The Yoruba Rites of Passage - Term Paper Example

The Yoruba Rites of Passage The Yoruba is considered as one of the largest ethnic communities in Africa having a population of approximately 30 million people (Johnson 16). The community is mostly found in countries such as Nigeria, Benin and Togo, though it is possible to find that there are some who have migrated to other countries such as the US and other destinations for immigrants. Most notably, there are those whose ancestors were traded as slaves and transported to some parts of America and the Caribbean, for exampl Brazil, Cuba, and Jamaica among others and who did not abandon their culture entirely. However, the Yoruba is not a single compact ethnic group but it is a combination of numerous sub groups, which share a common background, language, culture among other facets, which uniquely identify a community. These subgroups are 20 in number and are as a result of the fact that the community had 20 kingdoms, each led by an independent king and when the kingdoms were dissolved, the communities continued to recognize themselves in that scope. Much of the economic activities conducted by this community mainly involve farming (Akintoye 29). However, due to industrialization and subsequent rapid urbanization, some of the members have migrated to urban areas in search of formal employment, but it is observed that even in these areas, the Yoruba people still engage in crop production though in a minimal scale. As with any other community in Africa and the world in general, the Yoruba’s have their own unique culture which is greatly respected and strictly followed by the members. This is despite the fact that the community is surrounded by diversity, especially in religious dimension, which has the capacity to influence and assimilate these people thereby resulting to abandonment of traditional practices (Ambibola 22). This paper will examine the Yoruba’s culture in the context of rites of passage, i.e. traditional practices conducted in defining moments such as birth, marriage and eventually, death. Birth The birth of a child is an event that is received with great joy and happiness as it involves the introduction of a new life to the world. It facilitates the continuation of a family lineage and the existence of a community, which may otherwise become extinct in the absence of new births to compensate lost lives. The Yoruba people are no different from other communities in recognizing the importance of new births. This may be the reason why every newborn child must undergo two major processes that include welcoming and naming which are celebrated in two different occasions. In these occasions, tradition demands that parties be held and in this case, Iko Omo and Isomo Loruko are the two words that are used to refer to the welcoming and the naming parties respectively (Akintoye 41). In both Iko Omo and Isomo Loruko, the family must ensure that proper planning is done as these are considered to be the most important and probably defining moments for the child’s future. Depending on the financial capability of the family, it is a requirement that food be in plenty and to achieve this, most of the people opt to slaughter a cow or a goat. Buying of new clothes is also a component of these celebrations as family members must look smart and presentable in an effort to signify their status and also to symbolize their joy for the arrival of the new born (Lawal and Sadiku 22). It may be observable that buying of new clothes during important occasions such as Christmas. It is a common practice in most of the societies and this may be interpreted to signify their celebratory mood. It is also common for parents and the family of the newborn to hire celebrities such as musicians to entertain the crowd with music. Also, when these celebrations are in progress, traffic along the streets near the venue of the celebrations may be disrupted as a result of people blocking the roads while singing and dancing such that anyone familiar with the Yoruba culture would definitely tell what is going on. The Isomo Loruko is an important celebration as this is when a child is given a name. The Yoruba community has a saying, “Oruko? a maa roni; Apeje? a si maa roniyan,” which when translated means that a name given to a child has a direct impact on his life especially in terms of behavior (Lawal and Sadiku 37). Every parent wants his or her child to become a responsible person who is well behaved and fulfilling to the expectations of the society. Therefore, choosing a name must be conducted with ultimate care otherwise the child may become problematic and a disgrace to the society in his or her later life. It is for this reason that parents will give their children names such as Falola, especially if they are members of the Ifa religion. Falola is an honorable name as it translates into, “Ifa has honor,” and therefore, a child who carries this name has less chances of becoming a disgrace to the society. In addition, Fuo observes that, “a child’s name may be derived from the profession the family is known for. Hunters, for example, may name their child Ogunbunmi, meaning, the god of iron give me this” (par. 1). The Yoruba people believe in more than one deity and Ogun is the believed to be the god who oversees success in hunting expeditions as well as war owing to his warrior like attributes, which are represented with metal work such as swords and machetes among others. The naming ceremony also involves rituals which are conducted to attract the blessings of the ancestral spirits to the child. In this regard, the child is showered with gifts which have different meanings in the Yoruba culture and which symbolize the wishes of the person issuing them to the child. For example, cola nuts and traditional gin are used to invoke the blessings of the ancestral spirits and are commonly utilized for this purpose in most of the West African communities. Salt and honey signify the sweetness of life and, therefore, it is common to find these two commodities being offered during the naming ceremony. The one who offers salt and honey does so to symbolize his or her wish for the child to have a sweet life. The alligator pepper is also offered as the Yoruba believes that doing so will bless the child to become a mature person capable of siring numerous children. As friends and neighbors issue these gifts to the child, they are allowed to give their own chosen names which they would like to use when addressing the child. It is therefore normal to find a child bearing more than a dozen names depending on the number of names given at the naming ceremony (Lawal and Sadiku 55). Marriage Marriage is also an important stage in life which carries a lot of significance in the Yoruba culture. It involves a long process before a couple can eventually be declared as man and wife. Generally, the Yoruba consider one to be mature enough to marry if the woman has attained age 25 and the man is 30 years old though these could vary with the level of modernization which has interfered significantly with African traditions. However, a person who remains single for a longer period than expected is perceived as having problems, which is shameful. It is for this reason that even those men who are impotent will marry for the purposes of proving themselves as normal, thus, maintaining their status and respect in the society (Bascom 30). Before a marriage can take place, there are usually six stages that must be undergone. First, it is the role of the man to find and identify a suitable woman to marry. Single mature women can be found in places such as markets, watering places or even on the roads as they carry out their day to day activities. The man, therefore, needs only to approach the woman of his choice and court her so as to convince her to marry him. If he succeeds on this mission, then, he goes to his father and informs him on his new found mate so that he can embark on a process to bring his son’s desire into fruition (Lawal and Sadiku 62). The first step towards this achievement involves the father informing the eldest person in the family with whom he goes out on a mission to evaluate whether there are any family relationships existing between the family of the girl and that of theirs. If there is not any relationship, which may result to incest, then, the two go ahead to meet the girl’s family in an attempt to inform them on their intent to have their daughter for marriage. Once this is done, the Yoruba people have it that the familiy must appoint an Alarena to spy on the girl so as to ensure that she is perfect in terms of behavior, family background, health among other significant qualities. Every family wants to have a daughter in law who is healthy enough and morally upright in order to guarantee the happiness of the couple. If the Alarena brings positive results from his expedition, then the family of the boy consults the spirits on the future of their son once he gets married to the woman of his choice. This is an important stage as it determines whether the marriage would continue or not depending on the opinion of the spirits (Bascom 65). If the spirits foresee a doomed future for the couple, then the plans to marry the girl must be halted and abandoned immediately, but if the opposite is true, then the girl’s consent is acquired. After the girl’s consent is acquired, an engagement date is planned and this is the day when the man’s family comes to the bride’s home to acquire the consent of her parents (Lawal and Sadiku 86). However, this is not usually achievable on the first attempt. The girl’s family must seem uninterested at first in order to make it known that they are not that eager to give their daughter away. An excuse is usually given such as the need to consult widely with other family members, in order to delay the process. However, it is also important to note that most of the African communities, Yoruba included, view their children as a possession of the whole society and, therefore, a parent cannot single handedly arrive at such an important decision. The second meeting on the same agenda concludes the process and it is also at this point that the man’s family presents dowry for the bride. This includes gifts, money and other important commodities that befit the occasion. Thereafter, the date of the wedding ceremony is arranged. The Yoruba people are highly conservative when it comes to the purity of a bride. This means that she has to be Virgo intacta at the time of her marriage. To ascertain this, the groom must sleep with her on a white sheet such that blood would stain it to prove that she was a virgin. If there is no blood on the sheet after a night of love making, then she is subjected to thorough beating but if the opposite is true, the groom and his family send precious gifts to her family as a sign of appreciation (Bascom 45). Death The Yoruba have great respect for the dead and it is due to this that they must be accorded a befitting burial depending on their status in the society. The death of a young person is met with a lot of sadness and, therefore, the mourning period does not incorporate any celebrations such as feasting and drinking on wine. Such people are buried by their younger counterparts. On the other hand, an aged person’s death and burial is accompanied by celebrations such as wining, dining and dancing owing to the fact that they have already lived and enjoyed their lives to the maximum. Such people are buried inside their houses as opposed to grave yards and their son in laws, if any, are the ones who carry the responsibility of digging the grave. The burial of the dead is usually conducted within a period not exceeding 3 days but it is also important to consider the fact that some of these traditions have been compromised by the availability of modern equipment to preserve the dead (Ambibola 98). Works Cited Akintoye, Stephen. A History of the Yoruba People. Amalion Publishing, 2010. Print. Ambibola, Kola. Yoruba Culture: A Philosophical Account. Iroko Academic Publishers, 2005. Print. Bascom, William. The Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria. Waveland Pr Inc, 1984. Print Fuo, Mark. “Yoruba- Nigeria/ Salvador - Bahia: Naming Ceremonies.” Sweet Mother International. 17 April 2012. Web. Johnson, Samwel. The History of the Yorubas: From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the British Protectorate. Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print. Lawal, Nike, and Mathew Sadiku. Understanding Yoruba Life and Culture. Africa World Pr., 2005. Print. Read More