African History and Cultural Significance of Yoruba and Akan Groups - Essay Example

African History and Cultural Significance of Yoruba and Akan Groups African History and Cultural Significance of Yoruba and Akan Groups Africa is a continent of incomparable history and rich culture. There are documented histories after it was “discovered” by Europe in the 15th. History and culture are interrelated. In this paper we will analyze language, religion, politics, customs and culture of the West African groups Yoruba and Akan (“The Transatlantic”; Hampshire, 2007). A huge part of African history discusses about slavery. In 1927, slaves were defined by the United Nations as someone “over whom any or all of the powers attached to the right of ownership are exercised” (“The Transatlantic”). Slavery was passed onto Africa by its European colonizers. In Rome, slaves were generally those who got caught in battle, abandoned children, or older children sold by their fathers because of dire need of money. Age was also a selling point for slaves. The older the male slave, the higher his cost. Slavery continued to exist in Europe from classical times and throughout the early medieval period, and other forms of slavery continued in the early modern period (Hampshire, 2007). For definition of terms in relation to Yoruba, Akan and the African culture in general, this paper will discuss about Trans- Atlantic Slave Trade, Bight of Benin, Santeria and Lukumi, together with its interrelationship and contributions to the rich cultures of the aforementioned ethnic groups. The Trans- Atlantic Slave Trade is one of the largest forced movements of people in the world. It is defined as the European states’ forced transport of almost 10 million Africans to its colonies in the early seventeenth century. This is a systemized form of slavery with high racism pro the white race and degrading the blacks (“The Transatlantic”). It began in 1444, when the Portuguese began shipping slaves from West Africa to Europe. The Americas discovered the creation of new colonies with demand for cheap labor in 1942. With this, European ships carried increased numbers of African slaves to Brazil, the Caribbean and North America in the1550s, and by the 1700s Britain was the number one slave-trading power in Europe (Hampshire, 2007). Trades happened in different shores such as that of the Bight of Benin. The Bight of Benin is a rich part of African culture. It was formerly a part of West Africa, and then it became a French colony, and now part of Nigeria. It was formerly known as Dahomey before 1975. The area extending to Lagos was called Slave Coast. Dahomey was the name of the most powerful kingdom during that pre-colonial period. The Bight of Benin became part of an emerging trans-Atlantic trading system, where slaves were the most important commodity and Dahomey was on top of the market, making female warriors their highest selling point. Today, factors rooted from geography and history caused the non- homogeneous culture of the nation. The divisions in its people draw lines for occupation, language and religion, as well. People of Benin lack national identity and are wealthy with their ethnic identities (Advameg Inc., 2013). In Benin also lives 10- 20 million Yoruba. Yoruba is one of more than two hundred ethnic groups in Nigeria which live with a rich set of customs and traditions for it has been the most dominant group in this region of Africa during the prehistoric times. But as a result of civil war and slave trade, there was a downfall in Yoruba society; most especially when they were colonize by the British in 1901 and the customs and traditions got robbed. Many political disputes have come and gone, war and violence have been present in the nation. Today, Yoruba is also present not only in Africa but also in the Americas especially in the Caribbean, South America and North America. Today, Yoruba culture is very much alive in Cuba and Brazil (The Big Myth, 2011). As mentioned, there is an overwhelming amount of ethnicity in the lands of Africa. The cultural pieces of its history has been adopted by surrounding countries in one way or another, like in Cuba wherein Yoruba is present through Santeria and Lucumi. Santeria is a type of religion brought to Cuba by Yoruba slaves. It is a religion based on African principles which highlight importance of drums, dance and songs in rituals, beliefs in possessions and divinations and animal sacrifice. This religion sounds so tribal but it also has elements inspired by Catholicism. The term “Santeria” means way of saints. These saints are called “Orishas”, which are Yoruba interpretation of the Catholic Church’s saints. It is a religion that persisted against a number of civil wars and an era of slavery, and until now it continues to grow and has devotees (Czicany, 1989). Lukumi is what remains of Santeria today in Cuba (Aihiokhai, 2009). A study in 2001 discussed about how practices of Lukumi in the modern day faced controversies especially about animal sacrifice. The study was about the conflict between certain law ordinances and the right to practicing one’s religion. In 1990, the U.S. Supreme Court did not grant exemption for criminal offense for two members of Lukimi who used the drug in religious ceremonies. This has caused issues regarding one’s right to practice religion. The government argues that one’s religion does not make him exempted to “neutral laws” present in society. But apparently, the government could not judge religious practices, especially when they don’t understand its importance to believers. This even led to city ordinances definition of the ritual of animal sacrifice as “the unnecessary killing of an animal in a ritual or ceremony not for the primary purpose of food consumption”. Clearly, there was and could still be conflicts in practicing religion rooted thousands of years ago, especially when the authorities dismisses the concept of alternative reality present in religious practices (Frohock, 2001). In the present age, the Yoruba culture is still celebrated in different countries in the United States, Nigeria and the Caribbean. Countries like the U.S., Cuba and Brazil represent these regions in the practice of upholding Yoruba culture. This part of the paper will tackle the existing Yoruba customs still present in our world today (Frohock, 2001). Language is a major part in practicing one’s ethnicity. One’s language is its very distinction from all other ethnic groups. It is a means of which a certain culture is described and communicated, the very reason why it is most essential. Despite the tough blows from civil wars and slavery, the Yoruba language still exists today. The Yoruba language originated from the West Benue-Congo of the Niger-Congo phylum of African languages. Since Yoruba is considered as one of the major languages in Nigeria, there are 30 million speakers in the country, comprising to 35% of which are effective speakers. A great number of speakers of the language are found outside of Africa too, specifically in Brazil, Cuba, and Trinidad and Tobago (Fabunmi & Salawu, 2005). Yoruba is commonly used in schools and universities as a mode of teaching and communication through different forms of media. In the United States the Department of African Languages and Literature of University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a course program on studying Yoruba language, since it is believed that skills demonstrated by mastery of less commonly taught languages such as Yoruba are valuable to employers and graduate programs, and fluency in Yoruba itself is sought by government agencies and international non-governmental organizations (The Alliance of Yoruba Organizations, 2012). The Yoruba religion is also continuously practiced in the U.S., Africa and the Caribbean. The Western Hemisphere have these diaspora- produced religions examined and practiced especially in the Caribbean, with Cuba and its variant of Santería being one of the most prominently examined and showcased. The study of religion has achieved increased practice spread throughout the United States, Venezuela, and elsewhere in the Spanish Caribbean and Latin America (Sanchez, 2000). Since Santería is a recent combination of Roman Catholicism and African religions, the variety of diaspora people who now practice Santeria, especially include Latin and Cuban Americans usually in the communist government era orientation. Aside from the evident prevalence of Yoruba language and religion, it is also a common movement for Yoruba people to have an organization for culture and the arts, for their ethnicity to survive despite the fast modernizing world. In the United States, The Alliance of Yoruba Organizations and Clubs in Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia was established on November 28, 1996 (“History”, 2008). In Brazil, the Yoruba Institute of Art and Culture in the South American country was established in 2006 by Nigerian resident Olusegun Akinruli (Oshodi, 2010). In Cuba, a group which started out in 1985 has grown to become a legally recognized NGO in January 6, 1992, and it was called Asociación Cultural Yorubá de Cuba or Cuba’s Yoruba Cultural Association (Fernandez, 2002). All three organizations from different countries and different continents aim to foster unity among Yoruba people to promote the economic, social, cultural and political empowerment of their ethnicity and to continue their traditions amidst the modernizing world. Aside from Yoruba, Akan is another interesting ethnic group on Africa. There are over 20 million members of this ethnic Group from West Africa. It is considered as the largest ethnic group in Ghana and the Ivory Coast. According to National Population Census in year 2000, 49.1% of the Ghanaian population is Akans and about 44% of the population speaks Akan as non-native speakers (Agyekum, 2006). It is interesting to know how Akan people had great contributions in civilization. They developed the capacity to calculate the movements of the Sun, Moon and Stars and their effects upon Earth-cycles. There is a natural goal for Akans to be in harmony with nature, Deities or Divine Spirit-Forces which they called “abosoms” in are given utmost importance. From this they helped society with calculations rooted from the ability to count thus they made calculations on the rising and falling of the tides, the beginning and ending of the seasonal cycles, determination of ecological and geological cycles as well as the biological cycles of plant life, animal life and human life (Creative Commons Attribution Organization, 2011). This amazing contribution mirrors the Akan ability for innovation and creativity, in a perfect accord with their beliefs. Akan art is well- known all over the world, especially in the field of crafting bronze gold weights. The mythical stories of the group are still passed on to generations, one of which is “Anansesem”. “Anansesem” literally means “the spider story”, but figuratively means “traveller’s tales”, also referred to as “Nyankomsem” or “words of a sky god”. The stories generally, but not always, revolve around Kwaku Ananse, a trickster spirit, often depicted as a spider, human, or a combination thereof. This shows how culture is very much alive and dominant today in Ghana (Creative Commons Attribution Organization, 2011). Another great display of Akan’s pure and creative culture would be the Kente pronounced as “ken-tey”, which is the considered “the best known of all African textiles”. The Asante and Ewe peoples of Ghana in West Africa make this geometric patterned cloth. Kente cloth expresses different proverbs or ideas through different designs, and three hundred designs already exist (Agyekum, 2006; Creative Commons Attribution Organization, 2011). The Akan men wove kente cloth and design it with many vertical and horizontal strips of four to eight inches wide. Different colors and patterns for design should be planned ahead and traditional inspiration may be incorporated in it. Smaller pieces of kente are sewn together to make a large cloth. Aside from the cloth having meanings and messages of its own, it was also used and known as a royal cloth. The king used to control the production of kente, and the royal members of society are the only ones able to wear it. But eventually, common Ghanaians wore kente during special occasions. When worn, kente is wrapped around the body and draped over the shoulder wherein the bottom of the cloth should hang at the same length all the way around the ankles (Agyekum, 2006; Creative Commons Attribution Organization, 2011). Aside from the interesting contributions to societal development and the arts, it is also interesting to study the Akan naming practice. Naming is an important aspect of the Akan society. This study is called “Anthroponomy”, or the study of personal names. Names are considered not just arbitrary labels but sociocultural tags with functions and meanings, the very essence of “Onomastics” which is the study of form and use of proper names. Both these aspects of naming are deemed important by the Akans. Unlike most Western Societies where people are given their father’s last names, among the Akan, people who bear the same family name are supposed to be related genetically and so behave like the father. Most of the time, the name will only be determined and made accurate once the child comes to the world. The circumstance in which one is born is an important indication of the right name to give. In every culture, names have cultural and social contexts that identify the bearer, and for the Akans “a name constructs a person because the name one bears may create an attitude in those who hear it before they meet the name bearer”, so a person in this world should possess a name that solely identifies and marks him/her from all other peoples in the world (Agyekum, 2006). A well- developed community like Akan would not exist and survive modernization if not for a well- structured political government, led by chiefs. Asantehene was a famous leader of the peoples of Southern Ghana and its Eastern and Western borderlands. Today he leads the traditional and administrative region inhabited by two million Akans. Hierarchy is practiced when Asantehene commands only the paramount chiefs who rule the Asante federated states, and then they will pass the message to the village chiefs (Crook, 2005). The appointment of chiefs like Asante are highly influenced by their matrilineal succession, but is also criticized and chosen from a competitive set of candidates by a group of kingmakers. This group also takes responsibility in monitoring the actions of the chief and makes sure that all his works will benefit the nation and not cause harm. On the other hand, some parts of the Northern Region of Ghana have their chiefs chosen according to patrilineal succession, and possess much more authoritarian forms of rule over sub-chiefs. Chieftaincy is most important and valued in Akan system until now because of political, economic, and socio- cultural factors involving control over land, family wealth, cultural leadership, political representation and the achievement of duty for the advancement of the community (Crook, 2005). This paper discussed of various factors that make up African groups Yoruba and Akan. The importance of history in the building of rich culture, tradition and way of life is undeniable. With a discussion of historical events and milestones, we come up with a clear interrelationship between factors that comprise culture namely language, religion, politics, and customs. In this rapidly changing society it is most important to take into consideration beliefs of people who have established their communities long before others. Respect is the key. Preservation of tradition means learning from it, thus preparing us in moving forward to the future. References Advameg Inc (2013). Benin. Advameg Inc. Agyekum, K. (2006). “The Sociolinguistic of Akan Personal Names”. Nordic Journal of African Studies. University of Ghana, Legon. Aihiokhai, S. (2009). Ancestorhood in Yoruba Religion and Sainthood in Christianity: Envisioning an Ecological Awareness and Responsibility. Duquesne University. Creative Commons Attribution Organization (2011). Akan People. Creative Commons Attribution Organization. Czicany, X. (1989). Understanding Santeria. Isla Vista Press. page 2. Department of African Languages and Literature (2012). Yoruba. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Fernandez, M. (2002). Cuba’s Yoruba Cultural Association. Letra del Ano. Frohock, F. (2001). The Free Exercise of Religion: Lukumi and Animal Sacrifice. ICCAS Occasional Paper Series. Hampshire Record Office (2007). The Transatlantic Slave Trade and Abolition. Archive Education Service. Oshodi, A. (2010). “Brazil, Nigeria are twin sisters that share the same culture”. Nigerian Tribune. Sanchez, S. (2000). Afro- Cuban Diaporan Religions: A Comparative Analysis of the Literature and Selected Annotated Bibliography. ICCAS Occasional Paper Series. The Alliance of Yoruba Organizations/ clubs (2008). History of the Alliance. The Alliance of Yoruba Organizations/ clubs The Big Myth (2011). Yoruba Culture. Distant Train, Inc. “The Transatlantic Slave Trade”. Bristol Reads. Read More