Yoruba
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1029
Yoruba Norma H. Wolff
Alternative Names In the past the Yoruba have been identified by outsiders as the Anago, Olukumi, and Aku (Adediran, 1998) Major subgroups include the Egba, Egbado, Ekiti, Igbomina, Ijebu, Ijesa, Ife, Kabba, Ondo, Owo, and Oyo.
LOCATION
AND
LINGUISTIC AFFILIATION
The Yoruba are located in the tropical rain forest and guinea savanna zones of coastal West Africa, concentrated in southwestern Nigeria (Yorubaland) with smaller groupings in southeastern Benin, Togo, and Ghana. As a result of the diaspora, enclaves of Yoruba culture are evident in Cuba and Brazil. The Yoruba language, marked by dialect diversity, and in some cases unintelligibility between subgroups, is a tone language that is a member of the Kwa group of Niger–Congo languages.
OVERVIEW
OF THE
CULTURE
Twenty to twenty-five million people speaking dialects of the Yoruba language form one of the largest ethnic groups in Nigeria, making up about 20% of the population (Zeitlin & Babatunde, 1995). Yoruba culture emerged in a series of kingdoms and chiefdoms in the tropical forests of southwestern Nigeria between the 9th and 12th centuries AD. The forest environment, with wide biodiversity, an abundance of mineral resources, numerous north-south flowing rivers, and a climate conducive to year-round agriculture, encouraged surplus agriculture, leading to population growth, centralized political systems, large-scale craft production, and trade. The early concentration of populations into large indigenous towns which were political, economic, and residential centers prior to European contact set the Yoruba apart in sub-Saharan Africa. The Yoruba are horticulturalists. Root crops, including a variety of yams, cocoyam, and cassava, are the most
important food crops. Maize, rice, millet, beans, plantains, bananas, and a wide variety of vegetables including tomatoes, onions, okra, peppers, and greens are also grown. Kola nuts are harvested for trade, and palm oil is processed for sale. Cocoa, introduced during the colonial period, is a major cash crop. Agricultural surpluses are the rule and have long been a staple of trade between rural and urban areas. Despite the economic importance of farming, Yoruba take great pride in being town dwellers. Long before European contact, Yoruba towns were residential centers and the foci for economic redistribution, political administration, ritual activities, and the production of crafts. With the rise of long-distance trade, they became important links in the major trans-Saharan and Atlantic coastal trade routes of the region. A typical walled Yoruba city (ilu) is made up of multi-familied lineage compounds with a centrally placed palace of the king to whom descent groups acknowledge allegiance. The town is the core of a kingdom, and the palace provides a central focus for administrative, ritual, and economic activities with a major market in front. Beyond the walls of a city, farmlands, corporately owned by descent groups, extend 2–30 miles outward. Farmers live in town compounds and commut
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