₦airaland Forum

Olu3: Omotilewa? I know the "Omo" part only. Thanks!

step1: Dabiri is a name common to the Eko (part of Lagos), Awori, Ikorodu (an Ijebu people) and perhaps Egun peoples of Yoruba land. The translation of the name can be derived by analyzing the roots:

Da – found/create/started

Ibi – here

Ri - to existence

Bring this location into existence or first settler

step1:
defeated the river/ became the river's friend/ lover of water in my dialect

step1:
Dabiri is a name common to the Eko (part of Lagos), Awori, Ikorodu (an Ijebu people) and perhaps Egun peoples of Yoruba land. The translation of the name can be derived by analyzing the roots:

Da – found/create/started

Ibi – here

Ri - to existence

Bring this location into existence or first settler

ibitiapelo:
A lot of the interpretations by step1 are wrong. How for instance does Omotilewa become omotelewa?

Tèlé means "to follow"
Tilé mean "from home"

Can folks please refrain from posting inaccurate information online? It's how a peoples history gets accidentally (or otherwise) mis-recorded.

tpia5:
people dont understand in yoruba culture, you cant properly analyze the meaning of a name if you dont know the family dynamics involved, as well as the reasons for it.

names are descriptive ie active as opposed to inactive which is what obtains elsewhere.

many "yoruabroads" also do not get this. As well as "yorujebutters".

ibitiapelo:
Another problem with yoruba names is if you don't get the intonation correctly you've already missed the boat. Dábírì for instance is mi mi do (if i remember correctly).

So the last syllable ri with a do sound, could easily mean establish (in another context would mean bury or sank* hence the allusion to establish).

Contractions also change the intonation of the resulting compound word.

So you really have to speak the language (i.e. know which tonal sounds apply ) to be able to understand what's going on.

*sank as in the past test of sink