₦airaland Forum

macof:
You are a dunce. I've said leave my mentions, your level of intelligence is too low for me to engage in yet another back and forth on another thread.

I'll jst leave you with this;

Benin kingdom is just Bini people, even Esan are not Part of Bini kingdom. Bini kingdom ends at Ovia LGA, all in all, Bini kingdom comprises parts of 6 LGAs in Edo state
Learn the difference between Kingdom and Empire

But of course you can keep your delusions rather than to face your so called French medical education

Even suggesting all of Ovia is too generous. There are Yoruba dialects like Ikale and Usen spoken in parts of Ovia NE and Ovia SW.

scholes0:
I don’t know if it is the so called “Benin melody”
Buy Ekiti music actually shares that exact type of rhythm

On the other end of the spectrum are the Oyos with their heavy talking drums, bata and stuff.

I don't actually know what Benin melody is too. I'm not that familiar with traditional Edo music. I'm just assuming he's referring to the rhythm given off by the drum beats accompanied by the slow paced dancing, which just seems like one form of Yoruba music/dance. After all, traditional Yoruba instruments like agogo is used in Benin music.

Actually, the talking drum is also used in traditional music in many parts of Ondo. They are traditionally used in kunbe music. Not all of the music from the region fall into the stereotyped "Benin melody" theme. I've seen quite a heavy usage of gangan during Obitun. I feel like what you have is more of a diverse music tradition.

ayyoshert:
having listened carefully and heard 'gede' i believe that too, but both dialects of Owo and ekiti bear a closer resemblance than other ondo dialects to ekiti.

Yeah, I could immediately tell based on the dialect, dance, attire, and instruments/music. Ekiti does not have Bini like melody. Relationship with Bini isn't as strong in Ekiti as it is in Ondo. Bini's encroachment into Ekiti is only limited to certain ares in Ekiti. Ekiti towns like Otun, Ido, Iye, Efon-Alaye, Iloro, Okemesi, Oye, Ikole, and Omuo didn't have much to do with Bini.

ayyoshert:
watch this dance display from 2:03 and tell me there is no Bini influence/melody


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRyn8beFLTw

I'm pretty sure those are Ondo dancers from Owo. They were probably invited for the coronation.

Konquest:
^^^^^^
^^^^^^
@9jakool

Thank you for this info
that I 'm just seeing on this thread.
I read in one if the archival materials
that Ado-Ekiti is derived from Edo
and that Ado is the Yorubanised
version of Edo. Read that Ado served
as a Bini Empire military camp
and the Bini used to come to Ikere
and other parts of Ekiti and Ondo
States on elephant hunting
expeditions.

Do you agree with these "facts"
above?

Thanks again and...
Happy Holidays to you!

The relationship with Binis you noted is a possibility that I'm not going to dismiss. However, I don't agree that the origin of Ado-Ekiti comes from Edo. Ado-Ekiti was already established before the imperialistic expansion of the Binis.

BudeYahooCom:
Let's also educate the world about the word 'yoruba'. It was derived from 'bayerabe' an hausa term for captured slaves from oyo empire.

Unlike 'Igbo' in Igboland, The word 'yoruba' means nothing in yorubaland at all. They simply adopted the slave name christened by the hausa and fulanis
That's why you can find prehistoric names like Igbokwe, Igbogadi, Igbonacho in Igboland but yoruba don't have a record the word 'yoruba', it is just a corruption of the word 'bayerabe' which Hausa-Fulani slave catcher gave them during the conquering of their land by the Caliphate.

Before you spill bigotry, try to understand the history of the people you are trying to attack first, otherwise you sound illogical.

The first mentioning of "Yoruba in writing was by a scholar in the 1500s named Ahmad baba al Massufi of Timbuktu during the reign of the Songhai empire in Mali. He used the term to denote the people living under the Oyo empire. This shows that by this time, Oyo had already made contacts with places as far North as Mali.

The term was popularize by Hausa through trade with Oyo, gaining more popularity during the colonial era. Yoruba in the Hausa language simply denotes Oyo. Although, today the meaning of "Yoruba" might be largely lost in context, it still has a slight Oyo undertone to it. Also, Yoruba is not the only term, Yorubas use. Other terms like Olukumi or Anago(Nago) exist as well, especially historically. In Benin Republic, the term "Nago" is preferred over Yoruba. If you, an Igbo were to travel to Ghana, chances are that you would be mistakenly called "Anago" by the Ghanians, simply because you are Nigerian. This is due to the presence and trade of Yorubas in Ghana that goes back to precolonial times.

greatjoey:
Yea, note that the relationship with the Jukum was not that they share the same ancestry but they cohabited. The close relationship in yoruba and Igala language was borne out of business interaction between them. You know, Igala had a stun market across the rice Niger, called 'Ajaokuta' where many tribes marchant would come from far and near to buy. Besides, the major occupation of the Igala in the time past was blacksmithing. Igal made arrow heads, spear, iron trap etc. This made therm famous then and the Yorubas who were the closest customers would come and buy. You know, then transportation was by foot. The Yoruba would come an spend days, weeks or even month for the transaction. This brought about close interaction between them and others hence the languages closeness.

I don't quite understand. Are you suggesting that Igala and Yoruba shared a common linguistic ancestor or that the two languages similarity a result of trade or a combination of both?

greatjoey:
Rooster is called. 'Aikó' in Igala. Thanks. Permit me to let you know that, the Igala and the Igbo have one ancestor called Eri. The Ata who is the Igala progenitor was the second son of Eri who also is the progenitor of all Igbo today. Ata actually migrated up north to Wukari where he met and cohabited with the Jukums and other tribes to form the old Kwararafa Kingdom. After a long time, his offspring rose up and revolted against the king of Wukari hence the return to the present settlement. However, on arrival at Ida, the Abutu-eje who is Igala ancestor today met some Ibos. He conquered and subjugated them and made them his subject because he was powerful and brave. Their lineage is called Ete ma hi (Etemahi) who are the kingmakers of Ata till date. But they cannot become Ata. Predominately, they occupy the Igala mela today. Note that, all true Igala descendants have one and only progenitor called Abutu-eje. Whoever does not trace his lineage to him is not a true son of Igala Thanks.

I've heard of the connection with Jukun. If you don't mind me asking, why is Yoruba the closest language to Igala?

scholes0:
I think the Itsekiri version is more correct

There is nothing like “Mo dupe” , given that the actual breakdown of it is “Mo da Ope” I give Thanks.

Upon contraction, it should be Modope/Modokpe, not Modupe/Modukpe.

Yeah, Yoruba assimilates the ending vowel, so it will appear so. I'm guessing the reason why "mo dupe" stuck around is because it's slightly easier to pronounce.

scholes0:
It looks like heavily modified Yoruba.

I noticed keenly that they have evolved to replace nasal consonant endings with their vowel equivalents
And also some consonant modified , i.e R to L, and L to N

Jeun - Jenwu
Orun - Olu
Igbin - Igbi
Irawo - Ilawo
Ohun - Enwu
Erin - Ele
Arun - Alu

Also it seems like there is no “Sh” sound in Igala and all they have us CH.

Then like the South East Yoruba dialecrt , they have GW and Kw, but have no GH

Ewa - Egwa
Ku - Kwu
Gun - Gwu
Ekun - Ekwu

With this, I would give a Yoruba - give or take 6 months to master this language under complete exposure like going to live in Idah or Dekina.

Yoruba- Igala
gu/gun- gwu
ku/kun- kwu

The ch sound like in ochu is similar to how some Yoruba say Oshu. In Ondo state, many people interchangeably use sh and ch. In Western parts of Oyo and Ogun states crossing over to Benin Republic and beyond, the ch sound is heavily used.

I have noticed the addition of m in their counting system like in m + egwa = megwa which is also used in Yoruba.

scholes0:
Igala looks like a type of Yoruba that is trying hard to play Hide and Seek with Yoruba people

Majority of the words are similar to Yoruba.

Probz:
Funny how oma means the exact same in Igala.

Igala is very similar to Yoruba. ọma/ọmo is found in languages from Yoruba to Igala to Edo to Urhobo.

Konquest:
^^^^^^^
^^^^^^^
Someone I knew back in my undergraduate days in Nigeria had
"Okoro" as his surname. He was a full-blooded, pounded yam-loving Ekiti
guy!

Okoro has something to do with "bitterness" according to the Ekiti version. Urhobos also bear Okoro
as surnames. Oko has something to do
with "man" in Itsekiri and Urhobo.

On the other hand Itsekiris use the spelling
: Ogedegbe! In other parts of Yoruba, Ogedengbe with a letter "n" is used.

Itsekiris also use Omatsola, Omawumi etc.
Omosola and Omowumi are the Yoruba
equivalents.

Itsekiri language is classified as Eastern
Yoruboid just like the Ondo state sub groups.


All the best.

The word "koro" means bitter in Yoruba. It has nothing to do with the word man. Yes, the root word "kọ" is used for words relating to a man. For example ọkọrin/ọkọren in Yoruba means man and akọ means male and ọko means husband.

Some Yoruba like Ilajes bear Omawumi, Omasola. Oma means child in Eastern Yoruba dialects.

Probz:
I know Yoruba people are united by central Yoruba but are there peculiarities in names according to the region in Yorubaland? Anything specific to the Ekiti/Ijumu/Akoko flank of Eastern Yorubaland?

As a side note I know Itsekiri females answer Modupe as do mainstream Yorubas.

cc.9jakool, 20CRATES, RedboneSmith

Yes, there are regional names. Some names are perculiar to Oyo, Ekiti, Ijebu, Okun, and Ondo. It's due to the dialect and culture of the region. In Ijebuland for example, Ojo is not a traditional male name, even though it's widely used elsewhere. Ijebus use "Aina," the feminine version of the name to denote both genders.

Modupe in Yoruba means "I am thankful." The Itsekiri's equivalence is Modokpe.

IgalaSchool:
Yes it is Yoruboid, similarity is about let me say 65%
I once helped a Naija woman at Heathrow airport in the UK who spoke no English.

She spoke only Yoruba, but I helped her get a few things done based on the conversation I had with her.
It was hard, but conversation was achievable.

It was mostly one way though. I could understand her spoken Yoruba, but Yorubas can’t realy understand Igala beyond having a fair Idea of what is being said.

Also, Yorubas who understand their second Yoruba dialects well, understand Igala more than Yorubas who speak just plain general Yoruba

Just my opinion.

The bolded is true.

Teaching - Ukọ
Student - Ọma Ukọ / Oma Ukochẹ
Book - Otakada
Teacher - Ako Ọnẹ or Akukọ
Pen - Ukọ ẹnwu
School - Unyi Ukọchẹ (Learning house)

Igala-Yoruba
Ukọ- ẹko
ọma ukọ- Akẹkọ (I understand this even though the word is different in Yoruba since "ọma" is similar to the Yoruba "ọmo" which is child. In a lot of Yoruba dialects, ọma is the word for child.)
Otakada- iwe
Akọ ọne/Akukọ- olukọ (I understand ọne meaning person. ọne means person in many Yoruba dialects, even though the general Yoruba equivalence is eyan.)
ukọ enwu- ikọwe
unyi ukọche- ile-iwe (Ile-iwe in Yoruba means house of books. I'm assuming ukọchẹ is from ukọ and ichẹ, meaning education and work. "Ishẹ" in Yoruba means work and "ichẹ" is dialects.)

Probz:
I've only got a half-decent understanding of Urhobo-Isoko cuisine (aka usi and banga, egusi pepper soup). What's Itsekiri cuisine like actually? Or is it the same as standard Deltan/Urhobo food?

Itsekiri eat starch, banga, egusi, egun bobo(starch and plantain), igbagba ofofo (seafood okro peppersoup). They also have their own unique dishes like igbgba(yam/plantain peppersoup), obe eyen(Yoruba equivalence is obe eyin/obe eyen, which litterally translate to palm fruit soup; similar to banga soup), epuru, etc.

Op, you need to cite your sources. You and I both know you didn't concoct that list by yourself from thin air. You simply copied and pasted the info from an online source, that is why the info up there isn't as accurate.
@ NASTYNASOSO

Asapchris:
Op i didn't see ikale, ilaje in Ondo, from Edo

They are classed as Yoruba

Eke40seven:
You keep mentioning Igbo when I have not mentioned anything about it. I dare you to upload any of the traditional 'Aso Oke' garment, I will quickly show you the Indian or Middle eastern equivalent and similarity. I dare you!
You have still failed to do a little research!

Goodbye!

Eke40seven:
I think you have problem with comprehension.

I told you that the English name for Aso Oke is "Hand Loomed cotton Fabric". What you know as Aso Oke and the craft didn't originate from Nigeria, I then used the word "Aso Oke" describing the Indian version which was much more older as an example.

In the picture I uploaded, I displayed An 'Aso Oke' from Nigeria and the one from India and you couldn't tell the difference.
Research a bit place. Don't make conclusions from what you were born with, look further into the world, what you think is exclusively yours is probably something that has been practiced for thousands of years somewhere else.

And that is where you are wrong. Aso oke does not mean "hand loomed cotton fabric" as you put it. Why? Because Aso oke is just a type of hand loomed fabric and one of the many hand loomed fabrics produced in Yorubaland.

Aso oke is specifically associated with Oyo expansion. This is why towns like Iseyin or Oyo are big centers for aso oke. Aso Oke translate to something meaning "up/top clothes" denoting direction/location. It means clothes from the hinterland denoting the location of Oyo. This is why you don't expect to find big aso oke weaving centers in Ondo or Epe. Other Yorubas have their own hand loom weaving cultures and styles that differ from one group to another. For example the hand loomed technique and fabric produced by the Ijebus differs from the ones produced by Oyo. Aso oke is just the most popularized hand loomed fabric of Yorubas in today's Nigerian society; there are many others.

Also from your orginal pictures, the khadi produced is too light and the patterns aren't the same with aso oke. Then again, I don't expect you as an Igbo to understand. According to your revisionist theory, aso oke was brought to Iseyin from India. I don't think I've heard of this theory ever in my life.
I simply can't have a reasonable conversation with you if you can't distinguish aso oke from an Indian fabric.

Eke40seven:
I don't think you researched anything I said at all. The almighty Aso Oke didn't originate in West Africa or Yorubaland.. Travel a bit, you will see that the middle East and India sub continent practiced the craft for thousands of years and even till today...
For the name Agbada, the general name for that kind of clothing is KAFTAN. Each region has specific names for the different style. The ones from West Africa are ALL similar including the Agbada. The Kurdish ancient Kaftan looked everything like the typical Northern elitist
Kaftan (it also has its Hausa name), but as they move from Region to region, there might be very slight modifications.
Sorry to burst your bubble, Aso Oke is sold all over the Indian online shopping space as Hand Loomed cotton Fabric.
I will post pictures of the Nigerian Aso Oke made in Nigeria and also the ones made in India, and you will see that there is little difference in pattern or texture.
1. Aso Oke from South Western Nigeria
2. "Aso Oke" production in India
3. Still on Indian Aso Oke
4. Sales
Please, now tell me the difference
I'll wait...

There is no such thing as "Indian Aso Oke" because last I check Indians don't speak Yoruba. It seems like you've run out of steam and you are just finding ways to not confront that you borrow from Yoruba culture. The khadi fabric you are referring to does not resemble Aso Oke. The color patterns, texture, thickness are not the same. One quick glance confirms this. I don't even think you know what authentic aso oke looks like, so I don't think I can have a reasonable conversation with you.

Is this what aso oke looks like?

Eke40seven:
You don't have to rant?
Just a few questions?
Here we go again, we think everything started and ended in Nigeria just as we have claimed to be the sole inventors of Jollof rice.

Lemme educate you a lil. The general name for Agbada is "KAFTAN" and that is an Arabic word. That style of dressing originated from the middle East. Brought into west Africa first by slave trade and later by the Tuaregs/Fula through Islam and domination.
Sorry to disappoint you further, Aso Oke (Hand Loomed cotton Fabric) as you know it didn't originate from the South West Nigeria. Cotton, the raw material for this work was introduced to southern Nigeria relatively recently compared to when this has been in existence in the Middle East and India thousands of years ago.. even before the time of Jesus!!!! Similar crafts still exist in India till today!!
Travel a bit and get some education or you can simply google. Duh!
I have never claimed the mode of dressing to be Igbo though but I corrected the first person I quoted who has the exclusive pride in pointing out the origin of the fashion that its not so.

Oh spear me my rant, i'm just debunking faulty assumptions. When did I claimed that hand-loomed cotton fabric originate in Yorubaland? There are perhaps thousands of styles that exist and each one is different in its own right. The Aso Oke style is unique to Yoruba. Cotton is a plant that is native to Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Some of the earliest pieces of cotton fabric in Africa date back thousands of years ago.

Arab kaftan looks nothing like a Yoruba Agbada. Kaftans can be worn by both women and men, meanwhile only men typically wear agbada. The kaftan is made from a thiner fabric due to the intense heat in the middle East, while Yoruba agbada is usually made from a thicker aso oke material. Also one last thing, they don't look alike. There are more dissimilarities if you consider the fact that they have different embroidery, textures and pattern.

The only similarities between the two is the fact that they are long tunic/garment. By that logic, then, maybe every single long pieces of garment that are all over the world originate from the Middle east. We can go on and speculate about the possible origin of Aso oke, but I'm not. I'm aware the George's clothing and Dutch wax print clothing that's popular in Nigeria don't have an African origin. It was introduced by Europeans coming from South and South-East Asia.

I know it's hard for you as an Igbo to admit that you copy from the Yorubas. You would rather instead try to remove any link by resorting to inconclusive claims of middle east and India. Middle eastern don't wear agbada, aso oke, or gobi. His style is inspired by Yoruba, end of conversation.

Eke40seven:
That style of dressing is mostly a west African thing. From Senegal, Gambia, Niger, etc.. although it's popularised by the Hausas in Nigeria which I think was passed down south to the Yorubas through Islam.

Stop right there! The grand boubou is the clothing style you are referencing and yes it has many variations, but the one Yorubas wear is very distinct as it's traditionally woven with Aso Oke fabric and it's usually less loose compared to the ones from Senegal or Gambia. Don't assume things you don't know. Islamic spread in Yorubaland is recent and only gained popularity after 1800s. Agbada has been worn well before that. In fact, much of the time, Agbada is associated with traditionalists.

You can't claim what is not yours by saying it's a "West African" thing. Prior to the British fabrication of Nigeria, Igbos didn't wear it; it's a simple fact. Yorubas heavily shaped the fashion industry and fashion culture in Nigeria. You know well that you are not sincere without mentioning Yoruba. When did Igbos start to look at Hausa for fashion? How come Igbos don't call it by its Hausa name, which is "babban Riga" since the Hausa popularized it to the Igbos? How come they call it "Agbada" its Yoruba name?

Now back to the picture, is it a coincidence that he happened to be wearing a Yoruba-style hat with a Yoruba agbada? Admittedly the style is modernized a bit, but it's still a Yoruba wear. The native name for that hat he's wearing is "gobi." That agbada is short which has a distinct name which is "gbariye." There is no doubt that Yorubas have heavily shaped the fashion culture and industry in Nigeria.

From the time this king was flaunting his "swag," I knew his ego will eventually get over him. https://www.nairaland.com/3952527/oba-rasheed-akanbis-swag-he#58921971
What Yoruba king acts like this? And to think some Yorubas were praising his apparent "swag". You are living in style, when the people in your community are poor. Then again, many Nigerians worship the rich like God anyways, so it's no surprise.

FKO81:
Yoruba people in the South-West states namely Oyo, Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti as well as Kogi, Kwara, Edo and Delta

This is clear attach by force, I thought Edo and Delta already sent massage to them? They are with former eastern region, when the two states abstained from Southwestern meeting held in Ogun, and attended Eastern meeting, they are still dragging them

Before you get all worked up, the key phrase here is "Yoruba groups." There are native Yoruba minorities found in Edo and Delta states.

You can never get any point across, without some ignoramus screaming ATTACHE BY FORCE out of their lungs trying too hard to be relevant. Oh, 100 Yoruba groups from different states meet in Ibadan, it must be ATTACHE BY FORCE!

I suppose you are from the East and we all know the classic attache by Biafrans who are trying to force an identity on ethic groups that were never part of the old Eastern region or Declared Biafria.

Sanchez01:
Sweet Jesus

I understand the Central Urhobo dialect, as well as the Isoko language. I understand the Yoruba dialect of the Oyo people, as well as the Ijebu dialect, the Ife dialect, 'Ulesa', the Ilesha dialect, and a bit of Ilaje and Lagos Yoruba


Ẹ̀yà èdè tí mo gbọ́ pọ̀

We both know the person with the British accent is you

Interesting.

Can you write something in Ijesa or Ijebu dialect for me?

Efewestern:
Ilaje is entirely different from general Yoruba language, I think it's more closer to Itsekiri, so that's the reason you don't understand it.

how is ijebu dialect like? , I heard it's like Chinese to some of you.

Word for word, Ilaje isn't too far from standard Yoruba. One of the main reasons why Ilaje, as well as ikale dialects are very distinct is because their tonality is on the other side of the spectrum.

Ijebu and Remo dialects, are also quite close to Itsekiri as well as Ilaje. Ijebu is closer to Ilaje than Oyo. The Ijebus, Ilajes, and Ikales co-exist in Ogun Waterside of Ogun state. Their dialects are very related.

Tolexander:
Though there is a "general Yoruba" language (general cos it is the accepted Yoruba language for literature), there are many dialects that I hardly understand if spoken. eg Egba, Ijebu, Akoko, awori, Ilaje and few others I can't recollect.

There are some that I can understand to an extent, eg Ondo, Sarki, Owo.

But anytime and anyday, Yoruba dialects of Ife, Oyo, Ijesha, Ekiti, I will surely understand wherever they are spoken.

How are you able to understand Ondo and Owo more than Egba? Egba is closer to the general Yoruba than either of the two. The main thing you have to watch out for in Egba is the slight tonality difference, which isn't too bad. On the other hand, Owo and ondo not only differs in tonality, but also things like vocabulary. If you are able to understand Ondo, then understanding Ijebu and Akoko(Ikare) dialects shouldn't be too much of a stretch honestly speaking.

Alexis11:
Please mention me when you do.

I'll do.

scholes0:
@9jakool

^^ I think you might be mixing up Political homogeneity with cultural homogeneity.
Ekiti never coalesced into a single large Yoruba state like the Oyos, Egbas or Ijebus, but they are surely culturally similar even in all their small ileto ileto that spread all over.
In Ekiti for example, you will almost never see all those names like Amoo, Ajani, Amoke, Ajadi, Adio, Akanke, Abeni, Alake, Apeke etc but they are very common in central west yorubaland irrespective of clan. How then can you distinguish the Iseyin man who is onko from the Ogbomosho man who is Epo (Right bank Oyo)

Again let's look at something like tribal marks which is Universally absent in all Ekiti lands, but present in most of western Yorubaland irrespective of clan. How would you have been able to distinguish the Sepeteri man from the Oyo atiba man, when both have hge gombos and Abajas decorating their cheeks?

Music nko, Egbas and Oyos rely heavily on the gangan family and occasionally the bata. Their music is characterised by heavy loud /explosive drumming. In Ekiti, music is more sonorous / drawn / "dirge-like" oriented with lots of "Ogbe" (voice backups). There are other instruments involved that you will usually not seen west past Ilesha- like slit drums. I know what I speak of.
So how can you distinguish a song from Abeokuta from one from Ibadan? they basically sound alike.

Thats just the point i was making.
These things go deep. so while you might be right on the fact that the Ekitis are politically fractured unlike ome other Yoruba groups with well known centralized communities, their culture is actually more similar than you might think.

The Ikole part, you should have mentioned that you were referring to some villages in Ikole (The local government), to distinguish it from the town , which was what I thought you were referring to.

Nice reply btw.

You didn't have to explain anything about Ekiti. I have tons of Ekiti family members. I'm very aware of the culture. Thanks for informing me more.

To answer your question. Egbas and Oyos are very similar. Also, the reason why Ibadan and Egba cultures are similar is due to the fact that they are Western Yorubas. Also, Ibadan differs from other Yoruba groups, because Ibadan is culturally shaped by other subgroups like Egba and Oyo. Also, Ibadan was founded by the Egba Gbauguras.

I apologize for any misunderstanding, but yes I was refering to specific towns in Oye and Ikole local government Areas. The name of those local governments are taken from the main/largest town in the local government area. It's the same way Ikorodu LGA is made up of not just Ikorodu, but other towns like Ofin, Imota, etc.

As for your questions on how you can identify a Sepeteri from Oyo or Iseyin from Ogbomosho, well the answer is found in the little things. Sure, there are tons of similarity between the two, but you know the person is from Sepeteri or Iseyin when you hear "ee ti ri nen?" or "che fe son?"
The way your average Onko speaks immediately distinguish him/her from someone from Oyo or Ogbomosho across the Ogun river on the other side.

scholes0:
lol, no Yoruba group is 100% homogeneous, let's not deceive ourselves, Yoruba is a dialect continuum spanning from Itsekiri into middle Togo. Within this continuum there are blends and blurry areas.

If you say Ekiti is one of the least homogenious Yoruba groups what then will you say about the Ijeshas , Egbas or Oyos?
For example, where does Egba end and where does Egbado begin? Where is the boundary between Egba and Oyos?
How about Oyos, are they different from the Ibarapas? where is the area between Oyo and Ibolo? Where dos Oyo end and where do the Onkos begin? and then between the two where do they share a boundary with the Shabes?

Akures speak about standard Ekiti. Ikere, Ado and Akure, no difference in how they talk. Their music, their livelihoods, their love for Iyan, some of the other foods they eat etc.

The bolded is the point I'm trying to make. I don't even disagree with you. Our points are more similar. Yoruba is a continuum, no doubt about that, but the blurred lines are more obvious in some areas than others. I personally would argue that Ekitis are one of the least homogenous Yoruba group. It doesn't mean there aren't others who fit this category. That's just my opinion, you can beg to differ. Yes, I can argue that the line between Onko and Sabe is more blurred compared to the lines between Akure and Ondo. Ibolo, Onko, and Ibarapa are not even Oyo to begin with, they were only absorbed by Oyo. It's easy to differentiate their dialects. While their names may be similar, you can't mistake an Egbado for an Egba; but you can sure mistake an Efon person for an Ijesha. This is the point I was trying to make. I even said Akure was Ekiti and part of the 16 kingdoms that make up Ekiti. I am not taking anything away from Ekiti, I'm simplying saying they are not homogenous.

You do realize that saying Otun speaks a dialect close to Igbomina is only stating that in relative terms, right?
It does not mean Otun speaks exactly like Igbominas, but is closER to Igbomina THAN OTHER Ekiti speech... comparatively speaking. But it is still Ekiti.

I only said their dialect was closer to Igbomina, I didn't say it is Igbomina.

Besides Be it Igbomina, Ijesha or Yagba all are still central Yoruba. A Yagba man will have a better time understanding an Ado Ekiti man than he will understanding a man from Ikenne, if they all decide to speak dialects.

Yagba is not a Central Yoruba dialect. While Igbomina, Ekiti, and Ijesha are Central Yoruba, Yagba is North Eastern Yoruba. An Oyo speaker can also understand a Yagba man better than an Ikenne man. It doesn't mean Oyo and Yagba dialects are in the same box. The difference between Ekiti and Yagba are more stark in comparison to Ekiti/Ijesha, and Ekiti/Igomina. Anyways, I get your point about the Central Yoruba factor.

Who says Ikole isnt Ekiti? Elekole has always been a prominent Ekiti king, what are you talking?
Omuo Oke, Omuo Obadore and Ikole are all classified as Ekiti dialects., including Eriti, Irun and Ogbagi in Ondo.

Did I say Ikole isn't Ekiti? The town of Ikole, by all ramification is Ekiti. All I said is that the people in the town of Aiyede in Oye LGA as well as the towns of Itapaji and Irele in Ikole LGA are Yagbas. It's simply facts.


We can all agree that no Yoruba group is entirely homogenous. I will end on that note.

I might create a thread about this in the future, I'll definitely need your contribution and insight.

babaolofin:
I am from Ogun State but my mother is from Ekiti. I know Ekiti & Akure very well. You are still repeating the same thing.People reading your piece might be keeping quiet. I am a Yoruba man, I am not talking about states. My postings on this thread had been based on the location of Igbo Orunmila in Ijebu Land. You can continue.

An Ekiti person would like to say that they are homogeneous since there is an homogenous Ekiti state. In reality, Ekitis are one of the most non-homogenous/inconsistent Yoruba subgroup there is. Ekiti parapo was an alliance of the 16 kingdoms that forms Ekiti. Akure is one of the 16 kingdoms of Ekiti. This immediately shows you that Ekitis are not as homogenous, which is evident in their dialect. People of Akure speak a distinct dialect. There are many variations within the Ekiti dialect in itself and there are some variations outside the core Ekiti dialect that are very hard to classify as Ekiti. The people of Moba (Otun) speak a dialect that is closer to Igbomina. The dialect of Efon (Efon Alaaye) and Ekiti West (Okemesi) is similar to Ijesha. The people of Omuo-Oke in Ekiti East speak a dialect similar to Ijumu in Kogi state. The people in Aiyede in Oye and Itapaji and Irele in Ikole are not even Ekiti, but Yagbas like those in Kogi. @scholes0