devotees are female, and even male priests dress as females. Most carvings and wooden figures associated with Sango also depict females.

Sango's symbol, the twin-stone ax, or oshe Sango, is believed to be energized with protective powers. It is used as a badge of membership in the cult. Sango is a god who possesses his devotees by entering their heads. When a priestess has been seized by the spirit of the god, she will dance with the wand in her left hand. A twin-stone ax rises out of the top of the wand's carved head, symbolizing this dramatic change and representing priest and deity simultaneously. As she moves, a chorus of women call out the praises of Sango, and an orchestra of drummers beat out sharp, erratic, staccato rhythms on their Bata drums. Suddenly, the priestess will wave her wand fiercely, threatening the audience, mimicing with her movements lightning lashing from storm clouds and then quietly receding.

The Neolithic stone axes, or thunderstones of Sango, are held aloft in a caryatid wooden bowl (arugbe Sango). In some areas, an inverted mortar serves as a pedestal (odo Sango), like the one depicted here of a Sango priestess and a dog. The sound of yams being pounded in a mortar resembles the pounding of thunder in the heavens. By inverting the mortar, the priestess hopes to mute Sango's destructive power. The sides of the ritual mortar are carved with Sango-associated emblems and figures, such as in this example, a priestess holding a gourd rattle (shere) used to call the deity, and a dog, symbol of faithfulness and speed in the forest.

A kneeling women holding her bosoms in respect, as in this housepost depicting a kneeling Sango priestess, or offering a fowl in thanks, or holding a bowl filled with kola nuts is a popular subject in Yoruba art. Figures in this pose are known as olumeye, meaning "one who knows honor." They are found on the altars of many Yoruba deities. The model for the pose is that of a kneeling young bride, with her hair dressed in a traditional crested style called agogo. Her strands of waist beads signify virginity. As a decorative support at the entrance to a Sango shrine, the female may be depicted as a priestess wearing beaded dance panels (yata Sango).
Re: Yoruba Mythology by exotik: 4:17am On Oct 15, 2011
ekt_bear:

Right. Nobody is saying that no such word/phrase exists in any language. But his comment was not about languages in general, but about Yoruba specifically. So I don't see the point of this dude's comments.

and how did you arrive at that conclusion?
my first post clearly stated that akpata is the correct spelling of akpata and it should not be included in discussions where yorubas are talking about the correct spelling of yoruba words but someone had to remind me not to spell it as akpata in front of a so-called elderly yoruba puritan, like the yoruba puritan has authority over the word.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by ektbear: 4:19am On Oct 15, 2011
lakal:


Go and hug transformer, were alaso ni e.

Hehe

Cosign on that. Like I said earlier, best to ignore the dude. Trolls enjoy attention.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by exotik: 4:21am On Oct 15, 2011
lakal:


Go and hug transformer, were alaso ni e.

grin i just did and nothing happened coz the transfomer don spoil and eletrik current nor dey again, thanks to nepa.
Re: Yoruba Mythology by Katsumoto: 4:22am On Oct 15, 2011
exotik:

lol, of course that was my point because if yoruba is not a yoruba word then who is to say who is pronouncing it correctly?
and from north to south, majority of Nigerians (yorubas inclusive)  pronounce yoruba as Yoruba as the "accepted" pronunciation.
so it not possible yorubas are the one perpetuating the wrong spelling, and time for their "puritans" correct it?


What really is your objective on this thread? Isn't it contradictory for a Yoruba hater (I am guessing due to your obvious intransigence) to be correcting Yoruba spelling in a thread about Yoruba mythology?


Kilode?!:

It's ok. Right, don't focus on Esu, but give him his place. I don't think the OP listed them in order of importance though.

It's fine, I just don't want us to keep thinking we need to hide Esu because Europeans misunderstood his role in the Yoruba pantheon of Gods

Esu is not Satan, Satan is an EUROPEAN god. Esu is not the devil, he's just a trickster, a little cynical but not evil.

Western christians and their converts just diluted the role and essence of an existing God to suit their own Beliefs.

Correct
Awon Irunmole, mo ju ba o. BTW, can you see how my people rep Yoruba culture despite never setting foot on the African continent?  tongue Please ignore the spelling errors.  grin

2 Likes 1 Share

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (Reply)

Ogoja, Cross River Where Cameroonian Mothers Iron Their Daughter's Breast / Oruko Amutorunwa (generic Names In Yoruba Culture) / The Kru People Of Liberia And Cote D'ivoire

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 69
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.