03/12/2023
Yoruba Language & Culture
Do you know that the Yoruba language is shared by all Yoruba people, although they may speak different dialects. It's a tonal language, which means that a single syllable can have multiple meanings depending on the intonation or pitch of how it's said. However, it's written using the Roman alphabet. By some estimates, up to 22 million people speak Yoruba throughout Africa.
As already noted, Yoruba societies are kinship-based, with each clan claiming a shared common ancestor. Traditionally, Yoruba clans lived in large compounds featuring a single entrance, a large courtyard, and rooms for each family. Today, traditional compounds are being replaced by those made of cinderblocks and iron and which have running water, electricity, and other services. Many Yoruba, however, are also moving to the cities in search of work. Yoruba in the cities tend to congregate into ethnic enclaves, some of which can get pretty large.
Yoruba communities are basically agricultural, with men performing the labor but women taking a large role in selling agricultural products in the markets of Nigeria and Benin. Yoruba farmers grow lots of yams, corn, and peanuts (staples of their diet) but also cash crops like cacao, which provide an income. Men are responsible for most physical labor, while women occupy much of their time with basket-weaving and other chores. Yoruba society is patrilineal, with women moving into the clan compound of their husbands.
One thing about Yoruba culture that has fascinated many people is their religion. Although there are many who practice Christianity and Islam, many Yoruba still adhere to their traditional religion. Yoruba religion is complex, featuring well over 100 deities, but only one supreme god, named Olorun, rules them all. The Yoruba calendar is full of religious holidays and rituals to worship these gods, most of which are practiced even by Christian and Muslim Yoruba as a form of cultural dedication.
