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Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Yoruba

Introduction
The Yoruba is one of the largest tribes in Nigeria.  They have been living in Nigeria for over 1,000 years! They were ruled by kings and a council of elders.  There are over 40 million people that speak Yoruba. They created their own religion called Ifa.  Yoruba art is very realistic.  They are great musicians have many festivals.  Clothes and cuisine are very important to them.
History
The Yoruba come from a mixture of Egyptians and West Africans.  There was many migrations of Egyptians that gave rise to the Yoruba.  There are words in the Yoruba language that originated in Kemet.  The Yoruba lived in a holy city called Ife in Nigeria around 300 BCE.  The Oyo empire was created in the 1400s.  It was the most important West African Empire in 1600s and 1700s.  This empire was ruled by a king and it had a political council and a religious council.  Oyo had a strong military.  The people of Oyo engaged in a lot of trade.  Oyo Empire was destroyed by Muslims, the Yoruba city-states had a civil war; then the British took over Nigeria.
Langauge
The language Yoruba is part of the Niger-Congo language family.  The Niger-Congo language family is over 15,000 years old!  Yoruba has 3 dialects.  They are mid-west, south-west, and north-central.  Yoruba is the language of Santeria.
Religion
Click here for more info.    
Art
They made sculptures out of terracotta, stone, and different metals.  Their sculptures are the best in Africa! Their art mainly dealt with religion.  The Oba crown had the power of the ancestors.
Music
The main instrument is the drums.  Yoruba music had a big impact on Nigeria, Cuba, and most of Latin America.  They have their own piano and violin.
Festivals
Eyo Festival takes place on Lagos island.  People from around the world come to see this festival.  There's a parade and everyone wears white.  It is the ancestor of the carnival in Brazil.  The Calabar Carnival is the biggest parade in Africa.  It attracts many tourists.  There are many other carnivals in Nigeria and they are fantastic.
Threads
Their clothes are made out of cotton and they show social status.  Men wear robes and women wear dresses.  Their clothes are very colorful.  They are sharp dressers.
Cuisine
They eat yams, bean pudding, rice, okra, corn, eggs, chicken, beef, etc.  They make their kind of soups. They have their own signature dishes.  They have a dessert called puff puff.  It's to die 4.
Conclusion
The Yoruba are a great people.  They have a rich history, neat language, sweet art, nice music, awesome celebrations, cool clothes, and tasty treats.  They are one of my favorite Nigerian tribes.  They are as sweet as the Igbo.
References
http://www.raceandhistory.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl?md=read;id=2139
http://www.ankhonline.com/ankh_num_16/ankh_16_t_obenga_ancient%20egyptian%20and%20modern%20yoruba.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Yoruba_people
http://www.travelstart.com.ng/blog/10-colourful-cultural-festivals-in-nigeria/
https://www.buzzfeed.com/bimadewunmi/nigerian-foods-the-world-should-know-and-love

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