₦airaland Forum

A very interesting question

for one thing I would say, "where you father is from is where you are from"

You see, cultural identity defines where you are from really and it would never ever change as far as Nigeria 2011 is concerned

If a Kanuri man have lived all his life in Sokoto, He still remains a Kanuri man thus he is not an indigene of Sokoto but that of Yobe or Borno.

If a kalabari man lived all his life in adamawa, he still remains a kalanari man thus from river state

Now reason for this is because people do not like to drop there cultural identity and acclimatise to there new environment.

How can you say you are Yoruba or Ijaw and still want to be an indigene of Benue state ?  It does not work because people are very protective.

Or you say you are a SEerner and an indigene of Lagos ? life does not work that way

Reason:- To claim two identities is very dangerous of the Indigenes of the place and thus a form of division has been created.

Andre Kedu nwanne

I would like if you could please translate it as you post

Thanks

http://agolaroye.com/Elegua.php

NOTE :

All the post of Alj harem are based on the yoruba tradition in Latin America which is similar to those in West Africa

Orunmila
Orunmila (also known as Orula) is the orisha of wisdom, knowledge and divination. He was the only orisha allowed to witness the creation of the universe by Olorun and bears witness to our destinies in the making as well. This is the source of his title of Eleri Ipin or "Witness to Destiny in its Creation". His priests, the babalawos or "Fathers of the Secrets" must devote themselves entirely to the practice of divination and the accompanying arts. Through the Table of Ifá his priests unfold the secrets of the universe and the secrets of the unfolding of our lives. His colors are green and yellow which reflect Orunmila's relationship with Osayín (the secrets of the plant world) and with Oshún, who is his apetebí with whom he has an extremely close relationship.

https://www.salsabeatmachine.org/blog/http://www.salsabeatmachine.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/orula.png

Perhaps the most 'popular' of the orishas, Shangó rules over lightning, thunder, fire, the drums and dance. He is a warrior orisha with quick wits, quick temper and is the epitomy of virility. Shangó took the form of the fourth Alafin (supreme king) of Oyó on Earth for a time. He is married to Obba but has relations with Oyá and Oshún. He is an extremely hot blooded and strong-willed orisha that loves all the pleasures of the world: dance, drumming, women, song and eating. He is ocanani with Elegguá, meaning they are of one heart. When one sees the quickness with which lightning makes short work of a tree or a fire rage through an area, one has witnessed the temper of Shangó in action. Though he traded the Table of Ifá to Orunmila in exchange for the gift of dance, his children have an innate ability for divination. To acknowledge the greatness of this king, all in the religion raise up on the toes of our feet (or rise out our chairs if we are sitting) at the mention of his name. His colors are red and white and he recognises himself in the numbers four and six. He is most often represented by a double headed axe.

https://www.orishanet.org/chango2.jpg

Yemayá lives and rules over the seas and lakes. She also rules over maternity in our lives as she is the Mother of All. Her name, a shortened version of Yeyé Omo Eja means "Mother Whose Children are the Fish" to reflect the fact that her children are uncountable. All life started in the sea, the amneotic fluid inside the mother's womb is a form of sea where the embryo must transform and evolve through the form of a fish before becoming a human baby. In this way Yemayá displays herself as truly the mother of all. She partakes of Olokun's abundance as the source of all riches which she freely gives to her little sister Oshún. She dresses herself in seven skirts of blue and white and like the seas and profound lakes she is deep and unknowable. In her path of Okutti she is the queen of witches carrying within her deep and dark secrets. Her number is seven for the seven seas, her colors are blue and white, and she is most often represented by the fish who are her children.https://www.orishanet.org/yemaya2.jpg

Oshún
Oshún rules over the sweet waters of the world, the brooks, streams and rivers, embodying love, fertility. She also is the one we most often approach to aid us in money matters. She is the youngest of the female orishas but retains the title of Iyalode or great queen. She heals with her sweet waters and with honey which she also owns. She is the femme fatale of the orishas and once saved the world by luring Ogún out of the forests using her feminine wiles. And,in her path or manifestation of Ibú Ikolé she saved the world from draught by flying up to heaven (turning into a vulture in the process). Ikolé means Messenger of the House (of Olodumare). For this reason all who are to be initiated as priests, no matter what orisha rules their head, must go to the river and give account of what they are about to do. She recognises herself in the colors yellow and gold and her number is five. Peacocks and vultures are hers and we use them often to represent her.

https://www.orishanet.org/ochun5.jpg

Oyá
Oyá is the ruler of the winds, the whirlwind and the gates of the cemetery. Her number is nine which recalls her title of Yansá or "Mother of Nine" in which she rules over the egun or dead. She is also known for the colors of maroon, flowery patterns and nine different colors. She is a fierce warrior who rides to war with Shangó (sharing lightning and fire with him) and was once the wife of Ogún.

https://www.orishanet.org/oya2.jpg

Obatalá is the kindly father of all the orishas and all humanity. He is also the owner of all heads and the mind. Though it was Olorun (Olodumare) who created the universe, it is Obatalá who is the creator of the world and humanity. Obatalá is the source of all that is pure, wise peaceful and compassionate. He has a warrior side though through which he enforces justice in the world. His color is white which is often accented with red, purple and other colors to represent his/her different paths. White is most appropriate for Obatalá as it contains all the colors of the rainbow yet is above them. Obatalá is also the only orisha that has both male and female paths.

https://www.orishanet.org/obatala3.jpg

Oshosi is the third member of the group known as the Guerreros or Warriors, and is received along with Elegguá, Ogún and Osun in order to protect the Guerreros initiate and to open and clear their roads. Oshosi is the hunter and the scout of the orishas and assumes the role of enforcer of justice for Obatalá with whom he has a very close relationship. His colors are blue and yellow.

https://www.orishanet.org/ochossi2.jpg

Ogún is the god of iron, war and labor. He is the owner of all technology and because this technology shares in his nature, it is almost always used first for war. As Elegguá opens the roads, it is Ogún that clears the roads with his machete. He is recognised in the numbers 7 and the colors green and black.

https://www.orishanet.org/ogun2.jpg

Elegguá
Elegguá is the owner of the roads and doors in this world. He is the repository of ashé. The colors red and black or white and black are his and codify his contradictory nature. In particular, Elegguá stands at the crossroads of the human and the divine, as he is child-like messenger between the two worlds. In this role, it is not surprising that he has a very close relationship with the orisha of divination, Orunmila. Nothing can be done in either world without his permission. Elegguá is always propitiated and called first before any other orisha as he opens the door between the worlds and opens our roads in life. He recognises himself and is recognised by the numbers 3 and 21.


www.nairaland.com/attachments/550126_This_could_pass_as_a_depiction_of__ElegguA_jpg493101b0868f5fdfacb3515295373f3d

The Orishas

The Orishas are: Eleggua, Ogun, Oshosi, Obatala, Oya, Oshun, Yemeya, Shango, Orunmila

Orishas or Orixas are 'head guardians' that act as ministers to Oludumare and intermediaries of Oludmare and humanity.They rule over the forces of nature and the endeavors of humanity. They recognise themselves and are recognised through their different numbers and colors which are their marks, and each has their own favorite foods and other things which they like to receive as offerings and gifts. In this way we make our offerings in the manner they are accustomed to, in the way they have always received them, so that they will recognise our offerings and come to our aid.
These correspond to the Orisha in Santeri and Orixa in Candomblé.

The orishas are often best understood by observing the forces of nature they rule over.

http://www.orishanet.org/ocha.htm

Olodumare is the supreme deity.

"He is supreme over all on earth and in heaven, acknowledged by all the divinities as the Head to whom all authority belongs and all allegiance is due. . . His status of supremacy is absolute. Things happen when He approves, things do not come to pass if He disapproves. In worship, the Yoruba holds Him ultimately First and Last; in man's daily life, He has the ultimate pre-eminence."

He is also referred to as: Oluwa (Lord), Eleda (Creator), Olofin-Orun (King of heaven), Orise (the source of all things) and Oba-Orun (The king who dwells in the heavens).

MegaMan87:
Aslong as Igbo play the victim and bring up the Biafran war (WHICH ENDED 40 YEARS AGO) they will remain unfortunate and lost. Is it a good thing to remain in the past for eternity? Shameless people.

MegaMan87:
I don't hate Igbos. I DISLIKE [/b]crooked Igbo 419 boys that make ALL Nigerian men look bad. [b]I DISLIKE [/b]Igbo kidnappers that run rampant. [b]I DISLIKE Igbo akata gang bangers from America that come on here sprouting off at the mouth yet most of them can even speak a sentence in Igbo. I DISLIKE [/b]lazy Igbo women that only spend time if you give them money (which I dont). [b]I DISLIKE the fact that many of them are too lazy to teach their own children their native tongue. They would prefer their children to speak English or Yoruba. As a Yoruba man I look upon that as shameful. We Yoruba are proud of our traditions. Why aren't Igbo proud of there's?

[b]Can you imagine how many Igbo people hate their own language so much they punish their children for speaking it? [/b]Honestly it disgusts me. I love my country and everything about it but the Igbo are a thorn in the side of many. Igbo have scammed ALOT of people. They are always ready to do something crooked in order to get rich.

Igbo people moan that Yoruba and Hausa people exclude them from politics. When will they stop looking to blame others?

I'm sure I'll be called a "Tribalist" because that's all the Igbo do when people speak the truth. Call people "Tribalists". It's like African Americans that scream racism every two minutes. Igbo people do exactly the same. Their laziness and crookedness knows no bounds. I'm from Nigeria. I live in London at the moment  but I actually visit my country very often like alot of Yoruba do. I'm not saying what I'm saying due to sterotypes. I've actually witnessed alot of this.

hey, can u stop posting crap

igbos remain the most resourceful people in Nigeria even to a fault. Instead of staying here and tell them what is wrong with them,

WHY NOT POST ABOUT WHAT IS WRONG ABOUT YOUR PEOPLE

REMOVE THE LOG FROM YOUR EYES BEFORE REMOVING THE SPECK FROM OTHERS. HYPOCRITE

I can point out a lot of yorubas that do not even understand there own language

lastly tell me what an Igbo man has done that Yoruba or Hausa have never done ?

I am waiting

[quote author=High_Chief link=topic=780672.msg9339992#msg9339992 date=1318612984]You guys should let this rat-poison-drinking Awo to be. Someone who takes what he cannot give, does not deserve to be a leader. He couldn't give life, so why taking his own life. Gross[/quote]can u shut it. do you know how you would die

You biafran lied that awo committed suicide but you high-chief might even be a more disgraceful death

ideeiot

T8ksy:
So if the ibos keep bring up the biafran war, the yorubas should just shut up because according to your thought process, the ibos lost a lot and as such are entitled to pesist in boring us silly with stories of "genocide", "starvation", sheer revisionism ati bebelo, etc etc.

Fyi, we yorubas lost a lot too maybe not on the same grand scale as the ibos but yes, we suffered many losses too. However, the war was not our war. we never wanted war whereas the ibos wanted war and did everything possible to make sure that the situation would not be resolved through dialogue.

I really think you should take akanbi's advice. You should stop discussing BIAFRA with Igbos, It was a painful part of history and all you people is discussing with people that are in pain psychologically and would not discuss intelligently with you but instead would start posting crap.

Onlytruth:
Posted by: alj_harem
The bolded is the other mistake you make.
You (and many Yoruba people here) think that this is about being "good" or "bad".
This is about fundamental difference in mindset and value system.
I have seen y'all mocking the death of innocent children in Biafra many times too.

So, I don't care about being "good". I am different from you.

I DO NOT MOCK THE DEAD AND YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT ME!!!! I never mock the dead or sick, It is against my principles even when I was still angry at likes of Nchara and Ezeuche, I would never do such

Now, mocking of the dead was started by Igbos who mocked Awolowo's death by lying on the internet that he commited suicide etc like a poisoned rat who says such against another fellow human being

Only for Yaradua to die later and see you people laugh and make fun of his death this is very wrong

with that said, Our principles are very different as you said and Bello knew this and did not want to be part of this union at the first place.

You see, Being good or not is not the issue, I am trying to explain or point out to you that it has nothing to do with ethnicity

Why would someone go on the street to kill another man just because he is yoruba or he is igbos ?

Jarus:
Why he lost:

1, He was contesting against a well-funded establishment party, NPN, like the PDP of today

2, He was hardly respected beyond the Yoruba states

3, He picked Philip Umeadi, an Igbo, as VP - a poor judgment, sidelining the North. What do you sell to the North?

Yet, he still did well in my opinion. Actually wondering how he got so much votes(30+%) so close to NPN with all these barriers.

That was one thing I disliked Awolowo for

really that is !!!! ONE THING I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT AWOLOWO

Onlytruth:
Posted by: alj_harem
No you don't see my point.
I am yet to see an Igbo person that would kill a pregnant woman and cut out her foetus.
Or kill a baby girl and cut her brains out.

IT CAN NEVER HAPPEN in Igboland. IT HAPPENS in the North.

@Bolded

We have seen and heard that, In fact it is part of our history during the civil war

the second point as well occured , C.O in lagos

etc

so do not act as if hausa is bad and Igbo is good

we are all the same but have few bad eggs in our mist

this is the message I am trying to past across to you

Onlytruth:
Posted by: alj_harem
I have two information to share with you here.

The first is that throughout the civil war, Biafra never fielded more than 40,000 soldiers at one time (I wait for someone to prove me wrong), while Nigeria fielded hundreds of thousands at each time.
So, the Biafrans made sure that before one Biafran soldier died, about 10 Nigerians must have been killed. That is how Biafra was able to fight for almost three years. 'Biafra has a different view on life.

Secondly, if an Igbo man dies, he is MOURNED for many days and his family never forgets him.
If aboki dies today, he is thrown inside the earth within 24 hours and everybody continues as if nothing happened.

If we have Biafra tomorrow, we may not have more than 100 thousand soldiers at one time; but we will make sure that they are trained and equipped enough to be able to defeat an army of 1 million.


That is a fundamental difference. We are not the same.  

I see your point but it is a very wrong point.

Now tell me which person on earth would not feel pain and mourn for days if his family member dies ?

tell me, and really i don't want to enter this biafra discussion

Onlytruth:
Posted by: alj_harem
You see, this is THE PROBLEM with Nigeria.
We are DIFFERENT people with different mindset, values, spirit etc.
You expect an Igbo person to handle the issue of a family member's death just like a Yoruba or Hausa? You see?
They day you understand how wrong you are about this issue is the day of your enlightenment.
As for now, you HAVE NO CLUE.

I am not trying to tell you that killing is right, all i am saying is people do die and it not done based on ethnicity

that is the point

Onlytruth:
Posted by: alj_harem
The SE is a region that bear the brunt of most attacks in the North.
And when our people return, you expect them to shake aboki's hand and say thank you for killing us in your land.

Have you counted the number of riots that happened in the north in the last 40 years since the end of civil war?
Let me tell you, if Igbos are as smart as I hope they'll get one day, there will not be a single aboki anywhere in Igboland, just like I do not want a single Igbo in the North. Simple. 

Onlytruth, you have started with this bigotry again

what attack ?

if you know the amount of hausas killed in the north daily, you would not be talking like this

what of yoruba people that die ?

Think of it as a nation where we have touts that kill people and not as a northern thing

In the south, people die from One CHANCE everyday all in the name of money

what do we say about that ?

Do we say it is a southern thing ? certainly not

Do not try to separate a section as violent be look at it as a whole entity ie A NATION with bad eggs

Onlytruth:
Posted by: jason123
The population of Hausa in Igboland is mind boggling. It is part of what we have to live with as Nigerians.
As for Yoruba, they are there as well, just not contributing much, and they are expecting FREE land, when Igboman don't even get that in Igboland. Every land we own in ANY part of Nigeria is paid for.  
As for SS, aboki and his Yoruba brothers are there stealing oil.
The Ijaw just woke up yesterday to start telling aboki to leave.
Just wait, it ain't time yet to compare notes.

No one is demanding free land

Leave the ijaw matters for Ijaws. How would an ijaw man know the difference between a fulani to a hausa to yoruba to an edo muslim etc

You think is by name

Gani fahewmi son is Mohammed so how would they tell the difference ?

what of igala, tiv, idoma, berom etc. Are they all Abokis as you say it ?

Onlytruth:
Posted by: alj_harem
I thought you said there are no sizeable Yorubas in SE?
Is it only few people in Enugu that is crying marginalization and expecting FREE LAND.

Listen, I said you rarely find people of 2-3 generations in the SE that does not mean they are not there

read my post again

[quote author=alj_harem link=topic=780054.msg9334185#msg9334185 date=1318542169]but it is rare to see the same case in the SE, what I mean is it is rare to see as you call it Yoruba or hausa to have 2-3 generations in the SE.

that does not mean they are not there.
[/quote]They are well travelled but don't like making it a permanent home

Onlytruth:
Quote from: alj_harem
What you are trying to do is called Sophistry, or outright deceit.
Show me a Yoruba or Hausa that has lived in SS (Eastern region part) for 2 -3 generations.
The civil war caused that.

You can find Yorubas in the North who has stayed there 2-3 generations because they are brothers with aboki.  
They are same culture.  

Yes yorubas are brothers and so are the igbos, I know some igbo that have stayed in the north for generations

I can not show you any yoruba that have stayed in the SS for genertions the only person that comes to mind right now is a comedian TY etc

Warri, calabar and port harcourt house large amount of SWerners infact duing the canival in port harcount, they were singing some of there songs in yoruba, same with calabar.


Go to the SW where there are large amount of Igbos, the cannival have some igbo songs and even some cultural shows.

The culture in cannival I guess show case the influence of the people in the region.

I can not go to Ibadan and be showing Jukun culture since I know no one would patronize me or even understand what I am doing or the language I am saying.

I hope you understand me, the whole point of this discussion is to erase the lie you people are passing around that Yorubas don't leave there region. That is a lie and a big one for that matter.

if they do not leave there region, they would have representation in kano government.

go to adamawa, they have huge numbers there

also they would not be crying marginzation in delta, enugu etc states. But of course yorubas and hausas are not noticed because they blend well and don't make noise all over the place that they travel; reason for this is that, they see no point in it and done keep tabs on other ethnic groups and how travelled they are compared to themselves.

Tell me anywhere in Nigeria, you would not find a yoruba or hausa man in ?

so rhymes and co should stop making noise about how travelled yoruba are or are not

[quote author=South.East link=topic=780054.msg9334289#msg9334289 date=1318543570]You are a fake pundit. Your lies will always find you out. It was here on NL that we read an hausa man who has lived in Igboland for 81 years with his family.
You have not stepped your feet outside your Yorubaland; so stop claiming. Okay!!!![/quote]did you read my post at all or you just felt like insulting me

[quote author=alj_harem link=topic=780054.msg9334185#msg9334185 date=1318542169]but it is rare to see the same case in the SE, what I mean is it is rare to see as you call it Yoruba or hausa to have 2-3 generations in the SE.

that does not mean they are not there.[/quote]

Onlytruth:
Posted by: alj_harem
Al-goat you need to have your head examined.
Nnewi alone host more Hausa than I can imagine. If I have my way, they won't stay there.
Ontisha hosts even more. And they keep returning after reprisal killings.

Yoruba is in SE but they ride Okada.

Other Nigerians (like SS folks) are more in number naturally, cos we are brothers.  

Overall, we don't give a rats a55 if anyone stayed or not because it doesn't depend on us; just like it doesn't depend on our hosts to have us in their lands. Most of them do their best to drive us out. But we will leave willingly when we get our country BIAFRA.  

You are right but my point is hausa and yorubas don't like going to the SE

I know yorubas that have lived in warri and borno all there lifes even to 2-3 generations

same with fulani and hausa that have lived in the SW all there lifes

same with Igbos in the north and SW

but it is rare to see the same case in the SE, what I mean is it is rare to see as you call it Yoruba or hausa to have 2-3 generations in the SE.

that does not mean they are not there.

rhymz:
I am very Proud of Igbo People, we have got to be the most determined set of the black race. It is a common fact that the Igbo people have an even distribution of wealth than any other tribe, hence our better standard of living when compared to other Nigerian tribes. People make a lot of uninformed comments about the SS and most especially the SE, many of our SWestern brothers need to leave their comfort zone and see other part of the south and Nigeria at large. Nigeria does not revolve around the SW alone as they always seem to believe, there are other states doing well too if not better.

Rhymez you need to understand that Swesterners don't like going to the SEast

I travel a lot and meet large yoruba communities in the SS (delta, rivers, cross river and awka ibom) also in the north where they control the cab company in the region

People in general don't like going to the SEast that does not mean they do not travel.

Even hausa that go to the SEast don't stay there for long.